We have had a busy few weeks.
Two weeks ago,
we found ourselves at the base of a mountain.
Thunder, lightning, shofar blasts, smoke,
and a voice that reverberated in each of our hearts.
Moses imparted to us the 10 commandments, the word of God.
Then, last week, we got more details.
Holidays, foundational laws for structuring our community
and instructions for living in fellowship
and relationship with our neighbors
We have had a busy few weeks.
And now, we get into what can seem like biblical technobabble.
The instructions shift from
“you shall not wrong or oppress a stranger”
A moral enjoinder that easily speaks to our time.
To “you shall make the planks for the tabernacle of acacia wood…each plank shall be 10 cubits and the width of each plank shall be a cubit and half”
Intricate details for the design of the tabernacle,
The movable dwelling place for God
During the Israelites’ desert wandering.
We move from the quality of our character
To the quality of the wood, gold, silver, and bronze
that we use to create and adorn this holy space in the Israelite camp.
I, at least, need a moment when I reach parashat Terumah.
I need a moment to recalibrate
To move from the easier to access
moral code of last week’s parashat Mishpatim.
To find the core truths and values in parashat Terumah.
And, it is precisely the core of the Tabernacle
where, I want to look with you today.
