Pekudei –
Summary: “Pekudei,” means “Accountings of”. This is what the Parsha deals with: an accounting is made of the gold, silver and copper donated by the people for the making of the Mishkan. Betzalel, Oholiav and their assistants make the eight priestly garments—the apron, breastplate, cloak, crown, hat, tunic, sash and breeches—according to the specifications communicated to Moshe before, in Tetzaveh.
The Mishkan is completed and all its components are brought to Moshe, who make it stand and anoints it with the anointing oil, markign that every single piece is now holy. Moshe initiates Aharon and his four sons into the priesthood. A cloud appears over the Mishkan, signifying the Divine Presence that has come to dwell within it.
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In a small village, far from the great centers of Torah learning of Poland, lived a simple Jew named Shmuel. He was neither a scholar nor a wealthy man—just a carpenter, he made his living by building houses. His hands were rough from years of labor, and his back hurt from carrying wood. He never felt the center of anything, and always thought of himself as a background figure.
Shmuel often thought of the Mishkan, the holy sanctuary built in the wilderness. He loved listening to the Torah portions detailing the construction. He marveled at how each material—gold, silver, wood, wool—was carefully accounted for, and how every craftsman, from the most skilled to the simplest, had a role in its creation.
One day, news spread that the great Rebbe of Mezhibuzh, the Baal Shem Tov, was visiting a nearby town. Though the journey was long, Shmuel felt an irresistible pull to go. “Perhaps,” he thought, “I will hear a teaching that will lift my soul.”
Upon arriving, Shmuel found the Rebbe surrounded by scholars and wealthy patrons, all seeking his wisdom. Shmuel stood quietly at the back of the crowd, listening intently but feeling small. What could a simple carpenter like him contribute to such a gathering?
The Baal Shem Tov suddenly looked up, his piercing eyes scanning the crowd. “Tell me, my friends” he called out, “is there a carpenter among us?”
The people turned, surprised, when Shmuel hesitantly stepped forward. “I am a carpenter, Rebbe.”
The Baal Shem Tov smiled. “Tell me, beautiful soul, when you begin preparing boards for building a house, do you ever find a board that seems crooked or unfit for use?”
Shmuel nodded. “Yes, Rebbe. But I do not discard it right away. Sometimes, I find that it fits perfectly in a place I did not expect.”
The Rebbe’s face lit up. “Aha! And so it is with us. In the great structure of creation, some souls seem crooked, unworthy, or unimportant. But Hashem, the Master Builder, does not cast them away. Instead, God knows exactly where they belong.”
A hush fell over the crowd. The great scholars, the wealthy patrons—all of them suddenly understood that just as the Mishkan needed all the willing participants to be there, even those who seemed small and unnecessary, in the world too, very person has a place, even those who feel unworthy.
Tears welled in Shmuel’s eyes. He had always felt like an unnoticed worker in the background, but now he saw the truth: in Hashem’s divine accounting, no one is extra, no one is wasted. Every person, every effort, is counted.
As he left, his step was lighter, his heart full. He would return to his work with new strength, knowing that in the great building of Hashem’s world, his hands—and his soul—mattered.
That night, he had a dream: the Mishkan stood in front of him. But it was not the mishkan of the Torah text. An angel explained to him: “Shmuel, what you see is the spiritual reality of the Mishkan, the mishkan above. Every good deed, every pure thought, every time you hold back from speaking ill, every tear you shed in prayer — all these are pieces that come together in this Mishkan, the one that all the souls of the Jewish people help build, in this reality above. And Shmuel, there is one piece missing… and it is yours to place.”
From that time on, Shmuel never again saw himself as small. He understood that in Hashem’s divine accounting, every action of every person who yearns for for God’s presence is a fundamental piece in the spiritual reality of the Jewish people.
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Shacharit
~ When was the Mishkan completed? When is that this year?
~ What is Moshe’s reaction when all is said and done? Why, in your opinion? What does he do?
~ Can you find connections between the mishkan and the story of creation, back in genesis?