Vayakhel-Pekudei - 7th Portion

Join as we learnish for Shabas Pares when Vayak and Pakud are combined. The seventh Torah reading chapter 40 verse one. Yesterday we spoke about how all the Jewish people who were in charge of building the tabernacle and all its vessels brought it to Moshe. Moshe blessed them for the work that they've done and that the divine presence should rest in their work. Today we continue with the commandment that God tells Moshe to erect the tabernacle. Chapter 40 verse one. And God spoke to Moses saying, "The first day of the month, which is the first day of the first month, which is the month of Dissan, you shall erect the tabernacle, the tent of meeting." Mishkan, the tabernacle, the tent of meeting. Verse three, And once you erect the tabernacle, then you shall place there is the ark of the testimony. And then you shall screen the ark with the curtain that you will separate the holy from the holy of holies. We mentioned before about the installation rights and that they were taught what they were going to be doing. As well at this point is where Moshe tell God tells Moshe as well about the erecting of the tabernacle. As we mentioned earlier, Moshe did not take any part in the actual building of the tabernacle, but the one to actually build it. As Rashi says that Moshe was told by God, you will then touch the pieces and you will be the one to to put it up. Verse five, verse four, the word comes from the terminology that you will protect it. and how we do protect it by putting a curtain in front of it. Verse four, you will bring the table and you will set up its arrangement and you will bring the candalabra and you will light its lamps says there were two setups of the upon him. There were two arrangements of the showbread that were placed on the table. six uh six breads in each one of those arrangements, one on top of the other. And that what we spoke about when the building of the table that were these trays and each one of those are called an an arrangement. So we're six on each side. Verse six, uh verse five, I'm sorry. And then you'll put the golden altar for the incense which will be in front of the ark of the testimony. That will be on the other side as the Torah continues. And then you're going to put a door by the entrance of the tabernacle. So the golden misb was exactly opposite where the ark was in the holy of holies, but it was on the other side of the curtain. Verse six, and then you will put the altar of the scent offerings, which that will be on the entrance of the tent of gathering. Verse seven, and then you shall place the lav between the tent of meeting between the altar and you'll place water there. Verse eight, and then you'll set up the courtyard all around. And then you'll put the screen for the entrance of the courtyard. Verse nish, you'll take the anointing oil. You'll anoint him tabernacle and everything that's in it. you will sanctify it and all its utensils and will be considered holy. Verse 10, then you will anoint the altar of sacrifices and all its vessels that come with it. You will sanctify the altar and the altar then becomes the holy of holies. Verse 11, then you'll anoint the and they will become then holy as well. Verse 12. And now you shall bring Aaron and the sons to the entrance of the tent of gathering and they will immerse them in the water in the mikvah. Verse 13. After he immerses himself, then he will be enclosed. You will clothe him. We will dress him with assh with the uh holy garments. You will anoint him. You will sanctify him and he will minister for me and he will act as the coing. This of course as we're talking about as we're going to read later in the book of Leviticus about the time where Moshe trained them and only on the eighth day does actually uh Aaron become the Coen God. However, from the first of Nissan from the first bowman that they already erected the tabernacle from then Aaron was considered the Coen God. However, Moshe was still training him for the first seven days. Verse 14, and his children you shall bring close as well. And you will dress them in their tunics. Verse 15, you will anoint them like you anointed their father and they will minister for me. They will be kan for me. And then their anointing shall endow them with an everlasting priesthood throughout the generations that once they become a cohen today it is for generations that their children continue to be kohan. Verse 16 and Moshe did as everything that God exactly as God commanded him. This was on 23rd of Ad Moses began the performing the installation rights for Aaron and later on when the first of Nissan Moses did exactly what God commanded him with Aaron they became the coingle verse 17 and it was in the first month and the second year of the Jewish people leaving in Egypt and the first day of the monthish the tabernacle was erected verse 18ishk Moshe erected did set up the Mishkan and the tabernacle and he put it sockets and he placed the planks in the sockets and he put the crossbarss and he uplifted and he erected its pillars. Verse 19. And then he spread the tent over the tabernacle. And then he put the covering of the tent on top of that like God commanded Moshe. What does it mean as oil? The tent. The tent refers to the lowest the lower covering which is tells us is the goat skin that went verse 20. And then he took the took the testimony and he put it and he placed it into the box into the wooden ark that was made. Then he put the poles on the ark. Then he positioned and he covered the top of the he placed the cover on the top of the ark. Verse 21 uh 20. What is the testimony? These are the tablets that God has given Moshe. Verse 21. and he brought the ark into the tabernacle and he partitioned it with a curtain and he then um covered over the he covered the screen to make sure that it would protect the ark of the testimony. God commanded Moshe verse 22 and then he placed the table in the ohm in the tent of meeting. Where was that placed? On the side of the tabernacle on the north side, but on the other side on the outside of the curtain. What does this means? As Rashi explains, it was in the northern half of the if you take the actual building and structure and you split it in the width. It was in the northern half and that side of the width. The word that explains side like a hip or like the side of a person who's on the side of an individual. That's where the word comes from meaning meaning the word side. Verse 23 and he then he set an arrangement on it of the showbre in front of God like God commanded Moshe. Verse 24. And then he placed the candle and he placed the candalabra in the tent of meeting opposite the tableba on the south side if you split it in half in the width on the south side of the tabernacle. and he then placed the he then lit the lamps before God like God commanded Moses. Verse 26. And then he placed the golden altar in the tent of meeting in front of the curtain. And he brought on it incense, the spices, the special burnt incense. God commanded Moshe love. What does it mean that he brought in the incense in the morning and in the evening? As it says in the verse in the morning in the morning when he cleanses when he cleans the candles that's when the also the um when he Aaron lights the candles that's when you would also bring the incense offering verse 28 and then he placed the screen which was the entrance of the tabernacle verse 29 the altar for the offerings some pes and he placed at the entrance of the tabernacle weight of the tent of meeting and he placed on it and he brought on it the ascent offering and the meal offering like God commanded Moshe. What is this talking about? When did he bring on it the sacrifices in the beginning? It says that on the first day of the month. So when did he also bring it? So was it remember that there were seven days of preparation until the time that Aram will take it? Aram took over. So Moshe was the one who himself was doing everything for the first seven days. So Rashi continues also on the eighth day of the installation bright process of the training that he was giving Aaron and his sons which was the day that the actual tabernacle was arrested erected Shime Mosha. Moshe served as a coin and he brought the communal offerings besides for the ones that was commanded to do on that exact it says Moshe tells them it's now your turn to come closer to the altar and you will then bring the sacrifices what's the ascent offering referring here that is the daily ascent offering that was brought in the morning the meal offering this was the meal offering of the libations that was brought as it says together with the meal together with the lamb that was brought every morning there was a meal offering that was mixed with oil that was brought at the same time. Verse 30 and then he placed the lav between the tent of meeting and the altar and he put their water to wash. Verse 31 And from it Moshe, Aaron and his sons would wash their hands and feet. Over here we're talking about again on the eighth day after all the training once the actual tabernacle was erected. And therefore it tells us on the actual day of the building of the tabernacle at that point all of them were considered a koim. Aaron and his sons were all considered kohim as we see the says that they were at the time sanctifying and washing themselves from it. Only on that day did Moshe actually wash his hands together with iron and the sons. not in other times. Verse 33, I'm sorry, verse 32. When they came to the tent of meeting, when they came close to the altar, they would wash themselves, God commanded Moshe. Verse 33, he put up the courtyard around the tabernacle around the altar. Then he put up the screen, which was the entrance way for the courtyard. And Moshe then completed the work of erecting the holy temple and the tabernacle. Verse 34. And at that point now the cloud covered the tent of meeting and the glory of God filled the tabernacle. 35 Moshe however cannot enter the tent of meeting because the cloud was resting on it and the god's glory filled the tabernacle what does it mean Moshe was not able to enter if in another verse it says that Moshe would enter all the time in one verse it says that when Moshe would enter the tent of meeting and then over here it says that Moshe was not able to enter the tent of meeting so which one was it Was he able to go in? Was he not able to go in? So then over here comes a third verse which the third verse may decides between the two of them and explains and when the cloud was upon it. What do I know? See from here that the two verses are not contradicting each other that as long as the cloud of glory was on top of the tabernacle Moshe was not able to enter the tent of meeting and the moment the cloud went away then he was able to enter and speak to God. Verse 36. And when the cloud would go up, that means the tabernacle remained in place from the first of Nissan until the 20th of year. Thereafter, any time the cloud would go up may Allah Mishkan from the tabernacle is the Jewish people would know that it would be time to travel in all their travels and journeys throughout the desert. Verse 37. However, if the cloud did not rise, then they did not travel until the time that the cloud would rise. 38 because the cloud of God was above the tabernacle by day. There was a fire that would be there by night. This was visible to every single Jew at all their journeys. meaning that the cloud wouldn't be there while they were traveling. The cloud would only only be there when they would rest. Anytime they would travel, the cloud would then stay and they'll let them know where they have to stop. However, their place of station, their place of rest, that was also called a journey. We find this also in the beginning of the book of Genesis where it talks about Abraham traveling that even though he was resting and he stopped in certain places it was called that he went on his journey because until you're not by your final destination even though you're stopping along the way it's still part of the journey we also find this by the book of numbers these are the journeys of the Jewish people though the Torah enumerates the places where they stopped but the Torah calls it the journeys of the Jewish people was from that place where they stopped. They continued to travel. Therefore, they're all called journeys. A Jew, even where he stops someplace, no matter what he's doing, is always a journey to be able to continue to become closer and closer to Hashem. This concludes the book of Exodus.