Пекұдей: Мишканды құру туралы

23rd weekly Torah portion or parashah

Pekudei, Pekude, Pekudey, P'kude, or P'qude (פְקוּדֵי—Hebrew for "amounts of," the second word, and the first distinctive word, in the parashah) is the 23rd weekly Torah portion (פָּרָשָׁה, parashah) in the annual Jewish cycle of Torah reading. It is the 11th and last in the Book of Exodus. The parashah tells of the setting up of the Tabernacle (מִשְׁכַּן, Mishkan). It constitutes Exodus 38:21–40:38. The parashah is made up of 4,432 Hebrew letters, 1,182 Hebrew words, 92 verses, and 159 lines in a Torah scroll (סֵפֶר תּוֹרָה, Sefer Torah). Jews read it the 22nd or 23rd Sabbath after Simchat Torah, in March. The lunisolar Hebrew calendar contains up to 55 weeks, the exact number varying between 50 in common years and 54 or 55 in leap years. In leap years (for example, 2024, 2027, 2030, 2033, 2038, 2041, 2043, 2046, and 2049), Parashat Pekudei is read separately. In common years (for example, 2026, 2028, 2029, 2031, 2032, 2034, 2036, 2039, 2040, 2042, 2044, 2047, 2048, and 2050), Parashat Pekudei is generally combined with the previous parashah, Vayakhel, to help achieve the needed number of weekly readings (although in some non leap years, such as 2025, 2037, and 2045, they are not combined).

In traditional Sabbath Torah reading, the parashah is divided into seven readings, or עליות, aliyot.

In the first reading, at the direction of Moses, Aaron's son Ithamar oversaw the accounts of the Tabernacle, and the text sets forth the amounts of gold, silver, and copper that Bezalel, Oholiab, and their coworkers used. The silver came from the half shekel a head for each man 20 years old or older who was counted in the census.

In the second reading, Bezalel, Oholiab, and their coworkers made the priests' vestments, the ephod, and the breastpiece—just as God had commanded Moses.

In the third reading, Bezalel, Oholiab, and their coworkers made the robe, the tunics of fine linen, and the frontlet inscribed "Holy to the Lord"—just as God had commanded Moses.

In the fourth reading, they brought the Tabernacle and all its furnishings to Moses, and he blessed them.

In the fifth reading, God told Moses to set up the Tabernacle, and Moses did just as God had commanded him.

In the sixth reading, it was the first day of the second year of the Exodus that Moses erected the Tabernacle and its furnishings—just as God had commanded Moses.

In the seventh reading, Moses finished the work, and the cloud covered the Tent of Meeting, and God's Presence filled the Tabernacle. When the cloud lifted from the Tabernacle, the Israelites would set out, and when the cloud did not lift, they would not set out. And God's cloud rested over the Tabernacle by day, and fire would appear in it by night, throughout the Israelites' journeys.

Jews who read the Torah according to the triennial cycle of Torah reading may read the parashah according to a different schedule.

2 Chronicles 1:5–6 reports that the bronze altar that Bezalel built, which they brought to Moses in Exodus 39:39, still stood before the Tabernacle in Solomon's time, and Solomon sacrificed a thousand burnt offerings on it.

Josephus taught that when the Israelites brought together the materials with great diligence, Moses set architects over the works by the command of God. And these were the very same people that the people themselves would have chosen, had the election been allowed to them: Bezalel, the son of Uri, of the tribe of Judah, the grandson of Miriam, the sister of Moses, and Oholiab, file son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan.

The Midrash Tanḥuma taught that God considers studying the sanctuary's structure as equivalent to rebuilding it. Reading Exodus 38:21, "These are the accounts of the Tabernacle," Rabbi Tanḥuma cited Proverbs 28:20, "A faithful man shall abound with blessings; but he that makes haste to be rich shall not be unpunished." Rabbi Tanḥuma taught that God always brings blessings through a person of integrity, but one who is not faithful and "makes haste to be rich shall not be unpunished." The Midrash taught that "a faithful man" refers to Moses, who was God's confidant, as Numbers 12:7 reports, "My servant Moses is trusted in all My house." Thus, Solomon said in Proverbs 28:20, "A faithful man shall abound with blessings," because God blessed everything that Moses oversaw, on account of his trustworthiness. Another explanation of "A faithful man" is that it refers to Moses, who was made treasurer over the work of the Tabernacle. But the Rabbis taught, "One must not appoint fewer than two people to control the finances of a city or community," and the Midrash asked whether Moses was not solely in charge. The Midrash answered that although Moses was the sole treasurer, he called others to audit the accounts. The Midrash noted that Exodus 38:21 says, "These are the accounts of the Tabernacle," and does not say, "which Moses rendered," but "which were rendered according to the commandment of Moses." Thus the accounts were rendered through Moses but, as Exodus 38:21 reports, "by the hand of Ithamar" (implying that Moses showed all the accounts to Ithamar). Reading Exodus 38:21, "as they were rendered according to the commandment of Moses," a Midrash taught that the Israelites did everything that they did by the command of Moses. And reading the continuation of Exodus 38:21, "through the service of the Levites, by the hand of Ithamar, the son of Aaron the priest," the Midrash taught that everything that Moses made was done through others. Even though everything was done with witnesses, as soon as the construction of the Tabernacle was completed, Moses wasted no time to promise the people the complete details of all the expenditures involved. Moses then began to expound in Exodus 38:21, "These are the accounts of the Tabernacle," saying how much he had expended on the Tabernacle. While engaged in this calculation, Moses completely forgot about 1,775 shekalim of silver that he had used for hooks for the pillars, and he became uneasy thinking to himself that the Israelites would find grounds to say that Moses took them for himself. So God opened the eyes of Moses to realize that the silver had been converted into hooks for the pillars. When the Israelites saw that the account now completely tallied, they were completely satisfied with the integrity of the work on the Tabernacle. And thus Exodus 38:21 says, "These are the accounts of the Tabernacle," to report that the accounts balanced. The Midrash asked why Moses had to account to the Israelites, seeing as God trusted Moses so implicitly that God said in Numbers 12:7, "My servant Moses is not so; he is trusted in all My house." The Midrash explained that Moses overheard certain Israelites scoffing behind his back, for Exodus 33:8 says, "And they (the Israelites) looked after Moses." The Midrash asked what the people would say about Moses. Rabbi Joḥanan taught that the people blessed his mother, for she never saw him, as he was always speaking with God and always wholly given over to his service. But Rabbi Hama said that they used to remark how fat and prosperous Moses looked. When Moses heard this, he vowed to give an account of everything. And this is why Exodus 38:21 says, "These are the accounts of the Tabernacle." Rabbi Simeon son of Rabbi Ishmael interpreted the term "the Tabernacle of the testimony" in Exodus 38:21 to mean that the Tabernacle was God's testimony to the whole world that God had forgiven Israel for having made the Golden Calf. Rabbi Isaac explained with a parable. A king took a wife whom he dearly loved. He became angry with her and left her, and her neighbors taunted her, saying that he would not return. Then the king sent her a message asking her to prepare the king's palace and make the beds therein, for he was coming back to her on such and such a day. On that day, the king returned to her and became reconciled to her, entering her chamber and eating and drinking with her. Her neighbors at first did not believe it, but when they smelled the fragrant spices, they knew that the king had returned. Similarly, God loved Israel, bringing the Israelites to Mount Sinai, and giving them the Torah, but after only 40 days, they sinned with the Golden Calf. The heathen nations then said that God would not be reconciled with the Israelites. But when Moses pleaded for mercy on their behalf, God forgave them, as Numbers 14:20 reports, "And the Lord said: ‘I have pardoned according to your word.'" Moses then told God that even though he personally was quite satisfied that God had forgiven Israel, he asked that God might announce that fact to the nations. God replied that God would cause God's Shechinah to dwell in their midst, and thus Exodus 25:8 says, "And let them make Me a sanctuary, that I may dwell among them." And by that sign, God intended that all nations might know that God had forgiven the Israelites. And thus Exodus 38:21 calls it "the Tabernacle of the testimony," because the Tabernacle was a testimony that God had pardoned the Israelites' sins. Rabbi Tanḥuma taught in the name of Rav Huna that even the things that Bezalel did not hear from Moses he conceived of on his own exactly as they were told to Moses from Sinai. Rabbi Tanḥuma said in the name of Rav Huna that one can deduce this from the words of Exodus 38:22, "And Bezalel the son of Uri, the son of Ḥur, of the tribe of Judah, made all that the Lord commanded Moses." For Exodus 38:22 does not say, "that Moses commanded him," but, "that the Lord commanded Moses." And the Agadat Shir ha Shirim taught that Bezalel and Oholiab went up Mount Sinai, where the heavenly Sanctuary was shown to them. A Midrash explained that Israel sinned with fire in making the Golden Calf, as Exodus 32:24 says, "And I cast it into the fire, and there came out this calf." And then Bezalel came and healed the wound (and the construction of the Tabernacle made atonement for the sins of the people in making the Golden Calf). The Midrash likened it to the words of Isaiah 54:16, "Behold, I have created the smith who blows the fire of coals." The Midrash taught that Bezalel was the smith whom God had created to address the fire. And the Midrash likened it to the case of a doctor's disciple who applied a plaster to a wound and healed it. When people began to praise him, his teacher, the doctor, said that they should praise the doctor, for he taught the disciple. Similarly, when everybody said that Bezalel had constructed the Tabernacle through his knowledge and understanding, God said that it was God who created him and taught him, as Isaiah 54:16 says, "Behold, I have created the smith." Thus Moses said in Exodus 35:30, "see, the Lord has called by name Bezalel." Exodus 35:30 identifies Bezalel's grandfather as Ḥur, whom either Rav or Samuel deduced was the son of Miriam and Caleb. A Midrash explained that Exodus 35:30 mentions Ḥur, because when the Israelites were about to serve the Golden Calf, Ḥur risked his life on God's behalf to prevent them from doing so, and they killed him. Whereupon God assured Ḥur that God would repay him for his sacrifice. The Midrash likened it to the case of a king whose legions rebelled against him, and his field marshal fought against the rebels, questioning how they could dare rebel against the king. In the end, the rebels killed the field marshal. The king reasoned that if the field marshal had given the king money, the king would have had to repay him. So even more so the king had an obligation to repay the field marshal when he gave his life on the king's behalf. The king rewarded the field marshal by ordaining that all his male offspring would become generals and officers. Similarly, when Israel made the Golden Calf, Ḥur gave his life for the glory of God. Thus, God assured Ḥur that God would give all Ḥur's descendants a great name in the world. And thus Exodus 35:30 says, "see, the Lord has called by name Bezalel, the son of Uri, the son of Ḥur." Rabbi Joḥanan taught that God proclaims three things for God's Self: famine, plenty, and a good leader. 2 Kings 8:1 shows that God proclaims famine, when it says: "The Lord has called for a famine." Ezekiel 36:29 shows that God proclaims plenty, when it says: "I will call for the corn and will increase it." And Exodus 31:1–2 shows that God proclaims a good leader, when it says: "And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ‘See I have called by name Bezalel, the son of Uri.'" Rabbi Isaac taught that we cannot appoint a leader over a community without first consulting the people, as Exodus 35:30 says: "And Moses said unto the children of Israel: ‘See, the Lord has called by name Bezalel, the son of Uri.'" Rabbi Isaac taught that God asked Moses whether Moses considered Bezalel suitable. Moses replied that if God thought Bezalel suitable, surely Moses must also. God told Moses that, all the same, Moses should go and consult the people. Moses then asked the Israelites whether they considered Bezalel suitable. They replied that if God and Moses considered Bezalel suitable, then surely they had to, as well. Rabbi Samuel bar Naḥmani said in the name of Rabbi Joḥanan that Bezalel (בְּצַלְאֵל, whose name can be read בְּצֵל אֶל, betzel El, "in the shadow of God") was so called because of his wisdom. When God told Moses (in Exodus 31:7) to tell Bezalel to make a tabernacle, an ark, and vessels, Moses reversed the order and told Bezalel to make an ark, vessels, and a tabernacle. Bezalel replied to Moses that as a rule, one first builds a house and then brings vessels into it, but Moses directed to make an ark, vessels, and a tabernacle. Bezalel asked where he would put the vessels. And Bezalel asked whether God had told Moses to make a tabernacle, an ark, and vessels. Moses replied that perhaps Bezalel had been in the shadow of God (בְּצֵל אֶל, betzel El) and had thus come to know this. Rav Judah taught in the name of Rav that Exodus 35:31 indicated that God endowed Bezalel with the same attribute that God used in creating the universe. Rav Judah said in the name of Rav that Bezalel knew how to combine the letters by which God created the heavens and earth. For Exodus 35:31 says (about Bezalel), "And He has filled him with the spirit of God, in wisdom and in understanding, and in knowledge," and Proverbs 3:19 says (about creation), "The Lord by wisdom founded the earth; by understanding He established the heavens," and Proverbs 3:20 says, "By His knowledge the depths were broken up." Doing the math implied by Exodus 36:4, Exodus 38:22, Joshua 14:7, and 1 Chronicles 2:19–20, the Gemara deduced that in earlier generations, a boy of eight could father children. Exodus 38:22 reports that "Bezalel, son of Uri, son of Ḥur, of the tribe of Judah, made all that the Lord had commanded Moses," when they built the Tabernacle. And 1 Chronicles 2:19–20 reports that Caleb fathered the Ḥur who fathered Uri who fathered Bezalel. Exodus 36:4 reports that "wise men wrought all the work of the Sanctuary," so Bezalel must have been at least 13 years old to have been a man when he worked on the Tabernacle. A Baraita taught that Moses made the Tabernacle in the first year after the Exodus, and in the second, he erected it and sent out the spies, so the Gemara deduced that Bezalel must have been at least 14 years old when Moses sent out the spies, the year after Bezalel worked on the Tabernacle. And Joshua 14:7 reports that Caleb said that he was 40 years old when Moses sent him to spy out the land. Thus, the Gemara deduced that Caleb was only 26 years older than his great grandson Bezalel. Deducting two years for the three pregnancies needed to create the three intervening generations, the Gemara concluded that each of Caleb, Ḥur, and Uri must have conceived his son at the age of eight. Rabbi Judah ben Simon taught that God required each of the Israelites to give a half shekel (as reported in Exodus 38:26) because (as reported in Genesis 37:28) their ancestors had sold Joseph to the Ishmaelites for 20 shekels.

A Midrash taught that the priestly garments of which God spoke in Exodus 40:13 were in fact the garments for which Jacob prayed at Bethel in Genesis 28:20. The Midrash taught that Jacob did not ask simply for food and garments, but that God would promise to be with him and build up the world from him. And Jacob would know that God was with him and guarded him when God would raise up from him sons who would be priests, eating of the showbread and clothed in the priestly garments. The Midrash interpreted the words of Genesis 28:20, "bread to eat," to refer to the showbread, and "garments to put on" to refer to the priestly garments, for Exodus 40:13 says: "And you shall put upon Aaron the holy garments." A Midrash taught that many wise people were there, yet they had to come to Moses, for they could not erect the Tabernacle on their own. Moses excelled them all in skill, as Solomon said in Proverbs 31:29, "Many daughters have done valiantly, but you excel them all." So each of the wise people took a finished piece of work and came to Moses to present him the boards, the bars, and all the parts. As soon as Moses saw the parts, the Holy Spirit settled on him, and he set the Tabernacle up. The Midrash clarified that Moses did not set it up by himself, for miracles were performed with it, and it rose of its own accord, for Exodus 40:17 says (using the passive voice), "The Tabernacle was reared up." And the Midrash taught that Solomon's Temple, too, was built of its own accord. Similarly, noting that Exodus 40:17 reports that "the Tabernacle was reared up"—using the passive voice—another Midrash told that when in Exodus 40:1–2 God told Moses to set up the Tabernacle, Moses protested that he did not know how to set it up. So God told Moses to begin working with his hands and make a show of setting it up, and the Tabernacle would stand up on its own. But God reassured Moses that God would record that Moses set it up, as Exodus 40:18 reports, "Moses reared up the Tabernacle." Rav Havivi (or others say Rav Assi of Hozna'ah) deduced from the words, "And it came to pass in the first month of the second year, on the first day of the month," in Exodus 40:17 that the Tabernacle was erected on the first of Nisan. With reference to this, a Tanna taught that the first of Nisan took ten crowns of distinction by virtue of the ten momentous events that occurred on that day. The first of Nisan was: (1) the first day of the Creation, (2) the first day of the princes' offerings, (3) the first day for the priesthood to make the sacrificial offerings, (4) the first day for public sacrifice, (5) the first day for the descent of fire from Heaven, (6) the first for the priests' eating of sacred food in the sacred area, (7) the first for the dwelling of the Shechinah in Israel, (8) the first for the Priestly Blessing of Israel, (9) the first for the prohibition of the high places, and (10) the first of the months of the year. Rabbi Judah ha Nasi taught that from Exodus 40:18, "And Moses erected the Tabernacle, and he laid its sockets, and set up its boards, and put in its bars, and erected its pillars," one can derive the principle that one does not descend in matters of sanctity. Judah ha Nasi read the verse to teach that once Moses, who was at a higher level of sanctity than the rest of the people, began the work of erecting the Tabernacle, he alone completed it, as the involvement of any other people would have been considered a step down. In Deuteronomy 18:15, Moses foretold that "A prophet will the Lord your God raise up for you . like me," and Rabbi Joḥanan thus taught that prophets would have to be, like Moses, strong, wealthy, wise, and meek. Strong, for Exodus 40:19 says of Moses, "he spread the tent over the Tabernacle," and a Master taught that Moses himself spread it, and Exodus 26:16 reports, "Ten cubits shall be the length of a board." Similarly, the strength of Moses can be derived from Deuteronomy 9:17, in which Moses reports, "And I took the two tablets, and cast them out of my two hands, and broke them," and it was taught that the tablets were six handbreadths in length, six in breadth, and three in thickness. Wealthy, as Exodus 34:1 reports God's instruction to Moses, "Carve yourself two tablets of stone," and the Rabbis interpreted the verse to teach that the chips would belong to Moses. Wise, for Rav and Samuel both said that 50 gates of understanding were created in the world, and all but one were given to Moses, for Psalm 8:6 said of Moses, "You have made him a little lower than God." Meek, for Numbers 12:3 reports, "Now the man Moses was very meek." The Mishnah taught that any sacrifice performed by a priest who had not washed his hands and feet at the laver (described in Exodus 40:30–32) was invalid. Rabbi Jose the son of Rabbi Ḥanina taught that a priest was not permitted to wash in a laver that did not contain enough water to wash four priests, for Exodus 40:31 says, "That Moses and Aaron and his sons might wash their hands and their feet thereat." ("His sons" implies at least two priests, and adding Moses and Aaron makes four.) The Mishnah reported that the High Priest Ben Katin made 12 spigots for the laver, where there had been two before. Ben Katin also made a machine for the laver, so that its water would not become unfit by remaining overnight. Rabbi Joshua of Siknin taught in the name of Rabbi Levi that the Tent of Meeting was like a cave by the sea that the sea fills when it becomes rough. Though the cave becomes filled, the sea loses nothing. So the glory of the Divine Presence, the Shechinah, filled the Tent of Meeting, and yet the world lost nothing of the Shechinah. And the Shechinah rested on the world on the day when Moses set up the Tabernacle. A Midrash taught that seven righteous men arose who brought the Shechinah down from the celestial to the terrestrial regions. Abraham brought it down from the seventh region to the sixth, Isaac brought it down from the sixth to the fifth, Jacob brought it down from the fifth to the fourth, Levi brought it down from the fourth to the third, Kohath brought it down from the third to the second, Amram brought it down from the second to the first, and Moses brought it down from the celestial to the terrestrial region. Rabbi Isaac read Psalm 37:29, "The righteous shall inherit the earth, and dwell (וְיִשְׁכְּנ֖וּ, veyishkenu) therein forever," to teach that the wicked caused the Shechinah (שכינה) to depart from the earth, but the righteous have caused the Shechinah to dwell (השכינו, hishkinu) on the earth. And the Shechinah came to rest on the earth on the day when Moses erected the Tabernacle, as Exodus 40:34 reports, "Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the Tabernacle." Rabbi Zerika asked about an apparent contradiction of Scriptural passages in the presence of Rabbi Eleazar, or, according to another version, he asked in the name of Rabbi Eleazar. Exodus 40:35 reads: "And Moses was not able to enter into the tent of meeting because the cloud abode thereon," whereas Exodus 24:18 says: "And Moses entered into the midst of the cloud." The Gemara concluded that this teaches us that God took hold of Moses and brought him into the cloud. Alternatively, the school of Rabbi Ishmael taught in a Baraita that in Exodus 24:18, the word for "in the midst" (בְּתוֹךְ, be tokh) appears, and it also appears in Exodus 14:22: "And the children of Israel went into the midst of the sea." Just as in Exodus 14:22, the word "in the midst" (בְּתוֹךְ, be tokh) implies a path, as Exodus 14:22 says, "And the waters were a wall unto them," so here too in Exodus 24:18, there was a path (for Moses through the cloud). Reading the words of Exodus 40:38, "For over the Tabernacle a cloud of God rested by day, and fire would appear in it by night," a Midrash taught that when the Israelites saw the pillar of cloud resting on the Tabernacle, they rejoiced, thinking that God had been reconciled with them. But when night came, the pillar of fire descended and surrounded the Tabernacle. All the Israelites saw it as one flame of fire and began to weep in sorrow, feeling that they had labored (building the Tabernacle) for nothing, as all their work appeared to have been burnt up in a moment. When they arose early the next morning and saw the pillar of cloud encompassing the Tabernacle, they immediately rejoiced with an inordinate joy.

Bahya ben Asher taught that just as God employed two separate attributes—that of Justice and that of Mercy—when creating the universe, so the Tabernacle was constructed principally by two separate craftsmen—Bezalel and Oholiab, as reported in Exodus 38:22–23. Bezalel was from the Tribe of Judah, representing the attribute of Mercy, and Oholiab was from the Tribe of Dan (דָן), representing the attribute of Justice (דִּין, din).

Noting the juxtaposition of the two terms "Tabernacle" (מִשְׁכַּן, Mishkan) and "Tent of Meeting" (אֹהֶל מוֹעֵד, Ohel Mo’ed) in Exodus 39:32, 40; 40:2, 6, 29; Umberto Cassuto wrote that the two synonymous expressions stand in juxtaposition to stress the formal solemnity of the statement of the formal ending of the account of the Tabernacle's construction. Nahum Sarna wrote that the combination of the two distinct terms for the sanctuary together expresses its dual function as the symbol of the indwelling of the Divine Presence in the camp of Israel and as the site of communication between God and Moses. Gunther Plaut concluded that the two terms probably reflect two traditions, one using the term "Tabernacle" (מִשְׁכַּן, Mishkan) and the other the term "Tent" (אֹהֶל, Ohel). Plaut reported that the school of Julius Wellhausen considered the "Tent" tradition the older and the "Tabernacle" passages as retrojections of the Priestly source and therefore as largely unhistorical. Plaut reported that another theory assigned the Ark and Tabernacle to a northern and the Tent of Meeting to a southern source and held that David, by putting the Ark into the Tent in 2 Samuel 6:17, united the tribes and traditions and that thereafter the term "Tabernacle of the Tent of Meeting"
(מִשְׁכַּן אֹהֶל מוֹעֵד, Mishkan Ohel Mo ed) was coined.

Moshe Greenberg wrote that one may see the entire Exodus story as “the movement of the fiery manifestation of the divine presence.” Similarly, William Propp identified fire (אֵשׁ, esh) as the medium in which God appears on the terrestrial plane—in the Burning Bush of Exodus 3:2, the cloud pillar of Exodus 13:21–22 and 14:24, atop Mount Sinai in Exodus 19:18 and 24:17, and upon the Tabernacle in Exodus 40:38. Everett Fox noted that “glory” (כְּבוֹד, kevod) and “stubbornness” (כָּבֵד לֵב, kaved lev) are leading words throughout the book of Exodus that give it a sense of unity. Similarly, Propp identified the root kvd—connoting heaviness, glory, wealth, and firmness—as a recurring theme in Exodus: Moses suffered from a heavy mouth in Exodus 4:10 and heavy arms in Exodus 17:12; Pharaoh had firmness of heart in Exodus 7:14; 8:11, 28; 9:7, 34; and 10:1; Pharaoh made Israel's labor heavy in Exodus 5:9; God in response sent heavy plagues in Exodus 8:20; 9:3, 18, 24; and 10:14, so that God might be glorified over Pharaoh in Exodus 14:4, 17, and 18; and the book culminates with the descent of God's fiery Glory, described as a “heavy cloud,” first upon Sinai and later upon the Tabernacle in Exodus 19:16; 24:16–17; 29:43; 33:18, 22; and 40:34–38.

A Midrash taught that on the day that Moses completed construction of the Tabernacle (as reported in Exodus 40:33), he composed Psalm 91, which Jews read in the Pesukei D'Zimrah section of the morning Shacharit prayer service.

Both the parashah and the haftarah in 1 Kings 7:40–50 report the leader's erection of the holy place—Moses' setting up the Tabernacle in the parashah, and Solomon's building of the Temple in Jerusalem in the haftarah. Both the parashah and the haftarah report that the builders finished the work: "Moses finished the work" (וַיְכַל מֹשֶׁה, אֶת הַמְּלָאכָה, vayechal Mosheh et ha melachah) in Exodus 40:33, and "so Hiram made an end of doing all the work" (וַיְכַל חִירָם, לַעֲשׂוֹת אֶת כָּל הַמְּלָאכָה, vayechal Chiram la'asot et kol ha melachah) in 1 Kings 7:40.

Similarly, both the parashah and the haftarah in 1 Kings 7:51–8:21 report the finishing of the leaders' work: "Moses finished the work" (וַיְכַל מֹשֶׁה, אֶת הַמְּלָאכָה, vayechal Mosheh et ha melachah) in Exodus 40:33, and "all the work that king Solomon wrought . was finished" (וַתִּשְׁלַם, כָּל הַמְּלָאכָה, אֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה הַמֶּלֶךְ שְׁלֹמֹה, vatishlam kol ha melachah asher asah ha melech Shlomoh) in 1 Kings 7:51. And in both the parashah and the haftarah, a cloud and the Presence of the Lord fill the Sanctuary, indicating God's approval.

When the parashah coincides with the special Sabbath Shabbat Shekalim (as it does in 2035), the haftarah is 2 Kings 12:1–17.

When the parashah coincides with Shabbat Rosh Chodesh, the haftarah is Isaiah 66:1–24.

Psalms 78:5 (testimony); 93:5 (God's holy place); and 133:2 (anointing Aaron).

Philo. Who Is the Heir of Divine Things? 26:131. Alexandria, Egypt, early 1st Century CE. In, e. g., The Works of Philo: Complete and Unabridged, New Updated Edition. Translated by Charles Duke Yonge, 287. Peabody, Massachusetts: Hendrickson Publishers, 1993. Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews 3:6:1–10:1. Circa 93–94. In, e. g., The Works of Josephus: Complete and Unabridged, New Updated Edition. Translated by William Whiston, 85–95. Peabody, Massachusetts: Hendrickson Publishers, 1987.

Seder Olam Rabbah, chapter 7. 2nd century CE. In, e. g., Seder Olam: The Rabbinic View of Biblical Chronology. Translated and with commentary by Heinrich W. Guggenheimer, pages 79–87. Lanham, Maryland: Jason Aronson, 1998. Mishnah: Shekalim 5:2; Yoma 3:10; Zevachim 2:1. Land of Israel, circa 200 CE. In, e. g., The Mishnah: A New Translation. Translated by Jacob Neusner, pages 259, 269, 700–01. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1988. Tosefta: Zevachim 1:8; Menachot 7:7–8. Land of Israel, circa 250 C. E. In, e. g., The Tosefta: Translated from the Hebrew, with a New Introduction. Translated by Jacob Neusner, volume 2, pages 1310, 1434–35. Peabody, Massachusetts: Hendrickson Publishers, 2002. Jerusalem Talmud: Berakhot 6a; Peah 5a; Kilayim 76a; Shabbat 20b; Shekalim 1a; Sukkah 8a, 27a; Rosh Hashanah 2b, 6a; Taanit 10b; Ketubot 30a; Sanhedrin 12a. Tiberias, Land of Israel, circa 400 CE. In, e. g., Talmud Yerushalmi. Edited by Chaim Malinowitz, Yisroel Simcha Schorr, and Mordechai Marcus, volumes 1, 3, 5, 13, 20, 22, 24–25, 31, 44. Brooklyn: Mesorah Publications, 2005–2020. Genesis Rabbah 3:9; 4:2; 84:18. Land of Israel, 5th Century. In, e. g., Midrash Rabbah: Genesis. Translated by Harry Freedman and Maurice Simon, volume 1, pages 25, 27; volume 2, page 783. London: Soncino Press, 1939. Midrash Tanḥuma Pekudei. 5th–10th centuries. In, e. g., The Metsudah Midrash Tanchuma: Shemos II. Translated and annotated by Avrohom Davis; edited by Yaakov Y. H. Pupko, volume 4 (Shemos volume 2), pages 390–457. Monsey, New York: Eastern Book Press, 2004. Babylonian Talmud: Berakhot 55a; Shabbat 28a, 87b; Yoma 4b, 6a, 12a–b, 32a, 37a, 71b; Sukkah 7b, 21a; Rosh Hashanah 3a; Taanit 29a; Megillah 29b; Yevamot 4b; Nedarim 38a; Sotah 11b, 37a, 38a; Sanhedrin 69b; Zevachim 15b, 19a–b, 22a, 58b, 88b, 119a–b; Menachot 62a, 98a, 99a; Chullin 138a; Bekhorot 5a, 44a; Arakhin 3b. Sasanian Empire, 6th Century. In, e. g., Talmud Bavli. Edited by Yisroel Simcha Schorr, Chaim Malinowitz, and Mordechai Marcus, 72 volumes. Brooklyn: Mesorah Publications, 2006.

Bede. Of the Tabernacle and Its Vessels, and of the Priestly Vestments. Monkwearmouth, England, 720s. In Bede: On the Tabernacle. Translated with notes and introduction by Arthur G. Holder. Liverpool: Liverpool University Press, 1994. Exodus Rabbah 51:1–52:5. 10th Century. 10th Century. In, e. g., Midrash Rabbah: Exodus. Translated by Simon M. Lehrman, 3:562–81. London: Soncino Press, 1939. Rashi. Commentary. Exodus 38–40. Troyes, France, late 11th Century. In, e. g., Rashi. The Torah: With Rashi's Commentary Translated, Annotated, and Elucidated. Translated and annotated by Yisrael Isser Zvi Herczeg, volume 2, pages 507–24. Brooklyn: Mesorah Publications, 1994. Rashbam. Commentary on the Torah. Troyes, early 12th century. In, e. g., Rashbam's Commentary on Exodus: An Annotated Translation. Edited and translated by Martin I. Lockshin, pages 431–38. Atlanta: Scholars Press, 1997. Judah Halevi. Kuzari. 3:23. Toledo, Spain, 1130–1140. In, e. g., Jehuda Halevi. Kuzari: An Argument for the Faith of Israel. Introduction by Henry Slonimsky, page 162. New York: Schocken Books, 1964. Abraham ibn Ezra. Commentary on the Torah. France, 1153. In, e. g., Ibn Ezra's Commentary on the Pentateuch: Exodus (Shemot). Translated and annotated by H. Norman Strickman and Arthur M. Silver, volume 2, pages 747–66. New York: Menorah Publishing Company, 1996. Maimonides. The Guide for the Perplexed. Cairo, Egypt, 1190. In, e. g., Moses Maimonides. The Guide for the Perplexed. Translated by Michael Friedländer, pages 29, 96. New York: Dover Publications, 1956. Hezekiah ben Manoah. Hizkuni. France, circa 1240. In, e. g., Chizkiyahu ben Manoach. Chizkuni: Torah Commentary. Translated and annotated by Eliyahu Munk, volume 3, pages 651–55. Jerusalem: Ktav Publishers, 2013. Naḥmanides. Commentary on the Torah. Jerusalem, circa 1270. In, e. g., Ramban (Nachmanides): Commentary on the Torah. Translated by Charles B. Chavel, volume 2, pages 609–26. New York: Shilo Publishing House, 1973. Zohar part 2, pages 220a–269a. Spain, late 13th Century. In, e. g., The Zohar: Pritzker Edition. Translation and commentary by Daniel C. Matt, volume 6, pages 258–415. Stanford: Stanford University Press, 2011. Bahya ben Asher. Commentary on the Torah. Spain, early 14th century. In, e. g., Midrash Rabbeinu Bachya: Torah Commentary by Rabbi Bachya ben Asher. Translated and annotated by Eliyahu Munk, volume 4, pages 1438–62. Jerusalem: Lambda Publishers, 2003. Jacob ben Asher (Baal Ha Turim). Commentary on the Torah. Early 14th century. In, e. g., Baal Haturim Chumash: Shemos/Exodus. Translated by Eliyahu Touger; edited and annotated by Avie Gold, volume 2, pages 959–83. Brooklyn: Mesorah Publications, 2000. Isaac ben Moses Arama. Akedat Yizhak (The Binding of Isaac). Late 15th century. In, e. g., Yitzchak Arama. Akeydat Yitzchak: Commentary of Rabbi Yitzchak Arama on the Torah. Translated and condensed by Eliyahu Munk, volume 1, pages 535–44. New York, Lambda Publishers, 2001.

Isaac Abravanel. Commentary on the Torah. Italy, between 1492 and 1509. In, e. g., Abarbanel: Selected Commentaries on the Torah: Volume 2: Shemos/Exodus. Translated and annotated by Israel Lazar, pages 421–49. Brooklyn: CreateSpace, 2015. Abraham Saba. Ẓeror ha Mor (Bundle of Myrrh). Fez, Morocco, circa 1500. In, e. g., Tzror Hamor: Torah Commentary by Rabbi Avraham Sabba. Translated and annotated by Eliyahu Munk, volume 3, pages 1229–38. Jerusalem, Lambda Publishers, 2008. Joseph Garçon. "Sermon on Elleh Fequde." Salonika, 1500. In Marc Saperstein. Jewish Preaching, 1200–1800: An Anthology, pages 199–216. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1989. Obadiah ben Jacob Sforno. Commentary on the Torah. Venice, 1567. In, e. g., Sforno: Commentary on the Torah. Translation and explanatory notes by Raphael Pelcovitz, pages 486–95. Brooklyn: Mesorah Publications, 1997. Moses Almosnino. "Sermon on Elleh Fequde." Salonika, 1568. In Marc Saperstein. Jewish Preaching, 1200–1800: An Anthology, pages 217–39. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1989. Moshe Alshich. Commentary on the Torah. Safed, circa 1593. In, e. g., Moshe Alshich. Midrash of Rabbi Moshe Alshich on the Torah. Translated and annotated by Eliyahu Munk, volume 2, pages 615–18. New York, Lambda Publishers, 2000. Shlomo Ephraim Luntschitz. Kli Yakar. Lublin, 1602. In, e. g., Kli Yakar: Shemos. Translated by Elihu Levine, volume 2, pages 372–93. Southfield, Michigan: Targum Press/Feldheim Publishers, 2007. Thomas Hobbes. Leviathan, 4:44. England, 1651. Reprint edited by C. B. Macpherson, page 643. Harmondsworth, England: Penguin Classics, 1982. Chaim ibn Attar. Ohr ha Chaim. Venice, 1742. In Chayim ben Attar. Or Hachayim: Commentary on the Torah. Translated by Eliyahu Munk, volume 2, pages 909–23. Brooklyn: Lambda Publishers, 1999. Yitzchak Magriso. Me'am Lo'ez. Constantinople, 1746. In Yitzchak Magriso. The Torah Anthology: Me'am Lo'ez. 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