Our guest this week is Rabbi Jacqueline Mates-Muchin, senior rabbi at Temple Sinai in Oakland CA, and president of the East Bay Council of Rabbis. In the past, Rabbi Mates-Muchin served as the Assistant Rabbi in Buffalo, New York. She was ordained at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in New York, receiving several awards. Her thesis entitled “The Analects of Confucius and Its Parallel in Early Rabbinic Thought” was a reflection of her Chinese and Jewish traditions. She is the first Chinese American Rabbi.
Parashat Vayakhel-Pekudei (Exodus 35:1-40:38) – begins with Moses commanding the people of Israel to observe the Shabbat and continues to tell us in great detail about the building of the Tabernacle. Pekudei, 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. Our discussion focuses on the powerful process in which the People of Israel change from slaves at the beginning of Exodus, to a people with God in their midst at the end of the book of Exodus.
If you would like to learn more about Parashat Vayakhel and Pekudei take a look at our conversations with Rabbi James Ponet and with Rabbi David Singer.
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