Vayakhel (Take a Minute)

Although most of this week’s Torah portion, Vayakhel, addresses the building of the portable sanctuary that our ancestors carried through the wilderness, it begins with a recapitulation of the basic premise of Shabbat: “For six days, work may be done, but the seventh day shall be a Shabbat of complete rest, holy to the Eternal One. . . “

One of the central principals underlying our Sages’ interpretation of Torah is that everything in the text—including the order and arrangement of the verses—is there for a reason.  Nothing is accidental.  Even the most seemingly-mundane repetitions and reiterations come to teach us something significant.  What connection, then, do they draw between the building of the tabernacle and Shabbat observance?

The Rabbis point to a number of noteworthy linguistic parallels between God’s creation of the world and our construction of the sanctuary.  Most significantly, both narratives end with an emphasis on completion, using the same verb, “to finish/l’chalot.” Thus Genesis 2:1 reads, The heavens and the earth were finished and Exodus 32:9 concludes, Thus was finished all the work of the tabernacle.

Why is this important? 

Most of us find it very difficult to call anything “finished”.  It is said that the French painter Pierre Bonnard would disguise himself and sneak into galleries and private homes in order to apply new touches to his own “finished” paintings.  So, too, do we struggle to let go of our labors.  For every task we finally mange to cross off our list, two new chores arise.  No matter how hard we labor, the work is never really done.

This is why Shabbat is so vital.  In our frantically-paced, restless world, Shabbat is deeply counter-cultural—and potentially, enormously healing.  By commanding us to observe Shabbat, our tradition gives us permission to set aside our lists, to stop planning and fixing and accomplishing things and instead take one day each week to simply enjoy the world as it is.  The message is: “Don’t just do something—sit there.”  In his eloquent and iconoclastic book, I’m God, You’re Not, Rabbi Lawrence Kushner suggests a practice that would serve us well: “Come twilight on Friday afternoon, I make an announcement. ‘All my jobs, tasks, and work, whether they are done or not, I hereby declare are done.   I reject their claim on me.  I deny their existence.’”  This profoundly liberating declaration has the power to deepen our Jewish connections, regain proper perspective, and enrich our lives. 

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Canadian poet and rapper K’naan doesn’t sing about Shabbat, per se, but he captures its spirit and significance beautifully in the song “Take a Minute” from his 2009 album Troubadour.  Like much of the record, this anthem tells the story of his boyhood in war-torn Somalia; K’naan shares some hard-earned lessons and urges his listeners to pause and reflect on what is happening around us before we respond.

He begins by considering the courage of Nelson Mandela and Mahatma Gandhi, then adds compares his mother to those heroes:

How did Mandela get the will to surpass the everyday
When injustice had him caged and trapped in every way
How did Gandhi ever withstand the hunger strikes and all
Didn't do it to gain power or money if I recall
It's to give; I guess I'll pass it on
Mother thinks it'll lift the stress of Babylon
Mother knows, my mother she suffered blows
I don't know how we survived such violent episodes
I was so worried, and hurt to see you bleed
But as soon as you came out the hospital you gave me sweets
Yeah, they try to take you from me
But you still only gave 'em some prayers and sympathy
Dear mama, you helped me write this, by showing me to give is priceless

Then he arrives at the chorus, in which he points to the virtues of humility and suggests:  

Any man who knows a thing knows-- he knows not a damn, damn thing at all
And every time I felt the hurt and I felt the giving getting me up off the wall
I'm just gonna take a minute and let it ride
I'm just gonna take a minute and let it breeze

K’naan urges us to take “Shabbat moments”—to step back from the heat of the instant, catch our breath and—rather than reacting—respond thoughtfully.

He notes:

Oh yeah, I take inspiration from the most heinous of situations
Creating medication out of my own tribulations
Dear Africa, you helped me write this, by showing me to give is priceless

And any man who knows a thing knows, he knows not a damn, damn thing at all
And every time I felt the hurt and I felt the givin' gettin' me up off the wall
I'm just gonna take a minute and let it ride

Other days are about doing; Shabbat is for being.  For celebrating the world, with all of its deep imperfections, and making the most of the present, whatever it entails:

Nothing is perfect man, that's what the world is
All I know is I'm enjoying today. . .
I'm just gonna take a minute and let it ride
I'm just gonna take a minute and let it breeze

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Living in an overwhelmingly non-Jewish wider community, most of us would find it impossible to observe Shabbat in an Orthodox manner.  We have soccer schedules, and birthday parties, football games and ski dates.  Some of us even have to work our day jobs on Friday nights and Saturdays.  Still, all of us can come up with innovative ways to deepen our Shabbat observance and “take a minute to let it breeze.”  We might set aside even a small portion of the Shabbat day and turn off our phones and computers, close out our schedules, put away our wallets—and enjoy the beauty of God’s creation, in solitary meditation or in the presence of loving family and/or friends.  We can reject the hold that worldly things have on us, and focus on the matters of the heart and spirit that are ultimately far more important and enduring.  We can, in short, uncover and create pathways, as liberal Jews, toward restoring Shabbat to its rightful place of primacy in our lives. 

All I know is, I’m enjoying today.

To hear K’naan singing “Take a Minute”: