|
|
March 7, 2003/Adar2 3 5763, Vol. 55, No. 28
Enable God to dwell among us
Torah study
RABBI SLHOMO RISKIN
Pekudei/Exodus 38:21-40:38
We have already seen how the five Torah portions of Terumah, Tezaveh, Ki Tisa, Vayakhel and Pekudei deal with the construction of the sanctuary.
"And let them make Me a sanctuary that I may dwell among them." (Exodus 25:8)
The portions handle this construction in a very strange order. The first two portions describe the sanctuary and its accoutrements in detail, the third portion (Ki Tisa) reminds us to keep the Sabbath and tells of the sin of the golden calf, the fourth portion returns to the Sabbath, and the fifth portion includes a repeat description of the details of the sanctuary.
Why discuss the Sabbath twice in the midst of the sanctuary description, and why sandwich the golden calf between the double repetition of the Sabbath commands?
When the Bible records the conclusion of the construction of the sanctuary, the sacred text uses the same terminology that appeared with regard to the creation of the world. At the completion of the sanctuary, the Bible states, "And when Moses saw that they had performed all the tasks - as the Lord had commanded, so they had done - Moses blessed them." (Exodus 39:43) Likewise at the conclusion of the creation of the world, the Bible states, "And God saw all that He had made, and found it very good. ... And God blessed the seventh day and declared it holy." (Genesis 1:31, 2:3)
Clearly, the Bible is paralleling the divine creation of the world with the human creation of the sanctuary. One might simply say that since God created a world in which we are to live, Moses and Israel returned the compliment by creating a sanctuary in which God was to live.
But that is not what the Bible states, but rather, "And let them make Me a sanctuary that I may dwell among them" - not within the sanctuary.
We must remember that after the sin of the golden calf, God specifically stated that as a result of Israel's transgression God will not stand in their midst. God will be more transcendent than imminent.
I would interpret this to mean that, in creating a world that allows for free choice, God has provided a world that has darkness and light, chaos and order, evil and good. God created human beings in the divine image, expecting us to be God's partners in perfecting an imperfect world.
And the Israelites, having been given the Torah and charged with the mission of being a kingdom of priests, must project the vision of ethical monotheism and universal peace to the world. This is the meaning of the command, "And let them make Me a sanctuary that I may dwell among them."
There remains but one piece to work out the puzzle. There is a magnificent midrash relating to Adam and Eve. When they were banished from the Garden of Eden, the first human beings complained to God that life in an imperfect world was more than they could bear. God then gave them two gifts to support them in their travail: the tear and the Sabbath day. When tragedy will strike, tears will bring a certain measure of relief. And the Sabbath will give them a foretaste of the complete world to come.
Thus after the charge of "making" a sanctuary, comes the command to "make" the Sabbath day, a weekly foretaste of paradise. To be sure, the gift of free choice can cause degenerations in line with the golden calf - idolatry, adultery and murder, jihad and suicide bombers - but ultimately the Sabbath and sanctuary will prevail.
God will help us achieve our goal of making the world into a sanctuary so that God may come down and dwell once again, as He did in Eden, in our midst.
Rabbi Shlomo Riskin is the spiritual leader of Efrat, Israel.
|
