פרשת פקודי

Parshas Pekudei chronicles the final phases in the construction and preparation of the Tabernacle, culminating with its assembly on Rosh Chodesh Nissan. The lessons of this parshah serve as a blueprint for a chassan and kallah as they embark on a similar journey — for Biblical and Midrashic literature view a Jewish household as a Tabernacle of one’s own, a miniature of the sanctuary that the Jews built in the wilderness.

A cursory review of the parshah reveals an oddity. The Torah states at the start of the parshah that Betzalel “did everything that the L-rd had commanded Moshe” (Shemos 38:22). A few verses later, the Torah states that he made “the holy garments that were for Aharon, as the L-rd had commanded Moshe” (39:1). Next the Torah describes each piece of clothing that was tailored for the priesthood, stating at the conclusion of each that it was made to specification, “as the L-rd had commanded each that it was made to specification, “as the L-rd had commanded Moshe.” The Torah concludes this chapter with the declaration that “The children of Israel did all of the work just as the L-rd had commanded Moshe” (39:42).

This phrase continues to appear in the next chapter as Moshe erected the Tabernacle and placed all of its utensils inside. He brought in the Holy Ark “as the L-rd had commanded Moshe” (40:21); he set the shewbread on its special table “as the L-rd had commanded Moshe” (40:23); he lit the lamps of the Menorah “as the L-rd had commanded Moshe” (40:25). And so on throughout the chapter.

The Torah obviously goes to great lengths to impress upon its reader that every movement in the construction of the Tabernacle was done “as the L-rd had commanded Moshe,” Would anyone have thought otherwise? Why the need to spell this out over and over?

The Beis Haleivi justifies this tedious redundancy with reference to a Midrash, which defines the purpose of the Tabernacle as Teshuva for the Jews’ sin of worshiping the Golden Calf. The people of Israel, he points out, were well intentioned in building the Golden Calf; their goal was to continue some form of Divine service while Moshe tarried in the skies. Their tragic flaw, however, was in thinking they could appeal to their own judgement, to reason and arrive at an appropriate means of religious worship. They failed to recognize that a common sense approach to religious service is insufficient. Only a mandate from G-d, only a Divine imperative, can render a particular ritual meaningful and worthy.

The construction of the Tabernacle was a reversal for the disappointment of this error. In building the Tabernacle, the Jewish people showed their means toward worshipping G-d purely, in a manner mandated by Him, rather than in a way they saw fit. Thus, every detail, no matter how obvious or logical, was contingent upon G-d’s approval and every step was executed only after careful determination that this was the exact way it was to be done “as the L-rd had commanded Moshe.” The repetition of this phrase throughout the parshah emphasizes the Jews complete submission to G-d’s will and their unwillingness to rely on their own human judgement.

This concept extends to the sanctuary that is the Jewish home. A jewish home requires vigilance in holding G-d’s word — as opposed to personal conclusions — paramount.

The Torah warns us in this week’s parshah to be very careful and not let our rationale and logic dictate what should take preference in terms of how we serve Hashem. We have to serve Hashem the way He wants us to, following the Mitzvot. Once a person allows their mind to run wild, what emerges are movements like Reform and Conservative, which thought they knew better. Today, they are almost completely wiped out, with a 90% assimilation rate. We learn in this week’s parshah, in the dialogue and what happens with Moshe and Betzalel, that one must adhere very carefully to the dictates of the Mitzvot as commanded by Hashem. Only by doing so can we build a fantastic Jewish home.