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VAYAKHEIL
The opening subject in this week’s double
parsha, which marks the conclusion of the book of Shemot, discusses the Shabat
and its centrality in Jewish life and halacha. Rashi points out to us that this
parsha regarding Shabat was stated and taught b’hakheil – in a public assembly and
gathering - hence the name of the parsha itself - Vayakheil. I have always felt that there is a great
implicit but vital message in this idea of Shabat being taught b’hakheil. Shabat has two distinct
aspects to it. There is the private Shabat – the meals and family table, the
leisure and serenity of our homes during this holy day, the feeling of dignity
and Jewish identity that Shabat automatically engenders in the soul of every
Jew. But there is also the requirement that Shabat be taught b’hakheil – in a public fashion and
forum. The public Shabat is the sign of the covenant between God and Israel and
through Israel with all of humankind. It is the public Shabat that reaffirms the
communal unity of the Jewish people and determines the direction of our public
policies and agendas. In the absence of a public Shabat the
entire community structure of the Jewish people is weakened, our goals and
objectives obscured and confusion reigns with regard to our true rights and
purpose.. While the absence of a private Shabat for an individual and family
eventually proves very costly in relationship to their continuity in Judaism,
the absence of a public Shabat is a death knell for the Jewish
community. In recent decades the private Shabat has
made a strong come back within many Jewish families. Even those who are not
halachically observant attempt to have some sort of Shabat at home, whether it
is in lighting the Shabat candles or having a special family meal. The
realization of the importance to one’s psychological and family well-being of
having a private Shabat is slowly dawning on increasing numbers of Jews who
otherwise are, in the main, non-observant of halacha and Jewish ritual. However,
the public Shabat is slipping away from us, here in Israel and certainly in the
Diaspora. Jewish community centers in much of the United States, transformed
basically into health clubs for all, stay open on the Shabat. In Israel,
kibbutzim and some shopping malls skirt the official laws and stay open on the
Shabat. Jewish airlines devise all sorts of subterfuges to fly on the Shabat
with the excuse of customer service necessitating such practices. But again, a
Jewish community that does not provide for a public face for the Shabat is
dooming itself to Jewish extinction. It has been said often that more than the
Jews guarding the Shabat, the Shabat has guarded the Jews. In the difficult times in which we live,
discarding the public Shabat is tantamount to spiritual suicide. Only by
securing the public Shabat and treasuring it as the national gift that the Lord
has granted us can we at the same time guarantee our continuity and future
success as a people. Shabat shalom. Rabbi Berel
Wein
