Parashat Vayakhel

(And He Assembled)

Exodus 35:1-38:20, 30:11-16

Shabbat Shekalim
Haftarah for Ashkenazim: II Kings 12:1-17
Haftarah for Sephardim: II Kings 11:17-12:17

In this Torah portion, God commands the Israelites not to do any work in the sanctuary on Shabbat. The Israelites gather gifts for God, gathering so many that they are restrained from searching for more. Moses says that Ohaliab and Bezalel, who are filled with the spirit of God, should take the gifts of the Israelites and build God’s Sanctuary.

FULL SUMMARY
HAFTARAH SUMMARY

Engaging the Heart

Each one of us is a craftsman, building our destiny.

More on this Torah Portion

Living Up to Our Names

God names Bezalel, giving him inspiration to lead.

The Nature of the Cosmos

Why should we care so much about the details of the Tabernacle?

Six Days Shall You Work

Shabbat is important, yet our behavior during the other six days is no less a part of religious life.

Ecology & Shabbat

Shabbat gives us an opportunity to stop trying to control the world.

We Have Only Our Hearts

It is easy to feel disconnected from those who are most unlike us.

Initiative and Self-Sufficiency

God met the Israelites' need to relate to God on their own terms — we must do the same.

Sacred Relationships

The mirrors used to create the basin in the Tabernacle teach us that sanctified sexuality means seeing ourselves in relation to others.

Clothes Are The Message

The clothing of our religious leaders communicates our perceptions of our relationships to God and each other.

On Matters Of The Heart

The image of Israelites, whose hearts moved them, donating gifts to the Tabernacle, inspires us to consider the meaning of having a heart that is moved.

Table For Two

Our tables, symbolic altars, become tools in our quest for sacredness when we share them with the poor and marginalized.

Spirituality Never Stops

The connections between building the Tabernacle and Yom Kippur reminds us that all aspects of our spirituality are connected.

And The Loveliest Of All Was The Unicorn

The many interpretations of the tachash remind us to look beyond surface appearances for spiritual intensity.

The Power of We

Everyone's contribution, and occasionally sacrifice, is necessary.

The Value of Rest

Vayakhel: A resource for parents.

Haftarah for Vayakhel

Details of the Temple's construction.

Parashat Vayakhel Quiz

Learn more about the weekly Torah portion.

Parashat Vayakhel: Summary

The Israelites bring so many materials for the construction of the Tabernacle that Moses tells them to stop; Bezalel and Oholiab, gifted craftspeople, construct the elements of the Tabernacle.