Pekudei
Pekudei, Pekude, Pekudey, P'kude, or P'qude is the 23rd weekly Torah portion in the annual Jewish cycle of Torah reading. It is the 11th and last in the Book of Exodus. The parashah tells of the setting up of the Tabernacle.
It constitutes Exodus 38:21–40:38. The parashah is made up of 4,432 Hebrew letters, 1,182 Hebrew words, 92 verses, and 159 lines in a Torah scroll. Jews read it the 22nd or 23rd Sabbath after Simchat Torah, in March. The lunisolar Hebrew calendar contains up to 55 weeks, the exact number varying between 50 in common years and 54 or 55 in leap years. In leap years, Parashat Pekudei is read separately. In common years, Parashat Pekudei is generally combined with the previous parashah, Vayakhel, to help achieve the needed number of weekly readings.
Readings
In traditional Sabbath Torah reading, the parashah is divided into seven readings, or, aliyot.First reading—Exodus 38:21–39:1
In the first reading, at the direction of Moses, Aaron's son Ithamar oversaw the accounts of the Tabernacle, and the text sets forth the amounts of gold, silver, and copper that Bezalel, Oholiab, and their coworkers used. The silver came from the half-shekel a head for each man 20 years old or older who was counted in the census.Second reading—Exodus 39:2–21
In the second reading, Bezalel, Oholiab, and their coworkers made the priests' vestments, the ephod, and the breastpiece—just as God had commanded Moses.Third reading—Exodus 39:22–32
In the third reading, Bezalel, Oholiab, and their coworkers made the robe, the tunics of fine linen, and the frontlet inscribed "Holy to the Lord"—just as God had commanded Moses.Fourth reading—Exodus 39:33–43
In the fourth reading, they brought the Tabernacle and all its furnishings to Moses, and he blessed them.Fifth reading—Exodus 40:1–16
In the fifth reading, God told Moses to set up the Tabernacle, and Moses did just as God had commanded him.Sixth reading—Exodus 40:17–27
In the sixth reading, it was the first day of the second year of the Exodus that Moses erected the Tabernacle and its furnishings—just as God had commanded Moses.Seventh reading—Exodus 40:28–38
In the seventh reading, Moses finished the work, and the cloud covered the Tent of Meeting, and God's Presence filled the Tabernacle. When the cloud lifted from the Tabernacle, the Israelites would set out, and when the cloud did not lift, they would not set out. And God's cloud rested over the Tabernacle by day, and fire would appear in it by night, throughout the Israelites' journeys.Readings according to the triennial cycle
Jews who read the Torah according to the triennial cycle of Torah reading may read the parashah according to a different schedule.In inner-Biblical interpretation
The parashah has parallels or is discussed in these Biblical sources:Exodus chapters 25–39
This is the pattern of instruction and construction of the Tabernacle and its furnishings:Exodus chapter 39
1:5–6 reports that the bronze altar that Bezalel built, which they brought to Moses in Exodus 39:39, still stood before the Tabernacle in Solomon's time, and Solomon sacrificed a thousand burnt offerings on it.Exodus chapters 39–40
The Priestly story of the Tabernacle in Exodus 39–40 echoes the Priestly story of creation in Genesis 1:1–2:3. As the creation story unfolds in seven days, the instructions about the Tabernacle unfold in seven speeches. In both creation and Tabernacle accounts, the text notes the completion of the task. In both creation and Tabernacle, the work done is seen to be good. In both creation and Tabernacle, when the work is finished, God takes an action in acknowledgement. In both creation and Tabernacle, when the work is finished, a blessing is invoked. And in both creation and Tabernacle, God declares something "holy."Jeffrey Tigay noted that the lampstand held seven candles, Aaron wore seven sacral vestments, the account of the building of the Tabernacle alludes to the creation account, and the Tabernacle was completed on New Year's Day. And Carol Meyers noted that Exodus 25:1–9 and 35:4–29 list seven kinds of substances—metals, yarn, skins, wood, oil, spices, and gemstones—signifying the totality of supplies. Martin Buber and others noted that the language used to describe the building of the Tabernacle parallels that used in the story of creation:
| Verses in Genesis | Texts | Words in Common | Verses in Exodus | Texts |
| 1:7, 16, 25 | 7And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament; and it was so.... 16And God made the two great lights: the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night; and the stars... 25And God made the beast of the earth after its kind, and the cattle after their kind, and everything that creeps upon the ground after its kind; and God saw that it was good. | made make | 25:8, 10, 23, 31 | 8And let them make Me a sanctuary, that I may dwell among them... 10And they shall make an ark of acacia-wood: two cubits and a half shall be the length thereof, and a cubit and a half the breadth thereof, and a cubit and a half the height thereof... 23And you shall make a table of acacia-wood: two cubits shall be the length thereof, and a cubit the breadth thereof, and a cubit and a half the height thereof... 31And you shall make a candlestick of pure gold: of beaten work shall the candlestick be made, even its base, and its shaft; its cups, its knops, and its flowers, shall be of one piece with it. |
| 2:1–2 | 1And the heaven and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. 2And on the seventh day God finished His work that He had made; and He rested on the seventh day from all His work that He had made. | finished | 39:32; 40:33 | 32Thus was finished all the work of the Tabernacle of the tent of meeting; and the children of Israel did according to all that the Lord commanded Moses, so did they... 33And he reared up the court round about the tabernacle and the altar, and set up the screen of the gate of the court. So Moses finished the work. |
| 1:31 | 31And God saw everything that He had made, and, behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day. | saw... behold | 39:43 | 43And 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. |
| 2:3 | 3And God blessed the seventh day, and hallowed it; because in it He rested from all His work that God in creating had made. | blessed | 39:43 | 43And 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. |
In early nonrabbinic interpretation
The parashah has parallels or is discussed in these early nonrabbinic sources:Exodus chapter 38
taught that when the Israelites brought together the materials with great diligence, Moses set architects over the works by the command of God. And these were the very same people that the people themselves would have chosen, had the election been allowed to them: Bezalel, the son of Uri, of the tribe of Judah, the grandson of Miriam, the sister of Moses, and Oholiab, file son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan.In classical rabbinic interpretation
The parashah is discussed in these rabbinic sources from the era of the Mishnah and the Talmud:Exodus chapter 38
The Midrash Tanḥuma taught that God considers studying the sanctuary's structure as equivalent to rebuilding it.Reading Exodus 38:21, "These are the accounts of the Tabernacle," Rabbi Tanḥuma cited Proverbs 28:20, "A faithful man shall abound with blessings; but he that makes haste to be rich shall not be unpunished." Rabbi Tanḥuma taught that God always brings blessings through a person of integrity, but one who is not faithful and "makes haste to be rich shall not be unpunished." The midrash taught that "a faithful man" refers to Moses, who was God's confidant, as Numbers 12:7 reports, "My servant Moses... is trusted in all My house." Thus, Solomon said in Proverbs 28:20, "A faithful man shall abound with blessings," because God blessed everything that Moses oversaw, on account of his trustworthiness. Another explanation of "A faithful man" is that it refers to Moses, who was made treasurer over the work of the Tabernacle. But the Rabbis taught, "One must not appoint fewer than two people to control the finances of a city or community," and the midrash asked whether Moses was not solely in charge. The midrash answered that although Moses was the sole treasurer, he called others to audit the accounts. The midrash noted that Exodus 38:21 says, "These are the accounts of the Tabernacle," and does not say, "which Moses rendered," but "which were rendered according to the commandment of Moses." Thus the accounts were rendered through Moses but, as Exodus 38:21 reports, "by the hand of Ithamar".
Reading Exodus 38:21, "as they were rendered according to the commandment of Moses," a midrash taught that the Israelites did everything that they did by the command of Moses. And reading the continuation of Exodus 38:21, "through the service of the Levites, by the hand of Ithamar, the son of Aaron the priest," the midrash taught that everything that Moses made was done through others. Even though everything was done with witnesses, as soon as the construction of the Tabernacle was completed, Moses wasted no time to promise the people the complete details of all the expenditures involved. Moses then began to expound in Exodus 38:21, "These are the accounts of the Tabernacle," saying how much he had expended on the Tabernacle. While engaged in this calculation, Moses completely forgot about 1,775 shekalim of silver that he had used for hooks for the pillars, and he became uneasy thinking to himself that the Israelites would find grounds to say that Moses took them for himself. So God opened the eyes of Moses to realize that the silver had been converted into hooks for the pillars. When the Israelites saw that the account now completely tallied, they were completely satisfied with the integrity of the work on the Tabernacle. And thus Exodus 38:21 says, "These are the accounts of the Tabernacle," to report that the accounts balanced. The midrash asked why Moses had to account to the Israelites, seeing as God trusted Moses so implicitly that God said in Numbers 12:7, "My servant Moses is not so; he is trusted in all My house." The midrash explained that Moses overheard certain Israelites scoffing behind his back, for Exodus 33:8 says, "And they looked after Moses." The midrash asked what the people would say about Moses. Rabbi Joḥanan taught that the people blessed his mother, for she never saw him, as he was always speaking with God and always wholly given over to his service. But Rabbi Hama said that they used to remark how fat and prosperous Moses looked. When Moses heard this, he vowed to give an account of everything. And this is why Exodus 38:21 says, "These are the accounts of the Tabernacle."
Rabbi Simeon son of Rabbi Ishmael interpreted the term "the Tabernacle of the testimony" in Exodus 38:21 to mean that the Tabernacle was God's testimony to the whole world that God had forgiven Israel for having made the Golden Calf. Rabbi Isaac explained with a parable. A king took a wife whom he dearly loved. He became angry with her and left her, and her neighbors taunted her, saying that he would not return. Then the king sent her a message asking her to prepare the king's palace and make the beds therein, for he was coming back to her on such-and-such a day. On that day, the king returned to her and became reconciled to her, entering her chamber and eating and drinking with her. Her neighbors at first did not believe it, but when they smelled the fragrant spices, they knew that the king had returned. Similarly, God loved Israel, bringing the Israelites to Mount Sinai, and giving them the Torah, but after only 40 days, they sinned with the Golden Calf. The heathen nations then said that God would not be reconciled with the Israelites. But when Moses pleaded for mercy on their behalf, God forgave them, as Numbers 14:20 reports, "And the Lord said: ‘I have pardoned according to your word.'" Moses then told God that even though he personally was quite satisfied that God had forgiven Israel, he asked that God might announce that fact to the nations. God replied that God would cause God's Shechinah to dwell in their midst, and thus Exodus 25:8 says, "And let them make Me a sanctuary, that I may dwell among them." And by that sign, God intended that all nations might know that God had forgiven the Israelites. And thus Exodus 38:21 calls it "the Tabernacle of the testimony," because the Tabernacle was a testimony that God had pardoned the Israelites' sins.
The Jerusalem Talmud reports that Rabbi Tanḥuma taught in the name of Rav Huna that even the things that Bezalel did not hear from Moses he conceived of on his own exactly as they were told to Moses from Sinai. Rabbi Tanḥuma said in the name of Rav Huna that one can deduce this from the words of Exodus 38:22, "And Bezalel the son of Uri, the son of Ḥur, of the tribe of Judah, made all that the Lord commanded Moses." For Exodus 38:22 does not say, "that Moses commanded him," but, "that the Lord commanded Moses." And the Agadat Shir ha-Shirim taught that Bezalel and Oholiab went up Mount Sinai, where the heavenly Sanctuary was shown to them.
A midrash explained that Israel sinned with fire in making the Golden Calf, as Exodus 32:24 says, "And I cast it into the fire, and there came out this calf." And then Bezalel came and healed the wound. The midrash likened it to the words of Isaiah 54:16, "Behold, I have created the smith who blows the fire of coals." The midrash taught that Bezalel was the smith whom God had created to address the fire. And the midrash likened it to the case of a doctor's disciple who applied a plaster to a wound and healed it. When people began to praise him, his teacher, the doctor, said that they should praise the doctor, for he taught the disciple. Similarly, when everybody said that Bezalel had constructed the Tabernacle through his knowledge and understanding, God said that it was God who created him and taught him, as Isaiah 54:16 says, "Behold, I have created the smith." Thus Moses said in Exodus 35:30, "see, the Lord has called by name Bezalel."
Exodus 35:30 identifies Bezalel's grandfather as Ḥur, whom either Rav or Samuel deduced was the son of Miriam and Caleb. A midrash explained that Exodus 35:30 mentions Ḥur, because when the Israelites were about to serve the Golden Calf, Ḥur risked his life on God's behalf to prevent them from doing so, and they killed him. Whereupon God assured Ḥur that God would repay him for his sacrifice. The midrash likened it to the case of a king whose legions rebelled against him, and his field marshal fought against the rebels, questioning how they could dare rebel against the king. In the end, the rebels killed the field marshal. The king reasoned that if the field marshal had given the king money, the king would have had to repay him. So even more so the king had an obligation to repay the field marshal when he gave his life on the king's behalf. The king rewarded the field marshal by ordaining that all his male offspring would become generals and officers. Similarly, when Israel made the Golden Calf, Ḥur gave his life for the glory of God. Thus, God assured Ḥur that God would give all Ḥur's descendants a great name in the world. And thus Exodus 35:30 says, "see, the Lord has called by name Bezalel, the son of Uri, the son of Ḥur."
Rabbi Joḥanan taught that God proclaims three things for God's Self: famine, plenty, and a good leader. 2 Kings 8:1 shows that God proclaims famine, when it says: "The Lord has called for a famine." Ezekiel 36:29 shows that God proclaims plenty, when it says: "I will call for the corn and will increase it." And Exodus 31:1–2 shows that God proclaims a good leader, when it says: "And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ‘See I have called by name Bezalel, the son of Uri.'" Rabbi Isaac taught that we cannot appoint a leader over a community without first consulting the people, as Exodus 35:30 says: "And Moses said unto the children of Israel: ‘See, the Lord has called by name Bezalel, the son of Uri.'" Rabbi Isaac taught that God asked Moses whether Moses considered Bezalel suitable. Moses replied that if God thought Bezalel suitable, surely Moses must also. God told Moses that, all the same, Moses should go and consult the people. Moses then asked the Israelites whether they considered Bezalel suitable. They replied that if God and Moses considered Bezalel suitable, then surely they had to, as well. Rabbi Samuel bar Naḥmani said in the name of Rabbi Joḥanan that Bezalel was so called because of his wisdom. When God told Moses to tell Bezalel to make a tabernacle, an ark, and vessels, Moses reversed the order and told Bezalel to make an ark, vessels, and a tabernacle. Bezalel replied to Moses that as a rule, one first builds a house and then brings vessels into it, but Moses directed to make an ark, vessels, and a tabernacle. Bezalel asked where he would put the vessels. And Bezalel asked whether God had told Moses to make a tabernacle, an ark, and vessels. Moses replied that perhaps Bezalel had been in the shadow of God and had thus come to know this. Rav Judah taught in the name of Rav that Exodus 35:31 indicated that God endowed Bezalel with the same attribute that God used in creating the universe. Rav Judah said in the name of Rav that Bezalel knew how to combine the letters by which God created the heavens and earth. For Exodus 35:31 says, "And He has filled him with the spirit of God, in wisdom and in understanding, and in knowledge," and Proverbs 3:19 says, "The Lord by wisdom founded the earth; by understanding He established the heavens," and Proverbs 3:20 says, "By His knowledge the depths were broken up."
Doing the math implied by Exodus 36:4, Exodus 38:22, Joshua 14:7, and 1 Chronicles 2:19–20, the Gemara deduced that in earlier generations, a boy of eight could father children. Exodus 38:22 reports that "Bezalel, son of Uri, son of Ḥur, of the tribe of Judah, made all that the Lord had commanded Moses," when they built the Tabernacle. And 1 Chronicles 2:19–20 reports that Caleb fathered the Ḥur who fathered Uri who fathered Bezalel. Exodus 36:4 reports that "wise men... wrought all the work of the Sanctuary," so Bezalel must have been at least 13 years old to have been a man when he worked on the Tabernacle. A baraita taught that Moses made the Tabernacle in the first year after the Exodus, and in the second, he erected it and sent out the spies, so the Gemara deduced that Bezalel must have been at least 14 years old when Moses sent out the spies, the year after Bezalel worked on the Tabernacle. And Joshua 14:7 reports that Caleb said that he was 40 years old when Moses sent him to spy out the land. Thus, the Gemara deduced that Caleb was only 26 years older than his great-grandson Bezalel. Deducting two years for the three pregnancies needed to create the three intervening generations, the Gemara concluded that each of Caleb, Ḥur, and Uri must have conceived his son at the age of eight.
Rabbi Judah ben Simon taught that God required each of the Israelites to give a half-shekel because their ancestors had sold Joseph to the Ishmaelites for 20 shekels.
The Jerusalem Talmud reported that the Roman official Antigonos, reading the account of Exodus 38:26 of how much silver the Israelites used in the Tabernacle, told Rabban Joḥanan ben Zakkai that Moses was either a thief or bad at calculating. But Joḥanan ben Zakkai laid out the math and insisted that Moses was a trustworthy treasurer and expert in computations.