Parashiyot Va-yakhel-P'kudey (Exodus 35:1 - 40:38)

by Rabbi Aaron Goldstein, Northwood and Pinner Liberal Synagogue and Liberal Judaism Outreach Director

Summary
This double parsha (so that the parashiyot fit into this year’s lunar calendar) of Va’yakhel-P’kudey (Exodus 35:1 – 40:38) marks the end of the book of Exodus for this annual cycle. It describes the building of the mishkan (Tabernacle in which the tablets of the Law were to be kept), linked to passages before it by being preceded by an instruction to observe the Sabbath. The mishkan was to be made from materials that the Israelites donated. They did so with such zeal that Moses had to limit the offerings. Bezalel and Oholiab were appointed as chief architects and artists, and the mishkan was assembled, together with the Priests' garments, just as God had commanded. When the work was finished, the mishkan was filled by the Presence of God and the cloud descended on  the Tent of Meeting.

Commentary

Gunther Plaut (Canadian Reform commentator), in his Torah Commentary notes that our first parasha begins with the same word (pointed slightly differently) as appears in the introductory verse to the episode of the Golden Calf – vav-yud-kof-hey-lamed.  In both instances, the people are gathered together. Their first gathering was to rebel against God whilst the latter in our parasha is fully approved of by God and is to build the mishkan. This gathering is proof of God’s forgiveness and the Israelites act in an understandable showing of that human emotion, relief, with an outpouring of generosity.

However, the Midrash Tanhuma (a traditional commentary) suggests that this generosity is to be compared to the incredible generosity of God in creating the world. It infers this from the verse, “Moses saw all the work…and it was good in his sight…Moses blessed them (Ex 39:43).”

“Moses saw all the work..” it does not mention the sanctuary therefore it is comparable to “all the work” of Creation.

“and it was good in his sight” compared to, “and God saw that it was good.”

“Moses blessed them” compared to and “God blessed…”

The Sefat Emet (Gerer Rebbe) suggested that, just as Moses needed to tell the people to stop bringing gifts to build the mishkan, so God had to reign in the power of Creation. Such was the power of God’s creative energies, that God had to reign in these forces, otherwise Creation would have continued to the point that it also led to the exhaustion of its resources and its own destruction.

Every generation of machers (those who are constantly involved in the life of the Community) have unbounded energy towards the building and development of their mishkan, their Synagogue or Community Centre. However, in the words of Arthur Green, “..human activity needs the same self-same limitation; knowing when to stop  is part of the task of our human doing. We need to leave some room, after all, for the countless future generations coming after us, who will also want to take a hand in building God’s dwelling-place on earth.”

I agree whole-heartedly with this sentiment however, in our own Communities, I know of many machers who despair because they do not see the next generation of leaders, machers or just plain old volunteers to take over from them. Around the UK there are countless small and especially regional Communities that face imminent extinction. Although not facing extinction, many other “dwelling-places of God on earth” face hard times precisely because those future generations are not able and/or willing to come forward to take play the role that is expected of them.

Our Jewish (and indeed, secular) Communities have some tough decisions to make. Do we accept the new status quo that sees a new generation not having the time and/or energy to ‘work’ towards the building of their mishkan?  If so, do we then ‘employ’ professionals to do the work previously done by volunteers (as I imagine Bezalel and Ohaliab to have been)? If so, will the new generations who, to date, have been one of the least philanthropic of recent times, step up to the plate with an outpouring of gifts to contribute towards ‘the work?’

Keyn y’hi l’ratzon – may it be God’s will, just as it was in the Sefat Emet’s parable of Creation for their to be a balanced outpouring of generosity.

Rabbi Aaron Goldstein

Northwood and Pinner Liberal Synagogue

Liberal Judaism Outreach Director

Aaron is running a Hebrew Crash course throughout this weekend at Northwood and you can then catch-up with him in Leicester for a 'tent' service on Friday 23rd March.  Email him on a.goldstein@liberaljudaism.org.