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Parashat Vayakhel

Verses: 122 [Siman: סנואה]

Haftorah:[1] Kings 1 7:13-26

           

Number of Mitzvot: There is One Mitzvah in Parashat Vayakhel. Zero positive commands and One negative command.   Negative commands: 1. Mitzvah 114/Negative 67: Not to adjudicate capital punishments on Shabbat.

 

Chapter 35

First Aliyah

1. Keeping Shabbat:

• Moses gathered the entire Jewish people and told them that G-d commanded as follows: For six days a week you shall perform work and on the seventh day it shall be a complete day of rest for G-d. Whoever does labor shall be put to death. You shall not light a fire in all your dwelling places on Shabbat.

2. Moses commands the children of Israel regarding the Tabernacle:

• The materials needed: Moses told the Jewish people saying that G-d commanded them the following: Every person of generous heart is to give a donation. The following donations are needed:
  • Gold,
  • Silver,
  • Copper,
  • Techeiles Turquoise wool,
  • Argamon Purple wool,
  • Scarlet wool,
  • Linen,
  • Goat hair,
  • Red dyed ram skins,
  • Tachash skins,
  • Shittim-Acacia wood.
  • Oil for lighting
  • Spices for the anointing oil and Ketores incense.
  • Shoham stones
  • Filling stones for the apron and breastplate.
• The items needed to be made: Every skilled individual is to come and make everything that G-d commanded, which includes the following items:
  • The Tabernacle: The Tabernacle, its tent covering, and its accessories which include its hooks, beams, bars, pillars and sockets.
  • Aron: The Aron and its accessories which include its poles and covering.
  • The Shulchan/Table: The Shulchan/Table, its poles, and all of its accessories, including the Showbread.
  • The Menorah: The Menorah and its accessories, including its lamps and oil.
  • The incense altar: The Ketores incense altar, its poles, anointing oil, incense, and entrance screen.
  • The Olah altar: The Olah altar, its copper netting, its poles, and all of its accessories.
  • Kiyor sink: The Kiyor sink, and its accessories.
  • The courtyard: The curtains of the courtyard, its pillars, sockets and the entrance screen. The pegs of the Tabernacle and courtyard and their cords.
  • The priestly garments.
• After hearing the above commands, the Jewish people left Moses’s presence.

Second Aliyah

3. The donations come in:

• Those of generous heart came and donated towards the Tabernacle. Both men and women donated. They brought gold jewelry such as bracelets, nose rings, rings, Kumaz. Whoever had Techeiles-Turquoise, Argamon-purple, and scarlet wool donated it. Whoever had the ram skins and Techashim skins donated it. People brought silver and copper. Whoever had acacia-shittim wood, brought it. Women spun yarn of the different types of wool mention above, and donated it. The leaders donated the precious stones, the Shoham stones and Miluim stones for the apron and for the breastplate, and the spices and oil for the lighting and for the anointing oil and the Ketores.

Third Aliyah (Second Aliyah when connected to Pekudei)

4. Appointment of Betzalel to build the Tabernacle.

• Moses told the Jewish people: G-d has appointed Betzalel the son of Uri of the tribe of Judah to perform all the work of building the Tabernacle and its accessories. He has filled him with wisdom and understanding to perform all the work with the gold, silver and copper, stone and wood. Ohaliav the son of Achisamach from the tribe of Dan was appointed to work with him. They shall do the work together with all the skilled individuals.

Chapter 36

5. The Jewish people exceed in donating materials:

• Moses called upon Betzalel and Ohaliav, and all those who are skilled, to come do the work. They came and took from Moses the materials donated, but the Jewish people kept coming each morning, bringing more and more donations. The workers told Moses that too much material had been collected. Moses then went ahead and announced in the camp that the people should cease bringing donation material, and so they ceased. They had enough material to build the Tabernacle and have a surplus.

Fourth Aliyah

6. Making the tapestries:

• The craftsmen made the ten tapestries of twisted linen, Techeiles-Teurquoise wool, Argamon-Purple wool, scarlet wool. They made it the work of an artist. Each tapestry was 28 cubits long and 4 cubits wide. They attached the tapestries to each other in two groups of five. The ends of the two groups of tapestries contained 50 loops, corresponding to each other. They made 50 gold hooks to attach the two groupings together and hence have one Tabernacle.

 

7. Making the panels of goat hair:

• They made 11 tent panels of goat hair to be placed over the Tabernacle [i.e. the wool tapestries]. Each panel was 30 cubits long and 4 cubits wide. They attached the pannels to each other into two groups, one containing five and the second containing six. The ends of the two groups of panels contained 50 loops, corresponding to each other. They made 50 copper hooks to attach the two groupings together and hence have one Tabernacle.
• They made a covering of red dyed ram skin and a covering of Tachash skin to be placed above the goat hair panels.

 

Fifth Aliyah

8. Making the Kerashim/beams:

• They made beams for the Tabernacle from shittim-acacia wood. Each beam was 10 cubits in length and 1.5 cubits in width. Each beam contained two projecting pieces of wood [i.e. tenons] which were perfectly aligned across each other.
• Amount: They made 20 beams for the southern side and 20 beams for the northern side. They made 6 beams for the west side, plus two corner beams, for a total of 8 beams.
• Sockets: They made silver sockets for the beams, two sockets per beam, for each of its tenons. Thus, they made 40 silver sockets for the 20 beams of the southern side and 40 silver sockets for the 20 beams of the northern side. They made 16 silver sockets for the 8 beams of the western side.
• Poles: They made five poles of acacia-shittim wood for three sides of the Tabernacle, five for the northern side, five for the southern side, and five for the western side, for a total of 15 poles. They made the middle pole that is to be inserted into the beams and extend from one end to the next. They coated the poles with gold. They made rings of gold.
• The beams were coated with gold.

 

9. Making the Parochet curtain:

• The material: They made the Parochet curtain of Turquoise-Ticheiles wool, Argamon-Purple wool, scarlet wool, and twisted linen. It was made the work of an artist.
• The beams which hold the Parochet curtain: They made four pillars of acacia-shittim wood covered with gold to hold the Parochet curtain. They made golden hooks and four silver sockets for the beams.

 

10. Making the Masach screen in front of the Holies:

• They made a screen of Turquoise-Ticheiles wool, Argamon-Purple wool, scarlet wool, and twisted linen for the entrance to the Ohel tent. It was made the work of an embroiderer.
• They made for the Masach five pillars of acacia-shittim wood of which their tops were covered with gold. They made gold hooks and five copper sockets for the pillars.

 

Chapter 37

11. Making the Aron:

• Betzalel made the Aron of acacia-shittim wood. It was 2.5 cubits in length and 1.5 cubits in width, and 1.5 cubits in height. He covered it with pure gold both in its interior and exterior and made for it a gold crown surrounding it. He welded onto it four gold rings, two on each side. He made two poles of acacia-shittim wood and coated them with gold. He inserted the poles into the rings for it to be carried with.
• Kapores lid and Cherubim: He made a cover of pure gold for the Aron. Its dimensions were 2.5 cubits in length and 1.5 cubits in width. He made two Cherubim of gold on the opposite ends of the Kapores lid. The Cherubim contained wings spread upwards, and faced each other, and faced towards the lid.

 

12. Making the Shulchan/Table:

• He made the Shulchan/Table from acacia-shittim wood. It was 2 cubits in length and 1 cubits in width, and 1.5 cubits in height. He coated it with gold and made a gold crown around its rim.
• Rings and poles: He made a one handbreadth frame around its entire circumference, and the frame had a gold crown around it. He welded four gold rings onto it, one by each corner, and made two poles from acacia wood and coated them with gold. The poles were made to be inserted into the rings for the Shulchan/Table to be carried with.
• Accessories: He made the vessels that rested on the Shulchan/Table which include pure gold dishes, spoons, tubes and supports.

 

Sixth Aliyah (Third Aliyah when connected to Pekudei)

13. Making the Menorah:

• He made the Menorah from pure gold with a base, branches, goblets, knobs and flowers all made from the original piece of one Kikar of gold.
• It had six branches, three from each side. Each branch was made with three goblets, and was decorated with a knob and flower. The base of the Menorah was made with four goblets decorated with knobs and flowers. Under each set of branches a button was made. Everything was formed from the same piece of gold. It had seven candles.

14. Making the gold altar for incense:

• He made an altar for the incense offering from acacia-shittim wood. It was made into a square, its length being one cubit, and its width also one cubit. It was two cubits high. It contained horns on each of its four corners, and the horns, as well as the entire altar was covered in gold. He made a gold crown surrounding it. It had two gold rings beneath its crown, one on each corner. These rings served to hold the poles with which the altar was carried with. The poles were made from acacia-shittim wood and were covered with gold.
• He made the anointing oil and their spices, the work of a spice-blender.

Chapter 38

 Seventh Aliyah (Fourth Aliyah when connected to Pekudei)

15. Making the Olah altar:

• He made the Olah altar from shittim-acacia wood. It was made into a square, its length being five cubits, and its width also being five cubits. It was three cubits high. It was hollow. He made horns on each of its four corners, and he covered [the entire altar] with copper.
• Its accessories: He made for it pots to remove its ashes, shovels, sprinkling basins, prongs, and fire-pans. It was all made of copper.
• Its netting: He made a copper netting which encompasses the altar and welded four copper rings on each of its four corners. He made poles of acacia-shittim wood and covered them with copper. He inserted them into the rings for the altar to be carried.

 

16. Making the Kiyor:
    • He made a copper Kiyor sink and pedestal using the mirrors of the women who congregated at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting.

 

17. Making the courtyard/courtyard:

• He made a courtyard for the Tabernacle from twisted linen. The curtains of the northern and southern side of the courtyard were 100 cubits long. The curtains of the western side were 50 cubits long. The curtains of the eastern side were 15 cubits for each end.
• The pillars: There were twenty pillars and twenty sockets for the northern and southern side, and ten pillars and ten sockets for the western side. There were three pillars and sockets for each end of the eastern side, for a total of six. All the pillars were made with silver hooks and belts and their top was coated with silver. The sockets were made of copper.
• The entrance to the courtyard: The screen of the gate of the courtyard was made of Turquoise Ticheiles wool, Argamon-Purple wool, scarlet wool, and twisted linen and was 20 cubits long and 5 cubits in height. It contained four pillars and four copper sockets and had silver hooks and belts, and the pillars were coated with silver.
• Its accessories: The pegs of the Tabernacle were all made of copper.

 

Parashat Pekudei

Verses: 92 [Siman: בלי כל]

Haftorah:[2] Kings 1 7:51-8:21

 

Theme of the Portion: 1. Enumerating the donations that came in for the Tabernacle and what they were used towards. 2. Describing how the priestly garments were made.

Number of Mitzvot: There are no Positive or Negative commands mentioned in Parashat Pekudei

 

First Aliyah

1. The accounting of the donation materials and their use:

• The following is the accounting of the Tabernacle donations. It was counted by Isamar the son of Aaron, and the Levites, as Moses commanded. Betzalel Ben Uri Ben Chur from the tribe of Judah and Oholiav Ben Achisamach did all that they were commanded for building the Tabernacle.
• Gold: 29 Kikar and 730 Shekel of gold was donated.
• Silver: 100 Kikar and 1775 Shekel of silver was donated. A Beka weight of silver was donated for every person 20 years and older during the half shekel donation. The total number of donors of the half shekel was 603,550. The 100 Kikar of silver was used to make the silver sockets for the pillars of the Holies and Parochet curtain, one Kikar per socket. The remaining 1775 silver shekel were used to make the hooks and belts of the pillars.
• Copper: 70 Kikar and 2400 Shekel of copper was donated. The copper was used to make the copper sockets for the pillars of the Tent of Meeting, courtyard and entrance gate. It was also used to make the copper altar and its netting and all of its accessories. It was also used to make all the pegs of the courtyard.
• Wool: The Techeiles-Turquoise wool, Argamon-Purple wool, and scarlet wool, were used to make the priestly garments.

Chapter 39

Second Aliyah (Fifth Aliyah when connected to Vayakhel)

2. The apron:

• He made the apron from gold, Turquoise-Ticheiles wool, Argamon-Purple wool, scarlet wool, and twisted linen. Gold strings were cut from thin sheets of gold and woven with the Turquoise-Ticheiles wool, Argamon-Purple wool, scarlet wool, and twisted linen. He made two shoulder straps, one by each end, and a belt which was likewise made of the same materials stated above.
• The Avnie Shoham: He placed the two Shoham stones into their gold settings and inscribed on them the name of the tribes of Israel. He placed the stones on the shoulder straps of the apron, one per strap, as a remembrance.

3. The breastplate:

• He made the breastplate from gold, Turquoise-Ticheiles wool, Argamon-Purple wool, scarlet wool, and twisted linen. The breastplate was square, folded over, a Zeres in its length and width. It was filled with four rows of stones. The first row contained the following stones: Odem, Pitdah, and Barekes. The second row contained the following stones: Nofech, Sapir, and Yahalom. The third row contained the following stones: Leshem, Shevo, and Achlamah. The fourth row contained the following stones: Tarshish, Shoham, and Yashfeh. The stones were placed within gold settings. They had the names of the tribes inscribed on them, one tribe per stone for a total of 12 tribes and stones.
• The chains and rings that attach the breastplate to the apron: They made two gold chains on the breastplate. They made two gold settings and two gold rings and placed the rings on the two [top] corners of the breastplate. They attached the chains to these two rings. The other end of the chains was attached to the gold settings and then attached to the shoulder straps of the apron. They made another two gold rings for the bottom corners of the breastplate, and placed them in the interior of the breastplate. They made two rings on the bottom end of the shoulder straps of the apron, symmetric to the bottom rings of the breastplate. They placed a Techeiles-Turquoise woolen string through the two sets of rings, and attached the breastplate to the apron belt so that it not move.

 

Third Aliyah (Sixth Aliyah when connected to Vayakhel)

4. The Meil robe:
   • They made the Meil entirely from Ticheiles-Turquoise wool. The Meil contained a folded collar which may not be torn. They made its hem surrounded with pomegranates made of Turquoise-Ticheiles wool, Argamon-Purple wool, scarlet wool. They also made gold bells which were inserted into the pomegranates all around the rim.

 

5. The Kutoness shirt; turban, pants and belt:

• They made the Kutones, turban, and pants from checkered linen for both Aaron and his sons. The belt was made from checkered linen, Turquoise-Ticheiles wool, Argamon-Purple wool, and scarlet wool, the work of an embroiderer.

 

6. The Tzitz, Holy Crown:

• They made the Tzitz of pure gold and engraved on it the words “Kodesh LaHashem.” They placed on it a Ticheiles-Turquoise woolen string to attach to the turban.

 

7. The Tabernacle is brought to Moses:

• The work of the Temple was complete, and the Jewish people did all that G-d commanded.

Fourth Aliyah

• They brought the Tabernacle to Moses, including all of its vessels. The following items were brought to Moses: The Ohel tent and its implements, such as the hooks, beams, bars, pillars, and sockets; the ram skin covering, the Techashim skin covering, and the Parochet curtain; the Aron, its poles and the Kapores lid; the Shulchan/Table, all its vessels, and the showbread; the Menorah, its candles, vessels and oil; the gold altar, the anointing oil and Ketores incense; the screen of the Ohel tent; the copper altar with its copper netting, its poles and all of its vessels; the Kiyor and its pedestal; the curtains of the courtyard, its pillars, ropes and pegs; the priestly garments.
• Moses saw that all the work was done as G-d commanded, and he blessed the Jewish people.

Chapter 40

Fifth Aliyah (Seventh Aliyah when connected to Vayakhel)

8. G-d instructs Moses how to put together the Tabernacle:

• G-d told Moses that on the first day of the first month the Tabernacle is to be erected. The Aron is to be placed in the Tent of Meeting and the Parochet curtain is to be placed as a screen before it. You are to bring the Shulchan/Table and arrange it, and bring the Menorah and light it. The gold altar is to be placed in front of the Aron, and place the screen by the entrance of the Tabernacle. The Olah altar is to be placed in front of the entrance of the Tent of Meeting. The Kiyor sink is to be placed between the Tent of Meeting and altar. It is to be filled with water. You are to erect the courtyard around it and set up the screen at the entrance to the courtyard.
• Anointing the Altar: You are to take the anointing oil and anoint the Tabernacle and all of its content and make it holy. Anoint the Olah altar and all its vessels and make it holy. Anoint the Kiyor and its pedestal and make it holy.
• Inaugurating the Kohanim: You are to bring Aaron and his sons to the entrance of the Tent of Meeting and bathe them there. You are to dress Aaron in the priestly garments, anoint him and sanctify him as a Kohen. You are also to dress his sons in the Kutanos shirt and anoint them there and sanctify them as Kohanim forever.

 

Sixth Aliyah

9. The Tabernacle is completed:

• The date: So it was on the first day of the first month of the second year the Tabernacle was erected.
• Moses assembles the Tabernacle: Moses erected the Tabernacle. He positioned its sockets, beams, polls and pillars. He spread out the tent over the Tabernacle and placed the skin coverings over it.
• Moses assembles the Aron: He placed the Tablets of Stone in the Aron, and inserted the polls to the Aron, and placed the Kapores lid on top. He brought the Aron into the Tabernacle and placed the Parochet curtain in front of it.
• Moses positions the Shulchan/Table: He placed the Shulchan/Table in the Tent of Meeting towards the northern side, outside the Parochet curtain. He arranged the bread on the Shulchan/Table.
• Moses positions and lights the Menorah: He placed the Menorah in the Tent of Meeting opposite the Shulchan/Table towards the southern side. He lit the candles on the Menorah.
• Moses positions the gold altar: He placed the gold altar in the Tent of Meeting in front of the Parochet curtain. He offered incense on it.

Seventh Aliyah

• He placed the screen of the entrance of the Tent of Meeting.
• Moses positions the Olah altar: He positioned the Olah altar in the opening to the Tent of Meeting and offered on it the Olah sacrifice and meal offering, as G-d commanded.
• Moses positions the Kiyor sink: He positioned the Kiyor sink between the Tent of Meeting and the altar and filled it with water. Moses, and Aaron and his sons would wash their hands and feet with the water when they would enter the Tent of Meeting or come to do the service on the altar.
• Moses erects the courtyard: He erected the courtyard around the Tabernacle and altar and placed the screen by the entrance of the courtyard.
• Moses completed the work.

 

10. A cloud covers the Tent of Meeting and is used as a signal for travel:

• A cloud appeared and covered the Tent of Meeting, and the glory of G-d filled the Tabernacle. Moses could not enter the Tent of Meeting, as the cloud rested upon it and the Tabernacle was filled with G-d’s glory.
• Whenever the cloud would ascend from the Tabernacle, the Jewish people would travel on their journeys. If the cloud remained, then they would not travel until it ascended.
• The cloud would remain on Tabernacle by day and the fire would be there by night, as was witnessed by all of the children of Israel.

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[1] So is followed by Sepharadi communities and Chabad. However, Ashkenazi communities read from 7:40-50

[2] So is followed by most Ashkenazi communities and Chabad. However, Sepharadic communities read from 7:40-50

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