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From:          "Yeshivat Har Etzion's Israel Koschitzky Virtual Beit Midrash"
To:            yhe-intparsha@vbm-torah.org
Subject:       INTPARSHA -19: Parashat Teruma


                     Yeshivat Har Etzion
           Israel Koschitzky Virtual Beit Midrash
           ***************************************
                             
              Introduction to Parashat HaShavua
                             
         Parashat Teruma - The Mishkan and the Aron
                      By Michael Hattin
                             

Introduction

          The following two parashiyot of Teruma and Tetzave
provide   the   textual   blueprints   necessary    for   the
construction   of  the  Tabernacle  and  its  vessels,    the
preparation of the Priestly Garments, and the performance of
the Inaugural as well as of the Daily service.  This week we
will   explore  the  broader  themes  associated  with   this
undertaking, and will then direct our focus on  one  of  the
Tabernacle's more celebrated vessels.
    
      The Ramban, in his introduction to the Book of Shemot,
relates  how the construction of the Tabernacle, or  Mishkan
in Hebrew, represents the fulfillment of an ideal:

     "The  Book  of  Bereishit is the Book of Creation  that
     describes  the formation of the Cosmos, the  fashioning
     of  all  matter, and the lives of the Patriarchs.    The
     events  of  those  Patriarchal  lives   also  possess  a
     generative quality that tends to find expression in the
     history of their descendents, the Jewish people.  After
     having  completed  the  story of this   'Creation,'  the
     Torah  begins a new book that delineates the  parallels
     between the lives of the Patriarchs and the history  of
     their descendents.

     The  uniqueness  of  the Book  of   Shemot  is  that  it
     describes   the  first  Exile  in   Egypt,   which   was
     explicitly  foretold  (to  Avraham),  as   well  as  the
     Redemption  from  it.  Therefore  the   Book  begins  by
     recounting  the  names of all those  who   descended  to
     Egypt   as   well  as  their   number.   Although   this
     information was recorded at the conclusion of the  Book
     of  Bereishit, it is here repeated to indicate that the
     descent  of  these individuals, the family  of   Yaacov,
     represented the beginning of the Egyptian Exile.   This
     exile is not completed until the people return to their
     place as well as to the standing of their ancestors.

     When  the  people went forth from Egypt, although   they
     had  left behind the House of Bondage, they were  still
     considered to be in exile, for they were in a land  not
     theirs lost in the wilderness.  When they came to Mount
     Sinai and constructed the Mishkan, God again caused his
     presence  to be among them.  Only then did they   return
     to  the  status  of their ancestors, upon   whose  tents
     God's  presence had been felt.  Those forefathers   were
     the  'Merkava' or vehicle for God's presence, and  only
     after  the  Mishkan was finished were the people   truly
     redeemed.  Therefore the Book of Shemot concludes  with
     the  completion of the Mishkan and with God's  presence
     always upon it."


The Relationship Between Bereishit and Shemot

     In his brief remarks, the Ramban introduces a wealth of
ideas.  He suggests that on the most fundamental level,  the
Books   of  Bereishit  and  Shemot  are  intertwined;   taken
together,   they  constitute  a  complete   unit.     Whereas
Bereishit   describes   the  lives   of    individuals,   the
illustrious Patriarchs and Matriarchs, Shemot speaks of  the
nation  of  their  descendents.  Essentially,  however,  the
outline of the two respective accounts is the same, for they
both  describe the struggle of coming to recognize God,  the
challenge of living life in His presence, and the triumph of
reflecting that presence to the world at large.

      The  Exodus  from Egypt, though it might be   the  most
momentous  event  in  the biblical  history  of  the   Jewish
people, is understood by the Ramban to be only the beginning
of  a  process and not its climactic conclusion.  Redemption
of  the body, the release from physical slavery, is not  the
end of the state of Exile.  In its truest sense, Exile is  a
spiritual   state   that,  although  frequently    possessing
geographic  qualities, is more accurately  characterized  as
spiritual distance and estrangement from God.  To  stand  at
Sinai  and  to  hear  the  word of God,  to  experience   the
immediacy  of His presence and to carry that encounter  into
the  mundane pursuits that constitute the bulk of our lives,
to  be  transformed by His Torah and to seek to  repair  the
twisted  and warped state of the world, these are  the  true
hallmarks of 'Geula' or Redemption.


Sinai and the Mishkan

      The  singular experience of the Revelation  at   Sinai,
seemingly unique and unrepeatable, can actually continue  to
reverberate  through the medium of the  Mishkan.   This  so-
called 'Tent of Meeting' represents the possibility of never
allowing the Sinai encounter to dissipate, for as the Ramban
writes at the beginning of Parashat Teruma, the "essence  of
the  Mishkan  was  the notion that God's glory  manifest  at
Mount  Sinai, could be continuously felt in a more  intimate
way."  The Revelation at Sinai, where God had spoken to  the
people  of Israel and revealed His Torah, could be not  only
remembered and commemorated as an historical moment in time,
but also actually relived by feeling His ongoing presence at
the Mishkan.

      The purpose of life, suggests the Ramban, is to become
a  worthy  instrument for the introduction of God's presence
into  the  material  realm.   The  'Merkava,'  or   so-called
'Chariot,'   is   a  profound  and  mystical    concept;   in
straightforward  and rational terms, however,  it  signifies
the notion of God's presence being revealed and experienced.
God  is borne by the 'Merkava' into our world.  This is  not
to  be  understood in the physical sense, for as an Absolute
Being,  He cannot be bound by material constraints.  Rather,
in  a spiritual manner and from our frame of reference,  God
remains 'outside' the boundaries of the material world  that
we inhabit, unless His presence is somehow introduced by us.


The Patriarchs and Matriarchs as the 'Divine Chariot'

      As  individuals, the Patriarchs and Matriarchs had   an
acute  God-awareness that permeated and impacted upon  every
fiber of their being.  Often they struggled against external
foes   and  detractors  that  rejected  their   revolutionary
monotheistic and ethical outlook.  Just as frequently,  they
grappled  with internal doubts and questions, as  their  own
faithful trust in that God was tested and refined.   Always,
however,  they  remained cognizant of their special  mission
and   unique   purpose   to  live   Godly,    upright   lives
characterized by a rejection of spiritual superficiality and
stagnation,  and  by  an  embrace  of  authentic    religious
expression  and  spiritual  dynamism.   The  Patriarchs   and
Matriarchs  thus  became the 'vehicles' or 'instruments'  or
'means' that conveyed the reality of God into the world.  By
attaching themselves to God, He became associated with  them
and  His presence was manifest upon their 'tents.'  This  is
to  say that their dwellings, the core of their physical and
material   existence  in  this  world,  was    informed   and
transformed by their encounter with God, and that  this  was
manifest to all sensitive people who came into contact  with
them.

     In parallel fashion, the people of Israel represent the
same  mission on a national level, for they too must  strive
to  introduce the world to the God of spiritual  values,  of
ethics  and  morality, and of ultimate meaning.  Like  their
ancestors,  they experience exile, physical redemption,  and
Divine  revelation.   Like their ancestors,  they  have  the
ability  and  the opportunity to perpetuate  that  encounter
with God by allowing Him to 'dwell' among them.

       The   word   'Mishkan,'    popularly   translated   as
'Tabernacle,'  is often understood to signify  a  temporary,
tent-like structure, which in fact it was.  It would be more
accurate,  however, to render 'Mishkan'  as  the  'place  of
dwelling'  for  the root 'ShaKaN' means  to  inhabit  or  to
dwell.  The implication of the 'Mishkan' is that it is  'the
place where God dwells.'  Of course, God is incorporeal  and
cannot  occupy  physical space, so the term is superficially
misleading.  What it actually signifies is the 'place  where
God's  presence  can  be  experienced,'  for  although    His
presence is universal and boundless, the experience of  that
presence is limited, being a direct function of our efforts.

      To  return to the Patriarchal model, God could be felt
in  their  'tents'  because they lived their  lives  in  His
presence  and  were  always cognizant of  his  Being.    This
cognition  was  not only or even primarily intellectual  but
rather existential.  Simply put, God was the central element
itheir  lives.   Their tents therefore  became  the  fertile
grounds  for  the  ENCOUNTER between them and  God,  as  His
presence  permeated  every  aspect  of  their  activity   and
conduct.   In  an  analogous  manner,  the  Mishkan   is  the
nation's opportunity to encounter God, much as they felt His
presence  at Sinai.  It is also a tent or dwelling  for  His
presence,  which  is  to  say  the  appropriate  venue    for
establishing  a  connection with Him.  It is not  surprising
that  the  synonymous term in the Torah for the  Mishkan  is
'Ohel  Moed' or the 'Tent of Meeting' for it is  there  that
human  beings have the occasion to relate directly to  their
Creator.


The Aron as the 'Chariot'

     The 'Merkava' of which the Ramban speaks, the 'Chariot'
that  describes the introduction of God's presence into  the
world  and that was manifest by the lives of the Patriarchs,
is  represented  in the Mishkan by the Aron  or  Ark.   This
vessel  was  the  most important of those contained  in  the
Mishkan, and in outward appearance resembled a gilded  chest
surmounted  by  two golden 'cherubs,' and  flanked  by  long
staves utilized for its transport.  In it were kept the Twin
Tablets upon which God had engraved His Ten Principles.  The
Ramban  writes  that "the major goal of the  Mishkan  is  to
provide  a location for the repose of God's presence,  which
is  the  Aron.   As the verse states 'I will meet  with  you
there, and speak to you from upon the Kaporet (the top cover
of  the  Aron), from between the cherubs that are  upon  the
Aron  of  the  Testimony, concerning all of the commandments
that  you  must  convey  to  Bnei Yisrael'  (Shemot   25:22).
Therefore,  the  construction of the  Aron  is  spelled  out
first, for it is most important."

     Further on, he states that "the Kaporet and its cherubs
are  an  integral part of the Aron and are placed  upon  it.
Inside  the  Aron  are  to  be placed  the  Two   Tablets  of
Testimony,  in  order that it serve as My Throne  of  Glory.
There  I  will meet with you and speak to you from upon  the
Kaporet from between the two cherubs.  The Aron is therefore
similar   to  the  'Merkava'  that  was  seen  by   Yechezkel
(Ezekiel) the prophet, as he records 'these were the  beings
that I saw under the God of Israel at the River Kevar, and I
realized  that  they  were  cherubs...  (Yechezkel    10:20).
Therefore,  God is referred to as the 'One who is  enthroned
upon the cherubs' (Shemuel 1:4:4).  The Torah describes them
as being fashioned with wings outstretched, for they are the
'Merkava' who bear His glory...."

      In  other  words,  the Aron is an   expression  of  the
possibility  of introducing God's presence into  the  world.
The  cherubs  are  certainly not representational,  for  the
Torah explicitly outlaws idolatry as a most heinous offense.
Additionally, there are two of these creatures  placed  upon
the  Aron, and they could therefore not be an image  of  the
God Who is absolutely One.  Rather, suggests the Ramban, the
cherubs are a human attempt (according to Divine behest)  to
portray the spiritual 'angelic' beings associated with God's
presence.

      In  the mind's eye of the Prophet Yechezkel, who lived
at  the  end  of  the First Temple period,  the  throne-like
'Chariot' that bears His glory suggests God's presence among
the  people.   On the eve of the destruction  of  the  First
Temple, as the people of Jerusalem stray from His Torah  and
succumb  to  spiritual decay and moral turpitude,  Yechezkel
sees the Divine presence withdraw from the city.  God is  no
longer  welcome  in their midst, and so the Merkava  carries
the  experience  of  His glory back  to  the  heavens.    The
physical Aron may still be lodged in the Holy of Holies, but
the Temple has become a lifeless shell.

      Thus, the Aron symbolizes our desire to bring God into
our lives.  This is done through the medium of the Torah and
the  performance of the mitzvot.  Therefore, the  Aron  only
contains  one object: the Tablets that spell out the  unique
obligations  of the people of Israel, for these mitzvot  are
the  fulcrum around which the relationship between  God  and
humanity  pivots.  God communicates to Moshe  from  'between
the  cherubs' for the Aron is the symbol of his throne,  and
that  throne  speaks of His ongoing presence and involvement
in  the  world.  That throne, in turn, is founded  upon  the
bedrock of the Tablets, for the prescriptions upon them  are
the  only  means  of bridging the chasm between  heaven  and
earth.   Significantly and most uniquely among  all  of  the
peoples of antiquity, the most holy object in the most  holy
area of the national shrine contains not a molten image of a
god,  but  a  timeless  and  intangible  Text  that   is  the
antithesis of corporeality.

      This  approach explains a curious feature of the   Aron
that  made it unique among the other vessels of the Mishkan.
"In  the rings of the Aron shall the staves remain, they are
not  to be removed."  All of the other vessels, such as  the
Table,  the  Menora, and the Altars, had  staves  that  were
inserted  when the Mishkan journeyed, and were removed  when
it was set up at its new temporary location.  For all of the
other vessels, therefore, the staves were nothing more  than
a  practical and essential means of allowing transport.   In
the  case  of  the Aron, however, the staves must  have  had
another  additional function, for they remained in the  Aron
even  when  it  was  at  rest.   It  is   probable  that  the
injunction  to  maintain the position of the staves  was  an
emphatic and concrete expression of the idea that the people
of  Israel, the human bearers of the Aron, have the  special
purpose  of  'bringing God's presence into the world.'   The
Aron  may  indeed be the expression of God's  desire  to  be
involved  in our lives, of His glorious throne that suggests
the  dimension  of  an immediate and intimate  relationship.
But  unless  human beings bear that Aron, unless the  staves
are  carried  by  the people of Israel into the  world,  God
remains  a  distant and detached Reality.  The  staves  must
remain in the Aron always, to teach that the cherubic beings
with  wings  outstretched  are nothing  more  than  lifeless
symbols that cannot introduce God's presence into our lives.
That  dynamic  mission, indicated by  the  staves  that  are
lifted by human beings, is our role alone.

Shabbat Shalom

YESHIVAT HAR ETZION
ISRAEL KOSCHITZKY VIRTUAL BEIT MIDRASH
ALON SHEVUT, GUSH ETZION 90433

Copyright (c) 1999 Yeshivat Har Etzion
All Rights Reserved

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