VaYak'heil - Exodus 35:1-38:20 - 3/21/25

The building of the Mishkan – the Tabernacle or Tent of Meeting – in the desert was a major undertaking for the Israelites and an important symbol of God’s presence among them. The building, decorating, and furnishing of the structure occupies a fair amount of space in the Torah, with great detail devoted to all the different aspects of the work. 

Several things are notable in the description of this project in this week’s Torah portion. First we note that, even though this project is so important, the Israelites are not required to contribute material or labor, but only those whose spirits so move them. Donations are purely voluntary. 

Also notable is that women as well as men contribute, both in terms of donating materials but also giving of their skill and talents. All donations, and all skilled labor are welcome. No one is turned away because of their gender.

Put in charge of all this work is Betzalel and his assistant, Oholiab. They are chosen for this difficult and complex task, overseeing all the workers from master builders to weavers to artisans of every kind, because they are endowed with wisdom, skill, and knowledge of every craft. In other words, they have the credentials they need to perform the job they have been given. Further, all those who they recruit to do the work are also people who have skill and ability to do the jobs well. Choosing wise leaders who have what it takes to do the job is a basic value in Judaism, as exemplified in this week’s parashah.

-Rabbi Bonnie Margulis