Rabbi Daniel Siegel – Head of Jewish Life

Building-Community 

This week’s parashah is called ויקהל/VaYakhel.

ויקהל/VaYakhel means to gather, and the first words of this parashah are ויקהל משה את כל עדת בני ישראל – Moshe gathered (VaYakhel) the whole Israelite community.

The author(s) of the Bible chose their words very carefully, and expected that we would read with care, as well.

Last week’s parashah spoke of the building of the Golden Calf with the same word – VaYakhel.

ויקהל העם על אהרון ויאמרו אליו קום עשה לנו אלוהים

And the people gathered (VaYakhel) around Aaron saying, “Get up and make for us a God”.

This gathering to make a Golden Calf created a great division. Aaron and Moshe were set at odds, the Levites slew their brethren whom they viewed as idolators, God and Moshe argued, the people were about to be disowned by God even as they disowned Him.

VaYakhel – The people came together – and it tore them apart. Now Moshe seeks to bring the people together again – VaYakhel, and he gathered the people.

How does a leader bring together those who have proven that doing so will create conflict and division?

Research has shown that team building is only possible when there is a common cause. But common cause is not enough.

To come together as one, each person must feel he/she is contributing to the whole. And, each person as part of the whole must feel he/she is recognised for his/her individual skill and contribution.

So, the antidote to the Golden Calf and the division of the people is the Mishkan – a centre in which people feel God’s presence through community. Kehillah, of the same root word as VaYakhel, means community. In this Parashah, VaYakhel, Moshe gathers the people to build the Mishkan.

This parashah is very detailed and specific as it describes all the parts of the Mishkan and how they fit together. We are being told that the whole can only cohere through the sum of its parts.

Here at Emanuel we are entering a new stage of our building plan.

As we consider our future, our parashah reminds us that for a community to build there must be a building of community.