Parashat Vayakhel describes the actual building of the Mishkan and its vessels, and much of the sedra is therefore almost an exact repetition of parashat Teruma.
Moshe spoke to all the congregation of Bnei Yisrael, saying, “This is the matter which God has commanded, saying: Take from among you an offering to God...
In Parshat Ki Tisa, we learn of the command to donate a machatzit ha-shekel to the construction of the Mishkan, which accompanied a census of Bnei Yisrael. In this shiur, we will discuss the reason for this donation and why this census was necessary.
A renewed longing for the Temple can arise if, alongside our wariness in the face of the strict laws surrounding it, we are able, like the leaders of the beginning of the Second Temple period, to mold the memory of the Temple around unquestionably important elements of Jewish national life which are possible only in the reality of a Temple.
One of the most conspicuous examples of repetition in the Torah is found in the section devoted to the Mishkan. Following the detailed list of commands in the Parashot of Teruma and Tetzave, instead of simply noting, “And the people did as Moshe had commanded,” we find all the details of the construction repeated over again. In this shiur, we will examine the sin of the golden calf, which is recorded in between the commands concerning the Mishkan and their fulfillment, and its results and ramifications, with a view to explaining this phenomenon.
The number of prohibited melakhot on Shabbat is presented by Chazal as iron-clad. In this shiur, we will discuss an overlooked derivation of the number of 39.
In this shiur, we will study the commandment to keep the Shabbat that is recorded in Parashat Vayakhel. What is the significance of the prohibition of the thirty nine forms of forbidden labor? Why are these labors specifically connected to the building of the Mishkan?
