Parshah Summary – P’sha
An accounting (pekudei) is made of the gold, silver and copper donated by the people for the making of the Mishkan, the Sanctuary. Betzalel, Aholiav and their assistants make the eight priestly garments—the apron, breastplate, cloak, crown, hat, tunic, sash and breeches—according to the specifications communicated to Moses in Parshat Tetzaveh. The Mishkan is completed and all its components are brought to Moses, who assembles it, anoints it with the holy anointing oil, and initiates Aaron and his four sons into the priesthood. A cloud appears over the Mishkan, signifying the Divine Presence that has come to dwell within it…
Torah of Awakening | Jewish Meditation Teaching
אֵ֣לֶּה פְקוּדֵ֤י הַמִּשְׁכָּן֙ מִשְׁכַּ֣ן הָעֵדֻ֔ת אֲשֶׁ֥ר פֻּקַּ֖ד עַל־פִּ֣י מֹשֶׁ֑ה עֲבֹדַת֙ הַלְוִיִּ֔ם בְּיַד֙ אִֽיתָמָ֔ר בֶּֽן־אַהֲרֹ֖ן הַכֹּהֵֽן׃ These are the records of the Sanctuary, the Sanctuary of Witnessing, which were recorded according to mouth of Moses—the work of the Levites under the direction of Ithamar son of Aaron the priest. - Shemot (Exodus) 38:21, Parshat Pekudei
Rabbi Yitzhak of Vorki told this story: “Once when I was traveling with David Lelov, of blessed memory, we arrived in the little town of Elkish about an hour past midnight. Rabbi David did not want to wake anyone, so we went to Rabbi Berish the baker, who we found standing at his oven. When we entered, I saw his face cloud over because we had found him doing his mundane livelihood work rather than praying or learning Torah.
“‘Oh,’ said Rabbi David, ‘If only Hashem let me earn my living by the work of my hands! The truth of the matter is that everyone in Israel has an inner urge of which they themselves are barely aware: what they want is to work for their fellow human beings. Everyone who plies a trade – the cobbler, the tailor, or the baker – takes money in return for their work only that they may live and continue working for their fellow humans.’ While Rabbi David was speaking, I saw the baker’s face clear and grow brighter and brighter.” There is an instinct of self-interest, a drive which compels us to earn a living and enjoy the fruits of our labors. We might call this instinct the drive of self-preservation or self-enhancement. In the language of Judaism it is known as the yetzer hara, the “evil inclination.” וּמֵעֵ֗ץ הַדַּ֙עַת֙ ט֣וֹב וָרָ֔ע לֹ֥א תֹאכַ֖ל מִמֶּ֑נּוּ… And from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Bad, you must not eat of it… - Bereisheet (Genesis) 2:17 This “bad” yetzer becomes part of our makeup in our origin story – a result of “eating” from the “fruit” of duality – that is, the ability to comprehend the duality of time – of working to move from our present state of perceived lack to a future state in which we may “eat” from the “fruits” of our labors. But the other side of the equation, also awakened in our legend of origin, is the yetzer tov – the “good inclination.” This is the inner urge to which Rabbi David refers: the urge to be of service, to make a positive difference, to contribute. Both drives are essential; the yetzer hara is not really ra, not really a bad thing – it is necessary to insure that we take our next breath; it is the drive of survival. But the yetzer tov is what gives us a sense of purpose; it gives meaning to our survival. Thus, the yetzer hara is only ra when it separates from the yetzer tov and operates for its own sake, becoming ego – that dark self-sense emerging from our identification with the yetzer hara. But when it works together with the yetzer tov, then the mundane work of earning a living can become holy service; the actions of the body in time can become service of the Eternal. This yetzer tov, this impulse toward sacred service, toward meaning, toward serving our fellow beings, is not mysterious or inaccessible, though it can be easily eclipsed by its more obvious counterpart. The aim of spirituality is to overcome this tendency of the sacred to be concealed beneath the ego and reveal the sacred in the mundane. אֵ֣לֶּה פְקוּדֵ֤י הַמִּשְׁכָּן֙ – These are the remembrances of the Sanctuary… That is, remember to make your “self” into a Sanctuary. How do we do that? מִשְׁכַּ֣ן הָעֵדֻ֔ת – The Sanctuary of Witnessing… The moment we become witness to what is happening, simply seeing without judgment or resistance, our inner space becomes a Sanctuary of Presence; this is meditation. וְאִתּ֗וֹ אׇהֳלִיאָ֞ב בֶּן־אֲחִיסָמָ֛ךְ לְמַטֵּה־דָ֖ן חָרָ֣שׁ וְחֹשֵׁ֑ב וְרֹקֵ֗ם – and with him was Oholiab son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan, a carver, a weaver, and an embroiderer… חָרָ֣שׁ – a carver… To become a Mishkan HaEidut, a Sanctuary of Witnessing, we must first let our inner space be “carved” by the content of this moment. What do you see? What do you hear? What do you feel? Don’t resist, let your inner space take the form of this moment, however it arises; this is the Path of מ Mem, of “merging.” חֹשֵׁ֑ב – a weaver… Then, let the fullness of everything in this moment be “woven” into a whole within the space of your awareness. Don’t tear the moment apart with judgments and resistance – it is already one whole tapestry, when you allow it to be as it is; this is the Path of י Yud, of “trusting.” Together, מ mem and י yud are מי mi – “who” – that is, the question we must pose to ourselves: who are we really, beneath this ego, beneath this obvious drive toward self-preservation? Mi? This brings us to… רֹקֵ֗ם – an embroiderer – From this state of Presence, we can live our purpose – serving the moment, “embroidering” the sacred into our thoughts, words and actions. This is the Path of ה Hei, of sacred “self-expression.” And when we are in the flow of our sacred purpose, the ego loses its seductive power… וְלֹא־יָכֹ֣ל מֹשֶׁ֗ה לָבוֹא֙ אֶל־אֹ֣הֶל מוֹעֵ֔ד כִּֽי־שָׁכַ֥ן עָלָ֖יו הֶעָנָ֑ן וּכְב֣וֹד יְהֹוָ֔ה מָלֵ֖א אֶת־הַמִּשְׁכָּֽן׃ Moses could not enter the Tent of Meeting, because the cloud dwelled upon it and the Divine Presence filled the Sanctuary… .” - 40:35 When your Presence completely fills this moment, there is no more room for that separate “me” of ego – there is just Presence, in alignment with and in service of Reality as it is unfolding now. This is the most basic and first mitzvah; it is the original “fruitfulness” of creativity, mentioned before the “fruit” of the ego, the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. וַיְבָ֣רֶךְ אֹתָם֮ אֱלֹהִים֒ וַיֹּ֨אמֶר לָהֶ֜ם אֱלֹהִ֗ים פְּר֥וּ וּרְב֛וּ וּמִלְא֥וּ אֶת־הָאָ֖רֶץ וְכִבְשֻׁ֑הָ God blessed them and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, fill the earth and master/subdue it… - Bereisheet (Genesis) 1:28 פְּר֥וּ וּרְב֛וּ – Be fruitful and multiply… That is, be creative and express yourself, and to do that you must: וּמִלְא֥וּ אֶת־הָאָ֖רֶץ – fill the earth… That is, let your awareness “fill” the moment; don’t hold back or shrink away – alignment with Reality is the fertility of creativity. וְכִבְשֻׁ֑הָ – and master/subdue it… In some contexts, the root כבש kaf-bet-shin can have a militaristic connotation of ruling/subduing and even oppressing, but it can also mean “fermentation” – a כֶּבֶשׁ kevesh is a pickle! In other words, it is taking something that arises naturally in Reality, a cucumber for example, and acting upon it to create something new and delicious. This is the creative act – working with the gifts of creation to become co-creators, to become carvers, weavers, and embroiderers, to become cobblers, tailors, and bakers; this is the expression of purpose, work as sacred service; the Path of ה Hei.
Read past teachings on Pekudei HERE
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