Ex. 35:1 – 40:38
Précis: In Vayakhel, Moses instructs the People again on the laws of Shabbat and asks for a donation of gifts (both of material and service) for the construction of the Tabernacle. The appointment of the construction leaders is also included, and the construction begins. There are again specific descriptions of implements, articles, and of the Ark itself.
Pekudei is the final parasha of the Book of Exodus. It begins with an inventory of the items used in the construction of the Mishkan, as well as the vessels and clothing collected by Moses and Aaron. When the accounts are squared, the completed structure is blessed. The Ark is placed within, as are the various holy vessels, and a cloud of glory descends and covers the tent.
Ex. 35:5-7 “Take from among the gifts to the Lord; everyone whose heart so moves him shall bring them - gifts for the Lord: gold, silver and copper; blue, purple, and crimson yarns, fine linen and goats’ hair; tanned ram skins, dolphin skins, and acacia wood…”
So how do the Israelites in the Sinai wilderness gather dolphin skins for use in building the Mishkan? The Hebrew word is “tachash” and is translated by the Jewish Publication Society as “dolphin,” but they note that the meaning is “uncertain.”
There are a great variety of interpretations as to the meaning of the word: a joyful color, a colorful worm, an animal with a single horn, soft-dressed skin or beaded leather. The word appears 14 times in the Bible, most of which relate to the building of the Mishkan, where the material is used as a covering for holy materials. (It also appears in Ezekiel, where it appears to be a material used in sandal making.) Another midrash suggests that the “dolphins” were connected with the miracle of the Red Sea splitting and served as fish herders, keeping the sea life safe behind watery walls (and some fell through and were preserved for the use described here).
Most modern interpreters suggest that the word is borrowed from an Egyptian word meaning to stretch out leather in a frame. I prefer a metaphor: the tachash was rough and strong on the outside but protected the sacred within it. In that way, it seems similar to the sabra, a plant whose prickly exterior but sweet inside gave its name to native-born Israelis.
We are left with a definitional ambiguity, but an idea to which we can all aspire: be tough, but maintain holiness within.
