Friday, February 25
- 06:50 am – Shacharit
- 05:10 pm – Mincha
- 05:10 pm – Candle Lighting
- 08:30 pm – Oneg Shabbat at the home of Rabbi and Rebbetzin Rabinowitz, 265 Fellsway East. Topic: The United States, Israel, and the War on Terror
Saturday, February 26
- 07:45 am – Shacharit at Salem Towers
- 08:45 am – Shacharit
- 09:11 am – Latest Time for Kriat Shema
- 11:30 am – Luncheon Topic: Why Do They Hate Us?
- 04:45 pm – Mincha
- 05:15 pm – Se’udah Shlishit
- 06:05 pm – Ma’ariv
- 06:20 pm – Shabbat Ends
- 08:30 pm – Melave Malka Topic: Shifting Sands: What the news from Egypt means for the rest of the world
Week of February 27 – March 4
Shacharit
- 08:00 am – Sunday
- 06:40 am – Monday and Thursday
- 06:50 am – Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday
Mincha
- 05:15 pm – Sunday – Thursday
- 05:15 pm – Friday
Ma’ariv
- 05:45 pm – Sunday – Thursday
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Weekly Words of Torah
Work and Quality of Shabbat
Insights into Parshat Vayakhel by Mr. Avrumi Kessler of Yeshiva Sha’alvim, by Rav Re’uven Ungar of Sha’alvim.
“Sheshet yamim te’aseh melacha, u’vayom hashevi’i yi’hiyeh lachem kodesh, Shabbat Shabbaton l’Hashem, kol ha’oseh bo melacha yumat.” (Ex. 35:2) (Six days you may do labor, but the seventh day shall be Holy for you, a day of complete rest for Hashem; whoever does work on it shall be put to death)
The following famous question is asked: Why in this pasuk and in in other places like Parshat Ki Tisa and Emor does the Torah use the lashon of Shabbat Shabbaton while in Parshat Yitro and V’etchanan the lashon is simply Shabbat? What is the difference between these two phrases and why should there be a difference within the context of the pesukim?
R’ Yosef Babad in Gan Raveh answers the following: We see a distinction in treatment between people who follow what Hashem wants us to do and those who don’t. When we follow the ways set out by Hashem, all of our work will be done for up by others, “V’amdu zarim u’re’u tzonachem”, (Isaiah 61:5) (and strangers will arise and tend your sheep).
On the other hand if we do not follow what Hashem wants us to do we will be forced to do labor by ourselves.
The difference between Shabbat Shabbaton and regular Shabbat is whether we do Melacha (labor) during the week. Those who follow Hashem do not have to do work during the week, therefore Shabbat is an even extra level of rest: Shabbat Shabbaton, complete rest. But those who are accustomed to always doing work do not have this extra level of rest and therefore for them Shabbat is something less.
We see these two different types of people in the pesukim themselves. In both our parsha and the two other Parshiot where Shabbat Shabbaton is mentioned, the lashon of the pasuk is that during the week “te’aseh” or “ya’aseh” melacha. This implies that the work will be done, but not necessarily through labor on the part of the one commanded in the pasuk, which leads to a Shabbat Shabbaton. On the other hand, in Yitro and V’etchanan the pasuk says during the week “ta’avod” which is a language of labor done by the one commanded in the pasuk. Therefore the Torah tells us that this person will have only a regular Shabbat.
May we all follow the Torah completely and merit to many a Shabbat Shabbaton!