When only the best will do

Tetzaveh

Exodus 27:20-30:10

Précis: The parasha continues with a description of ritual items in the Tabernacle, including oil for the lamp, priestly clothing, the ephod, breastplate, robes, plate, and miter. Aaron and his sons, Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar are designated as Priests and are consecrated with sacrifices and ceremony. The parasha concludes with a description of the daily sacrifices and incense to be offered at the Tabernacle.

Ex. 27:20  “And you will command the Israelite people to bring to you pure olive oil beaten for the light, to burn regularly.”

          It’s interesting to note that we are commanded to use only “pure” olive oil for illumination in the Menorah. (As an aside, I’ve learned much from my daughter the chef about the various kinds and uses of olive oil, and it would seem to me that the Bible here is really talking about the best quality cold-pressed fresh extra-virgin olive oil!)

            But back to the verse cited here. In another aspect of ritual worship described in the Bible, we are not asked to use “pure” flour for the offerings associated with its use. This difference, as usual, came to the attention of the Sages. One suggestion was that worship ritual in the Mishkan (and then subsequently in the Temple) was that the rule is contrary to how one uses these substances at home. There, we use the best flour available for our bread, and the cheapest oil for illumination of lamps. After all, how lamp oil tastes is irrelevant. This is the reverse of Mishkan and Temple practice. To the Sages, the Menorah was a symbol of wisdom and Torah; flour represented the mundane world.

           The importance of this ancient analysis has something to tell us about the importance of priority setting. We often tend to look for the “best” or “finest” in material things; our fascination with gourmet foods and fine clothing is quite natural in this regard.  But we all too often settle for the easiest, the sufficient, or the good enough in the realm of spiritual matters.

            As an individual who does indeed relish fine food, well-made items of all kinds, and the occasional sip of a great single malt, I am not one to suggest that living an ascetic or austere life is what the Sages were telling us with this midrash. But if we devote more than the minimum, more than just the basics to our inner lives, we can achieve a greater balance between the material and the spiritual, and balance is a very Jewish virtue.

Let's Light the World Together

T’rumah

Exodus 25:1-27:19

Précis: As the Israelites continue their journey through the wilderness, God tells Moses to ask the people for gifts to build the Tabernacle. “T’rumah” (voluntary donations) of fine metals, yarns, skins, and woods are offered by the People. God gives Moses precise instructions as to the interior and exterior construction of the mishkan (tabernacle). Specific items include an altar for burnt offerings, a curtain (parochet) to separate the main room from an inner sanctum, elaborate candlesticks, incense burners, and other tools. There will be a special Ark to be placed in an area called the Holy of Holies to house the tablets of the Ten Commandments. Precise measures are given for all spaces as well as specific materials designated for the composition of the mishkan.

Exodus 25:31-32 “You shall make a lampstand of pure gold; the lampstand shall be made of hammered work; its base and its shafts, its cups, calyxes, and petals shall be of one piece. Six branches shall issue from its side…

Rabbi Bradley Artson (MyJewishLearning.com 2/12/13) has written about the menorah, which tradition tells us is the principal symbol of Judaism. Contrary to what many believe, the Star of David did not become a symbol of the Jewish People until the Middle Ages. For most of our history, it was the seven branched menorah which performed that function.

Yet the verses cited here are far from clear. How exactly was the menorah to be formed? Midrash tells us that Moses was stumped by this instruction, until God Himself (or perhaps the angel Gabriel) drew a sketch for Moses to work from. Another tradition has it that Moses was not able to figure it out himself, and that the task fell to Bezalel, the head craftsman of the Mishkan construction effort.

What makes these details so difficult to understand?  Moses, after all, “knew” the entirety of the Torah as well as the Oral Law according to tradition. Why was it so hard for him to understand the menorah’s fashioning? Rabbi Artson suggests that the Torah is telling us that even the most perfect mind has strengths and weaknesses. It may also be telling us that every individual has a unique set of perspectives, talents, and understandings. Each of us is like a branch of the menorah. A branch, alone, provides little light. All branches when combined can provide great illumination. This unity is underscored by the tradition which states that a menorah is usable only when each of the lights is on the same level: none can take precedence over the others, but together, we can light the world.