Efrat, Israel - We have often queried the significance of the five Torah portions which conclude the Book of Exodus, and especially the repetitions which we find in the detailed descriptions of the accoutrements of the Sanctuary. Even if we concede the very profound theological message of Ki Tisa and the unique prescription of the priestly garments in Tetzaveh, we are still left with the initial delineation of the furnishings of the Sanctuary in Terumah and the seeming repetitions thereof in Vayakhel-Pekudei. Why not a general statement to the effect that Moses did as he was instructed in the construction of the Sanctuary?!

Rav Elhanan Samet, in his ground-breaking study of the portions of the Bible from a structural-narrative perspective, explains that the commandment to make the various furnishings of the Sanctuary is given by G-d in the Torah portion of Terumah, the precise adherence of the Israelites to every detail of the Divine Command in performance is detailed in the Torah portion of Vayakhel perhaps to emphasize the fact that we must serve the Almighty in precisely the manner which He commands, no more and no less, to protect Judaism from religious fanaticism and zealotry and the actual completion, the final hammer blow of the construction of each sacred object, is presented in the Torah portion of Pekudei.

From an Israeli perspective, I might explain the importance of emphasizing the finish in a separate Torah portion by bringing to your attention a typical phenomenon of Israeli construction: ninety percent of the work generally gets done efficiently and even miraculously, but the last ten percent requires cajoling, entreating and sometimes (even usually) never gets done at all. And it goes without saying that the last ten percent is quite critical especially during a rainy winter season!

But in a more serious vein, let us investigate the construction of the Sanctuary Table (shulhan) in order to understand the true reason for the order of description. The Divine command to make a Sanctuary Table is presented in the portion of Terumah in eight verses (Exodus 25: 23-30, beginning with You shall make a Table of acacia wood, 2 ½ hand-breadths long, a hand-breadth wide, and a hand-breadth and one-half in height&.) and the description of the performance of the making of the Table is detailed in the portion of Vayakhel precisely (or almost precisely) paralleling the command in Terumah in only seven verses (Exodus 37: 10-16). What is missing in the performance? In the portion of Terumah, the last verse of the commandment regarding the construction of the Table tells us: And you shall place upon the Table the show-bread before Me always (Exodus 25:30); and then, towards the end of the portion of Terumah, we find: And you shall situate the Table outside of the curtain on the northern side of the Sanctuary (Exodus 26:35). These two features, of the function of the Table (for the showbread), and the placement of the Table, while commanded in Terumah, are not included in the actual construction of the Table in the portion of Vayakhel; but these two features are specifically mentioned in the portion of Pekudei: And he (Moses of Israel) placed the Table in the Tent of Meeting on the side of the Sanctuary northwards just outside of the curtain, and he arranged the arrangement of the bread before the Lord as the Lord had commanded Moses (Exodus 40:22,23).

Why do we need the separate portion of Pekudei for the function and placement of the sacred Table of the Sanctuary? One might suggest a logical technical reason: the specific placement of the Table as well as its function as repository of the showbread could only be effectuated once the entire Sanctuary had been completed. Placement is a matter of relative space each sacred object placed in relationship to the other sacred objects and the various Sanctuary functions could not take place unless the Sanctuary had reached its final stage of construction. This final completion occurs only in Pekudei, and therefore it is only in this Torah portion that we find the phrase "just as the Lord commanded Moses" appearing, not only once but actually seven times (Exodus 40:17-32).

I would like to suggest another reason for the significance of Pekudei as the portion of the "finish", the portion which emphasizes the placement and function of the sacred object. Each of us must see him/herself as sacred vessels, placed upon this world-Sanctuary in order to fulfill a specific task which is crucial if human society is to be perfected under the Kingship of the Divine. Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, ushers in the introspective period known as the Ten Days of Repentance. It also called the Day of Remembrance, and one of the most stirring prayers on this Day of Repentance begins: "You (oh G-d) remember the deeds of historic world, and poked all the creatures from the earliest time." The Hebrew word poked is usually translated as to take notice of, a synonym for remember; however, Rav Shraga Feivel Mendlowitz, ZT"L, Dean of Yeshiva Torah Vodaath maintained that the verb comes from the noun tafkid, or function, and therefore the phrase ought to be translated, "You give a specific function to every creature from earliest times."

The most proper - and penetrating-question of repentance that an individual ought ask him/ herself is, "Am I in the right country, doing the right thing?" In the one chance at life which G-d grants me, am I pursuing the proper path in the proper place?"

The Hebrew word "Pekudei" can also be translated as functions for each vessel, - sacred physical object or sacred human subject - completes its reason for being only when its/his/her unique function is performed. Only then can a vessel be considered as fully formed, can a life be assessed as having been truly lived. We can only pray that we are utilizing the unique gifts which the Almighty has imbued within us to perform the right function in the proper place; only then will the Divine orchestra play its completed symphony, and only then will the perfected Sanctuary-world provide a home for G-d to dwell in our midst.

Shabbat Shalom.