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Vayak’hel
To Assemble and to StudyAt the beginning of the portion, before the Torah resumes its discussion of Tabernacle–related matters, Moses is told to assemble the entire people and command them once again not to perform labor on Shabbat. The Sages derive from here that on every Shabbat and festival, there is a requirement to teach and publicly engage in the study of matters relevant to the day.
“Moses assembled” (Exodus 35:1). Our Sages, experts in homiletics, said: From the beginning of the Torah through its conclusion, this is the only Torah portion that begins with the term vayak’hel [he assembled]. The Holy One, blessed be He, said: Convene great assemblies for yourself and publicly teach them the laws of Shabbat. Do this so that future generations will learn from you to convene assemblies each and every Shabbat and to gather in study halls to teach and instruct Torah matters and ritual matters to the people of Israel, so that My great name will be acclaimed among My children. From here the Sages said: Moses enacted for the Jewish people that the Israelites should teach the matter of the commemorative day on the day itself: The