The threat of theocracy

 Tetzaveh

Ex. 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, Eliezer 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. 28:1 “You shall bring forward your brother Aaron, with his sons, from among the Israelites, to serve Me as priests: Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar, the sons of Aaron.”

            As has been noted before, this parasha is the only one in the final four books of Moses to omit mention of Moses himself. There are a variety of reasons from the commentators (it was done out of modesty by Moses, we do not want to make Moses a cultic hero, or simply that Moses was indeed humble).

            I’d like to offer a slightly different rationale. Moses is omitted because by focusing on Aaron and the priests, we are underlining the fact that the leadership of the Jewish People is to be divided, between the religious leadership (the Priests) and what we might call the governmental leadership (represented by Moses). In fact, through most of Jewish history, these roles were indeed separate (actually being united only under the Hasmoneans of Chanukah fame).

            The division of leadership as it relates to Israel today is clear to me: the haredi leaders are impinging on the political/governmental sphere by their rejection of religious pluralism; actions by the current government supporting the haredi community violate this division of authority from the other direction.

             In the United States, a recent decision by the Supreme Court of Alabama ruled that frozen embryos were children.  “Even before birth, all human beings have the image of God, and their lives cannot be destroyed without effacing His glory,” Chief Justice Tom Parker wrote in a concurring opinion. The threat of theocracy is alive in both the United States and Israel. 

           By omitting mention of Moses in this parasha, the text is telling us that no one, even the greatest Prophet of all, can be all things. When we think about Moses’ humility and our reluctance to turn him into a cultic hero, we should understand that MAGA supporters of the former President as well as Netanyahu’s far-right coalition in Israel endanger this most critical differentiation.

 

God does not dwell in buildings

 T’rumah

Ex. 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 measurements are given for all spaces as well as specific materials designated for the composition of the mishkan.

 

Ex. 25:8 “Let them build Me a sanctuary that I may dwell among them.” 

 

Rabbi Jonathan Sacks pointed to a critical paradox relating to the building of the mishkan (Covenant and Conversation, 2/23/23).  How can we build a house for God? God is bigger than anything we can imagine, let alone build.

            It should also be unnecessary. God is everywhere, so why should we build a place for God to “dwell?” Sacks suggests that God does not dwell in buildings, but rather in the builders.

            Most of the Sages suggest that the mishkan was ordered to be created immediately following the episode of the Golden Calf. Moses had been the intermediary between the People and God, and when he was gone up the mountain, they built the calf as an alternative. That is why the command in this verse appears. The key word is “dwell” which had never before been used in connection with God. The same Hebrew root is found in the term “Shechinah” (meaning the Divine Presence).

            While the leading characters of Genesis saw God as a benevolent neighbor, the Israelites of Exodus saw God as a distant, miraculous entity. For God to become accessible to them, they needed something finite, not infinite. How could they experience God in a mundane, everyday existence? Here we find the key to the name of the parasha: voluntary donations or contributions. The best way to encounter God is to give. The gift is an expression of gratitude for what we have been given.

            The command to give leads to the idea that life itself is a gift. The elements and materials for the mishkan were the ultimate gift of thanks for all that we had. As Sacks concludes, God doesn’t live in a house of stone. God lives in the hearts of those who give.