Parashat Vayakel talks about the Mishkan and Shabbat.
Shabbat is a lesson in Bitachon. Shabbat teaches us that G-d created the world in 6 days and rested on the 7th. We aren’t in charge. All week long G-d tells us we have to work, to cover the miracle of sustenance. In our times, even with all the Bitachon we have, we still can’t sit home and wait for the manna to fall from heaven. We have to go to work. As Hashem says, I will bless you in your handiwork.
There is one day a week, though, that we don’t have have to work. On this day, G-d says, I want you to realize who’s sending the money. We have to take a day off and realize we’re not doing anything- Hashem is doing it all. That’s why Shabbat is called Mekor HaBeracha- the source of all blessing.
Why? Our rabbis tell us that Shabbat is the mekor/source of emunah and betachon. Since Shabbat is the day we focus on the concepts that Hashem created the world and He’s in charge, it’s the source of all blessing. We have an opportunity every Friday night, during kiddush, to focus on this.
We may not always pay attention, or understand the Hebrew, but if we try to concentrate during kiddush, we can remind ourselves of two important things;
1-God created the world,
2- He took us out of Egypt.
He’s in control. Shabbat is the day that Hashem says, I know you’re busy all week, so just give me this one day to pray longer,
learn extra Torah, sing songs..etc. w
As Rabbi Miller says, the focus of Shabbat is : מזמר שיר ליום שבת טוב להודות לה׳
Shabbat is a day to say thank you to Hashem
There are many nice family customs centered around the Shabbat table. This week, try to go around and take turns thanking Hashem for something. It can be something special or anything at all.
That’s the focus of Shabbat, and it’s why Parashat Vayakel, which talks about Shabbat, comes after the sin of golden calf; to show how the sin of golden calf was fixed. As we mentioned previously, our sin was in thinking that we can’t deal directly with G-d, that we need intermediaries. G-d gave us Shabbat to correct that. It’s a time to thank Hashem because He gave us everything.
The Hovot HaLevavot says that every mercy that has ever happened to us, from the beginning of life until the end, is a message from Hashem. If you got a lollipop from your mother- that was from Hashem. G-d loves you more than anyone else does. If you got a nice bagel with a pickle for breakfast, that was Hashem.
Who made it for you? As we say in Birkat Hamazon,
שלחנו ערוך לכל
His table is set for everyone.
It’s not our table. We have to thank Hashem.
But we can’t make a mistake and only have
טוב להודות לה׳
As the sefer hinuch, Rav Wolbe, and many other source say, our character traits can’t be “half baked.” Either we appreciate or we don’t. We can’t just appreciate G-d and not people.
So at the table, beside thanking Hashem, thank your wife or your mother or whomever put the food out for you.
A Jew is called a yehudi יהודי
The root is hodaya- הודיה thank you
The first words out of a Jew’s mouth in the morning are Modeh Ani מודה אני I say thank you..Because I realize I didn’t do everything myself.
As we discussed previously, Mr. Ralph Tawil a’h was raised in an orphanage. In one of his most memorable speeches, he described how when he was 20 years old he began to wonder, “Who took care of me? I was an orphan. Who paid for me? I ate food- who paid for it?” He tried to find the orphanage but he couldn’t. It had become the organization known as Ohel. So he called Ohel and told them he wanted to host a dinner for them. He would be the guest of honor so that he could raise money for them, because as he told them, “I owe you.”
We should all ask, “I’ve been eating and drinking- who’s been taking care of me?” The answer is G-d.
And that’s what we should think about on Shabbat.