Vayakhel
Exodus 35:1 – 38:20
Moses assembles the entire community and reiterates the commandment of Shabbat rest before calling for voluntary contributions to build the Tabernacle. The people respond with such generosity that Moses must restrain them from bringing more. Bezalel and Oholiab, filled with divine wisdom, lead the construction. The parasha details the actual building of the Tabernacle components — the curtains, boards, Ark, Table, Menorah, incense altar, and copper altar — following the blueprints given in Terumah, now transformed from divine instruction into human craftsmanship.
Key figures
- Moses — Assembles the people, transmits the commandment to build the Tabernacle
- Bezalel — Chief artisan, leads the construction of the Tabernacle and its vessels
- Oholiab — Assistant artisan, skilled in weaving, embroidering, and engraving
- The women of Israel — Spin the goat hair and contribute their mirrors and jewelry for the Tabernacle
Famous verses
- 35:1 And Moses assembled all the congregation of the children of Israel, and said to them: "These are the words which Hashem has commanded, that you should do them.
- 35:5 Take from among you an offering to Hashem, whosoever is of a willing heart, let him bring it, Hashem's offering: gold, and silver, and copper;
- 36:7 For the stuff they had was sufficient for all the work to make it, and too much.
Haftarah: {'ref': 'I Kings 7:40-50', 'connection': "The Haftarah describes the vessels Hiram crafted for Solomon's Temple, paralleling Bezalel's crafting of the Tabernacle vessels in the parasha."}
Total gematria: 505,689.