Torah · Weekly Parasha VideoParashat VayakhelRabbi Uri Nahum · June 19, 2017 · Vayakhel · ויקהל · 15 Min Parasha RoundupSave⌄ShareParasha class with Rabbi Uri Nahum, from BSD Productions’ 15 Min Parasha Roundup.Transcript0:06Parashat Vayakhel. This week's parashah has 122 pesukim.0:09Usually this parashah is read together with0:14Parashat Pekudei, except when it's a leap year, and then we don't read this parashah together;0:17we read them separately.0:19And this is the first double parashah of the year0:23that we read from the Torah.0:24The parashah speaks about the production of the0:27Mishkan. We divided the parashah into two topics.0:30The first part of the0:32parashah, Moshe makes a meeting with the Jewish people,0:35and the second part of the parashah Torah tells us about the production of the0:39Mishkan by the Jewish people.0:41There's only one mitzvah in this week's0:45parashah, right in the beginning of the Torah:0:46Lo teva'aru esh0:48b'yom HaShabbat, which the Chachamim explain that's the mitzvah0:50that a Beit Din should not execute on Shabbat.0:56Let's get to the parashah, בעזרת השם, in depth.0:59We said that the first part of the1:01parashah is Moshe's meeting with the Jewish people.1:03Moshe gathers all the Jewish people,1:05as the first word of the parashah says, Vayakhel.1:07He gathers all the Jewish people,1:08and he begins with the commandment of Shabbat.1:11And the Chachamim explain that the commandment is placed here1:13in order to teach us1:15that we may not perform any of the work1:20that's needed for the construction of the Beit HaMikdash1:22or the Mishkan on Shabbat.1:25And Moshe tells them about what we need,1:28the material that's needed in order to build the Mikdash,1:31and these are the 13 materials1:32that Rashi brings down in Parashat1:34Terumah. We're going to go through them very, very quickly,1:36and they are as follows:1:37gold, silver, copper,1:39three types of wool, linen, goat hair,1:43rams' hides of the rams,1:44hides from tachashim, wood, pure olive oil,1:48spices which were to be used for the ketoret1:50and the1:51shemen hamishchah, and then the special stones called the avnei shoham1:54for the1:55ephod and the avnei miluim for the1:57choshen. After Moshe lists what's done,1:59what needs to be brought,2:01Moshe now tells them what utensils2:04or what needs to be built.2:05And Moshe goes through all,2:07lists through all the keilim of the Mishkan,2:09as we're going to list soon,2:11and he also speaks about—2:13List all the clothing of the Kohen2:16Gadol, and the Jewish people respond.2:19How did the Jewish people respond?2:20It says that everybody brought their donations,2:23because keep in mind2:24this happened a day after Yom Kippur,2:27after Moshe was told by Hashem2:28that Hashem has forgave them.2:30Moshe now informs the Jewish people2:31that their tikkun for2:33chet ha'egel is by bringing their donations for the sake of the Mishkan.2:37Men and women, everybody brings their jewelry,2:39where the point of the Torah tells us2:41that the women were outdone by the men.2:44Men brought more than even the women have brought.2:46The women spun the hair on top of the goats themselves2:51in order to make the strings for the goats,2:54as we'll talk about later on.2:55The nesi'im, the leaders of each tribe,2:58brought the special stones called the avnei shoham,3:01which were delivered to them from the ananei hakavod, from the clouds of glory.3:04And so much was brought to the point3:06that they had to make an announcement,3:08Please stop bringing.3:10We don't need any more material.3:12And then Moshe afterwards appoints the supervisors3:15who are going to oversee the3:17melachah in front of all the Jewish people.3:18And who was it?3:20It was Bezalel ben Uri ben Hur,3:21the grandson of Hur.3:23Bezalel was to oversee everything,3:25and his assistant was3:29Aholiav ben Achisamach from the tribe of Dan.3:30He was his right-hand man.3:31And whoever wanted to work in the Beit HaMikdash,3:34the condition to work for the Mishkan was3:38kol chacham3:39lev, has to be a wise-hearted person,3:41as the mefarshim explain why that term was used.3:44We get to the second part of the parashah now,3:47the actual production of the Mishkan.3:48You should know3:50that much, or not much,3:52almost every detail from here3:53until the end of the parashah3:55is already discussed in full detail in Parashat3:58Terumah. We already spoke about it.3:59But since the Torah repeats it,4:01so therefore we're also going to repeat4:02the details that we discussed in Parashat4:04Terumah. And what we'll also do is4:06we'll try to— Emphasize a little bit more4:09where we cut short in the Parashat4:12Terumah. Obviously, we had to cut short in the details4:15when talking about the Mishkan,4:16since we're doing it in 15 minutes.4:17Here,4:18be'ezrat Hashem, we'll try to emphasize4:20a little bit more of what we missed over there4:22and cut short of what we spoke about over there.4:25So, first point we have to know is that4:27in Parashat4:28Terumah, where the Torah talks about the kelim in the Mishkan,4:30first it talks about the4:32kelim, like the4:33Aron, Menorah, and then talks about the actual building of the Mishkan.4:36Here it's the opposite.4:37Where the Torah talks about the production of the Mishkan,4:39Torah first tells us about the actual building4:42and then about the kelim afterwards.4:44And we'll begin with the actual building4:46called the Ohel4:48Moed. The Ohel Moed was the main structure,4:51the main building of the Mishkan.4:53This was actually what the Mishkan is all about.4:56The Torah begins talking about the4:57yeri'ot, the covers of the Mishkan,4:58which made up the roof5:00and covered also the walls of the Mishkan.5:02And then it talks about the kerashim,5:04the planks of the Mishkan,5:05and then it talks about the kelim inside the5:08Mishkan. We'll begin with the covers.5:09There were four covers that were used5:11to cover the Mishkan,5:13and the first type of cover was called5:16yeri'ot, regular cloth covering.5:18The second type was called yeri'ot azim,5:21goat hair coverings made out of goat hair.5:23The third and fourth covering,5:26according to Rabbi5:28Nechemiah, the third one was called orot elim5:31me'odamim, the coverings made out of the hides of rams,5:33which were dyed red,5:35and the last one was called orot5:38techashim. We'll speak about them very quickly.5:40The cloth covering was the first layer of covering,5:45which means if you were standing inside the Mishkan,5:47that's what you would see first from the inside.5:49That was made of four types of fabric:5:52linen and three colors of wool,5:55red, turquoise blue, and purple.5:57The size of all of this covering,6:00completely all the sizes, were6:0428 by 40 amot, equaling 44 feet by 63 feet, about.6:08These numbers are just rounded off.6:12There were to be6:13placed—actually, there were to be sewn in ten different coverings6:18that were five and five were sewn together,6:21and then each of the five coverings6:24were to be connected together with6:30karsei zahav. Karsei zahav means golden hooks,6:31and these golden hooks were placed at the edge of the covering,6:35and at the edge of the covering they placed6:37these loops made out of6:39techelet, which is turquoise blue.6:40Now we move on to the second covering,6:42which went over the6:44yeri'ot, the regular cloth covering.6:46That's called the6:47yeri'ot izim. The second covering was6:49yeri'ot izim, was made out of goat hair,6:50and the total size was 30 amot by 446:55amot, which is in feet6:56will be 47 feet and 3 inches about6:58by 69 feet and around 4 inches.7:02These covers actually were made of7:0411 different separate curtains,7:08which consisted of 30 long and 4 amot wide.7:13Five were sewn together,7:14and another six were sewn together,7:16just like the cloth covers.7:17And then these five and six were connected together7:20in the same way7:21that the first cover was connected together,7:25which is what?7:25At the edge of the cloth coverings, they had loops.7:30Same thing in7:31yeri'ot izim. At the edge of the goat hair coverings,7:32they also had loops made out of7:35techelet, but they were connected together with7:37hooks that were made out of copper.7:39That's the difference between the second covering7:41and the first covering.7:41This one was made out of copper.7:43The next two coverings were only coverings for the roof.7:46They didn't go over the walls of the Mishkan,7:48and they were called orot7:50eilim me'odamim, made from the hides of rams.7:53This was 30 amot by 10 amot wide,7:5647 feet and 3 inches by 15 feet and 9 inches,7:59and—8:00The orot hachashim, which is a special animal, which was 30 amot long by 10 amot wide.8:06These are the coverings. We get now to the planks, to the8:10kerashim. The kerashim made up the walls of the Ohel Moed, and they ran along the northern side,8:16the southern side, and the western side of the Mishkan.8:20And there were 48 planks in total,8:2320 planks on each side, on the longer side, which is on the northern side and the southern8:28side,8:29and by the western side there were 8 planks.8:31They were made out of wood and covered with gold.8:34The size of each plank, of each keresh, was 10 amot tall, one and a half amot wide, and one foot deep.8:45I'm not going to go through the measurements today in feet because we're running out8:49of time.8:50They also had two rings, one on top and one on the bottom,8:53and besides that there was another ring on top of two kerashim connecting them together.9:01The rings, which were on the top and the bottom, had a golden tube, holding onto a9:08golden tube,9:09and these tubes connected to the other kerashim, were right next, aligned next to the other kerashim, so9:14it looked like the bars, the wooden bars which went into the tubes, looked9:19like they had a golden tube on the9:22kerashim. The kerashim stood on something called adnei kesef.9:28Adnei kesef were silver sockets.9:29Each plank had two silver sockets on the bottom,9:32and on the bottom of the wooden plank they had like these kind of teeth coming out.9:37They were called tenons.9:38They would come out and they would fit very perfectly in these silver sockets on the bottom,9:44and that's what held them together.9:45Besides that, there was an additional bar that went through the center of the9:50planks, and that ran all the way from all the sides.9:53In fact, the Targum Yonatan says it was miraculous, it was like a snake.9:56It ran through the center. They put it in from one side and ran all the way to the10:01north, went to the west, and back down to the south.10:05Inside the Mishkan, there was a divider made out of cloth material, and that was called10:10the parochet.10:11Its size was 10 amot high, 10 amot wide. And was made in order to divide between the10:19Kodesh and the Kodesh10:21Kodashim. There was another covering, and that was used as the door, and that was called the10:26masach, and that was made by the front of the Mishkan.10:28Now that we spoke about the structure, let's speak about the kelim, the furniture or the10:33utensils that were inside the Mishkan.10:35Utensils that were inside the Mishkan were five.10:39One was the aron.10:41The aron was basically three boxes, a gold box, and inside of it was a wooden box, and10:47inside of that wooden box was another gold box. And on top of that, they had a10:53cover called the kaporet.10:55The kaporet had etched from it two images, one of a baby boy and a baby girl with wings,11:04and those were called11:06keruvim. This was how the aron looked, and also had a golden crown coming just above the kaporet.11:14The aron also had rings and had bars going through these rings that were not allowed11:19to be moved.11:19That's the structure. That's the shape of the aron.11:22Its size was two and a half amot long by one and a half amah wide and one and a half11:28amah tall.11:30Next, if you come out of the Kodesh Kodashim, you would see in the Mishkan, you would see11:35a shulchan on the northern side, and on the southern side you'd see a menorah.11:40Let's begin talking about the11:42shulchan. The shulchan basically looked like a regular table made out of wood covered with gold.11:47Its height was one and a half amah, which is about two feet and four inches, and it was11:52one amah wide by two amot long.11:57Also, they had something called the misgeret.11:59The misgeret was basically a frame on the table, and then they had a crown coming out12:03from the table.12:04On top of that, you put the bread, and besides that, you also had something coming up from12:10the bottom, started from the bottom, going all the way up above the table. And that was12:15called the12:17menakkiyot. The menakkiyot were these pillars that went all the way from the floor all the way up12:21in order to hold up the bread.12:23The menakkiyot had these bars which were there to make the shelving for the12:30lechem hapanim. They had kesot.12:32These are the tubes which were placed holding out the menakkiyot in order to hold up the12:37bread known as the12:39lechem hapanim. We move on to the12:40menorah. The menorah was eighteen tefachim tall, which is about four feet nine inches, by twelve tefachim wide,12:48which is about three feet two inches.12:49It had seven branches, three coming out from the right, three from the left, and of12:53course the center branch. And they had decorated cups, and they had knobs and flowers and all the details12:59you find in13:02Parashat Terumah. You move back a little bit more in the Mishkan, you'll see a small little box. Basically, that13:07was the13:08mizbeach hazahav. It was made out of wood covered with gold.13:11This mizbeach hazahav, the dimensions were one amah long by one amah wide, was perfectly13:16square, and it was two amot tall. That's about three feet, two inches. And it had on top of13:23it, part of the height of it, it had four kerenot, four horns at the edges, and it had13:29also a golden crown around it with two rings also by the edges, by the corners of the13:36mizbeach, which were there in order to put the poles when they needed to carry it.13:40We step out of the Mishkan, which is this ohel moed, and we go outside to the13:47courtyard of the Mishkan.13:48The courtyard of the Mishkan had another utensil over there called the13:52mizbach hanechoshet. The mizbach hanechoshet was the copper altar.13:55This was where they brought all the korbanot on. It was made out of wood but covered with13:59copper.13:59It was five amot long by five amot wide, and it had a height of ten14:04amot. It also had a ramp in order that the kohen should be able to ascend it to go up on top14:08of it.14:09This mizbeach was actually hollow, and whenever they camped, the Jewish people camped, they had to fill it14:14up with dirt. And also, just like the inside mizbeach, this one also had four kerenot at14:19the edges, and also had rings on the edges of the mizbeach in order to be used to carry14:27when they traveled. Plus, this mizbeach had another thing, was that wrapped all around it,14:32that was called the michbar. It was like a netting that was all around it, also made14:36out of copper.14:38Between the mizbeach and the Mishkan, the Torah tells us there was something else called the14:43kiyor. That was a water basin mentioned in Parashat Ki Tisa, which was used to hold the14:48water so the kohanim could wash their hands and feet before they begin the avodah. It was made14:52out of the copper that the Jewish women had in Mitzrayim, which they used for mirrors.14:57We now step out into the courtyard of the Mishkan, and the courtyard of the Mishkan...15:03What surrounded what made the courtyard of the Mishkan was the kelaim. These15:08kelaim was basically curtains made out of linen, but not sewn together. They're not woven; they15:14were braided together to allow the air that they shouldn't be knocked. And these kelaim were15:18held together by columns that stood around, and there were twenty columns on the longest side15:25of the Mishkan, the longest side of the Mishkan being the north and the south. These twenty columns15:31stood five amot apart from each other, and they were made out of wood covered with copper,15:39and they had a silver hook on top of it, plus they had a silver string that ran across around it,15:46and plus on top of it was also covered with silver. These columns were made to hold up15:52these kelaim, this curtain that ran all the way around the chatzer of the Mishkan,15:58the courtyard of the Mishkan, and—16:00On the eastern side of the Mishkan, which is the entrance to the chatzer, really,16:06there over there was a special door that was made out of special material that was not just linen.16:13It was actually made out of linen, turquoise, red, and purple wool.16:18That stood right in the front by the eastern side of the Mishkan.16:22The size of the courtyard of the Mishkan that the Torah tells us was a hundred amah long,16:29which means from east to west, and was by fifty amah wide, which ran from north to south.16:35And that is the parashah in short.16:38Of course, more details can be found in Parashat Terumah,16:42and the Torah repeats it again to show us the great love that HaKadosh Baruch Hu has for the Mishkan,16:48something that you love, you talk about it a lot.16:50As the pasuk says in Mishlei,16:53Ish lefi mahalalo, and Rabbeinu Yonah explains that you want to know who the person is, see what he speaks about the most.16:59See how much the Torah speaks about the building of the Mishkan.17:02It's to teach us that Hashem has a great yearning and great love17:06that He should have a home amongst the Jewish people,17:09as the Torah tells us, Parashat Terumah,17:16Ve'asu li Mishkan, ve'asu li Mikdash, ve'shachanti betocham, we should be zocheh to see the building of the Mikdash and the Shechinah living with us very, very soon.17:21Amen,17:48ken yehi ratzon. Shabbat shalom.