A Message for Our Time from Parshiyot Vayakhel–Pekudei and HaChodesh |
This Shabbat we read the double portion of Vayakhel–Pekudei as part of the weekly Torah cycle. Because it is also the eve of the month of Nisan, we read an additional section from Exodus 12, known as Parashat HaChodesh, which introduces the annual cycle of Jewish time that begins with the Exodus from Egypt. At first glance, these readings appear unrelated. One deals with the construction of the Mishkan, the Tabernacle in the wilderness; the other establishes the month of Nisan as the beginning of the Jewish calendar. Yet a closer look reveals a profound connection between them.
Parashat HaChodesh teaches that the months of the year are counted from Nisan, the month in which our ancestors were redeemed from Egypt. The portions of Vayakhel–Pekudei tell of the construction of the Mishkan, which was completed on the first day of Nisan in the second year after the Exodus. The question therefore arises: was it merely coincidental that both the Exodus and the completion of the Mishkan are tied to the month of Nisan, or does this convergence reflect a deeper and more meaningful idea?
I believe the Torah is conveying two profound messages by linking these events to the same month.
First, beginning in Nisan of the first year, God revealed Himself as the One who hears the cries of the oppressed, redeems the Israelites from slavery, punishes those responsible for their suffering, and sustains His people........