Parshat Ki Tisa begins by concluding the section of instructions for the building of the Mishkan and its vessels - the kiyor and koetoret. The parsha ends with the Sin of the Golden Calf and its aftermath. And, in between these two fundamental sections of our parsha, we find several seemingly isolated verses dealing with the command to keep Shabbat. In trying to understand the seemingly random placement of the command to keep Shabbat, we will learn a profound lesson about the underlying theme of the parsha and a deeper insight into essence of this special day. The Torah tells us:
V’ata diber el bnei Yisrael lamor: ach et shabtotai tishmoru
And you, speak to the children of Israel and say: only keep My Sabbaths (Ex. 31:13)
Rashi explains that a fundamental and practical lesson is being taught from the juxtaposition of Shabbat and the Mishkan—the building of the Mishkan and all its associated activities must cease on Shabbat. Indeed we derive the 39 melachot that are forbidden on Shabbat from the work that was required to build the Mishkan.
While this certainly explains the connection between the Mishkan and Shabbat on one level, I believe there is yet another layer of understanding to unravel in discovering the inherent connection between the Mishkan and Shabbat.
The deliberate choice to include the kiyor and the ketoret in this parsha suggest that these two vessels tell us something about the connection between the Mishkan and Shabbat. these two vessels demonstrate the two fundamental ways in which the Mishkan served as a sacred space for the Jewish people to relate to and serve Hashem. The first way in the Jewish people elevated themselves through the work of the Mishkan was through the daily rituals - reminding them and enabling them to constantly strive to reach higher and higher levels of closeness with Hashem. The kiyor, the washbasin was used by the kohanim to purify themselves each morning, particularly highlights the need to start each day with the acknowledgement that there is always room for purification, elevation, and growth in our relationship with Hashem.
The second way in which the Mishkan enabled the Jewish people to get closer to Hashem was through the sin offerings, which enabled them to reconnect with Hashem after distancing themselves with their transgressions. The Lebuvitcher Rebbe explains how the ketoret symbolizes this aspect of teshuva associated with the Mishkan. After the sacrifices were brought, there remained a foul odor that lingered in the Mishkan. The ketoret served to get rid of this foul odor - to destroy the last semblance of sin for which the korban was brought and thereby signifies the completion of the teshuva process and the reestablishment of the relationship with Hashem.
With these insights we can, perhaps, better understand the connection between the Mishkan and Shabbat. In some way, the sacred space of the Mishkan is replaced with the sanctified time offered to us every week. In essence, Shabbat enables us to connect to Hashem in the same two ways symbolized by the kiyor and the ketoret.
Just as the kohanim started each day with purification and cleansing, we start each week with the recognition and readiness to look ahead in how to better ourselves and come closer to Hashem. Shabbat is the foundational start to our week - it is the source of all bracha for the coming days - it is a pause from our busy week to reassess and reestablish our connection with Hashem.
At the same time, Shabbat is the culmination of the week – as we say each morning in the Song of the Day - hayom yom rishon l’Shabbat (today is the first day towards Shabbat, and so on). Like the Mishkan, Shabbat serves as the antidote to our sins. Indeed, the word Shabbat comes from the same root word as teshuva (repentance). Though we no longer have the opportunity to bring sin offerings, we still have the space for teshuva in our week. Shabbat is a time to evaluate what perhaps we could have done better in the week’s past and hope to do better in the week to come. Just as the ketoret signifies the final step in the cleansing process, Shabbat provides us with the opportunity to achieve teshuva in its fullest sense.
Finally, it should be noted that this concept of teshuva m'ahavah is strongly associated with the month of Adar. Based on the words of the Arizal, Rabbi Eliezer Miller notes that during this month "Hashem opens up his wellsprings of generosity and love for the Jewish people. This, in turn, inspires us to express our love towards him." Accordingly, the Sfat Emet writes that in the month of Adar we are better able to do teshuva from a place of simcha and ahava. This is as true for the month of Adar as it is every Shabbat of the year. And so, let us feel this outpouring of love during this month, and extra embrace each and every Shabbat. May we recognize the step closer that Hashem takes towards us each Shabbat, and may we be moved to take the steps forward and closer to Him for the coming week. May we recognize Shabbat as the sacred space in our week to return to Hashem each Shabbat - but not to the same place we were the week before, but may find ourselves being elevated higher and higher with each passing week!
Shabbat Shalom, Taly
