Ziv: Parashat Pekuday 2

And fire was in it by night

This week, we end the reading of the book of Exodus with a splendid vision: Bezalel is to finish building the dwelling, a wonderful robe is prepared for the High Priest, and the Presence is to come and dwell with the children of Israel, as fire during the night, and a cloud during the day. The whole people participated in the building process, while working or giving of their possessions. Every one brought what was necessary: gold, copper, goat skins… each one according to his capacity, in a specific and personal way. There is only one element that will be the same for everybody, the one that will be used for the bases of the sanctuary (38:27), the foundation of the dwelling, which is made from silver. It is mentioned indeed that for this part of the Mishkan (tabernacle), each person will have to give half a shekel, no more and no less. “The rich will not give more, and the poor shall not give less” (30:15).

The bases symbolize the belonging, the covenant that is sealed with each person, and on this point, everybody is equal. Everyone has to bring half a shekel… the text could have used another measure rather than half of something. But this division teaches us that the other part is given by God, who commits himself in conjunction with the one who comes to participate. Everyone find his foundation in the fact of his belonging to the covenant, even if the rest of the sanctuary evokes a great multiplicity of talents, sensitivity, gifts…. This appears also with the weaving and decoration of the magnificent robe of the High Priest.
The book of the Names (Shemot is the Hebrew name for Exodus) concludes with a blessing given by Moses: “And Moses saw all the work, and, behold, they had done it; as the Lord had commanded, even so had they done it: and Moses blessed them” (39:43) as an echo of the narrative of the creation of heaven and earth: “And on the seventh day, God finished his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made. And God blessed the seventh day, and hallowed it” . (Genesis 2:2-3). The sanctuary of the desert is another creation, a microcosm, being that the whole of creation is a sanctuary, the place of the Presence. The book began in the night of Egypt, when Pharaoh forgot the goodness of Joseph and ordered the slaughter of the first born of the Hebrews. It concludes with the blessing of Moses, and the vision of the glory that remains with the people night and day. Shabbat shalom.