The parsha opens with "Moshe assembled the entire assembly of the Children of Isarel and said to them: 'these are the things that Hashem commanded, to do them: On six days, work may be done, but the seventh day shall be holy for you, a day of complete rest for Hashem" (Shemos 35:1-2). As sacred a task as the construction of the Mishkan was, it was not to be carried out on Shabbos. In all of our tefillos, including Shabbos, we say in retzei before Modim - "vehashev es haavodah lidvir beisecha" "restore the service to the Holy of Holies of Your Temple".   On the other hand the beracha of bonei Yerushalayim referring to the building of Yerushalayim and the Beis HaMikdash is not said on Shabbos. The distinction is that the tefilla of retzei is all about the service in the Beis HaMikdash, much of which may take place on Shabbos despite it involving acts which otherwise would be forbidden. The construction of the Beis HaMikdash, on the other hand, may not take place on Shabbos.

There are a few interesting distinctions between Shabbos and Yom Tov whose analysis may give us some insight into the nature of each. Firstly, Hallel is recited on Yom Tov (with the exception of Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur for a specific reason outlined in the Gemara) but not on Shabbos. I believe we explain the distinction as follows: Hallel is recited when Klal Yisrael was in some sort of danger, when things were not going well, and Hashem redeemed us. Shabbos is testimony to the creation of the world - the world is perfect. There is therefore no need for Hallel on Shabbos.

In the Musaf of Shabbos we make no mention of the destruction of the Beis HaMikdash, which is not the case regarding the Musaf of Yom Tov. Although on Shabbos we say "May it be Your will, Hashem, our G-d and the G-d of our forefathers, that You bring us up in glandess to our land and plant us within our boundaries", on Yom Tov we specifically address the churban: "because of our sins we have been exiled from our land and sent far from our soil". The difference is that Yom Tovim were all salvation from situations brought about as the result of our sins. Shabbos, on the other hand, represents the work of Hashem - it is all good, Hashem created a fine world which needs no amending.

The Korban of Musaf does not include a Korban Chatas the way the Musafim of Yom Tovim and Rosh Chodesh do.   We find in Parshas Pinchas that immediately following Moshe appointing Yehoshua as his successor, the Torah outlines the Korban Tamid and the various Musaf offerings for various times of the year. What is the connection between the reigns of authority being transferred to Yehoshua and the daily Tamid and special Musaf offerings that follow? Chazal offer the following distinction between Moshe and Yehoshua: "the countenance of Moshe was like that of the sun, the countenance of Yehoshua was like that of the moon" (Baba Batra 75a). Yehoshua was on a very high level, he after all was second in command to Moshe Rabenu, yet he was still below Moshe Rabenu.

The Torah is now highlighting for us what the difference is between the countenance of the sun and that of the moon. The Rosh Chodesh as well as festival Musaf offerings all included a Korban Chatat - a sin offering. The Musaf of Shabbat and the daily Tamid offerings have no Chatat, they are comprised only of Olot. The reason for this is that the times of Rosh Chodesh and the festivals are determined by the moon. The moon's deficiency (it diminishes in size) alludes to a sin. The days of the week and Shabbat, on the other hand, are determined by the sun. Moshe's countenance is like that of the sun - light without any deficiency. The countenance of Yehoshua, as great as it was, was like the moon - it was lacking.

The psalm Mizmor Shir leYom HaShabbos (Tehillim 92) is thanking Hashem for the wonderful world He created - tov lehodos laHashem "it is good to thank Hashem.   Chazal teach us that this mizmor is said "leYom shekulo Shabbos umenucha lechayei olamim "to the day that will be entirely Shabbos and contentment for the eternal life" (Tamid perek 7, Mishna 4) referring to the Next World. On the surface, however, the psalm appears to be referring to Shabbos. Where do we see this? There is no mention of the Korban Musaf, of sholosh seudos, of Kiddush, or of lechem mishne. I would like to suggest that it is psalm for the manna which did not fall on Shabbos. We find the connection between Shabbos and the manna in the Torah, when Hashem told Moshe: "see that Hashem has given you the Sabbath; that I swhy He gives you on the sixth day a two-day portion of bread" (Shmos 16:28).

The following understanding illustrates how this psalm of Shabbos alludes to the manna in the desert:"To relate Your kindness in the dawn and Your faith in the nights" (Tehillim 92:3).

In the morning the manna serves as testimony to Hashem's kindness. Abundance is sent down from Heaven, enough to feed not only six hundred thousand men, but the women and children, as well as the sheep and cattle. While in the night we declare our faith by not storing any manna, rather believing that it will descend tomorrow as it did today.

"When the wicked bloom like grass" (ibid. 8) - the wicked did not have faith and kept some (manna) overnight, the result was that just as grass cannot last so too "it became infested with worms and it stank" (Shmos 16:20).

"All the doers of iniquity blossom" - Dosson and Aviram looked out (vayatzitzu) on Shabbos to see if perhaps there was manna to collect thus disproving Moshe's words (see Shemos Rabba 1:30), the result was "It is to destroy them till eternity" - they were swallowed by the ground along with Korach and his assembly. The only manna that was left over and not infested was that which was: "Planted in the house of Hashem" - the jar that Aharon filled and placed in the House of Hashem as testimony for generations (see Shemos 16:32-34).

In this manner the mizmor is referring to the manna and the manna is a sign of Shabbos. Shabbos is zecher lemaasei Bereishis "a remembrance of creation" - testimony that Hashem created the world in six days. Shabbos is also zecher liyetzias Mizrayim "a memorial for the exodus from Egypt." Yom Tov, on the other hand, is only a zecher liyetzias Mizrayim.   This distinction can help explain the following. The halacha states that there is chiluk melacha leShabbos but not for Yom Tov (see Makkkos 21b). This means that when one transgress Shabbos inadvertently and violates several prohibitions within one timeframe (e.g. plows, plants, prunes), he is liable for three Korbanos Chatas.   One who transgresses several prohibitions simultaneously on Yom Tov, however, he is only liable for one transgression.

The Shaar HaMelech wonders what the halacha would be with regard to Yom Kippur. Yom Kippur has greater sanctity than Yom Tov but less than Shabbos - is there chiluk melacha on Yom Kippur the way there is on Shabbos, or not? I would like to suggest the following distinction between Shabbos and Yom Tov that may help answer the Shaar HaMelech's question. Shabbos is testimony to the creation, every act of the creation had meaning - "making a prescribed weight for the wind, apportioning water with a measure" (Iyov 25:28) - everything was carefully calculated.   We mentioned that Hashem created the world with wisdom and thought, with every act in the creation being in order to make the world the best possible place for man and the other creations. When a person thinks his actions through, then every act is significant and has its own importance. One who wishes to make clothing will figure out how much cloth he needs in each color, how much green, how much blue - every act is significant based on the requirements of the final product. Just as every act in the creation of the world is significant, by the same token every act performed on Shabbos is significant and therefore incurs liability.

Yom Tov, on the other hand, is purely a "memorial for the exodus from Egypt". Were the specific acts performed in Egypt of any significance to anyone? On the contrary, the entire goal of the Egyptians was to break the Jewish people physically as well as spiritually. Chazal even add that the slave labor performed by the Jewish people was of no use to the Egyptians. The two big cities they built pitom and Raamses were so named: "Pitom because 'pi tehom' the mouth of the deep - swallowed up one building after another, Raamses because one building after another collapsed (mitroses)" (Sotah 11a).

It is bad enough to inflict slave labor upon people, but it is even more disheartening for the slave when he realizes that his work serves no purpose. The division of labor in Egypt was without any regard to efficiency, men carried out work traditionally assigned to women and vice versa. The Egyptians had no interest in building - their only wish was to destroy the Jewish people. It made no difference to them whether the Jews plowed or planted, as long as they were given work. For this reason we do not regard each individual act transgressed on Yom Tov but rather there is a collective responsibility.

We can now try to answer the Shaar HaMelech's question. Yom Kippur, like Yom Tov, is purely zecher liyetzias Mizrayim and not zecher lemaase Bereishis. The halacha regarding Yom Kippur would then resemble Yom Tov - violating simultaneous prohibitions because a person forgot and only later remembers incurs liability for one collective violation of Yom Kippur, rather than separate liabilities for each prohibited act.

There is a discussion among the authorities whether there is a mitzvah of Simcha on Shabbos. On Yom Tov not only is there such a mitzvah but it plays a very central role. For this reason we are permitted to cook and perform other meleches ochel nefesh on Yom Tov. The main message of Shabbos is refraining from work, Shabbos after all is me-ein olam haba and there is no food in Olam Haba. Although there is a mitzvah to eat three meals on Shabbos it does not play as central a role as Yom Tov.

We find in the Gemara a dispute between Beis Hillel and Beis Shammai regarding preparation for Shabbos. According to Beis Shammai the preparation begins at the beginning of the week while Beis Hillel does not concur with that view. The difference is that according to Beis Shammai the main purpose of our stay in this world is to prepare for the yom shekulo Shabbos - for the Next World. We should therefore begin preparing as soon as possible. Beis Hillel also places great significance to this world. Certainly Beis Hillel acknowledge the existence and significance of the Next World, but there is great significance to this world as well. Perhaps we can apply this distinction to the well-known dispute between Beis Hillel and Beis Shammai with regard to Chanukah. Beis Shammai rules that we light eight candles the first night and one less each night. While Beis Hillel rules that we increase, adding an additional candle each night - we are revealing greater and greater light of the Beis HaMikdash, the Moshaich, the Sanhedrin, prophecy, and many other lights. Beis Shammai, on the other hand, focus on Olam Haba where all of these lights will no longer exist and the only light will be the glory of Hashem.

In Lecha Dodi we say "sof maase bemachshava techila" "last in deed but first in thought". The meaning behind this is that the entire purpose of the six days of creation was in order for us to rest on the Seventh Day - it is the end of the creation which is the most significant. The purpose of Shabbos is for us to acknowledge that He created the world in six days. One who observes the dictates of Shabbos without believing in this is lacking in his observance.

The principle theme of the Shabbos is the existence of The Creator of the Universe and the fact that this world is guided not by laws of nature but rather by the A-mighty. Shabbos is testimony that Hashem created the world in six days, and that He is all-powerful and is not dependent on laws of nature or time. There are those who refuse to believe that the world was created in six days: "how can such a complex world have developed in a mere six days?" they ask. I fail to understand their question, for even billions of years would not be enough to create יש מאין "ex nihilo!" If so, could He Who Created "something from nothing" not do so in six days? There are many people, however, who do not make this simple calculation and wonder how it can be that the complex world as we know it developed in a mere six days.

When Chazal analyze the creation they ask the opposite question: "By ten sayings was the world created. What does the Scripture teach us? Could it not have been created by one saying?" (Avos 5:1)

Chazal were not bothered by how a world could have been created in such a short time, but rather why it took so long? Why did Hashem need to create the world in stages (first the light, then the firmament, etc.), could He not simply have said "let there be a world" and the entire world would have been created at once? A government clerk receiving an hourly wage would probably spend many years at a task that could be done instantly, but what about the One Who is All-Powerful? He receives no salary for His work, He certainly does not need to spread the task out over a period of billions of years! What Chazal have difficulty understanding is why He required ten sayings, why did one not suffice?

I am not privy to Hashem's reasons for not having created the world in one day, but imagine what the world would look like if everything was created in one day. Every second day would then be Shabbos, and every other day would be Erev Shabbos. When would we learn in Yeshiva? What about working people, when would they be able to earn their living? Hashem, in His great wisdom therefore created the world in six days in order to allow us to be involved in other activities besides preparing for and experiencing Shabbos. This does not imply, chas veshalom, that He could not have created the world in one day.  We must always keep in mind that Shabbos is testimony that Hashem created the world in six days but had He wished He could have created it in a single day.