Parashat Vayachel - Pekudei: 39 Categories of Work Forbidden on Shabbat

Monday, March 20, 2017 · Posted in , ,


Why is the prohibition against doing work on Shabbat written prior to the instruction for building the Mishkan?

35:2 Work shall be done for six weekdays, but the seventh day must be a holy day for you, a Sabbath of Sabbaths to HASHEM. Whoever does any work on it shall be put to death.

Moshe warned the Benei Yisrael that they must keep the Shabbat. They should not think that they were to complete the Mishkan as quickly as possible and that in doing so it was permissible to violate the Shabbat. They had to realize that even in making the Mishkan they were only to work six days. Keeping the Shabbat is a very important thing. Anyone violating it by doing work was to be put to death by stoning.
Moshe began by saying, "These are the things that G-d has commanded you to do." "These are the things" is in the plural, which is difficult to understand; Since the Torah is speaking of the Shabbat, Moshe should have said, "This is the thing," in the singular.
It is impossible to say that the plural "these are the things" includes both the commandment of the Shabbat and the work of the Mishkan. The Torah introduces the work of the Mishkan by saying, "This is the thing that G-d commanded." (35:4) Therefore, when Moshe said, "These are the things," he was speaking about the Shabbat alone. He should have said, "This is the thing," using the singular.
However, Moshe said to the Benei Yisrael, "Do not think that in order to keep the commandment of the Mishkan, to finish it as soon as possible, you are permitted to violate the Shabbat; rather, you must realize, 'These are the things that G-d has commanded you to do.' G-d has commanded you to do two things. You must keep the Shabbat as well as build the Mishkan. It is forbidden to violate the Shabbat for the sake of the Mishkan."
There are 39 categories of work that are forbidden on the Shabbat.
Sowing
Plowing
Reaping
Binding sheaves
Threshing
Winnowing
Selecting
Grinding
Sifting
Kneading
Baking
Shearing wool
Washing wool
Beating wool
Dyeing wool
Spinning
Weaving
Making two loops
Weaving two threads
Separating two threads
Tying
Untying
Sewing two stitches
Tearing
Trapping
Slaughtering
Flaying
Salting meat
Curing hide
Scraping hide
Cutting hide up
Writing two letters
Erasing two letters
Building
Tearing a building down
Extinguishing a fire
Kindling a fire
Hitting with a hammer
Taking an object from the private domain to the public, or transporting an object in the public domain. (Mishnah - Shabbat 7:2)
We derive these categories of work from the types of work needed to make the Mishkan. We see that the commandment regarding the Shabbat comes immediately before the Mishkan. We thus learn that the types of work that were needed to build the Mishkan are precisely the ones that are forbidden on the Shabbat.
Moshe therefore said, "These are the things that G-d has commanded you to do; six days do work... 'These things' refers to the 39 categories of work that I commanded you to do in the Mishkan. These may be done during the six weekdays. On the seventh day however, it is forbidden for you to do them."
- Me'am Lo'ez

No Comments »

Perek Shirah - Grasses Say

Sunday, February 26, 2017 · Posted in ,

דְּשָׁאִים אוֺמְרִים - Grasses Say



Tehillim 104:31

יְהִי כְבוֹד יְהוָה לְעוֹלָם יִשְׂמַח יְהוָה בְּמַעֲשָׂיו
 yehi chevod HASHEM le'olam yismach HASHEM bema'asav
May the glory of HASHEM endure forever; let HASHEM rejoice in His works.

King David prays that no part of the world should perish in the kind of upheaval that destoryed Sedom and Amorah, when G-d in His fury acted to destroy them. On the contrary, "let HASHEM rejoice in His works," for they bear witness to His wisdom. As it says, "The work of My hands, that I may be glorified" (Yeshayahu 60:21)

Having now completed the description of all the works of Creation, King David declares that everything depends on the will of the Holy One. If that is His will, HASHEM will "rejoice in His works," unlike what happened before, when G-d was grieved in His heart (Bereishit 6:6) about the Flood Generation, the Bavel Generation, and about Sedom and Amorah, who corrupted their deeds. Then HASHEM did not rejoice in His works.

G-d will rejoice in His works when the Mashiach comes. This is hinted at in the letters of ישמח (yismach), which are also the letters of  משיח - the Mashiach. (Me'am Lo'ez)

No Comments »

Perek Shirah - Vegetables of the Field Say

Thursday, February 23, 2017 · Posted in ,

יְרָקוֺת שֶׁבַּשָּׂדֶה אוֺמְךִים - Vegetable of the Field Say:


Tehillim 65:11

תְּלָמֶיהָ רַוֵּה נַחֵת גְּדוּדֶהָ  בִּרְבִיבִים תְּמֹגְגֶנָּה צִמְחָהּ תְּבָרֵךְ
telameiha raveh nachet gedudeiha birvivim temoggenah tzimchah tevarech
Watering her ridges abundantly, settling her furrows; You make her soft with showers; You bless her growth.

The plowed line of earth is a furrow, and the banks that flank each furrow are its ridges; "her" refers to the earth. King David says, "You satisfy 'the ridges abundantly, settling her furrows' with ample rain. 'You make her soft with showers' and thereby 'You bless her growth.'"

The Scripture speaks of the three stages of planting and growth that require rain. Water is needed at planting time in order for the seeds to sink into the softened earth; otherwise they would remain on the surface as food for the birds of heaven. Water is needed to break up the seeds and make them grow, and then, when the stalks form, water is needed for them to fill out. Accordingly, he says here: "Watering her ridges abundantly, settling her furrows" so the formations of dispersed seeds should sink down; "You maker soft with showers" for the seeds to sprout; and then "you bless her growth" to fill out the stalks.

Chazal teach: Why is the first rain called יורה (yoreh)? For it instructs מורה (moreh) human beings to plaster the roofs of their houses and make all necessary repairs. another thing is that this rain satisfies the earth and fills it down to the depths. As it says, "Watering her ridges abundantly, settling her furrows; You make her soft with showers; You bless her growth." Alternatively, yoreh means that it falls gently and it does not fall vehemently.

 R. Yochanan said: So great is the day of the rains, that even armies cease their activity to celebrate. He adduced this from the present verse, "Watering her ridges abundantly, making her columns rest (נחת גדודיה). (Me'am Lo'ez)

No Comments »
....