Summary:
In our Torah portion this week we read a statistical summary of the materials used for the Tabernacle. Moses then blesses the Israelites for all the work they did. Upon God's instruction, Moses sets up the Mishkan and the priests are anointed and consecrated. Finally, a description is given of a cloud that covers the Mishkan by day and a fire that burns by night, indicating God's Presence within. With this portion, we end the book of Exodus.
Lessons from our Haftarah - I Kings 7:51-8:21:
Our Torah portion continues the focus on the building of the tabernacle in the desert while the haftarah portion focuses on the building of Solomon’s temple in Jerusalem. In both, the underlying spiritual question is: Where does God reside?
In our haftarah portion, it becomes clear that God is present in the holy ark. We know that the ark contained the two tablets of the covenant (the 10 commandments) as well as, according to tradition, the fragments of the first set of commandments that Moses broke upon seeing the Golden Calf. The poles that were used to carry the ark through the desert were also stored inside the ark in Solomon’s temple.
In the film, Raiders of the Lost Ark, magical powers are assigned to the ancient ark of the covenant. These magical powers are evident in our texts as well. Armies took the ark with them into battle in order to ensure victory. Joshua carried it around the walls of Jericho during the assault on the city. Eventually, it became the centerpiece of Solomon’s Temple. It seems that the ark itself disappears after the Babylonians destroy the Temple in 586 BCE.
We no longer assign mystical powers to the ark in our synagogues, even though it remains a focus architecturally. For us, the ark, with its eternal light hovering above, stands as a symbolic manifestation of God’s presence in our midst. When we, with great ceremony, remove the Torah scroll from the ark, we make the statement that God’s presence remains with us when we read and teach Torah.
At Beth Shalom the Torah scroll rests on a table, covered by a Talit. When we ask the question, “where does God reside?”, we know that God resides in the midst of our community when we pray and study together.
Shabbat Shalom
Rabbi Don Goor