ספר שמות

“From the parsha of Vayakhel and Pekudei, much has been forgotten by me; I only remember a little.”

The Parsha of Vayakhel begins with the commandment of Shabbos. Even though Shabbos is defined by not doing any work, it is nevertheless what repairs all work. This is because of the concept of "nullifying it, gives it existence." When all work is nullified on Shabbos, this holding back actually gives the work its true existence.This is what Rashi (Shemos 20:9) means when he says, "one’s rest on Shabbos should be reposeful, as if all of one’s work is done." Through Shabbos, one’s work is indeed completed. Shabbos has the power to complete everything that a person stopped doing due to the Shabbos restriction.The parshiot of Vayakhel and Pekudei represent the general (klal) and the specific (prat). Vayakhel is the general principle, embodying the essence of Shabbos when everything becomes one in the secret of unity. This is what is meant by “These are the words that Hashem has commanded,” referring to the gathering mentioned at the beginning, which is the concept of Shabbos. Pekudei, on the other hand, is the specific, detailing the individual elements counted for the Mishkan. The klal (general) needs the prat (specific), and the prat needs the klal.