Community
Torah Portion
Holiness Is Found
In Everyday Mitzvot
A medieval predecessor of Cassuto,
Ovadiah. Sforno, emphasized that the
tabernacle was a consequence of the
golden calf. "Finally," he wrote, "God
himself clarified matters when He said,
`Make me a sanctuary and I shall dwell
among them,' which was a step the
Almighty had not originally contemplat-
quick review of this week's
ed." Asking Israel to make the sanctuary
Torah portion would seem of
was thus, on God's part, an act of for-
particular interest only if one
giveness; on Israel's part, it was an act of
is a builder or architect. Yet, if repentance — something they needed.
one examines the Torah closely, there are
There is another important lesson.
contemporary lessons that can be drawn
When God tells Moses to request from
from the explicit details contained in the
the Israelites voluntary gifts
sedra, or weekly portion.
and when the details of the
In Exodus 25.2, God tells
construction are prescribed,
Moses to request from the
the people are challenged to
Israelites voluntary gifts, "Tell
become active partners with
the Israelite people to bring
God. The task of bringing
me gifts; you shall accept gifts
holiness into the world has
for Me from every person
always been viewed as a part-
whose heart so moves him."
nership. In Egypt, the
Then the Torah says (Exodus
Israelites were forced to labor;
25:8), "Trasu li mikdash
building the tabernacle was a
vshachanti Vtocham — They
way to meet God halfway and
RABBI
shall make me a sanctuary and
JONATHAN V. develop a partnership with the
I shall dwell among them. ,,
Almighty. Israel moved toward
PLAUT
Thereafter, a full description
God when building the taber-
Special to the
of the tabernacle construction
nacle
and was met halfway in
Jewish News
occupies the majority of the
an act of divine sanctification.
sedra.
When we perform a sim
One might ask why God needs a
ple mitzvah, we invite God into our
tabernacle? The answer is simple. God
lives. When we observe the Sabbath
did not need the tabernacle, Israel did —
and holidays, we invite God to meet us
and does. The Torah's detailed descrip-
halfway in partilership. When we give
tions bear out this major theme.
Izedaka (helping others), we are adding
We are told the tabernacle had to be
to the relationship.
portable so it could be transported while
Each time we perform mitzvot, we
the Israelites traveled from place to place
renew our partnership with God and
and found a permanent site only much
add holiness to the world and to our
later in Jerusalem. The Israelites in the
lives. God can dwell amongst us only
desert had to learn that their God was
when we invite Him in, and when our
not a mountain deity confined to Sinai.
actions in our daily lives invite the
Israel's God could be found in every
Almighty to become our partner, each
place where people let Him in.
has to come halfway. Both in our rela-
In the words of Umberto Cassuto,
tionship with other people as well as
Italian Jewish scholar, "In order to
with God, we are likely to meet each
understand the significance and purpose
other best when we are prepared to
of the tabernacle, we must realize that
take the first step.
the children of Israel, after they had been
Are we ultimately ready to take that
privileged to witness the revelation of
first step? How we answer may help us
God on Mount Sinai, were about to
live a richer and more rewarding life. El
journey from there and thus draw away
from the site of the theophany. So long
as they were encamped in the place, they
were conscious of God's nearness; but,
once they set out on their journey, it
What are some of the sacred
seemed to them as though the link had
tasks of "building" that we are
been broken, unless there were in their
faced with in our lives today?
midst a tangible symbol of Gods pres-
Name some times when we are
ence among them. It was the function of
able to step back and enjoy the
the tabernacle to serve as such a symbol."
"work of our hands." With all
the busy-ness of life, how can we
Jonathan V. Plaut is the spiritual
make more room for God?
leader of Congregation Beth El in
'Traverse City.
Shabbat Terumah:
Exodus 25: 1-27: 19;
I Kings 5:26-6:13.
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