The two Parashot*
that are before us seal off the book of Sh'mot. Both of them recapitulate the
instructions for constructing the Mishkan, its utensils, the priests' garments,
and reiterate the calling of the two artisans who were to be in charge of the
work. However, because the instructions in our text describe (or report) the
actual implementation of the work, they are animated with a sense of activity.
The act of contribution, for example, is fraught with enthusiasm and vitality,
while everyone appears to be doing his utmost within his (or her) means and capabilities.
Just before examining
these accounts, let us pause to look at yet another injunction regarding the
Shabbat. In this instance it appears to be a prelude to the construction of the
holy edifice, with an emphasis on keeping the Shabbat set apart by not doing
any manner of work (including kindling of fire): "… everyone doing work in it shall be put to
death" (ref. Ex. 35:2,3). In all likelihood,
this was to serve as a reminder to the Israelites that even the building of the
Mishkan does not supersede the Shabbat rest.
Va’yak’hel:
“And he [Moses] gathered…” is rooted in k.h.l (kof, hey, lamed) - “to gather
unto” – for the purpose of executing the plan. And as we
shall see shortly, a plan is definitely being set up here. In 35:10 an
invitation is issued for "every wise-hearted one among you, let
them come and make all which YHVH has commanded" (emphasis added). Such an
open summons had not been announced previously. The People of Yisrael respond
with gusto. They are both contributing to and participating in the work
itself. The camp is bustling with activity. The skilled and the unskilled, the rich and the poor, the
rank and file together with the leaders – all are doing their part.
Let us now simply
follow the text, taking note of the activity, the mass inclusion of the entire
community, and the spirit of eager willingness and generosity that pervaded the
camp. "And all the congregation
of the sons of Israel Israel
As mentioned,
this action-packed passage is characterized by the willingness and eager
participation of everyone involved. A similar atmosphere is also echoed in
chapter 36, where Betzal'el and Ohali'av (Aholiab) and all the ones
endowed with Elohim-given wisdom and a desire to do the work, take the
contributions from the people: "And they took every offering before Moses which the sons of
Israel had brought for the work of the service in the holy place, to do
it. And they brought to him still more willing offerings morning by
morning. And all the wise men came,
those doing every kind of work for the sanctuary, each one from
his work they were doing” (36:3, 4 emphases added). Here we see the co-operation between
the lay people and the experts, all of whom were providing abundance of such
magnitude, to the extent that Moshe was told: “The people are bringing more
than enough for the service of the work that YHVH commanded to do" (v. 5).
Moshe therefore "commanded, and they caused it to be voiced in the camp,
saying, 'Let neither man nor woman make any more offering for the sanctuary’;
and the people were held back from bringing" (v. 6).
The wisdom, skill, and expertise with which the work was
carried out clearly did not originate with the expert artisans themselves. In
35:31, 32, 34 we read: “And He has filled him [i.e. Betzal’el]
with the spirit of Elohim [can also be read, “the Spirit of Elohim filled him”]
in wisdom, in understanding, and in knowledge… to devise
designs. And He has put in his heart that he may teach” (emphases
added). Betzal’el’s protégé, whom he was teaching, was Ohali’av from the tribe
of Dan. Having been endowed from above with the skillfulness and ability to
carry out the work, Betzal’el, true to his name, appears to be residing “in the
shadow of the Almighty.” His assistant’s
name expresses a similar concept, as Ohali’av means, “my tent is the
Father.” Thus, the artist engaged in crafting the Mishkan (Tabernacle),
declares, by his very name, Who is the real Abode!
But let us return
to the earthly Mishkan… The specifications for the Ark of the Covenant,
the Table of Showbread, and the Lampstand are listed in 37:1-24. In Hebrew these three
articles are “a’ron, shulchan, and menorah” –
rendered literally as, “cabinet/closet/chest (e.g. 2nd Kings 12:9,10),
table, and lamp” (e.g. 2nd Kings 4:10); a comfortable abode, under
any circumstances, especially in the desert! But what about a washbasin for a
quick freshening up and maybe a mirror to make sure every hair is in place? The
account in 38:8 does not fail to point out the basin, and the mirrors
out of which it was constructed. In addition, although not mentioned in the
Parasha’s text specifically, there is another term used elsewhere for the Ark
of the Covenant. It is a “ki’seh” – a “chair,” which is also the
Hebrew word for “throne.” The “Ark of the Covenant” is YHVH’s seat of
glory, and was so described in Yisha’yahu (Isaiah) 6:1, in reference to
Shlomo’s (Solomon’s) Temple , and also in
Y’chezkel (Ezekiel) 43:7, regarding the future Temple
The making of the
bronze basin (or laver) and its base captivates our attention, as they were
made from "the mirrors of the [women] who congregated at the opening of
the Tent of Meeting" (38:8). Much has been said about the symbolism of the
mirrors plating this basin, where the priests were to wash their feet and hands
(that is, to consecrate themselves) before approaching the Altar, as an
allusion to one of the steps on the progressive path of faith taken by the
Believer. However, in the scene at hand we encounter women who had assembled,
“tzov'ot,” by the entrance of the Mishkan. The verb and root tz.v.a (tzadi, bet, alef) is also used
for “army” and “hosts,” such as in "YHVH Tzva'ot." In Shmuel Alef (1st
Samuel) 2:22 we find once again this "army of women" by "the
opening of the Tent of Meeing." In
T’hilim (Psalms) 68:11-12 we read: "YHVH gave the word; great was the
company - "tza'va" - of those who proclaimed [female gender] it;
Kings of armies ("tzva'ot") flee, they flee, and she who remains at
home divides the spoil." Last week
we saw the People of Yisrael in their frenzy to make the golden calf, using
gold earrings worn by their "wives, sons and daughters" (Ex. 32:2).
This week, many of the same people are contributing to the Mishkan, and some of
the donations are of the very same materials that were used for the abominable
image. The women who had contributed the mirrors, thereby giving up their
vanity, are seen here drawn to the house of YHVH forming a company, literally an
"army," which proclaims His Word and is therefore far mightier than
even that of "kings of armies" (ref. again to Ps. 68:12). Hence,
according to the Psalm, their reward (or "spoil") is also far
greater. Were these women motivated by a desire to repent and atone for the recent
terrible sin committed so callously by the People of Yisrael?
When all was said and done, the work was considered a
genuine collective endeavor of national scope. Not many years prior to this
event, these same people had over them taskmasters who "worked them relentlessly" (Ex. 1:13). Now,
the Nation as a whole is engaged in a totally different “work,” the “avoda” of the Mishkan, the avoda
– worship and service - of YHVH. Did they ever reflect back to those
dark days, considering in awe their currently changed circumstances and status?
Whether or not
they did, the transformation that had taken place was quite amazing! In Egypt
After the
description of the Nation’s willing participation in the preparations of the
Mishkan, Parashat Fkudey, the last in the book of Sh’mot, continues to
elaborate on the inventory of materials for the sacred edifice and the priests’
official garments. “Fkudey” means, “that which was taken
into account/visited,” or “these are the accounts.” But it is not
only the Mishkan’s inventory that is counted or listed; the term is also
applied here to the congregation itself (38:25, “pkudey ha’eda” – “those
of the congregation who were taken into account/visited”). The meaning of
the root p.k.d. aside from counting, visiting, and commanding, originates with
“invest with purpose or responsibility.”1 Thus, while in Parashat Va’yak’hel
emphasis was placed on the congregation as a “kahal,” a crowd, a mass, host,
whose parts (namely the individuals who make it up) have no significance in and
of themselves, the term “fkudey” stresses the fact that the congregation has no
existence apart from the individuals who make it up. Hence, each and every one
has been “visited” and “taken into account” in order to make the half shekel
payment (ref. 38:25,26).2
In 39:32, we read
the following: "And all the work of the tabernacle of the congregation was
finished (“vate’chal”), and the sons of Israel
The term “tabernacle of the testimony” meets
us in 38:21 and is echoed in 40:3 by the “ark of the testimony,” whereas in
Parashat Ki Tissa we encountered the “tablets of the testimony” (Ex. 34:29). “Testimony”
is “edut” - “a witness” or “evidence.” The reason,
therefore, for the existence of the Mishkan, the ark and that which it
contained (that is the “tablets”) appears to be in order to validate YHVH’s
covenant with His people. “Ed,” witness, and “edut,” testimony, witness or evidence,
originate with the root ayin, vav, dalet (a.o/u.d), whose primal meaning is to
“endure, continue, repeat,” and by implication to “establish facts.”3 “Od” is
therefore “more and continually” and “ad” is “perpetuity,” while “edot” are
YHVH’s “decrees.” The witnesses (whether
human, inanimate objects, decrees, or even Time itself) are incorporated into
the perpetual and firm arrangement to which they are testifying, in this case
being YHVH’s everlasting Covenant.
Earlier, in
Parashat Trumah, we examined the association of the shape of the Menorah (Ex.
25:31-39) to the flora of the Land
of Yisrael
The fifty day period between
Pesach and Shavu'ot is when the flowers of the olive open and the kernels of
wheat and barley fill with starch. Thus, the productive fate of these crops is
determined during that season which [in the land of Israel Holy
Place
Obviously it is only YHVH Who
is able to hold all the elements of His Creation in the perfect balance
required. Thus, He is seen using (more than once) the Land of Yisrael Land of Promise
The two Parashot, Va’yakhel
and Fkudey complement one another. Whereas, Va’ya’kehl informs us about the
making of the vessels of the Mishkan, Parashat Fkudey “pours” content and
meaning into them: The tablets are placed in the Ark of the Covenant, the bread
is laid on the Table of Showbread, the wicks are lit in the Menorah, and the
incense is burned5. We are also informed, of course, in detail about the making
of the vestments of those who were to officiate in YHVH’s abode, i.e. the
priests. Interestingly, the materials used for these garments -“gold,
blue, purple, and scarlet and the
fine woven linen” - were also used in the
making of the Mishkan itself.
Among the various parts of the high priest’s
regalia was “the plate of the holy crown of pure gold” and on it “an
inscription like the engraving of a signet: HOLINESS TO
YHVH” (39:30). In 39:6 we read, similarly, about the two onyx stones that
were placed on the high priest’s shoulders, with the names of the tribes etched
on them. In this way the high priest
would approach YHVH on behalf of His people.
“An engraving (or “etching”) of a signet” is rendered “pituchey
chotam”- literally “the engravings of a seal.” Digging a little deeper, we discover that
whereas “chotam” is a seal, “pituchey” (engravings of…) originates from the
root p.t.ch (peh, tav, chet) meaning “to open” or “opening.” So, how is it that a “seal” and an “opening”
signify the onyx stones as well as the engraving upon the high priest’s
crown? Do these two seemingly opposing
terms allude to something beyond that which meets the eye? In Revelation
Chapter 5 Yeshua is seen worthy of opening a special “book” and breaking
its seals. What was it that
enabled Yeshua to carry out this most important task, which no one else could
execute? Having given up His life, He redeemed for His Father those who are to
be kings and priests who will reign on earth. Our High Priest stood before the
Father with the proverbial onyx stones on His shoulders and the golden band
with “Holiness unto YHVH” on His forehead. Qualified to open the sealed
book of redemption, He was displaying His ultimate task of presenting to
His Father those whom He had purchased by His blood, enabling them to be
“the sealed servants of Elohim” (Revelation 7:3 italics added).
* Parashot – plural for “Parasha” – “Parashat…”
Parasha of… (e.g. Va’yak’hel)
1 Etymological Dictionary of
Biblical Hebew, based on the commentaties of Samsom Raphael Hirsch, Matityahu
Clark, Feldheim Publishers, Jerusalem, - New York, 1999.
2
http://www.kipa.co.il/pash/
3 Etymological Dictionary of
Biblical Hebrew
4 Nature in Our Biblical Heritage, Nogah Hareuveni,
trans. Helen Frenkley, Neot Kdumim Ltd. Lod ,
Israel
5 http://www.kipa.co.il/pash/
