by Rabbi Avi Billet
The Yalkut Shimoni’s opening comment in his Midrashic exposition on Parshas Vayakhel is translated as follows:
Vayakhel Moshe - And Moshe gathered – Our Rabbis, the master Aggadists said that from the beginning of the Torah until the end there is no other Parsha that begins with a gathering. The Holy One Blessed Be He said, “Make for yourselves great gatherings/ communities and make drashas, sermonize before them in public regarding the laws of Shabbos, so that future generations will learn from you, to gather “Kehilos” (either gatherings or communities) every shabbos. And they should enter the study halls to teach and to show the Israelites the words of the Torah, the forbidden and the permitted, so that My Great Name will be spread amongst my children.
From this, the rabbis claimed that Moshe established for Israel that they should study the laws of Pesach on Pesach time, the laws of Atzeres – meaning Shavuos – at Atzeres time, and the laws of Chag – meaning Sukkos – at Chag time.
Moshe said to the Israelites, “If you do this in this manner, Hakadosh Baruch Hu (the Holy One Who is Blessed) will count it as if you have “crowned Me (meaning God) King in My World” as it says in Isaiah 43:12 – “You are My witnesses, the word of God, and I am God.”I think there are two important lessons we can take from this Midrashic account.
The first lesson is that clearly the concept of a drasha, certainly around Yom Tov time, but even week to week on every Shabbos, is a good thing. On Shabbos we create that communal gathering experience – the gathering of a community together, to pray together, to hear the Torah together, to learn together, and hopefully, to be inspired together. We should not feel rushed, that the rabbi speaks too long (unless he is unprepared and does not make a point worthy of everyone’s time). We need to remind ourselves why we come to synagogue! Some people do not have the opportunity to learn a little Torah during the week. But if we are a kehillah, a community, then a little patience will go a long way. The Torah thoughts shared during the sermon in every synagogue are meant to be a starting point of a larger conversation about Torah and our lives as Jews, under God. Our patience and positive support of sermons is a way which we strengthen the community, being facilitators of others’ learning when the response to a sermon is insightful, thoughtful and focused on its content, and its message. And if that conversation, about the topic at hand (and not about the speaker), extends to the Shabbos table, we are all blessed for it.
The second lesson is to help us focus on why we gather in the first place. Of course we come to the synagogue to pray, and to learn a little. Some people attend a class before or after the services as well, while some minimally get their fill from a sermon. But all of us attend for the focus of which the Yalkut Shimoni spoke, “so that My Great Name will be spread amongst my children,” and so that “God will view it as if we have crowned Him (meaning God) King in My World” as it says in Isaiah 43:12 – “You are My witnesses, the word of God, and I am God.”
Many shuls have a statement of some kind on or above the Aron Kodesh. In the interest of space I won’t share the many I’ve seen, but here is a summary of presumed objective of the verses or statements. Some are meant to put the fear of God in those who are present. Some are meant to put a focus on God’s presence in our midst. Some are meant to put the joy of God in our lives into people’s conscience. The joy of Torah might be a focus as well.
More than anything, I think our goal in synagogue attendance is to bring God in the shul-space and into our lives. Rabbi Shimon Pincus said that sometimes we can accuse ourselves of being guilty of having “cultivated a Judaism from which we have left Hashem out of the equation.”
Sometimes we are so busy serving God that we forget about God. Too often, even while we are praying we don’t pay attention to Whom we are praying! We focus too much on “did you say that part yet?” as opposed to “Did you communicate with your Creator?”
Even in our Shabbos observance we may run the risk of hitting all the check marks of Shabbos –– the cholent and kugel, the extra sleep, the family time, and even beautiful davenings – that we forget that all of these are only means to a much higher and important end. That ‘end’ is G-d Himself, Who is truly the beginning and the end!
Shabbos is such an integral part of our Jewish experience because it is through Shabbos that we testify to God’s existence, and that we note how he created the world in six days and stopped His creative work on the Seventh, choosing to sanctify the seventh day and make it holy.
Many of the sermons of the great Chassidic masters focus on the special nature of Shabbos. I sometimes wonder why the Rebbes felt the need to always talk about Shabbos. Really? Whether we identify with Chassidism or not, it is hard to imagine that sincere Chassidim would not observe the Shabbos. How could such a thing happen? I think the Rebbes were trying to assure that with all the trappings of Chassidus – making sure you dress right, that you go to the rebbe’s tish, etc. that you not forget what Shabbos is really all about. It is not about whether you got the “shirayim from the rebbe,” but whether you remembered to bring God into your life.
It’s hard to remember to maintain the special focus. It’s hard to make the Shabbos table conversation one of Torah and holiness at the forefront instead of as an afterthought at desert time.
The Yalkut Shimoni reminds us that we can follow even the most simple ingredients.
We must take the most we can out of the sermon. No matter where we find ourselves for Shabbos. Remember and recall not just whatever story or good line the rabbi told. But take the Torah content and message to heart.
We must make the most we can out of Shabbos. Seek to crown God as King in His World, and bear witness to His role in our lives. We who are so good at going through motions must strive to take all that we do to the next level. To feel as if we are His subjects at all times, with the responsibility, or better yet, privilege we have to fulfill His will.
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