Vayakhel -Pikudei:Fidelity
Most of this week's double parsha repeats the list of holy objects involved in the Mishkan: The ark and its cover (of expiation) and its staves, the table with the show-matzoh, the candelabra, the spice alter...., the curtains, partitions..., the priestly clothing, stc. Repeatedly, the parsha says that these things were made as instructed, the objects were made in the proper dimensions. The precious metals, gems, woods, hides were all accounted for.
The mishkan was THE community PROJECT. So many people worked on it. The chance for error was so great, yet the products were level, plumb and true. It all fit together. The product reflected the care and the talent of the workers. They all had a share in the outcome.
Then there is the accounting. No fraud detected, every shekel accounted for. The accounting implies the possibility of fraud. Note that in the temple, funds for the maintenance were not always appropriated in a way that all agreed upon ( So King Jehoash summoned the priest Jehoiada and the other priests and said to them, "Why have you not kept the House in repair? Now do not accept money from your benefactors any more, but have it donated for the repair of the House.)[II Kings 12:8]
Fire brackets the parsha. The prohibition of igniting a fire on Shabbath is announced immediately after the people are assembled to construct the mishkan. The pillar of fire hovered over the mishkan after it was assembled, reassuring the people of Gd's presence.
Fire, in the pre-match era, was a hard thing to come by. Starting a fire took time, effort and luck. A person could appreciate that there was a magical, hidden power in the flammable . It was much easier for the community to maintain a source of fire and the shared source of fire helped build the community. Fire was needed to melt and form the metal that went into the mishkan. Strange fire was toxic.
Fire is a source of change, needed for the final product. May the product serve the community and help the community serve.
Then there is the accounting. No fraud detected, every shekel accounted for. The accounting implies the possibility of fraud. Note that in the temple, funds for the maintenance were not always appropriated in a way that all agreed upon ( So King Jehoash summoned the priest Jehoiada and the other priests and said to them, "Why have you not kept the House in repair? Now do not accept money from your benefactors any more, but have it donated for the repair of the House.)[II Kings 12:8]
Fire brackets the parsha. The prohibition of igniting a fire on Shabbath is announced immediately after the people are assembled to construct the mishkan. The pillar of fire hovered over the mishkan after it was assembled, reassuring the people of Gd's presence.
Fire, in the pre-match era, was a hard thing to come by. Starting a fire took time, effort and luck. A person could appreciate that there was a magical, hidden power in the flammable . It was much easier for the community to maintain a source of fire and the shared source of fire helped build the community. Fire was needed to melt and form the metal that went into the mishkan. Strange fire was toxic.
Fire is a source of change, needed for the final product. May the product serve the community and help the community serve.
posted by Sheldon Goldberg at 8:33 AM
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