2nd Annual

TORAH PORTION

As He Commands

Shabbat Terumah: Exodus 25:1-27:19;
I Kings 5:26-6:13.

I

n this week's Torah portion, we
in the Torah are those concerning the
have God commanding Moses
construction of the Mishkan.
concerning the construction of
The Mishkan itself is the continua-
the Mishkan (a Hebrew word meaning tion of the Revelation of Sinai — the
"the dwelling place"). This topic com-
commandments revealing God's law
prises almost the entire last
and God's intimate rela-
half of the Book of Exodus.
tionship with His creation,
The Torah goes into inor-
the human being.
dinate detail. It repeats over
Just as the cloud as a
and over again the same
symbol of God's glory
details and redundantly
covers Mt. Sinai (Exodus
repeats "just as God com-
24:16-17), so it also cov-
manded."
ers the Mishkan (Exodus
If God is indeed incorpo-
40:34) and the Temple of
real, then doesn't the con-
Solomon (I Kings 8:10-11).
struction of "God's dwelling"
The Revelation of Sinai
Rabbi Eliezer
imply just the opposite, that
continued
throughout the
Cohen
He can be contained in a
40
years
in
the wilderness;
Special to the
physical place? After all, the
and
when
Moses'
prophecy
Jewish News
verse itself (Exodus 25:8)
ended at his death and the
states: "Make Me a sanctuary
Torah was completed, the
and I will dwell in their midst."
symbol remained.
The Mishkan was only a symbol
The Tablets remain the symbol of
of God's existence and presence
God's presence, which we bring into
with human beings, in general, and
our lives through the fulfillment of
the Jewish people in particular.
His laws. To have God "dwell in our
Structurally, it was similar to pagan
midst" (interpreted by the famous
temples with one crucial difference — commentator, Rabbi Moses Alshich, to
the throne was empty. There was no
mean — to dwell literally "within the
idol representing God in the Mishkan. heart of each Jew") we must accept
The Holy of Holies contained the
and keep God's Law — in every detail,
Ark with the Tablets of the Law inside. "just as God commanded."
These were called (Exodus 31:18,
In fact, the Talmud (Brochos 8A)
32:15, 34:29) the Edus (testimony or
states: "From the day the Temple was
proof), as proof of God's connection
destroyed, the Holy One, Blessed Be
to the people, and of the divinity of
He, has no place in this world except
the law. In fact, the entire Mishkan is
within 'the place' (four cubits) of
called (Exodus 38:21; Numbers 1:50,
Jewish Law (Halachah)."
53) Mishkan HoEdus, or the Tent of
At the end of this week's Haftorah
Edus (Numbers 9:15, 17:22, 17:23). It
(I Kings 6:11-13), it states: "If you fol-
was the Tablets that were the focus of
low My rules and keep My statutes
the Mishkan.
and observe all of My commandments
The commandments concerning the to go by them, I will fulfill My words
construction begin at the end of Yitro
with you that I spoke to David, your
immediately following the Revelation
father. And I will dwell in the midst of
at Sinai. They are interrupted by the
the Jewish people and I will not for-
portion of Mishpatim, which relates
sake My People, Israel." E
the "sample of the Torah" and its
acceptance by the people, which took
Eliezer Cohen is rabbi of Congregation Or
place before the Revelation.
Chadash in Oak Park.
Immediately following the details
of its construction, we have, in the
portion of Ki Tissa (Exodus 31:15),
Conversations
Moses' descent from Mt. Sinai and the
Do people really need such
spectacle of the worship of the Golden
physical symbols of intangible
Calf. Thus, essentially, in the Exodus
things? Is it possible to "bring
chronology, the only detailed com-
God within one's life"? What
mandments taught to Moses on Mt.
symbols of God's presence do
Sinai and delineated as such explicitly
we have now?

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February 26 • 2009

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