A word of Torah:    
        This week we continue to read in great detail about the building of the sanctuary/mishkan in the desert. The portion begins, however, by Moses instructing the people: On six days you shall work, but on the seventh day you shall have a sabbath of complete rest, holy to God (Ex. 35:2). What is the connection between Shabbat and the building of the sanctuary?
        From this connection, the Talmud derives thirty-nine categories of work/melakhah, from planting to dyeing to sewing that were involved in building the sanctuary. These became the definition of the work that is prohibited on Shabbat. The rabbis described these categories as “creative enterprise” -- melakhah mahshevet.

"The melakhah which is forbidden on the Sabbath is conceived as the execution of an intelligent purpose by the practical skill of man…Your physical power belongs to your animal nature; it is with your technical skill which serves your spirit that you master the world-and it is with this that, as a human being, you should subject yourself to God on the Sabbath"---Samson Raphael Hirsch (19^th century rabbinic scholar).
 
        The building of the sanctuary is representative of the work we do during the week. The building of the mishkan is an affirmation of the value of work. Life isn’t just about spiritual work such as prayer and Torah study. It is about working with our minds and hands. The six days of creating are as much a part of the week as resting on Shabbat. The building of the mishkan demonstrates that any work can lead to God dwelling in our midst. The ideal vision of Jewish life is to continue the work of creation. We are to work six days and rest on the seventh.
        Ceasing from work doesn’t mean creating a 24-hour period of doing nothing. Abraham Joshua Heschel (20^th century theologian) described Shabbat as building a sanctuary in time. Most of the week, we are building various sanctuaries and structures in space. On Shabbat, we are meant to build a sanctuary in time. This too is a creative enterprise, but with a different purpose than our activities during the week. We are not occupied or even pre-occupied with earning a living, but rather focused on living our lives. Shabbat is a sanctuary from the pressures and pace of the work week, enabling us to take a breath before the work week begins again. It seems like an essential practice for our fast-paced lives.

        Rabbi Tarfon says: The Holy One did not cause God’s Shekhinah/presence to rest upon Israel before they did work as it is said: “Let them make Me a sanctuary that I may dwell among them.” (Ex. 25:8)                                     Avot deRabbi Natan ch.11

        “True Godliness does not turn us out of the world but enables us to live better in it and excites our endeavor to mend it.”                                         William Penn (17^th century, founder of the colony of Pennsylvania), adapted.