March 12, 2021
This week’s length double-parasha, Vayakhel/Pekude, completes both the book of Exodus as well as the construction of God’s sanctuary, the Mishkan. After having described each part of the Mishkan in the previous parshiot, Moshe facilitates the donations of materials from the people, oversees the construction of each part, and then directs the construction of the sanctuary itself for the first time. The opening word, “vaYakhel,” is critical. It means, the people gathered together to form a community as one by giving freely and plentifully. Many commentators wrote on the significance of the ingathering of the nation at this moment, signified by the opening word, vayakhel. Rabbi Avraham ibn Ezra emphasized that the people needed to rally around the shared enterprise of constructing the Mishkan and hear the call for donations directly from Moshe. Rabbi Ovadiah ben Yaakov Sforno, 15th century Italy, clarified that Moshe wanted everyone to understand that building th