Vayakhel-Pekude - Exodus 35:1 - 40:38 If you need technical help during the study, you can text Steve and he will help you. His phone number is 760-492-4450. The following is a “spoiler” as to what happens in Vayakhel and Pekude:

• assembles the after coming down from Mt. Sinai the second time, and repeats to them the commandment to observe . • Moses asks the Israelites to donate gifts of and and lots of beautiful mateirals to be used for building the mishkan. The mishkan is the or portable sanctuary which they will carry with them while walking through the desert to the promised land. • The word mishkan comes from the Hebrew root meaning “to dwell.” The Tabernacle was considered to be the earthly dwelling place of God. • Moses appoints and Oholiah, who were skilled craftsmen, to oversee the construction of the sanctuary. • Bezalel and Oholiah report to Moses that the people are giving more gifts than are needed for building, so Moses tells the people to stop bringing their donations. • Under the direction of Bezalel and Oholiah, other skilled craftsmen work on all the parts of the mishkan. • When the mishkan is completed, Moses and the Israelites celebrate by anointing it. • A cloud hovers over the mishkan, indicating that God now dwells inside. o When the cloud lifts, the Israelites follow it as a sign that God is with them throughout their journeys in the wilderness. • God’s presence fills the sanctuary and leads the people throughout their journeys.

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This is a picture of what experts think the mishkan looked like. What are some of the things that surprise you, intrigue you or make you wonder?

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The first 7 Hebrew words of Exodus 35:22 are: וַיָּבֹ֥אּו הָּאֲנָּשִׁ֖ ים עַל־הַנָּשִׁ֑ ים כֹּ֣ ׀ ל נְד ֹּ֣ יב ל ֵ֗ ב

And they came bringing offerings for the mishkan – the men along with the women – all who had a willing heart. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

The six times in Exodus that the word nashim (women) appears: o Twice…When the Hebrew women were giving birth o The women who performed with after crossing the sea o Those women who would become widows if their husbands disobeyed God o The female donors of gold used to make the , and o In this portion…To designate the female contributors of beautiful materials for the mishkan. Why do you think that using the female term nashim is used here in this portion, when it is one of only six times used to denote women in the whole ? * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Exodus 35:25 states:

• Bezalel and … [the craftsmen who oversaw the building of the mishkan] have been endowed with the skill to do any work. • The Hebrew words used for the English word “skill” in this verse (and throughout the .which mean “wisdom of the heart ,חַכְמַ ת־ל ִׁ֖ב building instructions for the mishkan) are Any comments about why the Hebrew word for skill consists of the words “wisdom of the heart”?

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The verses in Vayakhel that refer to the building of the mishkan are very similar to the verses in the Creation story. •

Genesis 1-2 Exodus 39-40

Moses saw all the skilled work and behold they had And God saw all that He had made and behold it was done it; as God had commanded it they had done it. very good. (1:31) (39:43)

The heavens and earth and all their array All the work of the Tabernacle of the Tent of Meeting were completed. (2:1) was completed. (39:32)

And God completed all the work that He had done. And Moses completed the work. (40:33) (2:2)

And God blessed… (2:3) And Moses blessed… (39:43)

And sanctified it. (2:3) And you shall sanctify it and all its vessels (40:9)

What are your thoughts about the connection between Creation and the building of the mishkan?

• ABCC1B1A1, as in “(A) He who sheds (B) the blood (C) of man, (C1) by man (B1) shall

his blood (A1) be shed” (Gen. 9:6). * * * * * * * * * * * * * Brokenness In the , we read that the remains of the broken first set of tablets which Moses shattered, were carried in the Ark in the mishkan along with the replacement set (Babylonian Talmud, B'rachot 8b). This can lead us to ask the question: Why were the broken tablets carried through the desert along with the complete set?

All of us are touched by brokenness - an illness, the death of a loved one, an abusive relationship, unfulfilled hopes. Much like the shards of the tablets carried in the Ark, we carry these painful learning experiences as we go through life.

We come into the world as a small bundle of needs, completely dependent on our parents, unable to control even the movements of our limbs. We are not angels – our will is frail and flawed. Yet, as we grow, we are told to seize the day, hold the fort, take charge of our future. We are fed with illusions of control and individuality, and we begin to believe that sanity consists of the ability to shape our world to our own desires. Our movies and TV shows feature actors and athletes who are strong, beautiful and powerful – complete – not broken. Our cultural narratives promote constant self-improvement and encourage us to eliminate our flaws so that we can be - complete – not broken. We learn to fear our weaknesses as cracks in the armor that protects us from harm – weaknesses that make us…”not complete” - broken

But that’s all backwards.

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It is our brokenness that connects us to others. We tend to feel like we won’t have the relationships we want until we are better. But in reality, all of us are incomplete. We all need each other to function, and it is this giving and receiving that ties us all together. We have been given an opportunity to not only love others in their brokenness, but to allow others to love us in our brokenness. Accepting our own dependency is essential to participating in this beautiful reciprocal gift that is human life.

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Quotes About Brokenness

“There is nothing as whole as a broken heart.” The Kotsker Rebbe

Through sharing our brokenness, we make community. Haggadot.com

The Jewish approach makes room for both the joys and sorrows of life, and acknowledges that we are shaped by our struggles and losses as much as by our victories. In order to be whole, one must also experience brokenness. Hillel.org

People often avoid making decision out of fear of making a mistake. Actually, the failure to make decisions is one of life’s biggest mistakes. Noah Weinberg.

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Sources: Sefaria.org (Hebrew texts)

A Torah Commentary for Our Times By Harvey J. Fields (“Spoiler”)

The Five Books of Moses by Everett Fox

The Torah – A Women’s Commentary edited by Tamara Eskenski and Andrea Weiss

Mikra’ot G’dolot – The Commentators’ Bible edited, translated and annotated by Michael Carasik

“Making Space (Vayakhel & 5778)” by Rabbi Jonathan Sacks (Comparing Creation and Building of the Mishkan) http://rabbisacks.org/making-space-vayakhel-pekudei-5778/

“Making a B’rachah Out of Brokenness” by Judith Seplowin (Brokenness) https://reformjudaism.org/learning/torah-study/chol-hamo-eid-sukkot/making-brachah-out- brokenness

“The Beauty of Brokenness” by Dr. Ed Rogers (Brokenness) http://mindspirit.com/the-beauty-of-brokenness/