Parashat Pekudei (Exodus 35:1 - 40:38)

What comes to mind when you hear someone speak of an “eternal priesthood”? If you are a disciple of Yeshua, then Yeshua’s ministry automatically comes to mind. As the book of Hebrews says, he is a high priest forever, continually ministering before his Heavenly Father on our behalf:

We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain, where Jesus has gone as a forerunner on our behalf, having become a high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek. (Hebrews 6:19–20)

When most people read the book of Hebrews, they see the everlasting priesthood of Yeshua replacing a temporary priesthood given for a season to the sons of Aaron. However, this is not the case. Yeshua’s priesthood is only one of the two eternal priesthoods that God established. One may be surprised to learn that the first eternal priesthood that we learn about in Scripture is the one belonging to Aaron and his sons, as we read in this week’s Torah portion:

Then you shall bring Aaron and his sons to the entrance of the tent of meeting and shall wash them with water and put on Aaron the holy garments. And you shall anoint him and consecrate him, that he may serve me as priest. You shall bring his sons also and put coats on them, and anoint them, as you anointed their father, that they may serve me as priests. And their anointing shall admit them to a perpetual priesthood throughout their generations. (Exodus 40:12–15)

If this passage isn’t clear enough, in Exodus 29:9 we read, “And the priesthood shall be theirs by a statute forever.” Not only does Exodus spell it out, but the prophet Jeremiah also attests to the Aaronic priesthood’s enduring position even more clearly:

Parashat Vayakhel (Exodus 35:1-38:20)

Although Parashat Vayakhel is almost entirely focused on the construction of the Tabernacle it begins by reminding the Children of Israel that no work may be done on the Sabbath. Why does it begin here, rather than jumping right into how the Tabernacle was constructed? As we have previously mentioned, placing the topic of the Sabbath against the construction of the Tabernacle  was God’s way of defining the boundaries of the Sabbath. However, there is another layer to understanding this point and it actually connects back to the golden calf.

As we know, while Moses was up on Mount Sinai receiving the Torah, the Children of Israel decided to make a golden calf to worship. Why did they do this? Was it simply that they had quickly given up on the God who had delivered them from the hand of Pharaoh and they decided to return to the pagan deities of Egypt? No. In their zeal to worship their Deliverer they did so in a way they were most familiar. They instinctively used their most precious resources to create something they believed would connect them to the LORD. 

After creating the idol they said, “Tomorrow shall be a feast to the LORD” (Exodus 32:5). But what they created was not what Hashem wanted. He wanted them to create the Tabernacle to serve as the connection between Heaven and Earth, not a golden calf. After this incident of the golden calf the LORD had to constantly remind them, “These are the things the LORD has commanded.” Even though they had a spiritual zeal that desired to serve Hashem wholeheartedly, it was misguided and needed proper direction.