Parasha Vayakhel (ויקהל) — Shemot 35:1 – 38:20. Read on Shabbat, March 6, 2027.
Summary of Parasha Vayakhel
Moshe gathers the whole assembly of the children of Israel. He first reminds them of Shabbat: six days work shall be done, and the seventh day shall be holy, with the prohibition against kindling fire in their dwellings. He then conveys the call for an offering for the Sanctuary and invites all skilled craftsmen to take part in the work. Men and women, all whose hearts move them, bring gold, jewelry, fabrics, skins, wood, precious stones, oil and spices; the skilled women spin the wool and the goats’ hair. Betzalel and Oholiav are presented as the master craftsmen, filled with wisdom and able to teach. The gifts pour in until the craftsmen report that there is more than enough, and Moshe has it announced throughout the camp that the people must stop bringing. The parasha then describes the actual making of the Mishkan, in the very words of the instructions given earlier: the curtains, the coverings, the boards and the sockets, the veil, the ark with its cover and its keruvim, the table, the menorah, the incense altar, the anointing oil and the incense, the altar of sacrifices, the copper basin made from the women’s mirrors, and finally the courtyard with its hangings and its pillars.
The Themes
- The gathering of the people
- Shabbat and work
- Giving beyond what is needed
Rav Raphaël Benizri’s Lectures on Vayakhel
Study booklets for each lecture: questions for the Shabbat table
A Question for the Shabbat Table
The people give so much that they have to be stopped: what can inspire such collective enthusiasm?
← Parasha Ki Tisa · All the parashiot · Parasha Pekudei →
Summary by the Pensées Juives editorial team. The Rav’s teachings are found in his lectures, linked above.