2ND Day Vayak’hel/Pekudei (Exo 35:30-37:10)

EXO 35

Construction of the Tabernacle

30 Then Moses said to the people of Israel, “See, the Lord has called by name Bezalel the son of Uri, son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah;”

Berakhot 55a:11

With regard to Bezalel’s appointment, Rabbi Yitzḥak said: One may only appoint a leader over a community if he consults with the community and they agree to the appointment, as it is stated: “Then Moses said to the people of Israel, ‘See, the Lord has called by name Bezalel the son of Uri, son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah’ ” (Exo 35:30). The Lord said to Moses: Moses, is Bezalel a suitable appointment in your eyes? Moses said to Him: Master of the universe, if he is a suitable appointment in your eyes, then all the more so in my eyes. The Holy One, blessed be he, said to him: Nevertheless, go and tell Israel and ask their opinion. Moses went and said to Israel: Is Bezalel suitable in your eyes? They said to him: If he is suitable in the eyes of the Holy One, blessed be he, and in your eyes, all the more so he is suitable in our eyes.

Rashi

Hur was the son the Miriam (Sotah 11b; cf. Rashi on Exo 24:14).

According to the grace of God given to me, like a skilled master builder I laid a foundation, and someone else is building upon it. Let each one take care how he builds upon it. 1CO 3:10

4 Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit;

11 All these are empowered by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as he wills. 1CO 12:4, 11

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. JAS 1:17

EXO 36

1 Bezalel and Oholiab and every craftsman in whom the Lord has put skill and intelligence to know how to do any work in the construction of the sanctuary shall work in accordance with all that the Lord has commanded.

teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age. MAT 28:20

And they were both righteous before God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and statutes of the Lord. LUK 1:6

a minister in the holy places, in the true tent that the Lord set up, not man. HEB 8:2

4 so that all the craftsmen who were doing every sort of task on the sanctuary came, each from the task that he was doing,

Sanhedrin 69b:18

The Gemara asks: Rather, from where do we derive that in earlier generations men fathered children at the age of eight? From here, as it is written: “Bezalel the son of Uri, son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, made all that the Lord commanded Moses” (Exo 38:22). And it is written: “When Azubah died, Caleb took for himself Ephrath, who bore him Hur. Hur fathered Uri, and Uri fathered Bezalel (1Ch 2:19–20). And when Bezalel made the tabernacle how old was he? He must have been at least thirteen years old, as it is written: “So that all the craftsmen who carried out every sort of task on the sanctuary came, each from the task that he did” (Exo 36:4), and one who is less than thirteen is not called a man. And it is taught in a baraita: In the first year following the exodus from Egypt Moses made the tabernacle; in the second year he erected the tabernacle and sent out the spies.

Shabbat 96b:13

The Gemara asks: And perhaps they were not in a straight line but staggered. That would enable the weavers to sit adjacent to each other without disturbing each other’s task. And furthermore, did they borrow from each another? Wasn’t the following taught in a baraita of the Sage Luda? The verse states: “So that all the craftsmen who performed every sort of task on the sanctuary came, each one from the task he was doing” (Exo 36:4). From that verse it is derived: Each performed the labor from his own task, and they would not perform the labor from their friends’ task. Each person had his own tools and did not need to borrow from others.

Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom his master has set over his household, to give them their food at the proper time? MAT 24:45

And the Lord said, “Who then is the faithful and wise manager, whom his master will set over his household, to give them their portion of food at the proper time?” LUK 12:42

5 and said to Moses, “The people are bringing very much, more than is enough for the work of the articles which the Lord had commanded to do.”

Rashi

More than is enough for the work means more than is sufficient for the needs of the work.

2 for in a severe test of affliction, their abundance of joy and their extreme poverty have overflowed in a wealth of generosity on their part.

3 For they gave according to their means, as I can testify, and beyond their means, of their own accord, 2CO 8:2-3

For they all seek their own interests, not those of Jesus Christ. PHP 2:21

17 Not that I seek the gift, but I seek the fruit that increases to your credit.

18 I have received full payment, and more. I am well supplied, having received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent, a fragrant offering, a sacrifice acceptable and pleasing to God. PHP 4:17-18

6 So Moses gave command, and word was proclaimed throughout the camp, “Let no man or woman do anything more for the contribution for the sanctuary.” So the people were restrained from bringing,

Rosh Hashanah 34a:17

As for the concern that one might think the verse means: You shall merely carry the trumpet by hand and not sound it, you cannot in any event say that, as that tanna derives by verbal analogy between the root avara used here and the same root avara that is found with regard to Moses. It is written here: “Then you shall make proclamation [veha’avarta] with the blast of the trumpet,” and it is written elsewhere: “So So Moses gave command, and they caused to be proclaimed [vaya’aviru] throughout the camp” (Exo 36:6). Just as there, with regard to Moses, they proclaimed with a sound, so too here, the proclamation must be with a sound.

Shabbat 96b:1

GEMARA: With regard to the main issue, the Gemara asks: After all, throwing is a subcategory of carrying out. Where is the primary category of prohibited labor of carrying out itself written in the law? Isn’t it necessary to clarify the primary category before discussing the subcategory? Rabbi Yoḥanan said: As the verse said: “So Moses gave command, and they passed a proclamation throughout the camp, ‘No man or woman should perform any more work to contribute to the sanctuary.’ So the people were restrained from bringing” (Exo 36:6). According to Rabbi Yoḥanan, Moses commanded the people to cease bringing contributions in order to prevent them from bringing their contributions on the Sabbath. He then explains: Where was Moses sitting? He was in the camp of the Levites, and the Levites’ camp was the public domain. And he said to Israel: Do not carry out and bring objects from the private domain, your camp, to the public domain, the camp of the Levites.

7 for the material they had was sufficient to do all the work, and more.

Rashi

For the material they had was sufficient to do all the work—And the work of contributing was sufficient for all workers at the tabernacle, to do all the work connected with the tabernacle to make it and more.

And more—Heb. וְהוֹתֵר, like “and he hardened (וְהַכְבֵּד) his heart” (Exo 8:11); “striking (וְהַכּוֹת) the Moabites” (2KI 3:24).

Shabbat 49b:9

Rav Yosef said to Abaye: I cannot reach a conclusion relying solely on a count because there is another instance of the term labor, whose meaning is not clear to me. The reason I am uncertain is because it is written with regard to the tabernacle: “For the labor they had was sufficient to do all the work, and more” (Exo 36:7). The question arises whether or not this mention of labor is included in the count of thirty-nine instances, i.e., whether or not it refers to actual labor. And if it does, that verse with regard to Joseph should be understood in accordance with the opinion of the one who said that the expression, to do his labor, is a euphemism. It means that it was to attend to his needs and engage in relations with Potiphar’s wife that he entered.

Shabbat 96b:2

The Gemara asks: And how do you know that he was standing and commanding the people on the Sabbath? Perhaps he was standing during the week, and Moses commanded the cessation of contributions because the labor of the tabernacle was completed, since all the necessary material was already donated, as it is written: “For the material they had was sufficient for them to perform all the work, and there was extra” (Exo 36:7). Rather, derive this by means of a verbal analogy between passing mentioned in this context and passing mentioned with regard to the Day of Atonement.

13 And he made fifty clasps of gold, and coupled the curtains one to the other with clasps. So the tabernacle was a single whole.

As it is, there are many parts, yet one body. 1CO 12:20

20 built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone,

21 in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord.

22 In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit. EPH 2:20-22

4 As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious,

5 you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 1PE 2:4-5

35 He made the veil of blue and purple and scarlet yarns and fine twined linen; with cherubim skillfully worked into it he made it.

And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. And the earth shook, and the rocks were split. MAT 27:51

by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, HEB 10:20

EXO 37

Making the Ark

1 Bezalel made the ark of acacia wood. Two cubits and a half was its length, a cubit and a half its breadth, and a cubit and a half its height.

Rashi

Bezalel made—Because he gave himself over to the work more than the other wise men it is called after his name. His name alone is associated with the act (Midrash Tanchuma, Vayakhel 10).

Making the Table

10 He also made the table of acacia wood. Two cubits was its length, a cubit its breadth, and a cubit and a half its height.

14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.

16 For from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. JOH 1:14, 16

To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. COL 1:27