Parashat Vayakhel 5784

by Rabbi Margie Cella

Parashat Vayakhel begins with Moses reiterating the commandment to observe Shabbat: no work is to be done nor fires kindled on the seventh day. He instructs the people to make a freewill offering of all the raw materials needed to construct the Tabernacle and its furnishings; both men and women generously comply. The craftsman Bezalel and his assistant Oholiab are appointed to oversee the construction; both are endowed by God with the knowledge they need to complete the task. They tell Moses that the people have brought too much, and he asks them to stop. The balance of the text is a detailed description of the construction project: what items were made and how many; the dimensions of each, and the materials used to create them.

The Tabernacle came into being through the joint effort of the entire nation; every individual contributed generously the finest of materials to aid in the construction of a dwelling place for God in their midst.

Today, we no longer have a Tabernacle or a Temple. Still, just like our biblical ancestors, we must all work together to bring the presence of God into our world. It seems that we need it now more than ever. Kol Yisrael Arevim Zeh Ba’Zeh – All the people of Israel are responsible for one another.