Parsha Pekudei

Creation and the Tabernacle

As we come to the end of Exodus we complete the narrative and description of the Tabernacle. The language the Torah uses surprisingly resonates with the language of Creation. In both cases the Torah uses similar phrases “And He saw the work that had been done,” (39.4) “And the work was completed,” (39.32 & 40.33) “And He blessed them,” (39.43).…

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Parsha Pekudei

How Many Tents?

The Book of Exodus ends with a confusing paragraph. The Tabernacle has been built and dedicated. The Divine Cloud descends on the Tent of Meeting and the Glory of God fills the Tabernacle. Moshe could not enter the Tent of Meeting and God filled the Tabernacle. And the Children of Israel would only continue their travels when the clouds lifted.…

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Parsha Pekudei

Bezalel & Aesthetics

The construction of the Tabernacle and all its artifacts was handed over to Bezalel and his assistant Oholiab. They are mentioned throughout the process, not just as great craftsmen but also as righteous people. Filled with the spirit of God. One of the criticisms leveled at Judaism by its ideological opponents is that we have no sense of aesthetics, of…

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Parsha Vayakhel

Shabbat

The construction of the Tabernacle stopped for Shabbat and that is where we learn the details of what manual labor was forbidden on Shabbat. Anything that was stopped on that day relating to the construction, however minor or remote. Most of the time when the Torah talks about Shabbat it is regarding a cessation of work. That is how it…

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Parsha Vayakhel

Repeating the Tabernacle

One is bound to wonder why the Torah spends so many chapters describing the Tabernacle, its design, the instructions to the craftsmen how to build the parts. And then how fit the parts together and the way it was executed. Finally how it was dedicated. What lessons can one possibly learn from what looks like a combination of an architect’s…

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Parsha Vayakhel

Mirrors

One of the reasons why we much such a point of reading the Torah in public each week is that if you really do go through it word for word, you come across little gems that might go unnoticed in the body of the text, that teach us important moral lessons. This week repeats the detailed lists of the how…

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