VAYAK'HEL/PEKUDEI
Exodus 35:1-40:38
Reading #2 - Exodus 35:30-37:16
My Thoughts:
In verse 30 we read about Bexalel who is “filled with the Spirit of Elohim, in wisdom, understanding, in knowledge and in all kinds of workmanship.” It is so interesting that Hashem would take an everyday man and fill Him with His Spirit and create in him many gifts. I think He has done that with many people throughout the centuries. Famous people, people who have made magnificent beneficial discoveries and inventions! And I also believe He does that for you and for me. I was the Executive Director of a Pregnancy Center for years. And I know for a fact that Hashem “equipped” and trained me for this position. I felt His hand on my life every day, in every task -- I still do! If you are “gifted” in areas of work and service, know that it only comes from Hashem and be grateful. Praise you Elohim for the gifts you give us!
Challenge:
Hashem picked men with wisdom to design and create the Tabernacle. I believe He picked only His “best” to do this awesome task. After all, they were creating a “resting place” for our one and only Elohim. What a privilege that would have been. And people gave -- even beyond what was needed. Everyone as a community was in the awesome task of creating the Tabernacle. So, here is my challenge for you today. Ask Hashem if there is a community project that YOU can become involved in. Where you can be “equipped” by Hashem to do some awesome and incredible tasks! Then thank Him and join Him and be used by Him to create and serve those around you. It will be a total blessing for you!
Reading #2 - Exodus 35:30-37:16
35:30 Moses said to the children of Israel, “Behold, Hashem has called by name Bezalel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah. 31 He has filled him with the Spirit of G-d, in wisdom, in understanding, in knowledge, and in all kinds of workmanship; 32 and to make skillful works, to work in gold, in silver, in bronze, 33 in cutting of stones for setting, and in carving of wood, to work in all kinds of skillful workmanship. 34 He has put in his heart that he may teach, both he and Oholiab, the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan. 35 He has filled them with wisdom of heart to work all kinds of workmanship, of the engraver, of the skillful workman, and of the embroiderer, in blue, in purple, in scarlet, and in fine linen, and of the weaver, even of those who do any workmanship, and of those who make skillful works.
36 “Bezalel and Oholiab shall work with every wise-hearted man, in whom Hashem has put wisdom and understanding to know how to do all the work for the service of the sanctuary, according to all that Hashem has commanded.”
2 Moses called Bezalel and Oholiab, and every wise-hearted man, in whose heart Hashem had put wisdom, even everyone whose heart stirred him up to come to the work to do it. 3 They received from Moses all the offering which the children of Israel had brought for the work of the service of the sanctuary, with which to make it. They kept bringing free will offerings to him every morning. 4 All the wise men, who performed all the work of the sanctuary, each came from his work which he did. 5 They spoke to Moses, saying, “The people have brought much more than enough for the service of the work which Hashem commanded to make.”
6 Moses gave a commandment, and they caused it to be proclaimed throughout the camp, saying, “Let neither man nor woman make anything else for the offering for the sanctuary.” So the people were restrained from bringing. 7 For the stuff they had was sufficient to do all the work, and too much.
8 All the wise-hearted men among those who did the work made the tabernacle with ten curtains of fine twined linen, blue, purple, and scarlet. They made them with cherubim, the work of a skillful workman. 9 The length of each curtain was twenty-eight cubits,[a] and the width of each curtain four cubits. All the curtains had one measure. 10 He coupled five curtains to one another, and the other five curtains he coupled to one another. 11 He made loops of blue on the edge of the one curtain from the edge in the coupling. Likewise he made in the edge of the curtain that was outermost in the second coupling. 12 He made fifty loops in the one curtain, and he made fifty loops in the edge of the curtain that was in the second coupling. The loops were opposite to one another. 13 He made fifty clasps of gold, and coupled the curtains to one another with the clasps: so the tabernacle was a unit.
14 He made curtains of goats’ hair for a covering over the tabernacle. He made them eleven curtains. 15 The length of each curtain was thirty cubits, and four cubits the width of each curtain. The eleven curtains had one measure. 16 He coupled five curtains by themselves, and six curtains by themselves. 17 He made fifty loops on the edge of the curtain that was outermost in the coupling, and he made fifty loops on the edge of the curtain which was outermost in the second coupling. 18 He made fifty clasps of bronze to couple the tent together, that it might be a unit. 19 He made a covering for the tent of rams’ skins dyed red, and a covering of sea cow hides above.
20 He made the boards for the tabernacle of acacia wood, standing up. 21 Ten cubits was the length of a board, and a cubit and a half the width of each board. 22 Each board had two tenons, joined to one another. He made all the boards of the tabernacle this way. 23 He made the boards for the tabernacle, twenty boards for the south side southward. 24 He made forty sockets of silver under the twenty boards: two sockets under one board for its two tenons, and two sockets under another board for its two tenons. 25 For the second side of the tabernacle, on the north side, he made twenty boards 26 and their forty sockets of silver: two sockets under one board, and two sockets under another board. 27 For the far part of the tabernacle westward he made six boards. 28 He made two boards for the corners of the tabernacle in the far part. 29 They were double beneath, and in the same way they were all the way to its top to one ring. He did this to both of them in the two corners. 30 There were eight boards and their sockets of silver, sixteen sockets—under every board two sockets.
31 He made bars of acacia wood: five for the boards of the one side of the tabernacle, 32 and five bars for the boards of the other side of the tabernacle, and five bars for the boards of the tabernacle for the hinder part westward. 33 He made the middle bar to pass through in the middle of the boards from the one end to the other. 34 He overlaid the boards with gold, and made their rings of gold as places for the bars, and overlaid the bars with gold.
35 He made the veil of blue, purple, scarlet, and fine twined linen, with cherubim. He made it the work of a skillful workman. 36 He made four pillars of acacia for it, and overlaid them with gold. Their hooks were of gold. He cast four sockets of silver for them. 37 He made a screen for the door of the tent, of blue, purple, scarlet, and fine twined linen, the work of an embroiderer; 38 and the five pillars of it with their hooks. He overlaid their capitals and their fillets with gold, and their five sockets were of bronze.
37 Bezalel made the ark of acacia wood. Its length was two and a half cubits,[b] and its width a cubit and a half, and a cubit and a half its height. 2 He overlaid it with pure gold inside and outside, and made a molding of gold for it around it. 3 He cast four rings of gold for it in its four feet—two rings on its one side, and two rings on its other side. 4 He made poles of acacia wood and overlaid them with gold. 5 He put the poles into the rings on the sides of the ark, to bear the ark. 6 He made a mercy seat of pure gold. Its length was two and a half cubits, and a cubit and a half its width. 7 He made two cherubim of gold. He made them of beaten work, at the two ends of the mercy seat: 8 one cherub at the one end, and one cherub at the other end. He made the cherubim of one piece with the mercy seat at its two ends. 9 The cherubim spread out their wings above, covering the mercy seat with their wings, with their faces toward one another. The faces of the cherubim were toward the mercy seat.
10 He made the table of acacia wood. Its length was two cubits, and its width was a cubit, and its height was a cubit and a half. 11 He overlaid it with pure gold, and made a gold molding around it. 12 He made a border of a hand’s width around it, and made a golden molding on its border around it. 13 He cast four rings of gold for it, and put the rings in the four corners that were on its four feet. 14 The rings were close by the border, the places for the poles to carry the table. 15 He made the poles of acacia wood, and overlaid them with gold, to carry the table. 16 He made the vessels which were on the table, its dishes, its spoons, its bowls, and its pitchers with which to pour out, of pure gold.
