And Moses assembled all
the congregation of the Children of Israel, and said to them, 'These are the words that God has commanded (you) to do. Exodus 35:1
"And Moses assembled”: On the day
after Yom Kippur Rashi
My father commented that assembling the
congregation to deal with the construction of the Tabernacle was essentially a
continuation of the lesson of Yom Kippur:
just as the purpose of Yom Kippur is
to elevate the individual (and the nation) to a higher spiritual level, which
will have an impact on the remaining days of the year, so too the Tabernacle
(and later the Temple) is not intended to limit sanctity, not to confine God
within its four walls, but rather to be the place from which sanctity spreads
and radiates throughout the world. Thus, the Torah says “They shall make a
sanctuary for Me, then I will dwell in their midst.” (Exodus 25:8) God will not
dwell within the sanctuary but within the people.
Before presenting the
construction of the Tabernacle, Moses instructed the congregation in Shabbat observance. The lesson of Yom Kippur applies equally well to Shabbat: the ideal of Shabbat is for the sanctity of the
seventh day to invest the remaining six days of week with a spiritual dimension
as well. Shabbat influences and conveys sanctity to the days of the week.
There are three realms of
sanctity: that of place (which building the Tabernacle established); that of
time (which Shabbat and Yom Kippur represent); and that of man.
Each of these sanctities shares the concept that they are not to be confined,
but on the contrary, the goal is to spread their holiness. Similarly, man is
not to confine holiness to himself, rather his duty is to spread holiness
throughout society. Judaism does not attribute sanctity to one who withdraws
from society, to one who cares only for his own spiritual needs, but rather to
one who helps, inspires and elevates his entire society. This is the true
meaning of sanctity.
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