Vayakhel & Pekudei: Zemer of The Week - The Ramaz School
Source: http://www.ramaz.org/the-ramaz-difference/torah-mitzvot/zemeroftheweek/parshat-vayakhel-pekudei
Archived: 2026-04-23 17:13
Vayakhel & Pekudei: Zemer of The Week - The Ramaz School
Skip To Main Content
my
Login
Vayakhel & Pekudei: Zemer of The Week
יחד (
Yachad)
Beri Weber version (11 million views on YouTube):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-2WP5_8Fb28
יחד כל ישראל יחד
נבוא ביחד בשיר והלל
נרקוד ביחד כולנו יחד
אז יבוא מלך המשיח
Together – all of Israel together.
Together we come with song and praise.
Together we dance, all of us together.
Then Moshiach the King will come.
Parshat Vayakhel opens with Moshe gathering the people before the Mishkan is built. Before any materials are brought or craftsmanship begins, the Torah emphasizes that the nation must first become a community acting together.
The song “
Yachad
” expresses that same idea: the Jewish people accomplish their greatest achievements when they stand together. Just as the
Mishkan
was built through collective contribution – gold, skill, and effort offered by many individuals – the song celebrates a vision of the Jewish people united in shared purpose.
In both the parsha and the song, holiness and redemption emerge not from isolated individuals, but from a people acting together – יחד.
בלבבי משכן אבנה (
Bilvavi Mishkan Evneh)
Benny Friedman version:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VMftk982Epo
בלבבי משכן אבנה להדר כבודו
ובמשכן מזבח אקים לקרני הודו
In my heart I will build a Mishkan (sanctuary) to glorify His honor.
Within that Mishkan I will establish an altar for the rays of His splendor.
Parshat Pekudei describes the completion of the Mishkan and the moment when the Divine presence fills the sanctuary.
“Bilvavi Mishkan Evneh” takes that idea and turns it inward. The song imagines building a Mishkan not only in the desert, but within the human heart. Just as the Israelites built a physical structure where the Shechinah could dwell, the song reminds us that each person can create a spiritual space within themselves for Hashem’s presence.
The Mishkan of Pekudei teaches that holiness can dwell in a carefully prepared place. The song adds a profound personal dimension: every Jew can build such a sanctuary within their own inner life.
For a more-traditional zemer:
The zemer for this week:
דרור יקרא
This
zemer
begs Hashem to protect
Bnai Yisrael
, to destroy its enemies, and to bring peace and redemption to it. It was written more than 1,000 years ago by Donash ben Labrat. His first name is the acrostic formed by the first letters of the four lines of each of the first, second, third, and last stanzas.
Central elements of this parsha include Moshe’s exhortation to keep the Shabbat, the erection of the
Mishkan
, and Hashem’s presence entering the
Mishkan
for the first time.
Some of the connections to the parsha:
o Last words of last stanza:
“שמור שבת קודשך”
(“Observe your holy Shabbat”) – The parsha begins with Moshe’s exhortation to keep the Shabbos (Shemot 35:1-3), from which
Rashi
learns that even something as important as the building of the Mishkan has to take a back seat to keeping Shabbat.
· Chazal (Maseches Shabbos 97b) derive the 39
Melachot
of
Shabbat
from this juxtaposition of
Shabbat
and the
Mishkan
.
o 1
st
line of 2
nd
stanza:
“דרוש נוי ואולמ”
(“Seek out my Temple and my Sanctuary”) – In this parsha, Hashem’s first Sanctuary was erected, setting the table for Hashem’s Presence to later enter it for the first time (in Shemot 40:33-34).
· 3
rd
line of 1
st
stanza:
“נעים שמכם”
(“Pleasant will be your name/reputation”) – A central item in the
Mishkan
was the
Choshen
, on which was engraved the names of the 12 Tribes (Shemot 39:14).
Skip To Main Content
my
Login
Vayakhel & Pekudei: Zemer of The Week
יחד (
Yachad)
Beri Weber version (11 million views on YouTube):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-2WP5_8Fb28
יחד כל ישראל יחד
נבוא ביחד בשיר והלל
נרקוד ביחד כולנו יחד
אז יבוא מלך המשיח
Together – all of Israel together.
Together we come with song and praise.
Together we dance, all of us together.
Then Moshiach the King will come.
Parshat Vayakhel opens with Moshe gathering the people before the Mishkan is built. Before any materials are brought or craftsmanship begins, the Torah emphasizes that the nation must first become a community acting together.
The song “
Yachad
” expresses that same idea: the Jewish people accomplish their greatest achievements when they stand together. Just as the
Mishkan
was built through collective contribution – gold, skill, and effort offered by many individuals – the song celebrates a vision of the Jewish people united in shared purpose.
In both the parsha and the song, holiness and redemption emerge not from isolated individuals, but from a people acting together – יחד.
בלבבי משכן אבנה (
Bilvavi Mishkan Evneh)
Benny Friedman version:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VMftk982Epo
בלבבי משכן אבנה להדר כבודו
ובמשכן מזבח אקים לקרני הודו
In my heart I will build a Mishkan (sanctuary) to glorify His honor.
Within that Mishkan I will establish an altar for the rays of His splendor.
Parshat Pekudei describes the completion of the Mishkan and the moment when the Divine presence fills the sanctuary.
“Bilvavi Mishkan Evneh” takes that idea and turns it inward. The song imagines building a Mishkan not only in the desert, but within the human heart. Just as the Israelites built a physical structure where the Shechinah could dwell, the song reminds us that each person can create a spiritual space within themselves for Hashem’s presence.
The Mishkan of Pekudei teaches that holiness can dwell in a carefully prepared place. The song adds a profound personal dimension: every Jew can build such a sanctuary within their own inner life.
For a more-traditional zemer:
The zemer for this week:
דרור יקרא
This
zemer
begs Hashem to protect
Bnai Yisrael
, to destroy its enemies, and to bring peace and redemption to it. It was written more than 1,000 years ago by Donash ben Labrat. His first name is the acrostic formed by the first letters of the four lines of each of the first, second, third, and last stanzas.
Central elements of this parsha include Moshe’s exhortation to keep the Shabbat, the erection of the
Mishkan
, and Hashem’s presence entering the
Mishkan
for the first time.
Some of the connections to the parsha:
o Last words of last stanza:
“שמור שבת קודשך”
(“Observe your holy Shabbat”) – The parsha begins with Moshe’s exhortation to keep the Shabbos (Shemot 35:1-3), from which
Rashi
learns that even something as important as the building of the Mishkan has to take a back seat to keeping Shabbat.
· Chazal (Maseches Shabbos 97b) derive the 39
Melachot
of
Shabbat
from this juxtaposition of
Shabbat
and the
Mishkan
.
o 1
st
line of 2
nd
stanza:
“דרוש נוי ואולמ”
(“Seek out my Temple and my Sanctuary”) – In this parsha, Hashem’s first Sanctuary was erected, setting the table for Hashem’s Presence to later enter it for the first time (in Shemot 40:33-34).
· 3
rd
line of 1
st
stanza:
“נעים שמכם”
(“Pleasant will be your name/reputation”) – A central item in the
Mishkan
was the
Choshen
, on which was engraved the names of the 12 Tribes (Shemot 39:14).