Terumah

Exodus 25:1−27:19

On The Way To Sanctity

The sanctification process of materials for the Tabernacle and Temple teaches us that everything has the potential to be used for holiness.

 The purpose of the Exodus was always more than the liberation of the Hebrew slaves; it was the establishment of a physical existence in which Hashem would reign.

And, at the center of that existence, would be the Mishkan (Tabernacle), the portable sanctuary:

And they shall make Me a Sanctuary, that I may dwell among them (Exodus 25:8).The establishment of the Mishkan will make it possible for Hashem's Presence to dwell in the midst of the people.

Every aspect of the Mishkan teaches us how to serve Hashem.

How to Serve Hashem

The Mishkan would be the result of the collective efforts of the entire nation of Israel. It would be constructed from donations of their possessions and skills, and dedicated to the service of Hashem:

And Hashem spoke to Moses, saying: ‘Speak to the Children of Israel that they take for Me (v’yikchu li) a donation; from each man whose heart makes him willing shall you take My donation’ (Exodus 25:1-2).

Of course, one cannot really "give" to Hashem, since the whole world is His:

To Hashem are the earth and all that fills it, the habitation and those who dwell in it (Psalms 24:1).
Instead, one takes that which Hashem provides and devotes it to Him.

Rashi's Views

Rashi's comment on the words v’yikchu li is famous for its brevity, and has stimulated much discussion by his commentaries: that they take for Me: for Me--for My Name.

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Mishpatim

Mishpatim, Exodus 21:1-24:18, Shabbat Sh’kalim 

Murder And Atheism

In claiming power over human lives, a murderer denies that God alone possesses that power.

 "He who smites a man and [the man] dies shall surely be put to death."

A Houston, Texas newspaper published the story of a young Eastern lawyer who complained to an old Texas Judge about the Texas way with crime. "I don't understand Texas justice," said the lawyer. "You will suspend the sentence of a convicted murderer, but you will hang a horse thief."

The old judge rang a spittoon with a stream of tobacco juice. "Sorry," he replied, "I reckon that's cause we got men that need killin’, but we ain't got no horses that need stealin’."

A Gruesome Crime Murder is a gruesome crime. From time immemorial, when Cain first murdered his brother Abel, great cynicism has been embedded in the warped minds of those who would kill.

A cynicism stemming from atheism. If these murderers could not create life, they would flourish on destroying it. Feeling hapless to the power of the Almighty, they would rob Him of his image. If they could not conquer the King, they would overpower his children.

One cannot separate the sixth commandment, "Thou shalt not kill" from the second commandment, "Thou shalt not have any other gods before Me." Undermining God through murder is tantamount to worshipping those gods that others have created.

The Talmud speaks disparagingly of a court that brings hands down a death sentence but once in seventy years. It is considered a "killer court." Even once in seventy years, is far too frequent for moral men to dispense such judgment. The Torah finds it exceedingly difficult to delegate authority for capital punishment to an array of righteous and learned scholars and judges because, in the final analysis, they, too, are flesh and blood.

Just as no horse needs stealing, practically no man needs killing at the hands of mortal man. Only the Almighty can bring a deluge, a plague, a famine.

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February 2, 2013

Yitro, Exodus 18:1–20:23

Preparing To Receive God's Message

Unlike the first tablets, the second tablets, which were hewn by human hands, endured.

By Rabbi Melvin I. Burg

"And Moses went up to God." The great event, toward which all of creation moved from the hour of its inception, was about to take place. The entire universe was hushed and attentive to the sublime drama that was about to unfold in the wilderness of Sinai.

In view of the vivid circumstances surrounding the Divine Revelation, it is most disconcerting that its substance rapidly dissipated. For shortly after Sinai, the Hebrews create a golden calf and Moses, learning of it from atop the mountain, shatters the tablets containing the Ten Commandments. What a magnificent beginning! What an abysmal ending!

Where in lay the difference between the first set of tablets, which were broken, and the second set, which Moses later fashioned and which remained whole? Why were the latter more enduring? Why were they received in sincerity by the Jewish nation?

Nothing More Beautiful Than Modesty
Rashi comments that the first tablets, which were given amid tumult, thundering and a great assembly, were affected by the evil eye, whereas, the second tablets, which were given under more modest circumstances, were able to endure. There is nothing more beautiful than modesty.

But while this teaching of Rashi contains a very important moral lesson, it still does not fully explain the circumstances surrounding the second tablets. Why did God command Moses to hew these second tablets instead of giving them to him ready-made from Above, as He had with the first pair?

And if it was, for some reason, essential that Moses hew them by himself, could he not have done so at the top of the mountain? Why did God instruct him to hew them at the foot of the mountain and carry them up to the top? It is precisely this incident that explains the durability of the second tablets.

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January 26, 2013

B’shalach, Exodus 13:17–17:16, Shabbat Shirah

The Source Of Spirituality

By Rabbi Solomon Freilich

The glorification of God in the Song at the Sea provides us with several models of attaining spirituality. "Spirituality" has become a centerpiece of our contemporary vernacular. New books intending to help people find more meaning in their lives, to infuse their lives with spirituality, appear regularly. Even medical doctors, psychotherapists, and health care professionals have adopted spirituality as a modality for therapy.
What is Spirituality?

What is the Jewish understanding of this concept, and what are the means to attaining this phenomenal experience?

A brief verse from the Shirah (song) in today’s parashah provides some insight: "This is my God, and I will glorify Him." These words were uttered by the entire Jewish nation at the crossing of the Red Sea, as the people experienced the highest level of spirituality--an unparalleled closeness to God. The manifestation of Godliness was so clear that every Jew, even the humblest, could literally point a finger and say, "This is my God, and I will glorify Him."

Let us reflect on three definitions of the word ve’anveihu--"and I will glorify Him." Rashi interprets this word to mean, "I will build Him a sanctuary," from the root neveh--home. It expresses Israel’s longing to build a resting place for the Shechinah, God’s presence.

Rav Yosef Dov Soloveitchik, zt"l, once explained that Shechinah is related to the word shachen, neighbor. This Name of God conveys an overwhelming closeness to God. What an uplifting spiritual feeling we might attain as we enter our synagogues, imagining that we have entered God’s Home!

Rav Samson Raphael Hirsch (19th-century Germany) interprets the word ve’anveihu, "I will make myself a sanctuary." The greatest of all sanctuaries, he writes, is the human being who makes himself holy.

"Ner Elokim nishmas adam--The candle of God is the human soul."Judaism teaches that since each of us isendowed with a measure of Divinity--a soul--each has the potential to become a sanctuary. There is a Divine spark lodged within every Jewish heart. When that spark is ignited, the heart overflows with love, warmth, and a spiritual energy. What an optimistic view of the potential of Jewish spirituality!

Our Sages also identify the word ve’anveihu with the root naveh--beauty. "This is my God, and I will adorn Him with beauty." How? By beautifying the mitzvot (commandments). I will acquire a beautiful Sefer Torah, build a beautiful succah, possess a beautiful new lulav, adorn myself with beautiful tallit and tefillin.

Adding an aesthetic dimension to mitzvot expresses how deeply we cherish the mitzvot. Who is not touched with emotions of spirituality upon entering a traditional home on the Sabbath Eve to see a family around the table, upon which rests a beautiful, glittering candelabra, a shiny Kiddush cup, an embroidered challah cover--the entire Sabbath decor! Beauty evokes spirituality!

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January 19, 2013

Bo, Exodus 10:1–13:16

Defining Service Of God

As the Israelites transition from being servants of Pharaoh to servants of God, they acknowledge that God will instruct them in how to best serve God.

Pharaoh's Conditions

After the plague of darkness immobilizes Egypt, Pharaoh is prepared to discuss releasing the slaves so they can worship God. However, he dictates conditions:

And Pharaoh called for Moses and he said, "Go, worship Ha; however, your sheep and your cattle will stay; even your children will go with you." And Moses said, "You will even give sacrifices and burnt-offerings into our hands, and we will offer them to Hashem our God. Also, our own livestock will go with us, not a hoof will remain, for from it shall we take (nikach) to worship Hashem our God, and we will not know how (mah) we will serve Hashem until our arrival there."

And God strengthened Pharaoh's heart, and he did not want to let them go. And Pharaoh said to him, "Leave me! Watch yourself, do not continue to see my face, because on the day you see my face you will die!" And Moses said, "You have spoken well; I will not continue to see your face again" (Sh' mot / Exodus 10:24-29).

Animals as Collateral

According to Chizkuni (R. Chizkiya ben Manoach, mid 13th century commentator), Pharaoh demands that the animals remain behind to serve as security that the slaves will return. Ibn Ezra (12th century Spanish commentator), on the other hand, says that this isn't a sincere offer. Rather, Pharaoh is testing Moses: his response to Pharaoh's terms will demonstrate whether he intends the slaves to escape and not return.

Since this exchange between Moses and Pharaoh is part of their bargaining, how are we to understand Moses' prediction that, not only will Pharaoh eventually allow the Hebrews to take their own animals, but the Egyptians will send animals for sacrifice? Is Moses' suggestion realistic, or is it made only for the purpose of negotiations?

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January 12, 2013

Va-eira, Exodus 6:2–9:35

COVENANT & CONVERSATION: Vaera – Of Lice and Men

 Throughout all Egypt the dust turned into lice. But when the magicians tried to produce lice by their secret arts, they could not. The lice attacked men and animals alike. The magicians said to Pharaoh, ‘This is the finger of G-d.’ But Pharaoh’s heart was hard and he would not listen.

Too little attention has been paid to the use of humour in the Torah. Its most important form is the use of satire to mock the pretensions of human beings who think they can emulate G-d. One thing makes G-d laugh – the sight of humanity attempting to defy heaven:

The kings of the earth take their stand,

And the rulers gather together against the Lord and His anointed one.

“Let us break our chains,” they say,

“and throw off their fetters.”

He who sits in heaven laughs,

G-d scoffs at them. (Psalm 2: 2-4)

There is a marvelous example in the story of the Tower of Babel. The people in the plain of Shinar decide to build a city with a tower that “will reach heaven.” This is an act of defiance against the divinely given order of nature (“The heavens are the heavens of G-d: the earth He has given to the children of men”). The Torah then says, “But G-d came down to see the city and the tower . . .” Down on earth, the builders thought their tower would reach heaven. From the vantage point of heaven, however, it was so minuscule that G-d had to “come down” to see it.

Satire is essential to understanding at least some of the plagues. The Egyptians worshipped a multiplicity of gods, most of whom represented forces of nature. By their “secret arts” the magicians believed that they could control these forces. Magic is the equivalent in an era of myth to technology in an age of science. A civilization that believes it can manipulate the gods, believes likewise that it can exercise coercion over human beings. In such a culture, the concept of freedom is unknown.

The plagues were not merely intended to punish Pharaoh and his people for their mistreatment of the Israelites, but also to show them the powerlessness of the gods in which they believed (“I will perform acts of judgement against all the gods of Egypt: I am G-d”, Ex. 12:12). This explains the first and last of the nine plagues prior to the killing of the firstborn. The first involved the Nile. The ninth was the plague of darkness. The Nile was worshipped as the source of fertility in an otherwise desert region. The sun was seen as the greatest of the gods, Re, whose child Pharaoh was considered to be. Darkness meant the eclipse of the sun, showing that even the greatest of the Egyptian gods could do nothing in the face of the true G-d.

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January 5, 2013

Shemot, Exodus 1:1–6:1

The Children of Israel multiply in Egypt. Threatened by their growing numbers, Pharaoh enslaves them and orders the Hebrew midwives, Shifrah and Puah, to kill all male babies at birth. When they do not comply, he commands his people to cast the Hebrew babies into the Nile.

A child is born to Jochebed, the daughter of Levi, and her husband, Amram, and placed in a basket on the river, while the baby’s sister, Miriam, stands watch from afar. Pharaoh’s daughter discovers the boy, raises him as her son and names him Moses.

As a young man, Moses leaves the palace and discovers the hardship of his brethren. He sees an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, and kills the Egyptian. The next day he sees two Jews fighting; when he admonishes them, they reveal his deed of the previous day, and Moses is forced to flee to Midian. There he rescues Jethro’s daughters, marries one of them (Zipporah), and becomes a shepherd of his father-in-law’s flocks.

G‑d appears to Moses in a burning bush at the foot of Mount Sinai, and instructs him to go to Pharaoh and demand: “Let My people go, so that they may serve Me.” Moses’ brother, Aaron, is appointed to serve as his spokesman. In Egypt, Moses and Aaron assemble the elders of Israel to tell them that the time of their redemption has come. The people believe; but Pharaoh refuses to let them go, and even intensifies the suffering of Israel.

Moses returns to G‑d to protest: “Why have You done evil to this people?” G‑d promises that the redemption is close at hand.