Rabbi Mordecai Kornfeld's
Weekly
Parasha-Page

This week's Parasha-Page is dedicated to the memory of the grandfather after whom I am named, Mordecai Kornfeld of Munkacz/Mukachevo, who was killed in the Holocaust along with most of his family, Hashem Yikom Damam. 1 Adar is the day observed as his Yahrzeit.

PARASHAT VAYAKHEL 5757

6 DAYS THOU SHALT WORK

"Six days work shall be done and the seventh day shall be holy; it is Shabbat Shabbaton for Hashem. Whoever does work on that day will by put to death ['Yumat']. Do not burn a fire in any of your places of dwelling on the Shabbat day." (Shmot 35:2-3)

Harav Meir Simcha Hakohen of Dvinsk (d. 1926) points out in his "Meshech Chochmah" that the use of the verb "Yumat" (will be put to death) in the above verse is atypical. Normally, this verb is reserved to describe the punishment of "death by Divine decree" (Misah Bi'Ydei Shamayim), while the phrase "*Mot* Yumat" (will certainly be put to death) is used when a person is to be put to death by a Jewish court as punishment for his sins. Since profaning the Shabbat is punishable by stoning in a Jewish court (after forewarning and proper testimony -- Bamidbar 15:35), it would seem more appropriate to use the term "Mot Yumat" in this verse. An interpretation proposed by the Vilna Gaon (Hagaon Rav Eliyahu of Vilna, d. 1798) for a verse in another Parasha may be applied here to suggest an explanation for this anomaly.

II

Speak to the Bnei Yisroel and say to them, "The Moadim [holidays] of Hashem which shall be for you Holy days are the following: Six days work shall be done and the seventh day is Shabbat Shabbaton, a Holy day, you shall not do any work, it is to be celebrated as the Shabbat of Hashem in all of your places of dwelling. These are the Moadim of Hashem, the Holy days, which you shall proclaim in their proper times: On the fourteenth [day] of the first month.... (the remainder of the chapter discusses the laws of the various Moadim.) (Vayikra 23:1-5)

The appearance of a verse discussing the laws of Shabbat after introducing the Moadim is baffling. One would expect to find the laws of the Moadim, and not of Shabbat, after such an introduction! What are the laws of Shabbat doing here?

The Vilna Gaon explains that the "six days" mentioned in this verse are not the days of the week. They are, in fact, the very Moadim to which the remainder of the chapter is dedicated. There are a total of six days of Yom Tov among the Moadim during which creative work (of the type that is prohibited on Shabbat) is prohibited: these are the first and last days of Pesach (Passover), the first and last days of Sukkot (Tabernacles), one day of Shavuot (the Festival of Weeks) and one day of Rosh Hashanah! Since, unlike Shabbat, work is permitted on these days if it is needed for the preparation of food, the Torah states that on these "six days, work shall be done."

The seventh day, which the verse refers to as "Shabbat Shabbaton," is Yom Kippur (which is called "Shabbat Shabbaton" elsewhere in the Torah, see Vayikra 23:32). Relative to the other days of Yom Tov, Yom Kippur can be compared to Shabbat, for on Yom Kippur *all* work is prohibited -- even work that is needed for the preparation of food -- just as on Shabbat! (Divrei Eliyahu, Parshat Emor; see also Maharsha, Yoma 2a, who notes the similarity between the 7 days of the week and the seven days of Yom Tov.)

III

With this in mind, we may suggest that the "seven days" of the verse in the beginning of Vayakhel are once again the six days of Yom Tov and Yom Kippur. For this reason, the seventh day is referred to as "Shabbat Shabbaton" -- rather than the usual "Shabbat." Yom Kippur is the "Shabbat" of the "Shabbatot" (i.e., the Moadim). This also explains why, both here and in Vaykra, the "Hitpa'el" verb, "*Te'aseh* Melachah" ("[six days,] work shall *be done*") is used, as opposed to the active verb, "Ta'aseh Melachah" ("You shall do work"). During the six working days of the week it is a divine decree that "you shall do work" -- that is, it is expected of a person that he work and not to remain idle. During Yom Tov, however, it certainly isn't *expected* of us to do work. True, it is permissible to do what work is necessary in order to prepare for the Yom Tov itself, nevertheless is one can prepare everything from before Yom Tov so that he doesn't have to work on Yom Tov, all the better!

If this is true, it is obvious that the verb "Yumat" is most appropriate here. Yom Kippur, unlike Shabbat, is punishable only by Karet, or death by Divine decree, and not by death at the hands of a Jewish court!

IV

This can also help us understand why Moshe introduced Hashem's command to build the Mishkan, at the beginning of this week's Parasha, with a discussion of the Shabbat (a peculiarity discussed by Rashi and the other commentaries to Shmot 35:2; see also Gemara Shabbat 70a).

Moshe commanded the Jewish People to build the Mishkan on the day that he returned from his third 40 day stay on top of Mt. Sinai. The day he came down, according to Rashi, was Yom Kippur (Rashi Shmot 18:13, 33:11 Rashi Ta'anit 30b "Shenitnu," and Tosefot Bava Kama 82a based on the Seder Olam Rabba, Ch. 6). It may be assumed that he immediately delivered the message of Hashem on that day, without delay (Lekach Tov, Bamidbar, p. 110). The Gemara at the end of Megillah explains that *Moshe* taught the Jewish People to discuss the laws of each Yom Tov on that Yom Tov. In keeping with his teaching, Moshe discussed the difference between Yom Kippur (the seventh day) and the other Moadim (the six days) on Yom Kippur, the day he descended from the mountain and commanded the Jewish People to build the Mishkan!

Likewise, our interpretation explains why the verse in the beginning of this week's Parasha mentions the prohibition of kindling a fire on the Shabbat. We are taught (Shabbat 73a) that no less than 39 Melachot (creative activities) are outlawed on Shabbat -- why does the Torah single out the prohibition of lighting fires on Shabbat from among the dozens of other Melachot that are prohibited on Shabbat? (See Rashi ad. loc., quoting from Shabbat 70a).

Based on what we have suggested, it may be proposed that the prohibition of kindling is the *only* one that is appropriate to this verse. "Kindling a fire" refers to lighting fires for the purpose of cooking food (as Ramban, Ibn Ezra, and Rashbam understood). The Torah is explaining that the only difference between Yom Kippur and the other six Moadim is that we may not cook food on Yom Kippur -- i.e., we may not perform Melachot even if they are needed for the preparation of food!

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