The perashah is titled Wayaqhel. This word derives from qahal, meaning “congregation.” The Torah tells us that Moshe Rabbenu gathered the entire people together. This included everyone—women and children (under the age of twenty). Why did he gather the entire people? I will give the answer shortly. One interesting point in this perashah is that this is the first time that Am Yisrael is referred to in the Torah as Adath Bene Yisrael. The word Adath comes from the root ‘ed, meaning “witness.” Why is this designation used for the chosen people at this moment?
The answer to both questions is the same. The Creator, blessed be He, wanted to reiterate the miṣwah of Shabbath once again. Until this point, it has been stated that it is forbidden to do labor on Shabbath, but it has not yet been defined what is considered “work.” Now, the Torah states that it is forbidden to kindle fire on Shabbath. Is this the only prohibition of Shabbath?
As we have studied regarding the juxtaposition of topics in the Torah, here we can infer a connection between Shabbath and the construction of the Mishkan (Tabernacle). A large portion of this perashah deals with the measurements and specifications of the Mishkan. What does one have to do with the other?
Our Sages teach that all the prohibitions of Shabbath are derived from the thirty-nine melakhoth (labors) that were performed in the construction of the Mishkan. Later, we will learn that Aḏonay, blessed be He, forbade the people from working on the Mishkan during Shabbath. From here, we learn the following:
1) Melakhah, or “work,” is defined in this perashah.
2) One cannot violate a miṣwah in order to fulfill another. This can be learned through the principle of qal waḥomer (an inference from a lighter case to a stricter one). One might say, “Building the Mishkan so we can gather together is more important than keeping Shabbath!” However, the opposite is true. In fact, it is from this perashah that we learn that it is forbidden to drive a car on Shabbath in order to congregate.
The only prohibition of Shabbath explicitly mentioned in the Torah is the kindling of fire. This teaches us that it is better to live near the synagogue so as not to violate Shabbath. It also affirms the existence of an Oral Tradition that explains the written Torah, which was transmitted by our teacher Moshe.
Finally, I want to return to the reason why our people are called Adath Bene Yisrael. Aḏonay, blessed be He, told the prophet Yeḥezqel that He gave Shabbath to Yisrael as a sign so that we may know that He is Aḏonay, who sanctifies us (Yeḥezqel 20:12). Observing Shabbath is the sign that we are Am Qaḏosh. And who is Am Qaḏosh? Am Qaḏosh is the people who recite the Shema‘ twice daily. The last letters of the words Shema‘ and Eḥad form the word ‘ed—“witness.”
When we observe Shabbath, we bear witness to the One and True God, and we are worthy of being called Adath Bene Yisrael.