Parashat Vayakhel-Pekudei

The Israelites bring so many materials for the construction of the Tabernacle that Moses tells them to stop; Bezalel and Oholiab, gifted craftspeople, construct the elements of the Tabernacle.

Our tables, symbolic altars, become tools in our quest for sacredness when we share them with the poor and marginalized.

The connections between building the Tabernacle and Yom Kippur reminds us that all aspects of our spirituality are connected.

Holiness is not limited to one sphere.

The many interpretations of the tachash remind us to look beyond surface appearances for spiritual intensity.