Parashat Terumah introduces the laws related to building the mishkan – the Tabernacle. Each element of the mishkan is guided by a high level of precision in the laws that direct how to build it. The Torah defines the size of each object that is placed in the mishkan – the shulchan (table), the menorah (candelabra), the aron (ark). The length, width and height of each item is explicated. The particulars of the construction of each item is defined and delimited by the halacha – G-d’s command.
The level of precision that the Torah describes in reference to the mishkan is noteworthy. Even a synagogue, a mikdash me’at – a miniature Temple – does not require such precision. What message can we glean from the Torah’s rich description of the parameters of the mishkan?
Let us consider this question in relation to a dispute among our Sages.
Although the Torah places the command to build the mishkan prior to the incident of the Golden Calf, there is actually a dispute between our chachamim regarding when Hashem actually gave the direction to b'nei yisrael to build the mishkan. One opinion is that Hashem gave the command prior to the Golden Calf and the other opinion is that He gave the command after the Golden Calf.
Imagine that we were living in the generation of the Exodus. What impact would Hashem’s precise description of the construction of the mishkan have on us? Let us consider this impact from the two perspectives regarding when the command was given. If the command was given before the episode of the Golden Calf, the halachic detail would serve to establish a relationship between Hashem and b'nei yisrael in its infancy – a relationship built on adherence to law. Halacha serves to define b'nei yisrael as a nation committed to the word of Hashem. Not only does Hashem demand that His people adhere to general principles of morality but obedience to precise strictures of law.
If, however, the command to build the mishkan was given after the Golden Calf – it would serve to restore the relationship with Hashem after the breach of the sin of the Golden Calf. Precise actions based on precision direction serves to re-calibrate us and repair our relationship with Hashem. Through our adherence to the strictures of halacha we demonstrate that we have turned away from the sin of the Golden Calf and that we are now looking to a source of law outside of ourselves.
The lesson for us is that the halachic system – the system of law that Hashem revealed to us in the Torah – guides us and shapes our relationship with Hashem in two distinct ways. In one way, observance of halacha ennobles us by committing us – through our actions – to the word of Hashem. Having precisely followed Hashem’s will, we leave the experience of performing a mitzvah with a closer relationship with Hashem. In another way, observance of halacha ennobles us by reinforcing in us the idea that law comes from an objective source – Hashem – not from the dictates of our own feelings and wishes. Our actions should be guided by what is truly correct.
Shabbat Shalom.
The level of precision that the Torah describes in reference to the mishkan is noteworthy. Even a synagogue, a mikdash me’at – a miniature Temple – does not require such precision. What message can we glean from the Torah’s rich description of the parameters of the mishkan?
Let us consider this question in relation to a dispute among our Sages.
Although the Torah places the command to build the mishkan prior to the incident of the Golden Calf, there is actually a dispute between our chachamim regarding when Hashem actually gave the direction to b'nei yisrael to build the mishkan. One opinion is that Hashem gave the command prior to the Golden Calf and the other opinion is that He gave the command after the Golden Calf.
Imagine that we were living in the generation of the Exodus. What impact would Hashem’s precise description of the construction of the mishkan have on us? Let us consider this impact from the two perspectives regarding when the command was given. If the command was given before the episode of the Golden Calf, the halachic detail would serve to establish a relationship between Hashem and b'nei yisrael in its infancy – a relationship built on adherence to law. Halacha serves to define b'nei yisrael as a nation committed to the word of Hashem. Not only does Hashem demand that His people adhere to general principles of morality but obedience to precise strictures of law.
If, however, the command to build the mishkan was given after the Golden Calf – it would serve to restore the relationship with Hashem after the breach of the sin of the Golden Calf. Precise actions based on precision direction serves to re-calibrate us and repair our relationship with Hashem. Through our adherence to the strictures of halacha we demonstrate that we have turned away from the sin of the Golden Calf and that we are now looking to a source of law outside of ourselves.
The lesson for us is that the halachic system – the system of law that Hashem revealed to us in the Torah – guides us and shapes our relationship with Hashem in two distinct ways. In one way, observance of halacha ennobles us by committing us – through our actions – to the word of Hashem. Having precisely followed Hashem’s will, we leave the experience of performing a mitzvah with a closer relationship with Hashem. In another way, observance of halacha ennobles us by reinforcing in us the idea that law comes from an objective source – Hashem – not from the dictates of our own feelings and wishes. Our actions should be guided by what is truly correct.
Shabbat Shalom.
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