Parshat Terumah; Exodus 25:1-27:19 By: Rabbi Denise L. Eger
In the weeks preceding our Torah portion, Terumah, God speaks to the Children of Israel from Mt. Sinai. It is a majestic and craggy mountain peak in the wilderness. The voice of God is heard amid the smoke and trumpets from the mountain peak. It is frightening and impressive! God calls out the Ten Commandments to the Children of Israel and they each hear the voice of the Holy One in his or her own way.
Now in this portion God speaks to Moses yet again. This time the instructions are to build God’s dwelling place here on earth. They are to build a tabernacle that will be the “sanctuary that I may dwell among them (Ex. 25:8).” This is the mikdash. It will be the worship site for the Children of Israel for many years until King Solomon will finally build a permanent mikdash in Jerusalem on Mt. Moriah many centuries later. The genius of this sanctuary of God is its portability. Each piece that God commands Moses and the Children of Israel to build this week is designed to be portable. The entire tabernacle is contained within a special tent. And each utensil including the holy ark of the covenant that will contain the teachings of God will be carried place to place. God will go with the people!
Although the Teachings of God came to the Children of Israel from atop a very impressive mountain, the Teaching of God and God will dwell wherever the Children of Israel go on their journey. But God will also dwell in a specific place within the Tabernacle.
Rabbi Sonsino in a commentary on parshat Terumah posted at the Union for Reform Judaism website (www.urj.org) has pointed out that once the Tabernacle is built and the Ark of Covenant is built, (the instructions for its building are also contained in this week’s portion) God will speak from atop the Ark of the Covenant. The portion explains that from between the two cherubim to be fashioned on the top cover of the ark, God will in the future speak to Moses and the people. “There I will meet with you, and I will impart to you from above the cover, from between the two cherubim that are on top of the ark of the Pact all that I will command you concerning the Israelite people” (Ex. 25:22). Tradition teaches that top of the Ark of the Covenant was none other than the footstool of God.
But now the most sacred place will not be a mountain in the desert but will travel with the people. And although later in Jewish history, the Temple was built on a specific mountain in Jerusalem, we must also know that there is an opportunity to meet God wherever we are. God goes where we go and can speak to us from even the most barren places. God speaks to us not only as some distant voice in the heavens but also from within our midst. God speaks to us close to the Law and teaching of our tradition. God speaks out from the ethics and values of our people contained in Ark of the Covenant. Atop the Ark is where the Divine emanates from.
Posted by Lee at February 20, 2007 10:02 AM
