30 February 28 • 2019
jn
Rabbi Shlomo
Riskin
Relating
To The
Almighty
W
hy repeat all the details
of the construction of the
Mishkan here after we
have already heard them when they
were initially commanded? Would it
not have been simpler to deal with
the entire execution of exter-
nal building, furnishings and
priestly garb with the single
verse: “
And the People of
Israel built the Mishkan exact-
ly as God commanded”?
In order to understand
the significance of the rep-
etition, it is important to
remember that the Almighty
desires an intimate relation-
ship between Himself and
the people of Israel. That is
why they are commanded
to build a Mishkan in the
first place: “that I may dwell
among them.”
However, worshiping the
golden calf was a betrayal of
the ideals given at Sinai. In effect,
the Israelites committed adultery,
scarring the love and intimacy God
had just bestowed upon them. Since
God is also a God of compassion, He
forgives. However, can we legitimate-
ly expect forgiveness for as heinous a
crime as idolatry? Will the Almighty
take Israel back even after they have
committed adultery?
Herein lies the true significance of
the repetition of every painstaking
instruction regarding the Mishkan.
The repetition is a confirmation that
the intimacy between God and Israel
has been restored, that the relation-
ship between God and His bride,
Israel, has returned to its original
state of mutual commitment and
faith. The repetition of the exact
details is essentially God’
s gift of for-
giveness.
A special reading this week is
Shekalim, which speaks of
the obligation of every Jew
to give a half-shekel to the
Mishkan. This represents an
act of commitment: a pledge
of a 4,000-year-strong cove-
nantal relationship between
God and Israel, demonstrat-
ed in our daily lives by the
giving of our “half-shekels”
to build our sanctuaries —
yeshivas and synagogues,
day schools and outreach
centers — thus bringing God
within our midst. Financial
commitment is also the
traditional halachic form of
betrothal (symbolized in the
wedding ring).
Israel, betrothed by the shekel to
God, had succumbed to the temp-
tation of Amalek, substituting the
temptations of gold and licentious-
ness for their God-groom.
The journey of the people Israel
begins with commitment and love,
stumbles through failure and sin,
and concludes with the possibility of
purification and renewal. These stag-
es mark the path of individual and
national freedom, culminating in the
festival of freedom, Passover. ■
Rabbi Shlomo Riskin is chancellor of Ohr Torah
Stone and chief rabbi of Efrat, Israel.
Parshat
Vayakhel:
Exodus
35:1-38:20;
II Kings
12:1-17.
(Shabbat
Shekalim)
spirit
torah portion
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