Dear CBO family,
“Bring Me gifts” is what God instructs at the beginning of this parashat. The Hebrew word “t'rumah” means “the offering of something meaningful”. It can also mean “to elevate”. By asking each person to contribute something of worth in the building of the Tabernacle God is creating a sense of community Because of everyone's generosity the sanctuary will serve everyone and in giving something then each person will receive a sense of self worth, a feeling of being elevated. We can compare this to our own rebuilding of our sanctuary at Congregation Beth Ohr. Many of us contributed to this effort whether it was through time, money, or expertise. Once covid is no longer a threat it is hoped that we can all congregate in our new sanctuary to pray as a community.
Rabbi Bradley Shavit Artson in his book, “The Bedside Torah”, points out that God's instructions for building the Mishkan are in six parts. This can be compared to the creation of the world with the seventh day devoted to the Sabbath. The building of the Tabernacle could then be considered a second creation, “the Creation of the Jewish people.”
The Outer Court would be the place where the people could talk to God. The Inner Court would be the place where God could talk to the people and it is there that the Decalogue would be kept. God would not show his face to Moses in the Inner Court. Instead, His voice would be heard through the space between the two cherubs. Because of this , the Inner Court is referred to as the Holy of Holies.
This mobile Tabernacle would serve as a physical representation of God's love for us and a reminder of our covenant with Him at Mount Sinai. His presence would be felt by doing good deeds, following the Commandments, and sanctifying the sanctuary. In this way, we would experience a sense of spirituality, a sense of transcendence. We have all felt this at various points in our lives, when we visit an awe inspiring place, when our children and grandchildren are born, when we accomplish something of great value, when we experience the beauty and mystery of nature. Some people feel this when they visit Israel for the first time. This feeling of transcendence elevates us to feel something “other”. The mobile Tabernacle enabled the Israelites to take God's essence with them wherever they went. Today, we attend services but, we too, can take God's presence with us in our hearts and our souls wherever we are.
Shabbat Shalom,
Sue Gardner
Affiliated with United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism