BRESLEV.CO.IL BONUS THE NEED FOR UNITY By Rabbi Pinchas Winston

Parshat Vayakhel Moshe assembled all the congregation of the Children of Israel, and said to them, "These are the words ..." (Shemos 35:1) Everyone's eyebrows go up over the emphasis on Moshe's gathering of the people to hear G-d's command, asking, "Why is this night different from all others?" (to borrow the words from the Haggadah). In other words, why doesn't it say that Moshe "gathered the people" in other places that he was told to speak to the Jewish people on behalf of G-d? The Ohr HaChaim HaKadosh says that, after Moshe came down exuding light at the end of last week's parshah, many from the Jewish people were afraid to approach him. Therefore, Moshe summoned all of them to come before him, to allay their fear--men, women, and children too. The Ohr HaChaim also says that normally, women and children were not in attendance when Moshe told over G-d's words. However, since the building of the Mishkan was from "gifts of the heart" brought from ALL the Jewish people, the women and children were also asked to be present when Moshe spoke on this topic again.