Vayakhei: The symbol

This week's parsha, וַיַּקְהֵ֣ל, Vayakhel, deals with the construction of the mishkan, the portable temple.  The opening word, וַיַּקְהֵ֣ל, vayakhel, implies a consensus.  The first use of the root of this word in the Torah, in Genesis 28;3 -

  וְהָיִ֖יתָ לִקְהַ֥ל עַמִּֽים, 

 so that you become an assembly of peoples,  

is the essence of Isaac's charge to Jacob.  Isaac tells Jacob ( and Gd later repeat): go to into exile, to the house of  Lavan and marry his daughter(s). The children that emerge will all be different from one another, but there will be a unifying bond.  The kahal is a unification of diverse people and groups. 

 The modern translation of kahal, congregation, is very apt.  It combines the idea of unification, consolidation with the diversity of the component parts that aggregate to form it. 

The temples- the mishkan, and the Temples in Jerusalem - housed, and were constructed from, diverse pieces. The totality of the system was unified by its blueprint, the Divine instructions. 

Last week I stood in front of the kotel, the (wailing) wall; the last remnant of the structural system  built by Herod.  A retaining wall that was the border of the Temple campus.  It is a tall, ancient edifice, originally sones and mortar, now invaded by plants and birds and notes requesting Divine help. Access was easy because there were no crowds -covid, February.  There was a paucity of beggars. 

That wall has been a symbol for the Jewish collection of peoples for  two thousand years. To each, the symbolism is unique, it mirrors some of the meanings  that come together  as an identification with Judaism. The wall is the last remnant of pre-modern political power for the Jews. That power was subservient to the Roman hegemony as the current state of Israel  exists at the pleasure  of dominant regimes. 

It was constructed by workers who were probably underpaid; convinced that their labor was Holy and thus, should have a voluntary component

The wall is an approach to the place that Gd's presence reside(d). It is close to another dimension of being. Just beyond the wall is a place that no person can go ( and live)

It is place where a person can confront one's own idea of the nature of Gd - and thus the nature of self. 

The wall is a tourist attraction it supports the local economy on many levels

The wall is magical.  It performs the hope function of magic. It demonstrates the emptiness of magic. 

The wall is stones and mortar. It is slowly decaying

The aggregation of ideas around a central, incompletely understood point  supports the unification of the diverse viewpoints.  There is a place, the core of sanctuary, where no person can go. The holiest object, the tablets, can never be viewed. They are entombed in the ark, covered by the cherubic kaporeth, behind the curtain, in the inner sanctum - that was visited annually by the highest priest. The  mystery, the forbidden approach is important.  The only access to the innermost sanctum is imagination There is nothing moreindividual than imagination.  The individuals of the community  are collected by focusing on the same thing. They are a congregation. 

The last use of vayakhel prior to today's parsha was last week: 

 וַיִּקָּהֵ֨ל הָעָ֜ם עַֽל־אַהֲרֹ֗ן וַיֹּאמְר֤וּ אֵלָיו֙ ק֣וּם ׀ עֲשֵׂה־לָ֣נוּ

the people gathered against Aaron and said to him, “Come, make us a god who shall go before us,

This ability to congregate is not necessarily good or bad, but it can be extreme.  The particular usage, וַיַּקְהֵ֣ל, vayakhel appears three times in the torah.  The people are assembled to demand the golden calf.  They are called together by Moses for instructions in making the sanctuary.  Korach gathers the community in rebellion against Moses and Aaron. 

The Darwinian model attributes the survival of a species to the diversity that enables adaption to ever changing circumstances. The heterogeneity increases the chance that some element of the population will survive adversities that overwhelm others. When the deviation in fundamental characteristics becomes great, a new species ( a competitor) emerges. 

In our cultural evolution as Jews, that diversity of understanding has been severely needed and amply supplied.  The problems have always been unity and direction. 

 

Ki Thisa: forbearance

The overarching principle of  Ki thisa is forbearance.  Not exactly forgiveness, more tolerance of wrongs.  .  The tax, the half shekel assessed from every adult (male), immediately delivers expiation from the most natural of sins: selfishness. It was an offering to the community. It is a payment that elevates the donor; not only because it supports a noble cause, but also because the act of giving liberates the giver from greed. Rashi comments on the first verse:  הַמִּנְיָן שׁוֹלֵט בּוֹ עַיִן הָרָע, The ayin hara, literally the evil eye;  rules over counting. The  well worn Yiddishism "keyn   ayin hara"literally means: “in the absence of the evil eye. To a native Yiddish speaker, it really means " in the absence of envy. "  Envy ( prohibited by the  10th commandment) is an almost inevitable feeling in need of correction.  The equality of the half shekel fee is a great equalizer. 

The root of  תִשָּׂ֞א Thisa is to lift up.  Rashi on the first verse of the parsha generates a strange interaction of comments .  Here , Rashi says 

This has the meaning of obtaining: WHEN THOU TAKEST [THE SUM], (not of “lifting up” as in Genesis 40:13); as the Targum has it, תקבל. 

  Rashi on the referenced verse, Genesis 40:13 reads:

  ישא פרעה את ראשך PHARAOH SHALL LIFT UP THY HEAD — The words נשא ראש denote to count (cf. Exodus 30:12). When he musters his other servants to wait upon him during the meal he will count you also among them.

Rashi insists on the constancy  of  counting as the gloss for תִשָּׂ֞א thisa.

The first  verse  of this week's parsha itself belies the idea that תִשָּׂ֞א thisa means count because internally it uses another word for counting: פְקֹ֣ד In fact, the word is repeated three times in the verse.  פְקֹ֣ד PKD conveys the idea of assignment and it is counting in the sense of assigning a number. פְקֹ֣ד PKD is the kind of counting Georg Cantor used to establish the Aleph zero, the infinity of numbers. 

There is a strong individuality implied by this word פְקֹ֣ד PKD. It is the word used when Gd remembers Sarah (  אֶת־שָׂרָ֖ה כַּאֲשֶׁ֣ר אָמָ֑ר פָּקַ֥ד  and emphasized by Joseph as Gd’s action that will precede  the redemption from Egypt  (ם  אֶתְכֶ֗ם וְהֶעֱלָ֤ה אֶתְכֶם֙ מִן־הָאָ֣רֶץ הַזֹּ֔את אֶל־הָאָ֕רֶץ אֲשֶׁ֥ר נִשְׁבַּ֛ע לְאַבְרָהָ֥ם לְיִצְחָ֖ק וּֽלְיַעֲקֹֽב׃.   פָּקֹ֧ד יִפְקֹ֣ד  ) It is the secret code word with which Moshe verifies that the salvation from Egypt is about to begin (י אַבְרָהָ֛ם יִצְחָ֥ק וְיַעֲקֹ֖ב לֵאמֹ֑ר פָּקֹ֤ד פָּקַ֙דְתִּי֙ אֶתְכֶ֔ם׃) PKD conveys the idea of rescue. Thisa could be rescue or its opposite.

The mysto - mathematician can see this counting aspect in תִשָּׂ֞א, thisa.  It is the last letter of the  Heberew alphabet, followed by the next to last followed by the first. I can be deconstructed to Thisa = z,y…a

A sentence in the middle of the parsha uses the word  תִשָּׂ֞א  thisa in the sense of forbearance  When the parsha turns from crime to punishment,   תִשָּׂ֞א thisa returns:

 וְעַתָּ֖ה אִם־תִּשָּׂ֣א חַטָּאתָ֑ם וְאִם־אַ֕יִן מְחֵ֣נִי נָ֔א מִֽסִּפְרְךָ֖ אֲשֶׁ֥ר כָּתָֽבְתָּ׃    

Now, if You will forbear their sin [well and good]; but if not, erase me from the record which You have written!”  

Here the contextual meaning of  תִשָּׂ֞א thisa is clear: elevate the perception of the golden calf, from terrible to barely acceptable.

Two campaigns to raise money appear in the parsha. One is the poll tax, the equal contribution, regardless of wealth, for the Temple.  The other is the ornamental gold that was removed from wives, sons and daughters to construct the golden calf idol.  Ornaments are symbols of wealth; excesses gifted only after the basic needs are satisfied. The contributions to the aygel golden calf idol were a wealth tax. From each according to the ability to pay.

Jewelry was the problem and it was part of the solution.  Removing jewelry was part of the rehabilitation from this extraordinary violation:

וַיִּשְׁמַ֣ע הָעָ֗ם אֶת־הַדָּבָ֥ר הָרָ֛ע הַזֶּ֖ה וַיִּתְאַבָּ֑לוּ וְלֹא־שָׁ֛תוּ אִ֥ישׁ עֶדְי֖וֹ עָלָֽיו׃

When the people heard this harsh word, they went into mourning, and none put on finery.

Subsequently, Gd commands the people to do what they have already done: 

וְעַתָּ֗ה הוֹרֵ֤ד עֶדְיְךָ֙ מֵֽעָלֶ֔יךָ וְאֵדְעָ֖ה מָ֥ה אֶֽעֱשֶׂה־לָּֽךְ׃

Now, then, leave off your finery, and I will consider what to do to you.’”

 

Both the Mishkan, portable temple, and the golden calf are symbols that unify the people. The meaning of the mishkan has become remote to us through time, but in the context of the Torah, it is a strong positive. The modern "kalf shekel" donation is given to the needy.  The golden calf is placed in contrast to the temple.  The gold of the calf was redirected from its function in the commerce of relationships.  That gold had  bought and rewarded the services provided to the rich, the satisfaction of desires that exceed the basics.  The molten calf maintained the character of its ingredient. It validated quirky, addictive desires; elevated will to a  religious value; established the rule of the rich and the influencer.

This is the parsha that presents the formula for forgiveness; these  magic words of praise that are recited in the annual penitential services  that culminate on Yom Kippur. These words disclose  Gd’s impression of self. They represent the truths about how transgression plays out.  Our custom is to quote the part that suits us, up to  וְנַקֵּה֙,  cleansing ( a frightening concept). The final verb of forgiveness is נֹשֵׂ֥א  nosei, the same idea that introduced the parsha.

נֹשֵׂ֥א עָוֺ֛ן וָפֶ֖שַׁע וְחַטָּאָ֑ה forebears  iniquity, transgression, and sin.

 Forgiveness is a most important function of the  relationship with Gd.  A love that transcends ornament allows us to forgive each other.

 

 

 

 

Titzaveh: alternate reality

 

What is a reality? I propose that it is a set imbued with validity. That sounds very mathematical and it is, but since it conveys (at least to me) what I want to say… it is a reality ( to me).  Since it is a mathematical statement, to many people, it is an alternative reality, a possible truth that is outside the realm of the familiar and thus suspect.  Maybe the statement is not true, and thus, by the definition itself, not a reality  -since it has not been granted validity.

This attempt at a definition of reality places mathematics (and language) in a metaphysical realm, outside of the concepts that are or need validation.  A statement of implication can have meaning, or at least feel like it has meaning, without necessarily being correct or incorrect.  I live comfortably in this netherworld of uncertainty, not entirely sure of what is real. I can do it by accepting conventions well enough that I appear sane (which is itself a convention).  I allow the possibility, perhaps the high probability, that how I see the world is not exactly correct; but rarely admit it.

The Temple service, to me, is a set of rules.  In my lifetime, in the past 1900 years, they have not been performed. I am not sure that I would enjoy their performance. Resurrecting the service would have tremendous political consequences. People could die as a result of the attempt.  And, formulaically, I pray for the restoration of these rituals several times every day. They are a foundation of the Judaism I subscribe to. Is this acceptance overpowering reason? Or is it one set of conventions battling with another and neither of them are fully validated? I actually think that it is the latter. My (strongly held?) values merely have the advantage of environmental validation.

The easy, and thus sanctioned (note the reference to the sacred inherent in the word), view of the temple service is that it was something people did in those ancient times; an obsolete, primitive rite to appease a power that could not be understood; but was demanding and needed to be bought off with death, blood and fire. Now we have electricity and radio waves; powers that can be manipulated in marvelous ways.  Somebody understands these things. We pay our bills: enough understanding, no need for a powerful Gd and rituals. The convenience and pleasures that have come from the control of electrons has removed the need to understand the world. Tik tok is reality – and you know it is not. The temple service, as a set of instructions, is not invalidated by modernity, it is supplanted by more practical considerations. Therefore, I do not reject it.

Every silent devotional prayer ( shemoneh esray) contains statements of longing for the restoration of this temple service. To the zealous, this resumption is an acquired, overwhelming longing. The rabbis told us to want the rites restored, so we want to see that happen with all our hearts. (In my modern mind, I think those rabbis meant rights more than rites). Experiments in social media strongly suggest that humans can ( and are) instructed in what to desire. It is reasonable to mistrust the ambient culture (controlled by the Pharaohs of the age) in their guidance of desire.  An alternative makes that possible, even if that road is not taken.

 

I can conceive of the temple service as an art. In a museum, shrine to nationalism and pluralism, art is presented as a collection of alternative visions of reality.  The relics of the ancients, the vestiges of lost civilizations, modern and contemporary alternate world views, are presented to expand the viewers perspectives.  The temple service is a product of the people with whom I identify and is a valid study on that basis. Having this set of instructions detailed in the Torah and expanded in one sixth of canon rabbinic literature ( seder Kodshim) is a level of detail and ambiguity that far exceeds the robes painted by Rembrandt.  Comfort with the temple service  is blocked by the invalidating scientific competition. I keep that idea before me as much as I can.  Having the alternative of the ritual, even if I understand it as poorly as quantum physics, is useful. It reminds me of how little I understand.  I can be respectful, or I can belittle, these arts that are remote.  I choose interest.

 

 

 

Terumah: packaging

 

This parsha is all about the box.  The ark of covenant is covered by the cherub adorned lid, the kaporeth The complex of ark and cover are housed in the  Holy of Holies.  It is separated from the remainder of the inner sanctum by a parocheth curtain, adorned with cherub tapestry. The Holy of Holies also contains a table  that is never devoid of bread and the menorah source of light.  Next week, a small incense altar will be added. The inner sanctum is contained within a sanctuary that houses the main altar. A large courtyard houses the visitors.

 

I am not a fan of jewelry. The beautiful, expensive, highly considered advertisements for jewelry that appear in the newspaper, (especially the glossy parts) suggest the function of jewelry is primarily sexual.  It is a gift for mating, given either as a reward or inducement; or part of the attempt to recover from an indiscretion.

 A large part of the appeal of jewelry is the expense.  It is part of the human ritual of mate selection, proof that the suitor is able and willing to care for the the wife who will be disabled by pregnancy and the defenseless offspring that will be born. In the Jewish marriage ceremony, it is purely monetary value that validates the ring of precious metal as a vehicle for marriage.  In the Yeshiva world, ornamentation on the wedding ring is discouraged, since its contribution to the value is harder to evaluate. Gold or silver has a very strong and public market value.

My favorite part of jewelry is the box, the packaging. Fine jewelry is delivered in a velvet lined case. It is often displayed lying in a bed of velvet, usually red velvet. The internal shape of the box is firm. Under the velvet is a supporting frame of cardboard or plastic  or wood.  The outer box is often wood. In my opinion, it should be wood – like the ark of the covenant. The hinge is very important. Opening the box must entail a small level of difficulty; it is the foreplay of the experience. It is best if the hinge is tight and capable of  partial openings.

 

A coffin has similar properties, although it is generally much bigger and contains a corpse instead of jewels.   The insensate dead is place on a  plush material that  looks like it would bring comfort because it is soft.  But we know that it is a thin veneer over a hard base – like the jewelry box.  The coffin’s wood is the expensive part. The wood determines the status. The purpose of the coffin is to broadcast the status of its occupant.

 

Is the ark of the covenant a jewelry box or is it a coffin? It is a box that was ( almost) never opened.  The box contains the token of agreement between Israel and The Law/Gd. The tablets are called the testimony, ayduth.  They are the wedding gift, the guarantee that the greater power will care for the obedient people.  How could we have lost such a precious gift?

 

The ark is the human response. It broadcasts the status of its contents.  It is lined with and covered with pure  ( 24 karat) gold and covered with the gold kaporeth, with a pair of cherubim on top. The container itself is too holy to rest in the Holy of Holies.  It requires its own room, separated from the mere extremely holy, by a cherubic tapestry.  The roofed inner sanctum is separated from the relatively mundane sacrificial rite.

 

The ark is surrounded by apology.  The cover, the kaporeth, כַפֹּ֖רֶת, is related to the the kpr, כַפֹּ֖רֶ of Yom Kippur.  I think that the ark cover informs the meaning of Yom Kippur.  It is a cover (up) more than an atonement.  The transgressions are not erased, they are covered, in part, by apology.  Atonement is a nice word: Getting back in tune with the Universe; abandoning our tone-deafness.  We need a moment to cover our horror

What is the atonement  in the ark cover?

Notice, the letters כַפֹּ֖רֶת, CaPoReth are rearranged to make another separation between the ark ( and its contents) פָרֹ֗כֶת,PaRoCheth. Both of these are adorned by כְּרֻבִֽים, CheRuBim. 

The Cherub first appeared in Genesis as the guardian that blocks the way back to Eden.  The cherub prevents the achievement of the goal of repentance. The cherub makes atonement futile – if the goal is to return to Eden. The cherub is the embodiment of the second “Law” of thermodynamics: nothing is completely reversible. A corollary is that there is a law, consequences are predictable.

 

The cherubim of the ark cover and curtain come in pairs.  They are distracted by their love for one another. If they are sufficiently involved with one another, perhaps sneaking a return to Eden is possible.

Gd told Moshe to make the cherubim this way; in pairs. We were given a way to return.  The people made the cherubim.  They recognize the magnitude of their error and its irreversibility. Gd and Israel are apologizing to each other.

ChRuB כְּרֻבִֽ had one letter that is different from כַפֹּ֖רֶת,CaPoReth and PaRoCheth, The beith instead of the Pey.  Look at the Letter Pey: (in some calligraphies)

                                         פ

There is a  ב   inside.