Bar’chu
et YHVH ha-m’vorach, Baruch YHVH ha-m’vorach l’O’lam va-ed!
Baruch
ata YHVH Eloheinu melech ha-olam asher bachar banu m’kol ha-amim, v’na-tan lanu
eht Torah-to. Baruch atah YHVH, noteyn ha-Torah. Ameyn.”
(Bless YHVH the blessed One; Blessed is YHVH, the
blessed One for all eternity. Blessed are you, YHVH, our Elohim, King of the
Universe, you have selected us from among all the peoples, and have given us
your Torah.)
This is the last part of the last parashah (portion)
for the book of Shemot we call Exodus – Pekudei.
It is possibly more significant than we realize that
this final portion is dedicated to the priestly garments and the various
components of the Tabernacle that are directly part of the priestly environment
and function. The priests were called by YHVH and not man. The priests were
called to bring all those whom YHVH had called and chosen to full maturity and
thus bring restoration to those Jews and
gentiles who flee from mixture and idolatry and survive YHVH’s end time
judgment.
In this final Torah portion the refrain “ all YHVH commanded they did”
(or something similar) is repeated some 18 times. Perhaps never before, and
never again until Yahshua returns, would the nation as a whole function in such
an obedient way.
Exo 39:1 And of
the blue and purple and scarlet material they made woven garments, to do
service in the set-apart place. And they made the set-apart garments which were
for Aharon, as יהוה had commanded Mosheh.
Exo
39:2 And he made the shoulder garment of
gold, of blue and purple and scarlet material, and of fine woven linen.
Exo
39:3 And they beat out sheets of gold
and cut it into threads, to work it in with the blue and purple and scarlet material,
and the fine linen, the work of a skilled workman.
Exo
39:4 They made shoulder pieces for it to
join it, it was joined at its two edges.
Exo
39:5 And the embroidered band of his
shoulder garment that was on it was of the same work of gold, and blue and
purple and scarlet material, and of fine woven linen, as יהוה had commanded Mosheh.
Exo
39:6 And they made the shoham stones,
set in plated work of gold, engraved as signets are engraved, according to the
names of the sons of Yisra’ĕl.
Exo
39:7 And he put them on the shoulders of
the shoulder garment, stones of remembrance for the sons of Yisra’ĕl, as יהוה had commanded Mosheh.
Exo
39:8 And he made the breastplate, a work
of a skilled workman, like the work of the shoulder garment, of gold, of blue
and purple and scarlet material, and of fine woven linen.
Exo
39:9 It was square, they made the
breastplate double, its length a span, its width a span, doubled.
Exo
39:10 And they filled it with four rows
of stones: a row of ruby, a topaz, and an emerald was the first row;
Exo
39:11 and the second row a turquoise, a
sapphire, and a diamond;
Exo
39:12 and the third row a jacinth, an
agate, and an amethyst;
Exo
39:13 and the fourth row a beryl, a
shoham, and a jasper – set in plated work of gold in their settings.
Exo
39:14 And the stones were according to
the names of the sons of Yisra’ĕl, twelve according to their names, engraved
like a signet, each one with its own name according to the twelve tribes.
Exo
39:15 And they made braided chains of
corded work for the breastplate at the ends, of clean gold.
Exo
39:16 And they made two settings of gold
and two gold rings, and put the two rings on the two ends of the breastplate.
Exo
39:17 And they put the two cords of gold
in the two rings on the ends of the breastplate.
Exo
39:18 And the two ends of the two cords
they fastened in the two settings, and put them on the shoulder pieces of the
shoulder garment in the front.
Exo
39:19 And they made two rings of gold
and put them on the two ends of the breastplate, on the edge of it, which was
on the inward side of the shoulder garment.
Exo
39:20 And they made two gold rings and
put them on the two shoulder pieces, underneath the shoulder garment, on the
front of it, close to its seam above the embroidered band of the shoulder
garment.
Exo
39:21 And they bound the breastplate by
means of its rings to the rings of the shoulder garment with a blue cord, so
that it would be above the embroidered band of the shoulder garment, and that
the breastplate would not come loose from the shoulder garment, as יהוה had commanded Mosheh.
Exo
39:22 And he made the robe of the
shoulder garment of woven work, all of blue.
Exo
39:23 And the opening of the robe was in
the middle, like the opening in a scaled armour, with a woven binding all
around the opening, so that it would not tear.
Exo
39:24 And they made on the hem of the
robe pomegranates of blue and purple and scarlet material, twined.
Exo
39:25 And they made bells of clean gold,
and put the bells between the pomegranates on the hem of the robe all around
between the pomegranates:
Exo
39:26 a bell and a pomegranate, a bell
and a pomegranate, all around the hem of the robe, for the service, as יהוה had commanded Mosheh.
Exo
39:27 And they made the long shirt of
fine linen, the work of a weaver, for Aharon and his sons,
Exo
39:28 and a turban of fine linen, and
the turban ornaments of fine linen, and short trousers of fine woven linen,
Exo
39:29 and a girdle of fine woven linen
with blue and purple and scarlet material, the work of an embroiderer,
as יהוה had commanded Mosheh.
Exo
39:30 And they made the plate of the
set-apart sign of dedication of clean gold, and wrote on it an inscription like
the engraving of a signet: SET-APARTNESS TO יהוה.
Exo
39:31 And they put on it a blue cord, to
fasten it above on the turban, as יהוה had commanded Mosheh.
Exo
39:32 And all the work of the Dwelling
Place of the Tent of Meeting was completed. And the children of Yisra’ĕl did
according to all that יהוה had commanded Mosheh, so they did.
Exo
39:33 And they brought the Dwelling
Place to Mosheh, the tent and all its furnishings, its hooks, its boards, its
bars, and its columns, and its sockets,
Exo
39:34 and the covering of rams’ skins
dyed red, and the covering of fine leather, and the veil of the covering,
Exo
39:35 the ark of the Witness with its
poles, and the lid of atonement,
Exo
39:36 the table, and all its utensils,
and the showbread,
Exo
39:37 the clean lampstand with its
lamps, the lamps to be put in order, and all its utensils, and the oil for
light,
Exo
39:38 and the altar of gold, and the
anointing oil, and the sweet incense, and the covering for the Tent door,
Exo
39:39 the bronze altar and its bronze
grating, its poles, and all its utensils, the basin with its stand,
Exo
39:40 the screens of the courtyard, its
columns and its sockets, the covering for the courtyard gate, its cords, and
its pegs, and all the utensils for the service of the Dwelling Place, for the
Tent of Meeting,
Exo
39:41 the woven garments, to do service
in the set-apart place: the set-apart garments for Aharon the priest, and his
sons’ garments, to serve as priests.
Exo
39:42 According to all that יהוה had commanded Mosheh, so the children of
Yisra’ĕl did all the work.
Exo
39:43 And Mosheh looked over all the
work and saw they did it as יהוה had commanded, so they had done. And Mosheh blessed them.
Exo 40:1 And יהוה spoke to Mosheh, saying,
Exo
40:2 “On the first day of the first
month, you are to raise up the Dwelling Place of the Tent of Meeting,
Exo
40:3 and shall put in it the ark of the
Witness, and screen the ark with the veil.
Exo
40:4 “And you shall bring in the table
and arrange what belongs on it, and bring in the lampstand and light its lamps.
Exo
40:5 “And you shall set the altar of
gold for the incense before the ark of the Witness, and put up the covering of
the door to the Dwelling Place.