Pekudei (Reckonings)
(Sefer Shemot) Exodus 38:21 - 40:38

38:21- “This is the sum of the Tabernacle, even of the Tabernacle of Testimony, as it was counted, according to the commandment of Moshe, for the service of the Levites, by the hand of Itamar, son to Aharon the kohain.
40:9- And thou shall take the anointing oil, and anoint the Tabernacle, and all that is therein, and shall hallow it, and all the vessels thereof: and it shall be holy.
11- And thou shall anoint the laver and his foot, and sanctify it.
12- And thou shall bring Aharon and his sons unto the door of the Tabernacle of the congregation, and wash them with water.
13- And thou shall put upon Aharon the holy garments, and anoint him, and sanctify him; that he may minister unto Me in the kohain's office.
14- And thou shall bring his sons, and clothe them with coats:
15- And thou shall anoint them, as thou did anoint their father, that they may minister unto me in the kohain's office: for their anointing shall surely be an everlasting priesthood throughout their generations.
40:17- And it came to pass in the first month in the second year, on the first day of the month, that the tabernacle was reared up.
18- And Moshe raised up the Tabernacle, and fastened his sockets, and set up the boards thereof, and put in the bars thereof, and reared up his pillars.
19- And he spread abroad the tent over the Tabernacle, and put the covering of the tent above upon it; as YHVH commanded Moshe.
30- And he set the laver between the tent of the congregation and the altar, and put water there, to wash withal.
31- And Moshe and Aharon and his sons washed their hands and their feet thereat:
32- When they went into the tent of the congregation, and when they came near unto the altar, they washed; as YHVH commanded Moshe.
33- And he raised up the court round about the tabernacle and the altar, and set up the hanging of the court gate. So Moshe finished the work.
34- Then a cloud covered the tent of the congregation, and the glory of YHVH filled the Tabernacle.
35- And Moses was not able to enter into the tent of the congregation, because the cloud abode thereon, and the glory of YHVH filled the Tabernacle.
36- And when the cloud was taken up from over the Tabernacle, the children of Yisrael went onward in all their journeys:
37- But if the cloud were not taken up, then they journeyed not till the day that it was taken up.
38- For the cloud of YHVH was upon the Tabernacle by day, and fire was on it by night, in the sight of all the house of Yisrael, throughout all their journeys.”

“Who shall ascend into the hill of YHVH? or who shall stand in his holy place? He that has clean hands, and a pure heart; who has not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully.”
(Psalms 24:3-4)

“How shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy word.”
(Psalms 119:9)

“Counsel in the heart of man is like deep water; but a man of understanding will draw it out.”
(Proverbs 20:5)

“For the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of YHVH, as the waters cover the sea.”
(Habakkuk 2:14)

“Wash you, make you clean; put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes; cease to do evil.”
(Isaiah 1:16)

“And his servants came near, and spoke unto him, and said, My father, if the prophet had bid thee do
some great thing, would thou not have done it? how much rather then, when he says to thee, Wash, and be clean?”
(II Kings 5:13)

Pekudei Summary:
1. Entering the Tabernacle by way of the Laver:
Amid the many important fixtures related to the Tabernacle, the laver is not to be overlooked. As one approached the altar, immediately in front, stood the ritual wash basin, made from the mirrors of the women serving at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting, prompting the kohanim to ponder their holy calling as they worshipped. Its materials and contents, reflective in nature, would signal the need for regular contemplation as souls sought the needed purification. Proverbs 27:19 alludes to this process:
“As in water face answers to face, so the heart of man to man.”
This laver and the water it contained would emphasize a spiritual principle that could not be negotiated: namely, without the waters of purification, the Holy One could not be realized. For even as the Shechinah brought Her glory with the camp’s compliance, so would uncleanness quench such a Presence. It was the laver, which was to forever remind the people of Elohim that only the clean could offer acceptable sacrifices and that cleansing was available for those who wished to draw near. It was the laver that stood overt, for all to notice and consider its cleansing call. Despite the Tabernacle’s absence today, the laver and its message are still to be reckoned. This message is the Davar Torah, the Word of HaShem, for which the laver represents. Concerning that soul who daily renews himself in the Torah of YHVH, Psalms 1:2-3 likens the study of Scripture to those cleansing waters, as is written:
“But his delight is in the Torah of YHVH; and in His Torah does he meditate day and night.
And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth his fruit in his
season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he does shall prosper.”
The blessing for hearing the Word of Elohim is confirmed in Proverbs 3:1-2, namely:
“My son, forget not my Torah; but let thine heart keep my commandments: For length of days,
and long life, and peace, shall they add to thee.”
Similarly, Yehoshua was called to Hashem’s Word and its blessed power as Joshua 1:7 declares:
“Only be thou strong and very courageous, that thou may observe to do according to all the
Torah, which Moshe My servant commanded thee: turn not from it to the right hand or to
the left, that thou may prosper whithersoever thou goes.”
 

2. Cleansed to Testify of the Coming Glory:
When souls pass by our lives, is there evidence of HaShem’s glory? Have we pursued those parameters to invite a greater glory into our lives? There is a generation that says it desires Truth and seeks an encounter with the Eternal. How can a people so highly educated expect such a phenomenon when they minimize the importance of HaShem’s cleansing waters? Like Naaman of old, today’s multitude has ignorantly miscalculated the prophet’s prescription for the power of the waters. Rather than reject the role of the laver and remain as leprous bystanders, let us wash. Responding to the voice of the seer, we must have the resolve to be thoroughly saturated, as 2 Kings 5:10 echoes over time:
“And Elisha sent a messenger unto him, saying, Go and wash in the Yarden seven times, and thy
9 flesh shall come again to thee, and thou shall be clean.”
In our zeal to make sacrifices and witness the Glory of Elohim in our lives, we must first welcome the
prerequisite for purification; in 1 Kings 18:33-35, Eliyahu uses water to speak to hearing ears, saying:
“…Fill four barrels with water, and pour it on the burnt sacrifice, and on the wood. And he said,
Do it the second time. And they did it the second time. And he said, Do it the third time. And they
did it the third time. And the water ran round about the altar...”