Pekudei

[3] 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.

[6] 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.

[10] In the seventh reading, Moses finished the work, and the cloud covered the Tent of Meeting, and God's Presence filled the Tabernacle.

[14] The parashah has parallels or is discussed in these Biblical sources:[15] This is the pattern of instruction and construction of the Tabernacle and its furnishings: 2 Chronicles 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.

[28] 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.

[29] Martin Buber and others noted that the language used to describe the building of the Tabernacle parallels that used in the story of creation:[30] make וַיַּעַשׂ‎ וְעָשׂוּ‎ וְעָשִׂיתָ‎ וַיְכֻלּוּ‎ וַיְכַל‎ וַתֵּכֶל‎ וַיַּרְא ... וְהִנֵּה‎ וַיְבָרֶךְ‎ The parashah has parallels or is discussed in these early nonrabbinic sources:[31] Josephus taught that when the Israelites brought together the materials with great diligence, Moses set architects over the works by the command of God.

[32] The parashah is discussed in these rabbinic sources from the era of the Mishnah and the Talmud:[33] The Midrash Tanḥuma taught that God considers studying the sanctuary's structure as equivalent to rebuilding it.

[34] 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."

But the Rabbis taught, "One must not appoint fewer than two people to control the finances of a city or community,"[35] and the Midrash asked whether Moses was not solely in charge.

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.

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.

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.'"

And then Bezalel came and healed the wound (and the construction of the Tabernacle made atonement for the sins of the people in making the Golden Calf).

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.'"

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.

He thus deduced from the usage in Exodus 39:3 that Genesis 1:6 taught that on the second day of creation, God spread the heavens flat like a cloth.

[50] Or Rabbi Judah ben Simon deduced from Exodus 39:3 that Genesis 1:6 meant "let a lining be made for the firmament.

The Midrash taught that Jacob did not ask simply for food and garments, but that God would promise to be with him and build up the world from him.

The Midrash clarified that Moses did not set it up by himself, for miracles were performed with it, and it rose of its own accord, for Exodus 40:17 says (using the passive voice), "The Tabernacle was reared up."

So God told Moses to begin working with his hands and make a show of setting it up, and the Tabernacle would stand up on its own.

"[71] The Mishnah taught that any sacrifice performed by a priest who had not washed his hands and feet at the laver (described in Exodus 40:30–32) was invalid.

All the Israelites saw it as one flame of fire and began to weep in sorrow, feeling that they had labored (building the Tabernacle) for nothing, as all their work appeared to have been burnt up in a moment.

[80] The parashah is discussed in these modern sources: Exodus 38:24 reports that Bezalel and Oholiab used roughly a ton of gold in making the Tabernacle.

[82] This table translates units of weight used in the Bible:[83] Noting the juxtaposition of the two terms "Tabernacle" (מִשְׁכַּן‎, Mishkan) and "Tent of Meeting" (אֹהֶל מוֹעֵד‎, Ohel Mo’ed) in Exodus 39:32, 40; 40:2, 6, 29; Umberto Cassuto wrote that the two synonymous expressions stand in juxtaposition to stress the formal solemnity of the statement of the formal ending of the account of the Tabernacle's construction.

[84] Nahum Sarna wrote that the combination of the two distinct terms for the sanctuary together expresses its dual function as the symbol of the indwelling of the Divine Presence in the camp of Israel and as the site of communication between God and Moses.

Plaut reported that the school of Julius Wellhausen considered the "Tent" tradition the older and the "Tabernacle" passages as retrojections of the Priestly source and therefore as largely unhistorical.

[88] Everett Fox noted that “glory” (כְּבוֹד‎, kevod) and “stubbornness” (כָּבֵד לֵב‎, kaved lev) are leading words throughout the book of Exodus that give it a sense of unity.

[90] A Midrash taught that on the day that Moses completed construction of the Tabernacle (as reported in Exodus 40:33), he composed Psalm 91, which Jews read in the Pesukei D'Zimrah section of the morning Shacharit prayer service.