Circumstantially, the book of Exodus ends much as it begins,
with the Israelites collectively toiling to build a significant structure at
someone else’s behest. As Exodus opens,
we are slaves, constructing garrison cities for Pharaoh. At its end, with this week’s portion, Pekude, we build the portable sanctuary
for the God who redeemed us from Egyptian bondage.
This shift happens in less than six months. What difference does that time make? What is the distinction between being a slave
to Pharaoh and a servant to God? What is
the point of the liberation journey if we end up laboring on both ends?
Rabbi Shai Held notes: “As slaves in Egypt, the Israelites work without respite against their
will. When they build the mishkan in this week's parashah, in stark contrast, Moses asks
for voluntary contributions.
Finally freed from slavery, the Israelites are slowly being taught that
there is a form of service radically different from slavery, one that honors
and nurtures one's sense of agency rather than degrading it and whittling it
away.”
At the heart
of what differentiates service from slavery dwells Shabbat. It is no coincidence that when Moses lays out
instructions for how to build the tabernacle, he begins with Shabbat: "On
six days work may be done, but on the seventh day you shall have a sabbath of
complete rest holy to the Lord..." (35:2). In Torah, work and rest are each made holy by the possibility and the
presence of the other. Without rest,
even the holiest work eventually becomes drudgery. And without meaningful work, even sacred rest
soon settles into boredom. Just as in
music, we need both notes and rests to create a beautiful score, a well-lived
life is defined by both sacred labor and the regular pauses that keep that
labor sacred.
May all of our
building—and our rest—move us, this week, toward service of the Holy One.
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