TORAH: Exodus 35:1-40:38
HAFTARAH: Ezekiel 45:16-46:18, Ezekiel 36:22-27
GOSPEL: John 13:1-19; Luke 16:1-13, (At Beth Shechinah: 2 Corinthians 9:6-11)
Portion Outline:
Vayakhel
The twenty-second reading from the Torah and the second-to-last reading from the book of Exodus is called Vayakhel, which means “and he assembled.” The name comes from the first words of the first verse of the reading, which could be literally translated to read, “And Moses assembled all the congregation of the sons of Israel …” (Exodus 35:1). This portion from the Torah describes how the assembly of Israel worked together to build the Tabernacle. In most years, synagogues read Vayakhel together with the following portion, Pekudei.
Pekudei
The twenty-third reading from the Torah and last reading from the book of Exodus is called Pekudei, which means “Accounts.” The first words of the first verse of the reading could be literally translated to read, “These are the accounts (pekudei) of the Tabernacle” (Exodus 38:21). The last reading from Exodus begins with an audit of how the contributions for the Tabernacle were used. The portion goes on to describe the completion of the Tabernacle and its assembly and concludes by depicting the glory of the LORD entering it. In most years, synagogues read Pekudei together with the previous portion, Vayakhel; therefore, the comments on this week’s reading will be brief.
Torah
Exodus 35:1 Sabbath Regulations
Exodus 35:4 Preparations for Making the Tabernacle
Exodus 35:20 Offerings for the Tabernacle
Exodus 35:30 Bezalel and Oholiab
Exodus 36:8 Construction of the Tabernacle
Exodus 37:1 Making the Ark of the Covenant
Exodus 37:10 Making the Table for the Bread of the Presence
Exodus 37:17 Making the Lampstand
Exodus 37:25 Making the Altar of Incense
Exodus 37:29 Making the Anointing Oil and the Incense
Exodus 38:1 Making the Altar of Burnt Offering
Exodus 38:9 Making the Court of the Tabernacle
Exodus 38:21 Materials of the Tabernacle
Exodus 39:1 Making the Vestments for the Priesthood
Exodus 39:32 The Work Completed
Exodus 40:1 The Tabernacle Erected and Its Equipment Installed
Exodus 40:34 The Cloud and the Glory
Prophets
1Ki 7:13 Products of Hiram the Bronzeworker
The Lost Tribes
Where are the ten lost tribes of Israel (2 Kings 18:11)?
Where are the lost tribes? If we knew that, they wouldn’t be lost, would they? The location of the mysterious ten northern tribes fascinated the Jewish imagination for thousands of years. It’s also been a favorite subject of speculation for Christians.
The Bible reports that “the king of Assyria carried Israel away into exile to Assyria, and put them in Halah and on the Habor, the river of Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes” (2 Kings 18:11). Those place names indicate a broad scattering across Northeastern Mesopotamia extending from Turkey’s border with modern Syria as far as the Iranian plateau (areas that are today Muslim nations).
From time to time, seemingly sober-minded ethnographers make suggestions about potential Israelite origins for this remote people group or that one, but the evidence they offer is usually scarce. Jews did spread far and wide. For example, several secluded populations of Jews that once lived outside of contact with the rest of the Jewish world have now found their way home from East Asia, India, and Ethiopia. Perhaps the descendants of lost tribes are also living in isolated pockets among the nations but unaware of their ancestry. On the assumption that the lost tribes assimilated into the nations, some people eagerly attempt to identify their own ancestry with people groups they suppose to be descended from the lost tribes. Such claims are spurious, usually based on false etymologies, historical speculation, and wishful thinking.
Nevertheless, the return of the ten lost tribes is a prominent feature of Jewish eschatology as a hallmark of the end of the age. Their reappearance signals the final redemption, the reunification of Israel, and the beginning of the Days of the Messiah. So where are they?
When the prophets Ezekiel and Jeremiah predicted their return, the ten lost tribes were not yet lost. They remained in Mesopotamia, as it says, “So Israel was carried away into exile from their own land to Assyria until this day” (2 Kings 17:23, emphasis added). But they were not lost.
What’s more, many refugees from the ten tribes defected to Judah before the final fall of the north (2 Chronicles 15:9). Hezekiah made intentional political and religious overtures to the remnant of his northern neighbors (2 Chronicles 30:1–11, 18, and 31:1). After the fall of Samaria, survivors fled south to Judah. The size of Jerusalem expanded dramatically during Hezekiah’s day to accommodate the influx of people from the north. Those refugees and survivors intermarried with the tribe of Judah. Even so, some retained records of their ancestry. By the time Judah went into exile, the nation was already composed of families from all twelve tribes of Israel.
When Cyrus allowed the “Jews” to return to their homeland, the decree included all twelve tribes. The Persians applied the term “Jews” to everyone who practiced the religion of Judea (Esther 2:5, 8:8, 17). During the Second Temple Era, representatives of the twelve tribes could still be identified. For example, the New Testament introduces Hannah from the tribe of Asher and Saul of Benjamin. Nevertheless, most Jews, including those with northern ancestry, remained spread across the wide Diaspora. They were all called Jews. James, the brother of the Master, addressed his epistle, “To the twelve tribes who are dispersed abroad” (James 1:1).
Taken together, all of this implies that the ten lost tribes are primarily lost within the Jewish people. The book of Revelation indicates that at least twelve thousand from each of the tribes will be identified in the last days (Revelation 7:4–8). In the Messianic Era, the Messiah will sort through the Jewish people and restore families to their original tribal identities. Maimonides explains how it will happen:
In the days of King Messiah, when his kingdom is established and all Israel are gathered into it, the ancestry of each one of them will be confirmed by Messiah through the Holy Spirit which will rest upon him, as it is written [in Malachi 3:3], “He will sit as a smelter and purifier of silver, and He will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver.”
And he will first purify the children of Levi and will say: “This one has priestly ancestry, and this one has Levitical ancestry.” And he will disqualify for priesthood any who are not descended from Israel, as it is written [in Ezra 2:63], “The governor said to them that they should not eat from the most holy things until a priest stood up with Urim and Thummim.” From this you learn that those presumed to be of a certain lineage will be confirmed, and those with established lineages will be announced by the Holy Spirit. And he will not merely establish ancestry from Israel, but from each tribe. For he will announce that this one is from such and such a tribe, and this one from such and such a tribe. (Maimonides, Mishneh Torah, Hilchot Melachim 12:3)
The story of Joseph in Egypt hints about how the Messiah will sort out the tribes. When the tribal fathers came to Egypt, he astonished them by seating them according to their birth order (Genesis 43:33).
In that day, the Messiah will also identify Gentiles with ancestry in Israel. Some of the people from the nations ascending to Jerusalem will come from families that inadvertently lost their ancestry through assimilation. The Messiah will recognize them. Perhaps some Muslims previously dedicated to Jihad will be shocked to learn the truth. Among the nations will be some who qualify for the service of the Temple, as it says, “I will also take some of them for priests and for Levites” (Isaiah 66:21).
Read complete commentary at First Fruits of Zion.
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