On the day following Yom Kippur, immediately after descending from the mountain with the second set of tablets and the message of forgiveness for the sin of the Golden Calf, Moses brings the people together. With the covenant renewed and the Divine Presence returning to dwell within the camp, the time is right to command the construction of the Tabernacle. Moses does not assemble the nation by force; rather, they gather willingly at his instruction [רש״י, מזרחי]. This assembly serves a deeper purpose of establishing peace, unifying the people, and resolving financial disputes, ensuring that God's house is not built upon theft or conflict [כלי יקר, פני דוד]. Furthermore, Moses has to actively call them together because his face is radiating light, making the people afraid to approach him on their own. The structured gathering also allows him to safely separate men and women to maintain proper boundaries [אור החיים].
The entire congregation is present, including women and children, because everyone has a role in contributing to the Tabernacle [רמב״ן, אברבנאל, אור החיים]. However, another perspective suggests that the assembly includes only the spiritually pure Israelites. The mixed multitude, who instigated the sin of the Golden Calf, is intentionally excluded so they will not have a share in the holy construction [צרור המור, אלשיך].
Moses's instructions address the craftsmanship and vessels of the Tabernacle [אבן עזרא, ספורנו], while simultaneously delivering a strict warning about observing the Sabbath [כלי יקר, העמק דבר]. The primary approach among commentators is that linking the Sabbath to the construction of the Tabernacle teaches a critical principle: building the sanctuary, despite being an elevated divine command intended to house the Divine Presence, does not override Sabbath observance. Moses anticipates the people's immense enthusiasm to build the Tabernacle and secure their atonement. He worries they might mistakenly believe it is permitted, or even desirable, to violate the Sabbath for such a holy cause, and therefore he warns them beforehand [רמב״ן, אלשיך, מלבי״ם].
The command to perform work applies only to the six weekdays. In this context, work does not refer to grueling physical labor, but to skilled craftsmanship. It involves creative actions that alter and improve nature, exactly like the tasks required to build the Tabernacle [הכתב והקבלה]. Even the simple act of carrying donations from private homes to the public camp is considered a forbidden form of labor on the seventh day [כלי יקר]. Ceasing all such activity on the Sabbath demonstrates the surrender of human control over nature and society to God's ultimate authority [רש״ר הירש].
Beyond the practical rules, there is a profound spiritual dimension at play. Observing the Sabbath is equivalent to keeping the entire Torah and serves as an atonement for the idolatry of the Golden Calf [אור החיים, נחל קדומים]. While building the Tabernacle is a human effort to elevate the physical world into a proper resting place for the Divine Presence, the Sabbath represents a time when all human effort stops and the world receives supreme spiritual illumination. Consequently, performing any work on the Sabbath, even for the sake of the sanctuary, damages the supreme holiness of the day [חומש קה״ת, אלשיך]. Furthermore, observing the rest of the Sabbath is credited to a person as if they actively performed a Commandment. This gathering also establishes a precedent for appointing wise leaders to assemble the people and teach Torah laws every Sabbath [אור החיים, שפתי כהן].