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Building The Tabernacle
Helped Build A Nation
Parshat Terumah: Exodus 25:1-27:19;
I Kings 5:26-6:13.
B
eginning with this week’s
“Although they have just been
Torah portion, the remain-
given the Decalogue [the Ten
der of the Book of Exodus
Commandments] — the precepts that
describes almost exclusively the com-
bind the Israelites to God and one
mandment to build and then the
another — the people’s participation
actual building of the Tabernacle:
in the making of the Tabernacle will
“The Lord spoke to Moses,
unify the nation in a different
saying: Tell the Israelite
way.
people to bring Me gifts; you
“It will elevate the seemingly
shall accept gifts for Me from
mundane work of construc-
every person whose heart
tion into a sacred vocation,
moves him.
dedicated to the service of the
“And these are the gifts that
One God who freed them from
you shall accept from them:
Egypt and revealed the terms
gold, silver and copper; blue,
of the covenant [The Torah: A
Rabbi Amy B. Women’s Commentary, p. 469].”
purple and crimson yarns,
fine linen, goats’ hair; tanned Bigman
Anyone who has ever
ram skins, dolphin skins and
worked on a project together
acacia wood; oil for lighting,
with others — whether it’s a
spices for the anointing oil and for the
child’s classroom project, a project at
aromatic incense; lapis lazuli and other work, or a project at our synagogues or
stones for setting, for the ephod and
other communal institutions — knows
for the breastpiece.
that working together unifies us in
“And let them make Me a sanctuary
some way. We may not always enjoy
that I may dwell among them. Exactly
working with others in our group, but
as I show you — the pattern of the
we are all invested in having the proj-
Tabernacle and the pattern of all its
ect turn out well.
furnishings — so shall you make it
Our ancestors not only worked
[Exodus 25: 1-9].”
together on building the Tabernacle
From the opening words of this
but they also brought the building
parshah through Chapter 31, we have
materials, too. They brought gifts to
the prescription — what the Israelites
build the Tabernacle, freewill offerings
are to give, how they are to give and
to “make Me a sanctuary so that I may
how they are to build the Tabernacle.
dwell among them.” They invested
Exodus 35-40 is the description of the
their time and their possessions to
actual building of the Tabernacle.
build an object, the Tabernacle, that
Rabbi Denise Eger, rabbi of
would be the central focus of their
Congregation Kol Ami of West
community.
Hollywood, Calif., and the current
The Tabernacle becomes the symbol
president of the Central Conference of
of God’s presence, as well as a remind-
American Rabbis, wrote in a commen- er that individuals must come together
tary on this portion that:
to form a community, as our ancestors
“The building of the Mishkan
continued on their journey from slav-
[Tabernacle] will force the Israelites to ery to freedom.
work together in order to fulfill a com-
Amy B. Bigman is rabbi at Congregation Shaarey
mon goal and prepare for a common
Zedek in East Lansing.
future.
*
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February 11 • 2016
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