The Weekly Sedra – Parashas Vayakheil-Pekudei – Priorities! Priorities!

A story is told of a nobleman who was traveling through the forest when he noticed a large number of trees that had been used for target practice. To his amazement, every arrow was nestled perfectly in the bull’s-eye.

He could not help but marvel over the perfect marksmanship. “Who might possess such extraordinary talent,” he mused?

As he stood there marveling, he beheld a young man off in the distance shooting arrows. He immediately ran towards the boy. “Are you the sharpshooter who has landed all those bull’s-eyes?” he asked. “That is correct sir,” replied the young fellow with a sheepish grin. “You are an awfully talented individual. Where have you acquired such remarkable skill?” “To be honest,” said the lad, “I have developed my own foolproof technique.

You see, what I do is, first I shoot the arrow into the tree, and then I paint the target around the arrow.”

In Parshas Vayakhel, the first of this week’s double Torah reading, Moshe charges the artisans with the complex task of constructing the Tabernacle. At some point Moshe gathers the entire nation and warns them about the Shabbos: “Six days work shall be done, and the seventh day shall be holy . . .” Exodus 35:2-3. Only after this digression does Moshe continue with the directives that pertain to the completion of the Mishkan.

Yet is it not odd that while instructing the Israelites about this extraordinary and awesome endeavor, Moshe would digress with a warning about a seemingly unrelated and previously stated observance? The juxtaposition of the laws of Shabbos in the midst of the instruction about building the Sanctuary is by all accounts confusing.

According to Rashi, Moshe cautioned the Jewish people against violating the laws of Shabbos in pursuit of their new-fangled endeavor.

Keenly aware of human nature, Moses found himself compelled to warn against a common human fallacy – the tendency of becoming overly engrossed in the novelty and euphoria of a new and exciting objective, to the point of forgetting its actual intent, and even violating its basic spirit.

How often in our modern society dose the need for a cause overshadow the cause itself, be it in the realm of religion, politics or social activism?

In warning against the desecration of the Shabbos, Moshe was cautioning against the threat of confusing the means for the end, or better yet, forgetting that there is an end, altogether. Moshe was reminding his flock to keep focused on what the real goals are, and should be.

Even when the work is as holy as building the Tabernacle – a place for G-d to dwell- the end does not justify the means. Rules are rules and Shabbos is Shabbos, even when we feel like breaking the rules for a good cause, perhaps, what we perceive as even a greater cause.

Moshe’s three thousand year old words of caution reverberate with keen relevance. Activism that is kept in check is usually a good thing. Activism that has lost its focus and gone awry is apt to become self-centered and defy its very own intention.