OUTREACH

Vayakhel-Pikudei - Chazak- Parshat Hachodesh 

This week’s Shabbos arrives with an unusual concentration of spiritual energy. Several special elements converge at once, each powerful on its own, but together creating a deeper and unified message.

First, we read the double portion Vayakhel–Pekudei, which together form the longest Torah reading of the year. Second, this Shabbos is Shabbat Chazak, when we complete the book of Book of Exodus and the entire congregation rises to proclaim together “Chazak Chazak vNischazek,” meaning be strong, be strong, and let us be strengthened. Third, it is Shabbat Mevorchim, when we bless the new month of Nissan, the month of redemption. Finally, we remove a second Torah scroll to read Parshat HaChodesh, which introduces the mitzvah of sanctifying the Jewish calendar and establishing Nissan as the first month.

In Jewish life there are no coincidences. When several spiritual themes converge at the same moment they point to a deeper shared message beneath the surface.

The portions of Vayakhel and Pekudei take place immediately after Yom Kippur. Following the sin of the Golden Calf, G-d grants the Jewish people complete forgiveness and reaffirms His eternal bond with them. He commands the building of the Mishkan, the sanctuary, declaring that His presence will dwell among them. The message is powerful. Even after failure, the relationship between G-d and the Jewish people remains unconditional and eternal. The giving of the second tablets, even deeper and richer than the first, demonstrates that the bond was not merely restored but strengthened.

As we complete the book of Exodus we look back at the extraordinary journey it describes. The Jewish people began this story as enslaved individuals under the harsh domination of Egypt. By the end of the book, they stand as a free nation protected by Divine providence, guided through the wilderness with miracles and spiritual purpose. That is why the congregation proclaims Chazak Chazak vNischazek. Our strength does not come from circumstance, but from the awareness that we live under the shelter of the Almighty.

When we bless the month of Nissan we recall the greatest transformation in our history. A nation of slaves walked out of Egypt as free people in full view of the world. The Exodus was not merely a political liberation but a revelation that history itself answers to G-d. Our sages teach that when the Creator chose His universe, He chose the structure of time, and when He chose the Jewish people, He chose for them the month of redemption, the month of Nissan.This idea becomes even clearer in the reading of Parshat HaChodesh. Before the Exodus even occurred, while the Jewish people were still slaves in Egypt G-d gave them the first mitzvah as a nation to establish the calendar through the sanctification of the new month.

The Torah declares “HaChodesh hazeh lachem,” this month shall be for you the beginning of months.

The Lubavitcher Rebbe Menachem Mendel Schneerson explained that this command introduced a revolutionary idea. Freedom begins with time. A slave does not own his time. His days belong to someone else. The first step toward redemption was therefore the ability to sanctify the new month through Rosh Chodesh. G-d was telling the Jewish people that they would no longer simply experience history. They would shape sacred time itself.

The word chodesh also means renewal. Like the moon that disappears and then returns. Our sages teach that the Jewish people are compared to the moon. At times the moon shines brightly and at times it almost disappears. Yet every month it returns and begins again. Throughout history there have been moments when the Jewish people seemed to fade, scattered by exile, threatened by enemies, or pressured by the world around them. Yet just like the moon we never disappear. Again and again, we return, rebuild, and illuminate the world once more.

Perhaps that message feels especially relevant today. We are living in a time when open antisemitism is once again rising across parts of the world. At the same time Israel finds itself confronting grave threats including the dangerous confrontation with Iran and its proxies. Moments like these naturally create anxiety and uncertainty.

But the Torah reminds us that the Jewish story has never been defined by the pressures surrounding us. It has always been defined by the covenant that sustains us.

The striking detail in Parshat HaChodesh is that this command was given while the Jews were still in Egypt. Pharaoh still ruled. Nothing externally had changed. Yet G-d told them that a new beginning had already begun.

Redemption begins internally before it becomes visible externally. A people must first begin thinking like free people before they can become free.

This is the shared message of this remarkable Shabbos. As we complete Exodus, bless the month of redemption, and read Parshat HaChodesh we are reminded that our strength lies in our relationship with G-d and in the unity we build with each other.

When we strengthen that unity and care for one another as members of one family, we become a vessel for G-d’s blessings for our lives, our families, our communities, the Holy Land of Israel, and the entire world.

And that is the deepest lesson of Parshat HaChodesh.

Freedom begins the moment a person realizes that time itself is a mission.

Have a wonderful Shabbos and a great week.

Rabbi Zalman Lipskar

(adapted from the writings of my Father and Teacher, Rabbi Sholom D. Lipskar, obm)

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