From B’reishit on, we’ve experienced God as Creator, Guardian, Miracle Worker, Law Maker, Teacher. In this week’s Torah Portion, T’rumah, we see God in the roles of Fundraiser, Architect, Artisan, and Interior Decorator. With no Home Depot or Lumber Liquidators in sight, God commands the Israelites to build a portable Mishkan – “And let them make Me a sanctuary that I may dwell among them.” (Exodus 25:8) Although the Israelites are wandering in the desert wilderness, God specifies that the Mishkan be elaborately constructed and lavishly furnished with materials such as acacia wood, precious metals, gems, fine linens, colored yarns, and what some translators call “dolphin skins.” What is God thinking?! That’s exactly the point of T’rumah. That is the question confronting centuries of commentators. What is the purpose of God’s complex, detailed plan for a structure where the Israelites can pray and sacrifice to God?
According to Harvey J. Fields’ A Torah Commentary for Our Times, some commentators see the Mishkan as fulfilling the human need for “…a special space set aside for meditation and prayer.” (page 65)
Others define the function of the Mishkan as “…a tangible, visual assurance of the bond that God had forged with the people of Israel at Mount Sinai.” (page 65)
Still other commentators interpret the details of the Mishkan as having “allegorical meaning.” (page 67)
In addition to these worthy ideas, I propose another view. Divinely commanded, humanly crafted, the Mishkan was a significant step in the evolution of the Jewish people. This evolution began with Abraham’s belief in One God and progressed through a succession of founding families, territorial tribes, oppressed slaves, and freed followers of God through Moses. In Parashat T’rumah, we can recognize the formation of a Jewish community, contributing its wealth (Exodus 25:2), committing its skills to building the Mishkan according to the exacting details of God’s plan.
God gives very specific details so that the construction can proceed in a timely, efficient, harmonious way. If God had simply said, “Build and furnish a structure worthy of My Presence,” there would have been endless, time-consuming arguments over what exactly constituted a dwelling place for God. The Israelites had , after all, labored at building great monuments to the Pharaohs. They would, most likely, have considered such structures appropriate for God. By providing detailed instructions for the Mishkan, God kept the Israelites from lengthy, contentious debate, and from looking backward to the culture that had enslaved them. Instead, God focused the Israelites on the cooperative and communal execution of God’s plan for a suitable place for sacred worship and sacrifice.
In building the Mishkan, the Israelites needed to invest themselves physically, economically, and spiritually. In the process they would make God’s sacred space their own, and strengthen their ability to function as a community.
Today, in constructing and furnishing our synagogues, we descendents of the wandering Israelites still incorporate elements of God’s Mishkan – vibrant colors, embroidered textiles, precious ornaments, rich woods. Communally, we contribute from the heart to create a place where we can gather for prayer, for study, for comfort and support. For the Jewish community, God’s presence is with us as strongly in our solidly grounded synagogues, as it was amidst the curtains and planks of the ancient Mishkan.
Shabbat Shalom – Rest and Renew
Quotations from T’rumah are taken from The Torah: A Modern Commentary edited by W.Gunther Plaut
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