Darkness and Light

Vayakel- Pekudei

Ex. 35:1 – 40:38

Précis: In Vayakel, Moses instructs the People again on the laws of Shabbat and asks for a donation of gifts (both of material and service) for the construction of the Tabernacle. The appointment of the construction leaders is also included, and the construction begins. There are again specific descriptions of implements, articles, and of the Ark itself.

            In the second parasha we read this week (Pekudei) we reach the end of the Book of Exodus. It begins with an inventory of the items used in the construction of the Mishkan, as well as the vessels and clothing collected by Moses and Aaron. When the accounts are squared, the completed structure is blessed. The Ark is placed within, as are the various holy vessels, and a cloud of glory descends and covers the tent.

Ex. 40:38 “For the cloud of Adonai was upon the Tabernacle by day and the fire on it by night, in view of all of the house of Israel throughout their journeys.”

            A traditional commentary on this verse suggests that each of us is like a Mishkan: there are times of darkness (when we are covered by the cloud) and times of light (when we are illuminated by the fire). How true this appears to be in our current polarized political climate. But our current situation diverges from the traditional commentary in a significant way. Now, one group sees darkness when the other see light, and one group sees light while the other sees only darkness. We argue about what we perceive. Facts no longer seem to be facts, and communication – honest communication – seems to become impossible.

            But our tradition can respond to this as well.  When there is good fortune for all, we need to remember that clouds will inevitably appear to darken the outlook. When things seem so dark that we want to cry out in despair, we need to remember that we can expect an eventual return to light and brightness. Like the Mishkan, the Divine Presence is with us both when things are dark and when they are bright.

            Some call me overly optimistic about the American future because I remain steadfast in the belief that we will overcome our struggles together. May it come soon and in our time.

Who really wrote the Torah?

Ki Tissa

Ex. 30:11-34:35

Précis: The parasha begins with a census of the people, accomplished by the collection of a half shekel. We then return to a description of Tabernacle items, including the basin, anointing oil, and incense. The holy work of building the Tabernacle is to be interrupted by Shabbat. Then we return to narrative. Moses is given the two tablets and he descends from Mount Sinai. There he sees the people worshipping the Golden Calf. The tablets are smashed and the evil doers are punished. Moses returns up the mountain, and we next have the articulation of the 13 Attributes of God. Moses carves a new set of tablets, and returns to the People, his face radiant.

  

Ex. 32:15–16: “Moses … descended the mountain, with two tablets of the covenant in his hand … The tablets were God’s work; the writing was God’s writing, inscribed into the tablets.”

Ex. 34:1 “The Lord said to Moses, “Cut for yourself two tablets of stone like the first, and I will write on the tablets the words that were on the first tablets, which you broke.”

Ex. 34:28 “So he was there with the Lord forty days and forty nights; he did not eat bread or drink water. And he wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant, the Ten Commandments.”

            Dr. Benjamin Sommer has discussed (Torah from JTS, 2/26/16) an issue my midrasha students always ask about: Where does our Torah come from? Is it really from God? If so, humans can never change it. Or is the Torah the result of what Sommer calls a “human-divine collaboration”? If so, then there is perhaps room for change.

            Sommer notes that modern Jewish thinkers (Heschel, Rosenzweig, Jacobs) endorse the idea of collaboration. In effect, what we see in Torah is the human reaction to God’s commands. While the first verse cited here show that the Torah was entirely God’s work, the second cited verse leaves room for doubt. But even more telling is the third cited verse (Ex. 34:28), which tells us that both the tablets and the writing are the work of Moses.

            We might conclude that the text wants us to understand that human beings participated in the creation of the Torah. But the text also wants us to entertain a certain ambiguity about the extent of participation. The authority behind the text is Divine, and is therefore binding upon us. But each generation must participate in its own form of Revelation, reading and understanding the text in light of its own circumstances. Or, as Sommer suggests, “It is in the tension between these two views of tradition and change that the most authentic and ancient form of Judaism dwells.” This is the question with which my student wrestle.