Parshat Vayakhel; Exodus 35:1 -38:20 By: Rabbi Denise L. Eger

It seems as if the Torah is repeating itself. This week’s portion echoes Parshat Terumah with the instructions about building the Tabernacle in the desert. Many of the details are repeated here in this Torah portion. But if we look closely at the portion, we will see that in Parshat Terumah—God was speaking to Moses and teaching him the designs of the Ohel Moed. But in this week’s portion Moses in turn now explains the details to the Children of Israel. “Moses said further to the whole community of Israelites: This is what Adonai has commanded” (Ex. 35:4). In Terumah, God told Moses to tell the Israelites to bring gifts and to build the Tabernacle and reveal the details of the design. Now Moses is fulfilling this command of God by gathering the Israelites together to actually accept their free will gifts and bring the skilled workers to execute the unique design of the place the Israelites will meet with God.

In Parshat Vayakhel, Bezalel and his assistant Oholiab will begin along with the other skilled craftsmen and workers to build this sacred space for the Divine to dwell in their midst. In the names of these two leading craftsmen we gain insight into why they were chosen. Bezalel—means in Hebrew in the shadow of God. And Oholiab means his father’s tent. Indeed by overseeing the Divine designs of all of the Tent of Meeting and the utensils of worship, Bezalel is working in the shadow of the Holy One! It is not their own design that they are executing but Bezalel, Oholiab and the craftsman execute and create the sacred items of worship designed by God! They become God’s hands, God’s agents on earth, God’s s of art. God who created the universe with words now has human beings as partners in the creation of the universe of worship! In truth this is a model of our covenant and of humanity’s task in the world at large. We didn’t design the universe but we are the Divine’s agents here in the physical world. We like Bezalel and Oholiab must use our skill and art in the partnership of creation.
Bezalel who hailed from the tribe of Judah and Oholiab who hailed from the tribe of Dan represent the notion that all the tribes must be a part of the process of creating the Tent of Meeting . Especially in light of the fact that the Golden Calf was the idolatrous design, it was important that the whole community of Israel participate in the creation of a proper holy design of the sacred worship space of the people Israel. In some ways the building of the Tabernacle this week helps the Children of Israel move beyond their great sin of the desert because they now have joined together to create something of beauty and holiness that will bring God’s presence into their lives as they wander through the wilderness and on into the Promised land.
Through the work of their hands they purify and atone for their sins at Sinai. Through their commitment as a community to building this Divine design they help to reaffirm their covenant and their partnership with the Divine. Perhaps their work might inspire us to reaffirm our own partnership with God this week.