Prepare something warm and delicious to enjoy on Shabbat day.

At the very beginning of this week’s Torah portion, Vayakhel, Moses gathered the Jewish people and exhorted them to observe Shabbat. The Torah states that fire may not be kindled on Shabbat implying that not only is cooking forbidden on Shabbat, so too, the construction of the Mishkan, the Tabernacle, is also forbidden on Shabbat. To appreciate the significance of Shabbat and its liberating impact upon those who observe it, read this illuminating analysis entitled, “Judaism Sanctifies Time, Not Space” from Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald’s Torah message for Vayakhel-Pekudei 5780-2020. Out of respect for Shabbat, please consider printing it on Friday afternoon if you plan to read it on Shabbat.