…the word of God then. But how on earth can that be true this year, this week, as the Coronavirus sweeps the world, bringing humanity to its current position? We read the double parsha of Vayakhel and Pekudei, which is about building the Mishkan, the first House of God, the precursor of the Temple and the synagogue. Yet through Britain…
With Pekudei, the book of Exodus reaches its end, if not its closure. Moses orders an account to be made of all the donations given by the people for the making of the Tabernacle (the Mishkan), and how these contributions were used. The priestly garments are made, and Moses finally assembles the Tabernacle. Then a Cloud of Glory descends over…
…funds are involved, there must be no room for temptation, no space for doubt as to whether it has been used for the purpose for which it was donated. There must be scrupulous auditing and transparency. Without this there is moral hazard: the maximum of temptation combined with the maximum of opportunity. Hence the parsha of Pekudei, with its detailed account…
The Parsha in a Nutshell In parshat Pekudei we complete the reading of the book of Shemot, but the story doesn’t come to an end. Moshe says that all the donations given should be counted, and the people should record, in detail, how these contributions are each used. The priestly garments are made and Moshe finally sets up the Mishkan….
Pekudei has sometimes been called “The Accountant’s Parsha”, because that is how it begins, with the audited accounts of the money and materials donated to the Sanctuary. It is the Torah’s way of teaching us the need for financial transparency. But beneath the sometimes-dry surface lie two extraordinary stories, one told in last week’s parsha, the other the week before,…
…and the sanctity of the Temple. Over the past few weeks during these four special Shabbatot, have you felt any special interest in the Haftara readings, or the Jewish calendar schedule? Why? The regular reading for Pekudei in a Nutshell I Kings 7:51-8:21 (Ashkenazim) I Kings 7:40-50 (Sephardim and Yemenites) In the Haftara read by Ashkenazim, King Shlomo completes…
…is an unmistakable parallelism between the words the Torah uses to describe Moses’ completion of the work and those it uses of God on the seventh day of Creation: And God finished [vayechal] on the seventh day, the work [melachto] which He had done. Genesis 2:2-3 And Moses finished [vayechal] the work [hamelachah]. Exodus 40:34 The next verse in Pekudei…
Pekudei – in fact the whole cluster of chapters beginning with Terumah and Tetzaveh and culminating in Vayakhel and Pekudei – is an extraordinary way for the book of Exodus to end. The rest of the book is a tempestuous story of the Israelites’ exile and enslavement and the confrontation between the ruler of Egypt and the man he may…
The Summary This summary is adapted from this week’s main Covenant & Conversation essay by Rabbi Sacks. Pekudei has sometimes been called “The Accountant’s Parsha” because that is how it begins, with the audited accounts of the money and materials donated to the Mishkan. It is the Torah’s way of teaching us the need for financial transparency. But beneath the…