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Parshat
Trumah: Ohel
Moed - Meeting God Our parsha inaugurates an entire section of the Torah which is devoted to the Mishkan - the Tabernacle. For the coming weeks the Torah leaves the sweeping narrative of the dramatic Exodus and the spectacle of the revelation at Sinai. Our attention turns instead, to the field of architecture. Precise measurements, design details and descriptions of raw materials - metals, woods, animal skins, colour dyes - are to take the centre stage. The text describes it all with painstaking detail. CHAVRUTA
STUDY: 1.
REVIEW THE PARSHA. Try
to draw out a scheme / structured list, of the way our parsha is structured. CLUE:
Kodesh kodoshim, Kodesh, Azara (outer courtyard). 2.
THE ARON See
the pesukim 25:10-22 -
On first glance, what is the function of the Aron? -
On a more accurate reading, we see the construction of 2 distinct objects: the
Aron and the Kapporet! See if you can divide this parsha into two
sections ie. the two basic descriptions of the construction of the two
different objects. (they come together in v.21) ....
What is the unique function, or "role", of each of these
"objects"? ·
Compare 25:15 and v.21. Why the repetition? See Rashi and the Ramban. ·
25:15 - what is the "Edut"? . See Rashi, Rashbam.
·
See Bamidbar 10:35-36. What specific function does the Aron express in
these pesukim? How does this relate to he function or "role"
of the Aron in our parsha? 3.
Read and study THE OPENING RAMBAN. (even if you have learned it before, do it
again. It is sheer joy! worth reading every year.) ·
*In his first section, the Ramban talks about a mishkan in the context
of their becoming a "goy kadosh". What is the Ramban getting at
here? How does this explain the function of the mishkan ·
The Ramban moves on to talk about the centrality of the "Aron"
in the mikdash? - According to Ramban, what is unique about the Aron, that
gives it higher status? - Is this explanation of the Ramban; arguing with /
adding to / unrelated to, the previous comments ("goy kadosh")? ·
According to the Ramban (see "v'sod hamishkan"), the Mishkan
reflects Har Sinai in some way. - What textual proofs does he bring for his
theory (look up the references!)? - Can you add any of your own? THE
SHIUR: THE
ARON It
would seem clear from our introduction above, that the Ark, the Aron, stands
at the epicentre of the Mishkan. It is placed in the Holy of Holies, it is the
first of the tabernacle "furniture" to be described. It would seem
to be placed at the head of the parsha of the Mishkan. But this is not where
it's special nature begins or ends. Let us examine the Aron, thinking about
its imagery and symbolism, in a quest to discover the true significance of
this object. "God
had spoken with Israel face to face, delivering to them the Ten Commandments
... and Israel had accepted the performance of the commands that He would
issue (via Moses). A covenant had been cut on this very act. Now they are His
nation and He is to them as a God as he had defined from the start (19:5),
'and you will be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation' (19:6). It
is befitting a holy nation that there be within their midst a sanctuary so
that God's presence may dwell among them. Hence He commanded - as the very
first command - that there be a Mishkan, a house sacred to His name where he
could speak with Moses and command the Children of Israel. The
central focus of the Mishkan - the place of God's presence - is the Aron as it
states, ' There will I meet you, and I will speak with you - from above the
Kapporet ... (all that I will command you concerning the
Children of Israel) (25:21).' This is the reason that the Aron is
mentioned at the top of the list, for it is the highest in level.
(...but in Parshat Vayakhel (Ch. 35) when the structure and coverings of the
Mishkan precede the description of the Aron, that is because it was these
items that had to be crafted earliest.)" (Nachmanides to 25:1) Let
us examine this passage from the Ramban (Nachmanides). The Ramban asks as to
the aim and purpose of the Mishkan and the Aron within it. He provides a
straightforward answer. The Mishkan ensures that God will dwell amongst his
people Israel. There is a historic-covenantal background to all this, however.
In the aftermath of the monumental covenant between God and the nation of
Israel, God commands that a place be established where He can have ongoing
contact with His nation as an expression of the bond between them. But
a building is not enough. The covenant must be given a living expression. The
medium through which God's presence is realised is the word of God. God's
presence is felt, His desire for contact and relationship is expressed by the
ongoing communication between Himself and Moses, the representative of the
nation. God's commands form the basis of the God-man conversation , and this
command, this conversation is to occur at the hub of the Mishkan, at
the Aron, in the Holy of Holies. It is at this precise locus that the covenant
is given its fulfilment. But
why the Aron? What is it about the Aron which makes this item the focal point
of the Mishkan - the tabernacle? Why is the Aron placed at the head of the
inventory of vessels of the sanctuary? COMMUNICATION "They
shall make an Aron of acacia wood, two and a half cubits long, a cubit and a
half wide, and a cubit and a half high. Overlay it with pure gold - overlay it
inside and out ... And deposit in the Aron [the tablets of] the pact (edut)
which I will give you. You shall make a cover (Kapporet) of pure gold, two and
a half cubits long and a cubit and a half wide. Make two cherubim of gold -
make them of hammered work - at the two ends of the Kapporet ... The cherubim
shall have their wings spread out above, shielding the cover with their wings
... Place the Kapporet-cover on top of the Aron, after placing inside the Aron,
the pact that I will give you. There will I meet you, and I will speak with
you - from above the Kapporet, between the two cherubim that are on top of the
Aron of the pact - all that I will command you concerning the
Children of Israel." (25:10-21) The
very content of the Aron belies its function. It is a storage box - "as
with a great treasure which is deposited with a person for safekeeping"
(Ibn Ezra 25:16). The "treasure" inside the box, is the two
tablets of stone. These tablets are the definitive symbol of the covenant.
Indeed, the text here describes the tablets by a simple, but powerful title.
They are called "EDUT" - testimony. They testify to the pact between
God and the nation. It
is at this "Aron of the Covenant" that God will speak to Moses.
"There will I meet you, and I will speak with you". The location is
described with great precision - between the cherubim, above the Kapporet, on
top of the covenantal Aron - a meeting place is set where God will meet man,
confronting, commanding, and continuing the covenantal relationship . Indeed,
the Aron as an object is seen as the very seat of God's presence. "And
when the Aron travelled, Moses proclaimed: 'Arise
God, scatter your enemies, may your foes flee before you!' And
when it halted, he would say, ''Return,
O Lord, to the Israel's myriad thousands.' " (Bamidbar 10:35, 36) When
the Aron moves, God moves. When the Aron rests, God rests. DISTANCE A
clear proof for this theory of the Ramban - that communication is the
expression of the covenant and God's closeness to the nation - can be
demonstrated from the great betrayal of the covenant. This occurred in the
weeks of crisis and insecurity that followed the sin of the golden calf. There
we read: "Now
Moses took the Tent and pitched it OUTSIDE the camp, at some distance from the
camp. It was called the tent of meeting, and whoever sought the Lord would go
to the tent of meeting that was outside the camp... And when Moses entered the
tent, the pillar of cloud would descend and stand at the entrance to the tent
while He spoke with Moses... The Lord would speak to Moses face to face ...
" (33:7-11) At
this stage there is, as yet, no sanctuary and no Aron. However, the passage is
clear. The people have betrayed God. They have betrayed their exclusive
commitment to God and have thereby brought the pact into question. The
relationship itself, between God and Israel is under review. How do we
proceed? How can the damage be repaired? In this atmosphere, the word of God
cannot be heard from within the camp. God's presence will not rest in the
midst of the camp which have broken the pact. God's presence, his word is the
fulfilment of the covenant. The Tent, the communication, leaves the camp and
moves outside. Maybe
then, the historic significance of the establishment of the Mishkan in the
epicentre of the camp, takes on new meaning. After a period of estrangement,
the erection of the Mishkan means that God will speak from WITHIN the camp.
"And they will make for me a sanctuary, and I will DWELL IN THEIR
MIDST" (25:8). The Mishkan signifies covenant, communication and the
divine presence. All of this is embodied in the holy Aron. It is the Aron
which contains the symbol of the pact. It is the Aron which facilitates
communication with God. The Aron transforms the Mishkan, or sanctuary, into a
Tent of Meeting, with the Divine presence itself. A
PERPETUAL MT. SINAI Nachmanides,
however, takes this theory to new heights. He suggests an imagery for the
Mishkan which propels the Mishkan into a new league. "The
essence (sod) of the Mishkan is thus: The Divine presence that rested upon Mt.
Sinai, will now rest in the Mishkan in a more discreet form... the presence of
God that appeared at Mt. Sinai was with Israel for eternity in the form of the
Mishkan and when Moses entered (the Mishkan) he received the selfsame Divine
voice (or word) that had spoken to him at Mt. Sinai
" (commentary to 25:1) Nachmanides
proceeds to demonstrate a series of parallels between the Mishkan and the
revelation experience at Mt. Sinai. At
Sinai: "The CLOUD covered
the mountain, and GOD'S PRESENCE rested upon Mt. Sinai" (24:16). The
Mishkan: "The CLOUD covered the tent of meeting, and GOD'S PRESENCE
filled the Mishkan." (40:34) At
Sinai: "From the heavens he let you HEAR his VOICE" (Devarim 4:36) The
Mishkan: "And he HEARD the VOICE ... from between the Keruvim" (Bamidbar
7:89) The
Ramban even identifies the gold colour of the Aron with the great fire that
was visible at the peak of Mt. Sinai! And we can add other examples of our
own. One relates to Moses' restricted entry to the Mishkan, in the same way,
and with the same phraseology that was used concerning his restricted ascent
to Mt. Sinai. "And
Moses ascended the mountain ... and GOD'S PRESENCE rested upon Mt. Sinai, and
the CLOUD enveloped it for six days, AND HE CALLED TO MOSES on the seventh day
from the cloud ... and Moses entered the cloud and ascended the mountain"
(24:15-18) "The
CLOUD covered the tent of meeting, and GOD'S PRESENCE filled the Mishkan. And
Moses could not enter the tent of meeting for the cloud rested upon it, and
the presence of God filled the Mishkan... AND GOD CALLED TO HIM.."
(40:34-5 and Vayikra 1:1) In
both cases, God's presence and its outer manifestation- the cloud - envelope a
particular place, so that Moses cannot enter. He will enter only when invited. What
does this Mt. Sinai - Mishkan connection signify? What does the Mt. Sinai
experience have in common with the Mishkan? The miraculous, supernatural event
of the revelation at Sinai was impressive, overwhelming, but where does that
power lead? where does it find a sense of permanence? - in the Mishkan. The
Mishkan is the continuation of Mt. Sinai. It takes the frightening spectacle
and brings it into the daily routine. The Mishkan perpetuates the Sinai
experience. Here,
two things are critical: The intense presence of God, and the voice of God.
The presence of God, is his closeness. The word "Mishkan",
comes from the root SHaCHaN - to dwell, or live. God now lives in the
midst of the Children of Israel. To what purpose? To continue the transmission
of the life giving Torah. Hence, the Mishkan serves the same function, in
miniature, as the Sinai experience. THE
RAMBAM Thus
far, we have described the Aron as the centrepiece of the Mishkan. The Aron is
seen is the "seat" of the divine presence. It represents God
himself. It is His mouthpiece. It also represents Israel's covenant and its
living connection with God. As for the rest of the Mishkan, the entire
structure revolves around, and is secondary to the Aron. But
this is not the only possible order of priorities within the sanctuary. Let us
remember, that during the entire Second Temple, there was no Aron! (It was
stored in a secret location to prevent its falling into enemy hands. See
Mishna Yoma 5:2 and Shekalim 6:1,2) If we follow our description thus far, how
can a temple exist in the absence of an Aron? This
is Maimonides' definition of the command to build a sanctuary: "It
is a positive command to make a house for God, facilitating the sacrificial
service, and (the nation) celebrate there three times a year, as it states (Shemot
25:1) "You shall make for me a sanctuary." The Torah describes the
Mishkan that Moses made, but that structure was temporary ... And one makes
sacred vessels for the sanctuary: A sacrificial altar ... its ramp.. a washing
laver ... a altar for incense, a menora, a table" (Laws of the Temple
Chap 1) Where
is the Aron? Maimonides
barely makes mention of the Aron, not in his description of the basic function
of the Temple, nor in the subsequent detail. In Maimonides’ perspective, the
Temple, or sanctuary has a different focal point. The centre of the Temple is
the altar [1]. Why? Because according to Maimonides, the central function of
the sanctuary is our service to God. We serve God by bringing sacrifices upon
the altar. That is what our role is in the sanctuary, and it is within this
service that we find meaning. The
altar symbolises Man's service. It is the medium by which man approaches God. SERVICE
OR THE DIVINE PRESENCE? At
this point, we can already define two basic approaches to the Mishkan. One
view sees the Aron at the centre; the other puts the altar at the centre. These
two perspectives are representative of two books of the Torah. The book of
Shemot is Aron focussed. The book of Vayikra barely even mentions the Aron. It
is absolutely focussed upon the altar, the Mizbeach. Why?
The book of Shemot is the story of a nation in exile, who receive God's law,
who join God's covenant, and desire to have God's presence among them. The
desire is for God to "descend" to the people. That is the meaning of
the revelation at Sinai, the construction of the Mishkan, and entire tension
which surrounds the crisis of the golden calf (see 33:4-6, 15-16. 34:6-10) and
that is the point on which the book ends. The aim is to use God’s word in
guiding the nation on their mission to become “a kingdom of priests and a
holy nation.” In this book, the Aron of God is central. But
in the book of Vayikra –Leviticus - the centre stage is taken by the
sacrifices, the korbanot. In Vayikra, the focus is the priests, the Kohanim,
who function around the Mishkan. Here, when man serves God, the Mizbeach
becomes the focal point. [2] A
PHILOSOPHIC DIFFERENCE The
difference of emphasis as to where the centre point of the Mishkan lies might
seem trivial at first glance, but in truth, the philosophical foundations of
each approach are vastly different. Putting
the Aron at the centre means that the primary function of the sanctuary is the
creation of a seat for the Shekhina - God's presence. "Make for me a
sanctuary - so that I will rest my presence in your midst." (25:8). We
desire God's close presence. That is the objective. But
putting the altar at the centre reverses the direction completely. With the
altar at the centre, I focus upon what I might do for God. I see myself as His
servant. The Mishkan is the place that allows me to serve God in the ultimate
way. Now the aim is not so much God descending to earth, but mankind ascending
to Him. The Mishkan is not what God can give me, but rather, what I can do for
Him! So,
a simple question of priority within the ritual vessels of the Mishkan leads
to two different philosophies as to how to build a relationship with God. This
week, when we consider the Mishkan, we might well ponder the path that leads
to closeness with God. Does He make the first move, or do we? Shabbat
Shalom. Footnotes -------------- [1]
There were times in which the Aron and the altar were in totally different
locations! (See the mishna in Zevachim and Rambam Hil. Beit Habechira 1:2.)
This was from the time of the destruction of Shiloh until the construction of
Solomon's Temple. The Aron moved
around the lands of the Pelishtim, to Beit Shemesh, to Kiryat Yearim, to Beit
Oved Edom, to Jerusalem. (see Samuel 1 ch.5-6, II Ch.6. At the same time the
altar was in Nov and Givon. [2]
Alternatively, one might contrast the start of the Mishkan unit here in ch.25
where it is the Aron that causes the Shechina to rest, with the end of the
Mishkan unit in ch.29 – see vs. 42-46 – where the revelation is described
in connection to the Mizbeach. So this dialectical tension exists within Sefer
Shemot also.
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