Parshat Terumah....Human Agency

No matter how many times I had read parshat Terumah in the past, it wasn’t until I heard a lecture from Rabbi Michael Hattin here in Jerusalem this week that some of the details finally made sense to me. Let me try to share what I learned. Terumah is about the building of the mishkan and the vessels within it. The mishkan, the portable sanctuary of the Israelites, had a primary vessel within it, the ark of the covenant. This ark was actually a covered chest made of acacia wood, with gold molding, 4 gold rings, and acacia poles which were to never be removed from it. Inside of the ark, were the tablets of the pact, or what we would commonly call the tablets of the 10 commandments. The cover of the ark had two figures attached to it. They were two cherubim facing each other with their wings hovering over the top of the box, outstretched and touching each other. The ark had special significance. It alone was housed within the Holy of Holies with no other vessels. It alone was kept behind a curtain. Think about the times you have been within a synagogue prior to covid times. The ark in today’s synagogue architecture is reminiscent of the ark of the mishkan. Our modern day arks make the Torah inaccessible unless special efforts are made to open a curtain or door which enclose the Torah within. But let’s get back to the original ark. The tablets within it represent the most important artifact that the Israelites have. The tablets represent the revelation of the decalogue at Mt. Sinai and the covenant entered into between Israel and G-d. They are kept inside the ark for safe keeping, they are not be removed. After the building of the Mishkan and the ark in particular, the Divine voice will speak to Moshe in the space between the wings of the Cherubim and that intimacy will then be related to the people. In order to enter the space of the Holy of Holies, one had to immerse himself, not have intercourse, and keep a distance from the content of the ark. In many ways this was similar to the experience of the Israelites at Mt. Sinai. Before the revelation the people had to prepare themselves. They had to purify themselves by immersion and avoid intercourse. They stood at the base of Mt. Sinai but kept their distance from the firey, smoking inferno of the Mountain. The Sinai experience was an overwhelming, singular experience for the people, one that impacted their lives in a way that could not be fully reproduced at any other time. The Mt. Sinai experience, however, was reproduced in miniature by the building of the Mishkan and the building of the ark within it. It was an attempt to consciously duplicate the idea of having constant intimacy with G-d, an intimacy that required preparation and cautious approach on the part of the people in order to have access to the word of G-d. There is one aspect to the ark that might seem a bit confusing. The poles had to be constantly attached to it even when the ark was at rest. What is the significance of this? It was noted by the Rabbis that the poles when attached to the ark, touched the curtain separating the Holy of Holies from the rest of the Mishkan. Their commentary suggests when the poles were in that position, the resulting effect looked like two breasts. So often G-d was thought of as a father, in an anthropomorphic way. This view saw G-d’s presence as a mother nourishing, caring for, and sustaining her child, the People of Israel. But there is another message to be learned from the poles remaining constantly in place. The ark which represented G-d’s presence on Earth, could not be moved without human contribution. In order words, G-d’s presence requires human agency to be relevant in a material world. Without human contributions of drawing G-d’s presence to be within the world that we experience, G-d’s presence will be detached from the world that we experience. The role of people is to introduce G-d’s presence and message to the world. There is no movement of G-d to insert G-d’s self into the world without human agency. This idea of human agency moving the ark of the covenant was in opposition to a view expressed by the Prophet Ezekiel. In a portion read on Shavuot, the day of the Giving of the Torah. Ezekiel sees a vision of a vehicle that represents the throne of G-d. It too was guarded by winged creatures, it too represented the covenant between G-d and humankind. Unlike the ark of the covenant with its attached poles, however, this divine vehicle, known as the Merkavah, drove itself. It either entered the heavenly realm or the earthly realm soley on its own volition. Personally, I prefer the view of the Mishkan and the ark of the covenant presented in parshat Terumah that require human participation to bring G-d’s will into our world. I believe that our human agency is not a matter of spouting words but of making contributions to the well-being of our world which reflect G-d’s presence. Questions: 1. The Mishkan was the central point around which Jewish life was focused during the period of wandering through the wilderness. What is the central point around which your Jewish life is focused? 2. The Mishkan was established so G-d could dwell amongst the people? What does that phrase mean to you? 3. The Mishkan was a sacred space. What are the sacred spaces you have encountered in your lifetime?