Exodus 35-40

Complete Jewish Bible

Parashah 22: Vayak’hel (He assembled) 35:1–38:20

[In regular years read with Parashah 23, in leap years read separately]

35 Moshe assembled the whole community of the people of Isra’el and said to them, “These are the things which Adonai has ordered you to do. ² On six days work is to be done, but the seventh day is to be a holy day for you, a Shabbat of complete rest in honor of Adonai. Whoever does any work on it is to be put to death. ³ You are not to kindle a fire in any of your homes on Shabbat.”

⁴ Moshe said to the whole community of the people of Isra’el, “Here is what Adonai has ordered: ⁵ ‘Take up a collection for Adonai from among yourselves — anyone whose heart makes him willing is to bring the offering for Adonai: gold, silver and bronze; ⁶ blue, purple and scarlet yarn; fine linen, goat’s hair, ⁷ tanned ram skins and fine leather; acacia-wood; ⁸ oil for the light, spices for the anointing oil and for the fragrant incense; ⁹ onyx stones and stones to be set, for the ritual vest and the breastplate.

¹⁰ “‘Then let all the craftsmen among you come and make everything Adonai has ordered: ¹¹ the tabernacle with its tent, covering, fasteners, planks, crossbars, posts and sockets; ¹² the ark with its poles, ark-cover and the curtain to screen it; ¹³ the table with its poles, all its utensils and the showbread; ¹⁴ the menorah for the light, with its utensils and lamps, and the oil for the light; ¹⁵ the incense altar with its poles; the anointing oil; the fragrant incense; the screen for the entranceway at the entrance to the tabernacle; ¹⁶ the altar for burnt offerings, with its poles and all its utensils; the basin with its base; ¹⁷ the tapestries for the courtyard, with their posts and sockets; the screen for the gateway of the courtyard; ¹⁸ the tent pegs for the tabernacle; the tent pegs for the courtyard, with their ropes; ¹⁹ the garments for officiating, for serving in the Holy Place; and the holy garments for Aharon the cohen and the garments for his sons, so that they can serve in the office of cohen.’”

²⁰ Then the whole community of the people of Isra’el withdrew from Moshe’s presence; (LY: ii) ²¹ and they came, everyone whose heart stirred him and everyone whose spirit made him willing, and brought Adonai’s offering for the work on the tent of meeting, for the service in it and for the holy garments. ²² Both men and women came, as many as had willing hearts; they brought nose-rings, earrings, signet-rings, belts, all kinds of gold jewelry — everyone bringing an offering of gold to Adonai. ²³ Everyone who had blue, purple or scarlet yarn; fine linen; tanned ram skins or fine leather brought them. ²⁴ Everyone contributing silver or bronze brought his offering for Adonai, and everyone who had acacia-wood suitable for any of the work brought it. ²⁵ All the women who were skilled at spinning got to work and brought what they had spun, the blue, purple and scarlet yarn and the fine linen. ²⁶ Likewise the women whose heart stirred them to use their skill spun the goat’s hair. ²⁷ The leaders brought the onyx stones and the stones to be set, for the ritual vest and the breasplate; ²⁸ the spices; and the oil for the light, for the anointing oil and for the fragrant incense. ²⁹ Thus every man and woman of the people of Isra’el whose heart impelled him to contribute to any of the work Adonai had ordered through Moshe brought it to Adonai as a voluntary offering.

(RY: ii, LY: iii) ³⁰ Moshe said to the people of Isra’el, “See, Adonai has singled out B’tzal’el the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Y’hudah. ³¹ He has filled him with the Spirit of God — with wisdom, understanding and knowledge concerning every kind of artisanry. ³² He is a master of design in gold, silver, bronze, ³³ cutting precious stones to be set, woodcarving and every other craft. ³⁴ [Adonai] has also given him and Oholi’av the son of Achisamakh, of the tribe of Dan, the ability to teach others. ³⁵ He has filled them with the skill needed for every kind of work, whether done by an artisan, a designer, an embroiderer using blue, purple and scarlet yarn, and fine linen, or a weaver — they have the skill for every kind of work and design.

36 “B’tzal’el and Oholi’av, along with all the craftsmen whom Adonai has endowed with the wisdom and skill necessary to carry out the work needed for the sanctuary, are to do exactly according to everything Adonai has ordered.”

² Moshe summoned B’tzal’el, Oholi’av and every craftsman to whom Adonai had given wisdom, everyone whose heart stirred him, to come and take part in the work. ³ They received from Moshe all the offering which the people of Isra’el had brought for the work of building the sanctuary. But they still kept bringing voluntary offerings every morning, ⁴ until all the craftsmen doing the work for the sanctuary left the work they were involved with ⁵ to tell Moshe, “The people are bringing far more than is needed to do the work Adonai has ordered done.” ⁶ So Moshe gave an order which was proclaimed throughout the camp: “Neither men nor women are to make any further efforts for the sanctuary offering.” In this way, the people were restrained from making additional contributions. ⁷ For what they had already was not only sufficient for doing all the work, but too much!

(LY: iv) ⁸ All the skilled men among them who did the work made the tabernacle, using ten sheets of finely woven linen and of blue, purple and scarlet yarn. He made them with k’ruvim worked in that had been crafted by a skilled artisan. ⁹ Each sheet was forty-two feet long and six feet wide; all the sheets were the same size. ¹⁰ He joined five sheets one to another, and the other five sheets he joined one to another. ¹¹ He made loops of blue on the edge of the outermost sheet in the first set and did the same on the edge of the outermost sheet in the second set. ¹² He made fifty loops on the one sheet, and he made fifty loops on the edge of the sheet in the second set; the loops were opposite one another. ¹³ He made fifty fasteners of gold and coupled the sheets to each other with the fasteners, so that the tabernacle formed a single unit.

¹⁴ He made sheets of goat’s hair to be used as a tent covering the tabernacle; he made eleven sheets. ¹⁵ Each sheet was forty-five feet long and six feet wide; all eleven sheets were the same size. ¹⁶ He joined five sheets together and six sheets together. ¹⁷ He made fifty loops on the edge of the outermost sheet in the first set and fifty loops on the outermost sheet in the second set. ¹⁸ He made fifty fasteners of bronze to join the tent together, so that it would be a single unit.

¹⁹ He made a covering for the tent of tanned ram skins and an outer covering of fine leather.

(LY: v) ²⁰ He made the upright planks of acacia-wood for the tabernacle. ²¹ Each plank was fifteen feet long and two-and-a-quarter feet wide. ²² There were two projections on each plank, and the planks were joined one to another. This is how he made all the planks for the tabernacle.

²³ He made the planks for the tabernacle as follows: twenty planks for the south side, facing southward. ²⁴ He made forty silver sockets under the twenty planks, two sockets under one plank for its two projections and two sockets under another plank for its two projections. ²⁵ For the second side of the tabernacle, to the north, he made twenty planks ²⁶ and their forty silver sockets, two sockets under one plank and two under another. ²⁷ For the rear part of the tabernacle, toward the west, he made six planks. ²⁸ For the corners of the tabernacle in the rear he made two planks, ²⁹ double from the bottom all the way to the top but joined at a single ring. He did the same with both of them at the two corners. ³⁰ Thus there were eight planks with their silver sockets, sixteen sockets, two sockets under each plank.

³¹ He made crossbars of acacia-wood, five for the planks of the one side of the tabernacle, ³² five crossbars for the planks of the other side of the tabernacle, and five crossbars for the planks at the side of the tabernacle at the rear toward the west. ³³ He made the middle crossbar so that it extended from one end of the planks to the other, halfway up. ³⁴ He overlaid the planks with gold, made gold rings for them through which the crossbars could pass and overlaid the crossbars with gold.

³⁵ He made the curtain of blue, purple and scarlet yarn and finely woven linen. He made them with k’ruvim worked in that had been crafted by a skilled artisan. ³⁶ He made for it four posts of acacia-wood and overlaid them with gold, and gold hooks; and cast for them four silver sockets.

³⁷ For the entrance to the tent he made a screen of blue, purple and scarlet yarn and finely woven linen, in colors, the work of a weaver; ³⁸ with its five posts and their hooks. He overlaid their capitals and their attached rings for hanging with gold, while their five sockets were of bronze.

37 B’tzal’el made the ark of acacia-wood three-and-three-quarters feet long, two-and-a-quarter feet wide and two-and-a-quarter feet high. ² He overlaid it with pure gold inside and outside and put a molding of gold for it around the top. ³ He cast four gold rings for it at its four feet, two rings on each side. ⁴ He made poles of acacia-wood and overlaid them with gold. ⁵ He put the carrying-poles for the ark in the rings on the sides of the ark.

⁶ He made a cover for the ark of pure gold, three-and-three-quarters feet long and two-and-a-quarter feet wide. ⁷ He made two k’ruvim of gold; he made them of hammered work for the two ends of the ark-cover — ⁸ one keruv for one end and one keruv for the other end; he made the k’ruvim of one piece with the ark-cover at its two ends. ⁹ The k’ruvim had their wings spread out above, so that their wings covered the ark; their faces were toward each other and toward the ark-cover.

¹⁰ He made the table of acacia-wood, three feet long, eighteen inches wide and eighteen inches high. ¹¹ He overlaid it with pure gold and put a molding of gold around the top of it. ¹² He made around it a rim a handbreadth wide and put a molding of gold around the rim. ¹³ He cast for it four gold rings and attached the rings to the four corners, near its four legs. ¹⁴ The rings to hold the carrying-poles for the table were placed close to the rim. ¹⁵ He made the carrying-poles for the table of acacia-wood and overlaid them with gold. ¹⁶ He made the utensils to be put on the table — its dishes, pans, bowls and pitchers — of pure gold.

(RY: iii, LY: vi) ¹⁷ He made the menorah of pure gold. He made it of hammered work; its base, shaft, cups, rings of outer leaves and flowers were a single unit. ¹⁸ There were six branches extending from its sides, three branches of the menorah on one side of it and three on the other. ¹⁹ On one branch were three cups shaped like almond blossoms, a ring of outer leaves and petals; likewise on the opposite branch three cups shaped like almond blossoms, a ring of outer leaves and petals; and similarly for all six branches extending from the menorah. ²⁰ On the central shaft of the menorah were four cups shaped like almond blossoms, each with its ring of outer leaves and petals. ²¹ Where each pair of branches joined the central shaft was a ring of outer leaves of one piece with the pair of branches — thus for all six branches. ²² Their rings of outer leaves and their branches were of one piece with the shaft. Thus the whole menorah was one piece of hammered work made of pure gold. ²³ He made its seven lamps, its tongs and its trays of pure gold. ²⁴ The menorah and its utensils were made of sixty-six pounds of pure gold.

²⁵ He made the altar on which to burn incense of acacia-wood, eighteen inches square and three feet high; its horns were a single unit. ²⁶ He overlaid it with pure gold — its top, all around its sides and its horns; and he put around it a molding of gold. ²⁷ He made two gold rings for it under its molding at the two corners on both sides, to hold the carrying-poles. ²⁸ He made the poles of acacia-wood and overlaid them with gold.

²⁹ He made the holy anointing oil and the pure incense of aromatic plant substances as would an expert perfume-maker.

38 (RY: iv, LY: vii) He made the altar for burnt offerings of acacia-wood, seven-and-a-half feet long and seven-and-a-half feet wide — it was square — and four-and-a-half feet high. ² He made horns for it on its four corners, the horns were of one piece with it, and he overlaid it with bronze.

³ He made all the utensils for the altar — its pots, shovels, basins, meat-hooks and fire pans; all its utensils he made of bronze. ⁴ He made for the altar a grate of bronze netting, under its rim, reaching halfway up the altar. ⁵ He cast four rings for the four ends of the bronze grate to hold the poles. ⁶ He made the poles of acacia-wood and overlaid them with bronze. ⁷ He put the carrying-poles into the rings on the sides of the altar; he made it of planks and hollow inside.

⁸ He made the basin of bronze with its base of bronze from the mirrors of the women serving at the entrance to the tent of meeting.

⁹ He made the courtyard. On the south side, facing southward, the tapestries for the courtyard were made of finely woven linen, 150 feet long, ¹⁰ supported on twenty posts in twenty bronze sockets; the hooks on the posts and the attached rings for hanging were of silver. ¹¹ On the north side they were 150 feet long, hung on twenty posts in twenty bronze sockets, with the hooks on the posts and their rings of silver. ¹² On the west side were tapestries seventy-five feet long, hung on ten posts in ten sockets, with the hooks on the posts and their rings of silver. ¹³ On the east side were tapestries seventy-five feet long. ¹⁴ The tapestries for the one side [of the gateway] were twenty-two-and-a-half feet long, hung on three posts in three sockets; ¹⁵ likewise for the other side — on either side [of the gate] were tapestries twenty-two-and-a-half feet long on three posts in three sockets. ¹⁶ All the tapestries for the courtyard, all the way around, were of finely woven linen; ¹⁷ the sockets for the posts were of bronze; the hooks on the posts and their rings were of silver; the capitals of the posts were overlaid with silver; and all the posts of the courtyard were banded with silver.

(LY: Maftir) ¹⁸ The screen for the gateway to the courtyard was the work of a weaver in colors, of blue, purple and scarlet yarn and finely woven linen. Its length was thirty feet and its height seven-and-a-half feet all the way along, like the tapestries of the courtyard. ¹⁹ It had four posts in four bronze sockets, with silver hooks, capitals overlaid with silver and silver fasteners.

²⁰ The tent pegs for the tabernacle and for the courtyard around it were of bronze.

Haftarah Vayak’hel: M’lakhim Alef (1 Kings) 7:40–50 (A); 7:13–26 (S)

B’rit Hadashah suggested readings for Parashah Vayak’hel: 2 Corinthians 9:1–15; Messianic Jews (Hebrews) 9:1–14; Revelation 11:1–13

Parashah 23: P’kudei (Accounts) 38:21–40:38

[In regular years read with Parashah 22, in leap years read separately]

²¹ These are the accounts of the tabernacle, the tabernacle of the testimony, recorded, as Moshe ordered, by the L’vi’im under the direction of Itamar the son of Aharon, the cohen.

²² B’tzal’el the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Y’hudah, made everything that Adonai ordered Moshe to make. ²³ Assisting him was Oholi’av the son of Achisamakh, of the tribe of Dan, who was an engraver, a designer and a weaver in colors — in blue, purple and scarlet yarn and in fine linen.

²⁴ All the gold used for the work in everything needed for the sanctuary, the gold of the offering, weighed 29 talents 730 shekels [1,930 pounds], using the sanctuary shekel.

²⁵ The silver given by the community weighed 100 talents 1,775 shekels [6,650 pounds], using the sanctuary shekel. ²⁶ This was a beka per person, that is, half a shekel [one-fifth of an ounce], using the sanctuary shekel, for everyone twenty years old or older counted in the census, 603,550 men. ²⁷ The hundred talents of silver were used to cast the sockets for the sanctuary and the sockets for the curtain — one hundred sockets made from the hundred talents, one talent [sixty-six pounds] per socket. ²⁸ The 1,775 shekels [fifty pounds] he used to make hooks for the posts, to overlay their capitals and to make fasteners for them.

²⁹ The bronze in the offering came to 4,680 pounds. ³⁰ He used it to make the sockets for the entrance to the tent of meeting, the bronze altar, its bronze grate, all the utensils for the altar, ³¹ the sockets for the courtyard around it, the sockets for the gateway to the courtyard, all the tent pegs for the tabernacle and all the tent pegs for the courtyard around it.

39 From the blue, purple and scarlet yarn they made the garments for officiating, for serving in the Holy Place; and they made the holy garments for Aharon, as Adonai had ordered Moshe. (RY: v, LY: ii) ² He made the ritual vest of gold, of blue, purple and scarlet yarn, and of finely woven linen. ³ They hammered the gold into thin plates and cut them into threads in order to work it into the blue, purple and scarlet yarn and the fine linen crafted by the skilled artisan. ⁴ They made shoulder-pieces for it, joined together; they were joined together at the two ends. ⁵ The decorated belt on the vest, used to fasten it, was of the same workmanship and materials — gold; blue, purple and scarlet yarn; and finely twined linen — as Adonai had ordered Moshe. ⁶ They worked the onyx stones, mounted in gold settings, engraving them with the names of the sons of Isra’el as they would be engraved on a seal. ⁷ Then he put them on the shoulder-pieces of the vest to be stones calling to mind the sons of Isra’el, as Adonai had ordered Moshe.

⁸ He made the breastplate; it was crafted by a skilled artisan and made like the work of the ritual vest — of gold; blue, purple and scarlet yarn; and finely woven linen. ⁹ When folded double, the breastplate was square — doubled, it was a hand-span by a hand-span. ¹⁰ They set in it four rows of stones: the first row was a carnelian, a topaz and an emerald; ¹¹ the second row a green feldspar, a sapphire and a diamond; ¹² the third row an orange zircon, an agate and an amethyst; ¹³ and the fourth row a beryl, an onyx and a jasper. They were mounted in settings of gold. ¹⁴ The stones corresponded to the names of the twelve sons of Isra’el; they were engraved with their names as a seal would be engraved, each name representing one of the twelve tribes.

¹⁵ On the breastplate they made two pure gold chains, twisted like cords. ¹⁶ Also for the breastplate they made two settings of gold and two gold rings, and they put the two rings at the two ends of the breastplate. ¹⁷ They put the two twisted gold chains in the two rings at the ends of the breastplate ¹⁸ and attached the other two ends of the twisted chains to the front of the shoulder-pieces of the ritual vest. ¹⁹ They also made two gold rings and put them on the two ends of the breastplate, at its edge, on the side facing in toward the vest. ²⁰ Also they made two gold rings and attached them low on the front part of the vest’s shoulder-pieces, near the join, above the vest’s decorated belt. ²¹ Then they bound the breastplate by its rings to the rings of the vest with a blue cord, so that it could be on the vest’s decorated belt, and so that the breastplate would not swing loose from the vest — as Adonai had ordered Moshe.

(RY: vi, LY: iii) ²² He made the robe for the ritual vest; it was woven entirely of blue, ²³ with its opening in the middle, like that of a coat of mail, and with a border around the opening, so that it wouldn’t tear. ²⁴ On the bottom hem they made pomegranates of blue, purple and scarlet, and woven linen; ²⁵ and they made bells of pure gold, and put the bells between the pomegranates all the way around the hem of the robe — between the pomegranates, ²⁶ that is, bell, pomegranate, bell, pomegranate, all the way around the hem of the robe for service — as Adonai had ordered Moshe.

²⁷ They made the tunics of finely woven linen for Aharon and his sons, ²⁸ the turban of fine linen, the splendid headgear of fine linen, the linen shorts, ²⁹ and the sash of finely woven linen and blue, purple and scarlet yarn, the work of a weaver in colors — as Adonai had ordered Moshe.

³⁰ They made the ornament for the holy turban of pure gold; wrote on it the words, “Set apart for Adonai,” like the engraving on a seal; ³¹ and tied a blue cord on it to fasten it to the front of the turban — as Adonai had ordered Moshe.

³² Thus all the work for the tabernacle, the tent of meeting, was finished, with the people of Isra’el doing everything exactly as Adonai had ordered Moshe.

(LY: iv) ³³ Then they brought the tabernacle to Moshe — the tent and all its furnishings, clasps, planks, crossbars, posts and sockets; ³⁴ the covering of tanned ram skins, the covering of fine leather and the curtain for the screen; ³⁵ the ark for the testimony, its poles and the ark-cover; ³⁶ the table, all its utensils and the showbread; ³⁷ the pure menorah, its lamps and their arrangement for display, its accessories and the oil for the light; ³⁸ the gold altar; the anointing oil; the fragrant incense; the screen for the entrance to the tent; ³⁹ the bronze altar with its bronze grate, poles and all its utensils; the basin with its base; ⁴⁰ the tapestries for the courtyard, with their posts and sockets; the screen for the entrance to the courtyard, with its ropes and tent pegs; all the utensils for the service in the tabernacle, the tent of meeting; ⁴¹ the garments for officiating, for serving in the Holy Place; the holy garments for Aharon the cohen; and the garments for his sons to serve in the office of cohen.

⁴² The people of Isra’el did all the work just as Adonai had ordered Moshe. ⁴³ Moshe saw all the work, and — there it was! — they had done it! Exactly as Adonai had ordered, they had done it. And Moshe blessed them.

40 (RY: vii, LY: v) Adonai said to Moshe, ² “On the first day of the first month, you are to set up the tabernacle, the tent of meeting. ³ Put in it the ark for the testimony, and conceal the ark with the curtain. ⁴ Bring in the table, and arrange its display. Bring in the menorah, and light its lamps. ⁵ Set the gold altar for incense in front of the ark for the testimony, and set up the screen at the entrance to the tabernacle. ⁶ Place the altar for burnt offerings in front of the entrance to the tabernacle, the tent of meeting. ⁷ Set the basin between the tent of meeting and the altar, and put water in it. ⁸ Set up the courtyard all the way around, and hang up the screen for the entrance to the courtyard.

⁹ “Take the anointing oil, and anoint the tabernacle and everything in it — consecrate it with all its furnishings; then it will be holy. ¹⁰ Anoint the altar for burnt offerings with all its utensils — consecrate the altar; then the altar will be especially holy. ¹¹ Anoint the basin and its base, and consecrate it.

¹² “Then bring Aharon and his sons to the entrance of the tent of meeting and wash them with water. ¹³ Put the holy garments on Aharon, anoint him, and consecrate him, so that he can serve me in the office of cohen. ¹⁴ Bring his sons, put tunics on them, ¹⁵ and anoint them as you anointed their father, so that they can serve me in the office of cohen. Their anointing will signify that the office of cohen is theirs through all their generations.”

¹⁶ Moshe did this — he acted in accordance with everything Adonai had ordered him to do.

(LY: vi) ¹⁷ On the first day of the first month of the second year, the tabernacle was set up. ¹⁸ Moshe erected the tabernacle, put its sockets in place, put up its planks, put in its crossbars and set up its posts. ¹⁹ He spread the tent over the tabernacle and put the covering of the tent above it, as Adonai had ordered Moshe. ²⁰ He took and put the testimony inside the ark, put the poles on the ark, and set the ark-cover above, on the ark. ²¹ Then he brought the ark into the tabernacle, set up the curtain as a screen and concealed the ark for the testimony, as Adonai had ordered Moshe.

²² He put the table in the tent of meeting on the side of the tabernacle facing north, outside the curtain. ²³ He arranged a row of bread on it before Adonai, as Adonai had ordered Moshe.

²⁴ He put the menorah in the tent of meeting across from the table, on the side of the tabernacle facing south. ²⁵ Then he lit the lamps before Adonai, as Adonai had ordered Moshe.

²⁶ He set the gold altar in the tent of meeting in front of the curtain ²⁷ and burned on it incense made from aromatic spices, as Adonai had ordered Moshe.

(LY: vii) ²⁸ He set up the screen at the entrance to the tabernacle. ²⁹ The altar for burnt offerings he placed at the entrance to the tabernacle, the tent of meeting, and offered on it the burnt offering and the grain offering, as Adonai had ordered Moshe.

³⁰ He set the basin between the tent of meeting and the altar and put water in it for washing, ³¹ so that Moshe and Aharon and his sons could wash their hands and feet there — ³² so that they could wash when entering the tent of meeting and when approaching the altar, as Adonai had ordered Moshe.

³³ Finally, he erected the courtyard around the tabernacle and the altar and set up the screen for the entrance to the courtyard.

(Maftir) ³⁴ Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of Adonai filled the tabernacle. ³⁵ Moshe was unable to enter the tent of meeting, because the cloud remained on it, and the glory of Adonai filled the tabernacle.

³⁶ Whenever the cloud was taken up from over the tabernacle, the people of Isra’el continued with all their travels. ³⁷ But if the cloud was not taken up, then they did not travel onward until the day when it was taken up. ³⁸ For the cloud of Adonai was above the tabernacle during the day, and fire was in [the cloud] at night, so that all the house of Isra’el could see it throughout all their travels.

Haftarah P’kudei: M’lakhim Alef (1 Kings) 7:51–8:21 (A); 7:40–50 (S)

B’rit Hadashah suggested reading for Parashah P’kudei: Revelation 15:5–8

Hazak, hazak, v’nit’chazek!

Be strong, be strong, and let us be strengthened!