Parsha_Push for Vayakhel

In the beginning of our parsha, the command regarding Shabbat is repeated. Just as when Moshe was instructed to build the Mishkan he received a restriction regarding the Shabbat, so it is repeated when this instruction is replayed for the people. Due to the proximity of the commands, the Sages understood that the crafts or “melachot” prohibited on Shabbat are those necessary for building the Mishkan.
The list of “melachot” that the Sages spell out in the Mishnah in Shabbat, are mentioned in the midrash in a different context (Brachot 58a): “Ben Zoma once saw a multitude of Israel while standing on a stair on the Temple Mount. He recited: ‘Blessed…Who knows all secrets and Blessed…Who created all these to serve me’. He would say: How much effort did Adam the first man exert before he found bread to eat: He plowed, sowed, reaped, sheaved, threshed, winnowed in the wind, separated the grain from the chaff, ground the grain into flour, sifted, kneaded, and baked and only thereafter he ate. And I, wake up and find all of these prepared for me. How much effort did Adam the first man exert before he found a garment to wear? He sheared, laundered, combed, spun and wove, and only thereafter he found a garment to wear. And I wake up and find all of these prepared for me”,
Ben Zoma describes the different crafts needed to fulfill his personal needs, while emphasizing the advantages of out-sourcing, whereby many people can come together to source more efficiently the needs of many. This collectivity, which is a wonder in our day-to-day lives, is also part of the wonder of the Mishkan, created via joint effort, where each and every one contributes their part toward a shared spiritual goal. Just as society has progressed since the time each person saw to his own needs, so the Mishkan is an expression of a society working together, combining individuals’ abilities and contributions.
This can explain why our parsha, which describes the command to the nation, begins with the verb “vayakhel”, he convened the people. Moshe as an individual could enjoy the vision of the Mishkan exhibited before him by God at Sinai, yet for the vision to become reality, it required a community and a partnership.
In the Torah reading of “Shekalim”, the people contribute equally to the needs of the Mishkan, but that is not enough. For the enterprise of making a place of meeting with God in this world, each and every one in the community needs to contribute from their own belongings and bring forth their unique abilities. Together with this, for God to bless this enterprise the people also need to hold back their unique donation for one day a week and make room for His Divine presence. The realization of each person’s uniqueness together with the understanding of one’s limitations, makes room for a people to unite and for God to dwell among us.