While the Tabernacle had a spiritual mission, it was a physical building. As such money was needed for the building and maintenance of the Tabernacle. This is why we say, without flour there is no Torah.

The goal of the Torah is to teach us ethical monotheism. That we worship an ethical and moral God Who wants to be ethical and moral.

The prohibition of the creation of fire on Shabbat is to remember that God created the world & that fire is one of the few acts that we humans do that shows our uniqueness.

The Torah keeps reminding us of the importance of keeping the Shabbat. That Shabbat overrides the building of the Tabernacle. That is to remind us that more than the Jews have kept Shabbat, the Shabbat has kept the Jews.

Moses called for donations to the building of the Tabernacle. The Jews gave so much that he had to ask them to stop giving. This is the nature of a truly religious people. When asked to give, they give.

The reason that the Jews built the Golden Calf was that they thought that without Moses that they would not have been redeemed. The lesson is that our leaders are vessels for God. They succeed when they do what God expects.

After giving the instructions concerning the building of the Tabernacle, God reminds the Jewish people of the importance of keeping the Sabbath. This so that we remember why we have the Tabernacle.

Betzalel was chosen to fashion the tools of the Tabernacle. His name means "In the shadow of God." This is to teach us that our talents, be they what they are, are from God.

The sin of the Golden Calf was that it assumes that our rights come from a man. The Torah is pointing out that our rights are God given. That they cannot be taken away by the government.

The story of the Golden Calf seems to be out of place. It should have been recorded after the events at Mt. Sinai. This is to teach us that the Torah is more interested in our actions rather than beliefs.