(פד) זֹ֣את ׀ חֲנֻכַּ֣ת הַמִּזְבֵּ֗חַ בְּיוֹם֙ הִמָּשַׁ֣ח אֹת֔וֹ מֵאֵ֖ת נְשִׂיאֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל קַעֲרֹ֨ת כֶּ֜סֶף שְׁתֵּ֣ים עֶשְׂרֵ֗ה מִֽזְרְקֵי־כֶ֙סֶף֙ שְׁנֵ֣ים עָשָׂ֔ר כַּפּ֥וֹת זָהָ֖ב שְׁתֵּ֥ים עֶשְׂרֵֽה׃ (פה) שְׁלֹשִׁ֣ים וּמֵאָ֗ה הַקְּעָרָ֤ה הָֽאַחַת֙ כֶּ֔סֶף וְשִׁבְעִ֖ים הַמִּזְרָ֣ק הָאֶחָ֑ד כֹּ֚ל כֶּ֣סֶף הַכֵּלִ֔ים אַלְפַּ֥יִם וְאַרְבַּע־מֵא֖וֹת בְּשֶׁ֥קֶל הַקֹּֽדֶשׁ׃ (פו) כַּפּ֨וֹת זָהָ֤ב שְׁתֵּים־עֶשְׂרֵה֙ מְלֵאֹ֣ת קְטֹ֔רֶת עֲשָׂרָ֧ה עֲשָׂרָ֛ה הַכַּ֖ף בְּשֶׁ֣קֶל הַקֹּ֑דֶשׁ כׇּל־זְהַ֥ב הַכַּפּ֖וֹת עֶשְׂרִ֥ים וּמֵאָֽה׃ (פז) כׇּל־הַבָּקָ֨ר לָעֹלָ֜ה שְׁנֵ֧ים עָשָׂ֣ר פָּרִ֗ים אֵילִ֤ם שְׁנֵים־עָשָׂר֙ כְּבָשִׂ֧ים בְּנֵֽי־שָׁנָ֛ה שְׁנֵ֥ים עָשָׂ֖ר וּמִנְחָתָ֑ם וּשְׂעִירֵ֥י עִזִּ֛ים שְׁנֵ֥ים עָשָׂ֖ר לְחַטָּֽאת׃ (פח) וְכֹ֞ל בְּקַ֣ר ׀ זֶ֣בַח הַשְּׁלָמִ֗ים עֶשְׂרִ֣ים וְאַרְבָּעָה֮ פָּרִים֒ אֵילִ֤ם שִׁשִּׁים֙ עַתֻּדִ֣ים שִׁשִּׁ֔ים כְּבָשִׂ֥ים בְּנֵי־שָׁנָ֖ה שִׁשִּׁ֑ים זֹ֚את חֲנֻכַּ֣ת הַמִּזְבֵּ֔חַ אַחֲרֵ֖י הִמָּשַׁ֥ח אֹתֽוֹ׃ (פט) וּבְבֹ֨א מֹשֶׁ֜ה אֶל־אֹ֣הֶל מוֹעֵד֮ לְדַבֵּ֣ר אִתּוֹ֒ וַיִּשְׁמַ֨ע אֶת־הַקּ֜וֹל מִדַּבֵּ֣ר אֵלָ֗יו מֵעַ֤ל הַכַּפֹּ֙רֶת֙ אֲשֶׁר֙ עַל־אֲרֹ֣ן הָעֵדֻ֔ת מִבֵּ֖ין שְׁנֵ֣י הַכְּרֻבִ֑ים וַיְדַבֵּ֖ר אֵלָֽיו׃ {פ}
(84) This was the offering for dedicating the altar which was given by the leaders of Isra’el on the day of its anointing: twelve silver dishes, twelve silver basins and twelve gold pans. (85) Each silver dish weighed 130 shekels [three-and-a-quarter pounds] and each basin seventy shekels [one-and-three-quarters pounds]; all the silver of the vessels weighed 2,400 shekels.
(86) The twelve gold pans, full of incense, weighed ten shekels apiece; all the gold of the pans weighed 120 shekels.
(87) The livestock for the burnt offering consisted of twelve bulls, twelve rams and twelve male lambs in their first year, with their grain offering. There were twelve male goats for a sin offering.
(88) The livestock for the sacrifice of peace offerings consisted of twenty-four bulls, sixty rams, sixty male goats and sixty male lambs in their first year. This was the offering for dedicating the altar after it had been anointed.
(89) When Moshe went into the tent of meeting in order to speak with Adonai, he heard the voice speaking to him from above the ark-cover on the ark for the testimony, from between the two k’ruvim; and he spoke to him.
These are the verses that conclude the Parasha. They summarize all twelve days of celebration for the dedication of the Mishkan (Tabernacle). Each day, the leader of one of the tribes would bring his gift and offering to the celebration, creating a twelve-day festival.
This passage concludes a process that begins earlier in the chapter:
(י) וַיַּקְרִ֣יבוּ הַנְּשִׂאִ֗ים אֵ֚ת חֲנֻכַּ֣ת הַמִּזְבֵּ֔חַ בְּי֖וֹם הִמָּשַׁ֣ח אֹת֑וֹ וַיַּקְרִ֧יבוּ הַנְּשִׂיאִ֛ם אֶת־קׇרְבָּנָ֖ם לִפְנֵ֥י הַמִּזְבֵּֽחַ׃ (יא) וַיֹּ֥אמֶר יהוה אֶל־מֹשֶׁ֑ה נָשִׂ֨יא אֶחָ֜ד לַיּ֗וֹם נָשִׂ֤יא אֶחָד֙ לַיּ֔וֹם יַקְרִ֙יבוּ֙ אֶת־קׇרְבָּנָ֔ם לַחֲנֻכַּ֖ת הַמִּזְבֵּֽחַ׃ {ס}
God instructs Moses that each day, a different tribal leader should bring an offering. Between these two sets of verses, there are 71 verses detailing each tribal leader’s offering for the dedication. The obvious question is: Why? Why all this repetition - three times over?
The answer may lie in the repetition itself and in the length (a very long chapter): it’s important, meaningful, principled, and necessary that each tribe brings an identical offering for the Mishkan’s dedication and participates equally. The dedication happens in the wilderness, before the people enter the land of Israel—an idealistic time when one can imagine a world in which all tribes are equal to one another. A time of true partnership, listening, and mutual acceptance among the twelve tribes. There are no land disputes yet, no divisions. They are still in the pre-life stage.
But the text seems to anticipate what lies ahead—there will be conflicts, arguments, divisions, and disputes. And so, we will always return to these verses in Numbers 7, remembering that there was once an intent of equality, partnership, and equal participation among all tribes.
This parasha also tells of a crisis of trust between husband and wife:
(יא) וַיְדַבֵּ֥ר יהוה אֶל־מֹשֶׁ֥ה לֵּאמֹֽר׃ (יב) דַּבֵּר֙ אֶל־בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל וְאָמַרְתָּ֖ אֲלֵהֶ֑ם אִ֥ישׁ אִישׁ֙ כִּֽי־תִשְׂטֶ֣ה אִשְׁתּ֔וֹ וּמָעֲלָ֥ה ב֖וֹ מָֽעַל׃ (יג) וְשָׁכַ֨ב אִ֣ישׁ אֹתָהּ֮ שִׁכְבַת־זֶ֒רַע֒ וְנֶעְלַם֙ מֵעֵינֵ֣י אִישָׁ֔הּ וְנִסְתְּרָ֖ה וְהִ֣יא נִטְמָ֑אָה וְעֵד֙ אֵ֣ין בָּ֔הּ וְהִ֖וא לֹ֥א נִתְפָּֽשָׂה׃ (יד) וְעָבַ֨ר עָלָ֧יו רֽוּחַ־קִנְאָ֛ה וְקִנֵּ֥א אֶת־אִשְׁתּ֖וֹ וְהִ֣וא נִטְמָ֑אָה אוֹ־עָבַ֨ר עָלָ֤יו רֽוּחַ־קִנְאָה֙ וְקִנֵּ֣א אֶת־אִשְׁתּ֔וֹ וְהִ֖יא לֹ֥א נִטְמָֽאָה׃
(12) Tell the people of Isra’el, ‘If a man’s wife goes astray and is unfaithful to him. ..(14) then, if a spirit of jealousy comes over him, and he is jealous of his wife, and she has become impure — or, for that matter, if the spirit of jealousy comes over him, and he is jealous of his wife, and she has not become impure
The Torah describes a painful and humiliating ritual—a near-irreparable breach of trust between partners. Just as each couple, when they marry, imagines an idyllic future of partnership, inclusion, acceptance, and lifelong love, just like the tribes during the wilderness ceremony, so too they are vulnerable to eventual crisis.
Perhaps the lesson is that the opposite approach is needed: when forging a covenant between tribes, partners, or spouses, we should already anticipate disagreement and take it into account, because it’s part of life.
As Osnat Eldar wrote in her poem:
"We hung the get
above the twin bed
we are sleeping
under “she is permitted”
“he is permitted”
we are forbidden so much by our love". Osnat Eldar, Miriam’s Well (Hebrew), Ophir Publishing, 2020. Translation by Rabbi Reuven Greenvald.
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Rabbi Dotan Arieli is an Israeli rabbi who works at the Midrasha at Oranim–HaHalutz and with Kolot. She facilitates groups exploring Jewish identity and gender, and accompanies communities in processes of Israeli Jewish cultural and identity formation. She also officiates personal, family, and community ceremonies in an egalitarian Jewish spirit. She holds a master’s degree in Jewish Thought and Midrash from the Schechter Institute and is a graduate of the Beit Midrash for Israeli Rabbinical Leadership. She is the mother of Alma and Be’ery, and lives at Kibbutz Sha’ar HaAmakim.