Why Are the Details of the Tabernacle Repeated?

by Shira Schechter (Moderator) | f 4, 2022 | God, Holiness, Pekudei

After describing the instructions for the construction of the Tabernacle in great detail, the Torah then repeats these details, describing the same elements after the Tabernacle has been erected. Of course, the Tabernacle is the place for God’s holy presence, the...

The Clouds of Glory: Living in God’s Shelter

by Shira Schechter (Moderator) | f 2, 2022 | God, Hebrew Language, Pekudei, Temple

After the Tabernacle is fully assembled, God descends upon it in a cloud of glory: The cloud covered the Tent of Meeting, and the Presence of Hashem filled the Mishkan. Exodus 40:34 The Hebrew word for ‘glory,’ kavod (כָּבוֹד), is perhaps more precisely translated as...

The Tabernacle: Giving From the Heart

by Shira Schechter (Moderator) | f 28, 2022 | God, Holiness, Temple, Vayakhel

The Torah describes how the Children of Israel brought so many voluntary offerings for the construction of the Tabernacle that Moses called a stop to donations. The people gave so enthusiastically that there was enough for the construction of the Tabernacle and there...

The True Day of Rest

by Shira Schechter (Moderator) | f 27, 2022 | Community, God, Shabbat, Vayakhel

The fourth of the Ten Commandments instructs the Children of Israel to observe Shabbat on the seventh day because God Himself created the world in six days and rested on the seventh (Exodus 20:8-11). This mitzvah (Torah commandment) is repeated in many places...

What Did Moses Actually See When God Showed Him His Back?

by Shira Schechter (Moderator) | f 17, 2022 | Fear of God, God, Hebrew Language, Ki Tisa, Prayer, Resurrection

There is no doubt that Moses was close to God, even speaking with Him “face to face, as one man speaks to another” (Exodus 33:11). But Moses wanted even more and requested, “Oh, let me behold Your Presence!” (33:18). God assented to His faithful servant’s request but...

The Artist Behind the Construction of the Tabernacle

by Shira Schechter (Moderator) | f 9, 2022 | God, Ki Tisa, Temple

Even though no man ever came as close to God as Moses, when it came time to construct the Tabernacle, God assigned the task to Bezalel (meaning “in the shadow [i.e. the protection] of God”) the son of Uri and grandson of Hur, from the tribe of Judah. Caleb...