Disclaimer: The opinions expressed here are that of the writer and do not necessarily represent the views of the Union for Traditional Judaism, unless otherwise indicated.
This week we end Sefer Shemot with a bang by reading the conjoined parshiot of Vayakhel and Pekudei from one Torah, followed by the special leining from a second Torah that announces the upcoming Rosh Chodesh Nissan. Unfortunately, like that tree that falls in a forest without witnesses, this bang will not be heard and the beautiful pageantry will be unobserved. Jews throughout the world will be home-bound this Shabbos by government edicts proscribing gathering in public places. Baruch HaShem, this edict is being respected and promoted by our Rabbis as a communal Pikuach Nefesh.
It is ironic – but not a coincidence – that our parsha begins with Moshe gathering the entire nation of Yisrael together to continue the conversation that began on Sinai:
| Moses then assembled the whole Israelite community and said to them: These are the things that the LORD has commanded you to do… | וַיַּקְהֵל מֹשֶׁה אֶת כָּל עֲדַת בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וַיֹּאמֶר אֲלֵהֶם אֵלֶּה הַדְּבָרִים אֲשֶׁר צִוָּה ה’ לַעֲשֹׂת אֹתָם |
What lesson can we, who will be alone and isolated this Shabbos, learn from this verse about communal gathering?
I suggest we look to Ḥayyim ben Moshe ibn Attar, the eighteenth-century mystic better known as the Or Ha-Ḥayyim. He wondered why the Torah, ever frugal with her words, took the time to tell us that Moshe assembled the nation. Surely he did so each time he addressed the nation! What was different this time?
| I suppose that seeing the people were afraid to face Moses after they had seen how his face emitted rays of light, he had to issue a call for a general assembly so that some people would not stay at home for fear of being blinded or burned by those rays. | ראה כי לצד שראו כי קרן עור פניו וייראו מגשת אליו, לזה הוצרך להקהיל את כולן לבל ימנעו קצת מהמורא, וזה שדקדק לומר את כל עדת |
After Moshe experienced God’s Countenance directly, the Torah tells us that his face shined so brightly that he had to cover it with a veil.
| And it came to pass when Moses descended from Mount Sinai, and the two tablets of the testimony were in Moses’ hand when he descended from the mountain and Moses did not know that the skin of his face had become radiant while He had spoken with him | וַיְהִ֗י בְּרֶ֤דֶת משֶׁה֙ מֵהַ֣ר סִינַ֔י וּשְׁנֵ֨י לֻחֹ֤ת הָֽעֵדֻת֙ בְּיַד־משֶׁ֔ה בְּרִדְתּ֖וֹ מִן־הָהָ֑ר וּמשֶׁ֣ה :לֹֽא־יָדַ֗ע כִּ֥י קָרַ֛ן ע֥וֹר פָּנָ֖יו בְּדַבְּר֥וֹ אִתּֽוֹ |
| Aaron and all the children of Israel saw Moses and behold! the skin of his face had become radiant, and they were afraid to come near him. | וַיַּ֨רְא אַֽהֲרֹ֜ן וְכָל־בְּנֵ֤י יִשְׂרָאֵל֙ אֶת־משֶׁ֔ה וְהִנֵּ֥ה קָרַ֖ן ע֣וֹר פָּנָ֑יו וַיִּֽירְא֖וּ מִגֶּ֥שֶׁת אֵלָֽיו |
| When Moses had finished speaking with them, he placed a covering over his face. | וַיְכַ֣ל משֶׁ֔ה מִדַּבֵּ֖ר אִתָּ֑ם וַיִּתֵּ֥ן עַל־פָּנָ֖יו מַסְוֶֽה: |
| Then the children of Israel would see Moses’ face, that the skin of Moses’ face had become radiant, and [then] Moses would replace the covering over his face until he would come [again] to speak with Him. | וְרָא֤וּ בְנֵי־יִשְׂרָאֵל֙ אֶת־פְּנֵ֣י משֶׁ֔ה כִּ֣י קָרַ֔ן ע֖וֹר פְּנֵ֣י משֶׁ֑ה וְהֵשִׁ֨יב משֶׁ֤ה אֶת־הַמַּסְוֶה֙ עַל־פָּנָ֔יו עַד־בֹּא֖וֹ לְדַבֵּ֥ר אִתּֽוֹ: |
The people were naturally afraid and thought it wise(r) to stay home. Keep in mind that this occurred soon after Chet HaEgel, the Golden Calf debacle. There had just been a national calamity; death and terror invaded the community. People retreated to the privacy of their tents and invented social distancing. The fears of the people were genuine and rational. Seeing Moshe (who, admittedly, had a bit of an anger management problem) lit up like fireworks on the Fourth of July did nothing to calm their nerves.
Moshe understood this; he appreciated their contagious fear. He therefore coaxed them out by simply telling them that the time had come to resume their lives and to hear Torah. Moshe summoned the entire people, assuring them that they were safe.
The time will soon come when it will be safe for us, too, to leave our self-quarantines and return to work and school. Normal shopping will resume and products unavailable now will once again fill the shelves. On that day, our Rabbi will invite us back to shul to worship and celebrate, to see the light of Torah and to once again sing praises to HaShem, with the harmony of our friends and family and neighbors.
As Moshe told Pharaoh:
| With our youth and with our elders we will go, with our sons and with our daughters, with our flocks and with our cattle we will go, for it is a festival of the Lord to us.” | בִּנְעָרֵ֥ינוּ וּבִזְקֵנֵ֖ינוּ נֵלֵ֑ךְ בְּבָנֵ֨ינוּ וּבִבְנוֹתֵ֜נוּ בְּצֹאנֵ֤נוּ וּבִבְקָרֵ֨נוּ֙ נֵלֵ֔ךְ כִּ֥י חַג־ה לָֽנוּ |
When we do assemble, we should probably leave our flocks and cattle and dogs and cats at home. Other than that, on that day, all who are able –man, woman and child alike – must come we can still sing our tefilot and learn our Torah.
And if anything, this experience must give us a glimpse into the fears that Bnai Yisrael had in the time of Torah, and throughout history, when public assembly and worship was so often a life-threatening endeavor.
Shabbat Shalom!
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Rabbi Jeffrey H. Miller earned a Master’s degree in Jewish History and S'micha (rabbinical ordination) from Yeshiva University in 1988. He then served as the rabbi of Congregation Sons of Israel (Manalapan, NJ; 1988-1991) and Marathon Jewish Center (Douglaston, NY; 1991-1998). In 1998, Rabbi Miller graduated from St. John’s University School of Law and began practicing law full time. Rabbi Miller has served as a legal advisor to the Union for Traditional Judaism and its rabbinical arm, Morasha. He has lectured on a wide array of topics concerning the intersection of secular law and the rabbinate. In February 2017, Jeffrey was accepted to serve on the American Arbitrtaion Association’s panel of commercial arbitrators. Rabbi Miller has been married to Enid (they met as counselors on USY Wheels) since 1985, and they are the proud parents of Rabbi Avi (and Sarah) Miller, and grandparents of Samson, Avika and Rafi.
For more information about Rabbi Miller, including links to some of his published articles, visit him at his website at www.millerlawofficespllc.com.