Kindling a Fire

This week we read פרשת ויקהל alone, as it is usually part of a double Parsha. But because of the leap year and extra month of Adar, it is read separately.

Generally, this Parsha is viewed more as an inventory taking Parsha. We receive a summary of all of the materials used in constructing the Mishkan.

The part that doesn’t seem to fit with the general idea of the Parsha, is the discussion concerning kindling a fire on Shabbat. This is one of the thirty-nine מלאכות, but it is presented separately from the other מלאכות.

There are many interpretations for this. Some say that this מלאכה is singled out as an example of all other מלאכות. And just like one can get סקילה, death by stoning, for kindling a fire, the same would apply for the other thirty-eight מלאכות.

There are opinions that argue that because “fire” was singled out from other Shabbat labors, it carries a lessor punishment, such as lashes.

The ספר החינוך claims that we are being taught that one cannot execute a sinner who has committed a sin punishable by שריפה, death by fire, on Shabbat. Therefore, we would not try a person in court on a Friday because he would not be put to death until Sunday, and it would spoil his Shabbat.

It is interesting to see how our sages attempted to understand the intricacies of the Torah.