Rabbi Bochner's Weekly Torah Commentary
Rabbi Bochner's Weekly Torah Commentary
This week we read and study the double portions of Vayakhel (Shmot 35:1 – 38:20) and Pekudai (Shmot 38:21 – 40:38). Vayakhel is best translated as “Moses made a community out of the tribes of the Children of Israel” and Pekudei means “ the accounts of the Mishkan”. These portions conclude the book of Shmot (Exodus) and are mostly a repetition of content found in the previous three Torah portions of Terumah, Teztaveh, and Ki Tissa, but with one profound difference. In the previous parshiot Moshe is told by God what the Children of Israel are to do to build a Mishkan, a portable Shrine to the relationship between the Divine and the People, and the language is “you will tell the Israelites…” Here, our ancestors actually perform the task of creating a holy space and the language reflects this: “the Israelites did...”. What is the significance of repeating all of these rules as our ancestors complete the task? It is nothing less than a highpoint of Jewish history, up there with the Exodus from Egypt and the receiving of the 10 Commandments. When else in history did a group of more than a million people work together to perform a holy task, were filled with a spirit of generosity and community, and constructed a dwelling place for God’s spirit which filled the completed Miskhan? Where else do you have such a heart-filled effort for an entire population to fix their mistakes (in this case the golden calf) and follow God’s commands so exactingly and lovingly? Chazak Chazak V’Nitchazeik - Strength, strength, may we strengthen each other! Shabbat Shalom! R’ Shalom Bochner, Director of LifeLong Learning