VAYAKHEL - A PROBLEM SHARED IS A PROBLEM SOLVED

Parshat Vayakhel begins with Moses gathering together the entire nation in order to instruct them about the construction of the Mishkan, the desert sanctuary that traveled with them and was the center of Jewish life for forty years in the wilderness, and during their first few years after the conquest of Canaan. The Midrash points out that the word "vayakhel" -- "and he gathered" -- is unique, appearing nowhere else in the Torah. Rabbi Dunner shares a Nesivos Sholom that reveals why gathering together as Jews in a group is more than just a national project, and has profoundly spiritual implications.