Shabbat Parah; Vayak'heil/P'kudei

Exodus 35:1–40:38

By Dr. Benjamin Sommer, Professor of Bible, JTS

For more than a month during this time of year, we read about the mishkan, the Tabernacle, also called the ohel mo'ed, or Tent of Meeting. Parashiyot T'rumah and T'tzavveh, which we read the past two weeks, contain what amount to blueprints in prose format. These readings describe exactly how the Children of Israel in the wilderness of Sinai should construct the mishkan. In the two parashiyot we will read a week from now, Va-yak•hel and P'kudei, we read almost the exact same material, this time phrased in the past tense rather than the imperative. We might describe Va-yak•hel and P'kudei as architectural implementation reports: they verify that all the instructions found in the blueprints have been fully and correctly carried out.

But in this week's parashah, Ki Tissa, this long section on the Tabernacle is interrupted. The mishkan seems to be forgotten as we read about the Golden Calf, a fight between supporters of Moses and opponents, discussions of whether God will accompany the Israelites through the desert, the revelation of God's attributes, and laws concerning worship and holidays. Tucked away in the middle of the parashah (in Exodus 33.7–11), however, is a brief description of an ohel mo'ed or "Tent of Meeting." This is one of the terms used to describe the Tabernacle in the other parashiyot in Exodus, but this Tent of Meeting differs greatly from the one we read about last week. Let me draw out some of the contrasts.

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