The Book of Shemot concludes with this Torah portion. After finishing all the different parts, vessels and garments used in the Mishkan, Moshe gives a complete accounting and enumeration of all the contributions and of the various clothing and vessels that had been fashioned. Bnei Yisrael bring everything to Moshe. He inspects the handiwork and notes that everything was made according to G-d’s specifications. Moshe blesses the people. G-d speaks to Moshe and tells him that the Mishkan should be set up on the first day of the first month, i.e., Nissan. He also tells Moshe the order of assembly for the Mishkan and its vessels. Moshe does everything in the prescribed manner. When the Mishkan is finally complete with every vessel in its place, a cloud descends upon it, indicating that G-d's glory was resting there. Whenever the cloud moved away from the Mishkan, Bnei Yisrael would follow it. At night the cloud was replaced by a pillar of fire.

PARSHA INSIGHTS

Giving Is the Beginning of Redemption

“These are the reckonings of the Tabernacle…” (38:21)

It’s axiomatic that when you love someone, you want to give to them. It’s less obvious that the reverse is also true; giving brings to love. Parents usually love their children more than the children love their parents. From the moment junior opens his considerable lungs, the parents, and more often, mommy is constantly giving. Giving milk, giving food, giving clothes, giving pocket money, spending hours on the phone with teachers, shadchanim… the list goes on. When you give, you love.

We are in the middle of a period of spiritual uplift in the Jewish calendar that leads from giving to redemption. A journey from the beginning of Adar to Pesach.

The first Shabbat in Adar we read Parshat Shekalim in shul. This commemorates the beginning of the annual donation by the whole of Yisrael of a half a shekel each to buy communal offerings in the Holy Temple. Giving brings to love, and “those who love Hashem, hate evil.” (Tehillim 97:10). Hatred of evil leads to the desire to destroy it. That’s the message of Parshat Zachor, where we fulfill the Torah mitzvah to remember how Amalek wanted to destroy us, and commit ourselves to obliterate his memory.

Amalek makes many appearances on the world stage. Wherever you find implacable and irrational Jew-hatred, you have found Amalek.

The desire to obliterate the evil of Amalek leads to his destruction – that’s Purim, where Haman and his sons and all his followers were destroyed.

When evil is removed from the world, what takes its place is a spirit of Tahara – purity. This we commemorate with the reading of Parshat Para, which deals with the process of ridding ourselves of spiritual impurity.

Purity results in renewal, and therefore we read in shul “Parshat HaChodesh.” Chodesh in Hebrew has the same root as Chadash, meaning ‘new.’

And after renewal, we finally arrive at geulah – redemption. The archetypal redemption from Egypt at the time of Pesach.