The uniqueness of this Shabbat:

It is called "Shabbat Hachodesh". It is the last Shabbat preceding the month of Nissan, in which there is an additional reading aside of the ordinary portion – reading. The additional passage which is in Exodus 12:1-20, called the the passage of the "Chodesh" (the month) and it opens with the verses: "And G-d spoke to Moshe and Aharon in the land of Egypt, saying: This month is for you the head of months, it is the first of all the months of the year".

This year the portion of Pekudei is in addition to the portion of Vayakhel in order to ensure that all 54 portions are read during the year. In a leap year these two portions are read on separate Shabbats.

 

The Contents of the Portions

After the layout of the tabernacle and the roles and laws pertaining to the Levites and priests were detailed in previous portions, the portion of Vayakhel focuses on Moshe who delivers the words of the Lord to the entire nation. For this purpose, Moshe gathers, "the entire community of the Children of Israel" and repeats the commandments of G-d in their ears, referring to the contribution to the building of the tabernacle and to the creation of its vessels. And the people take part in the contribution: "And every man whose heart uplifted him and everyone whose spirit inspired him with generosity brought the offering of the Lord for the work of the Tent of Meeting, for all its service, and for the holy garments", Exodus 35, 21-22. The raw materials that were brought in were used by Bezalel and his assistants to build the Mishkan according to Moshe's instructions as commanded by G-d.

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The portion of Pekudei opens with the summary of the amounts --- "the numbers (used for) the tabernacle": the amounts, counting of the totals of raw materials and their monetary value of those used to build the tabernacle, including a detailed description of the "ephod" (vest worn by the high priest) the stones, their particular names and shapes and the priestly garments, their robes, their turbans and the holy crown. Following these descriptions, the Lord orders them to dedicate the tabernacle on the first day of the month of Nissan and the portion concludes with the actual dedication of the tabernacle and with this it also concludes the entire book of Exodus.

 

Questions for Study and Discussion

• Why does the Torah repeat the commandment of Shabbat at the opening of the portion of Vayakhel?

• Why does the Torah take the trouble to describe the details of the tabernacle twice, both in the words of the Lord to Moshe and in the description of its actual construction?

• Why does the Torah give a numerical account of the value of the components of the tabernacle in the portion of Pekudei?

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A Passage from the Portion – the End of the Book of Exodus

And he set up the courtyard all around the Tabernacle and the altar, and he put up the screen at the entrance to the courtyard; and Moshe completed the work. And the cloud covered the Tent of Meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the Tabernacle. Moshe could not enter the Tent of Meeting because the cloud rested upon it and the glory of the Lord filled the Tabernacle. When the cloud rose up from over the Tabernacle, the children of Israel set out in all their journeys. But if the cloud did not rise up, they did not set out until the day that it rose. For the cloud of the Lord was upon the Tabernacle by day, and there was fire within it at night, before the eyes of the entire house of Israel in all their journeys.

 

From the Medrash

When Israel would camp, the pillar of cloud would rise and settle upon the tribe of Yehudah in the form of a hut, and it would fold and fill the Tent of Gathering from within and settle on the outer part of the tabernacle as well, as it states, "and the cloud covered the Tent of Gathering". And this was one of the clouds of honor that served Israel in the desert for forty years, one was positioned on their right of the camp and another – on their left, one in front of them and one – behind them and one above, and the cloud of the Divine Presence was among them and the  pillar of cloud travelled before them, it would lower the high obstacles and raise the valleys, and it would kill snakes and scorpions and burn thorns and thistles, and pave the way for them and the cloud of the Divine Presence rested on the "Tent of Gathering".

 

From the Kibbutz Festival Institute Archive – Tali, Kibbutz Gazit, 5757, 1997

In the portions of "Terumah" and "Tetzaveh" the Lord explained to Moshe, and Moshe explained to the appointed craftsmen and to Bezalel, how and what needs to be done in order to construct the tabernacle and its vessels. This portion and the expression "so they did" that shows up in it eighty-seven times, indicate that the plans --- as beautiful and great as they may be --- have no value unless they are actually materialized. And so it is written, "and Moshe concluded the work", which is the exact expression used to describe G-d's conclusion of creating the world.