Hearts Building Gods

Dear friends,

This week’s Parasha is perhaps the most New Shul of them all. Its hero is Bezalel Ben Uri, the artist who builds the Mishkan, the travelling desert temple. But before he appears, we learn of another bunch of heroes who allow him to do his work. These are, well, most, if not all of the Jews.

“Take from among you a donation to God: whosoever’s heart moves him, let him bring an offering of the Lord;”

Moses isn’t asking for money. Instead perhaps they have:

Gold, silver and bronze; 6 blue, purple and scarlet yarn and fine linen; goat hair; 7 ram skins dyed red and another type of durable leather; acacia wood; 8 olive oil for the light; spices for the anointing oil and for the fragrant incense; 9 and onyx stones and other gems to be mounted on the ephod and breastpiece.

In biblical terms this list means something like “anything you got.” Today we might say Bring new materials and recycled ones, objects of all type and manner, anything at all that we could use to make our joint, moving palace of human-made divinity.

Next, the people are invited to take these materials and make the temple out of them.

All who are wise of heart among you, come and make everything the Lord has commanded.

Now we get a long list of everything that must be made, the inside and out of our greatest collective work of art; the Mishkan.

The tabernacle with its tent and its covering, clasps, frames, crossbars, posts and bases; 12 the ark with its poles and the atonement cover and the curtain that shields it; 13 the table with its poles and all its articles and the bread of the Presence; 14 the lampstand that is for light with its accessories, lamps and oil for the light; 15 the altar of incense with its poles, the anointing oil and the fragrant incense; the curtain for the doorway at the entrance to the tabernacle; 16 the altar of burnt offering with its bronze grating, its poles and all its utensils; the bronze basin with its stand; 17 the curtains of the courtyard with its posts and bases, and the curtain for the entrance to the courtyard; 18 the tent pegs for the tabernacle and for the courtyard, and their ropes; 19 the woven garments worn for ministering in the sanctuary — both the sacred garments for Aaron the priest and the garments for his sons when they serve as priests.”

If you read through that last list with the attitude we often reserve for lengthy, far too detailed biblical passages, consider that each item is a piece of art made from the heart of lay people invited to participate in this grand event; From the materials, rich and simple to the time volunteered by craftswomen and laymen. There is a reason why the heart is mentioned more times in this chapter than in any other in the Torah.

It’s at this point in the story that we reach the verse that may be the crux of the entire episode:

וַיָּבֹ֕אוּ כָּל־אִ֖ישׁ אֲשֶׁר־נְשָׂא֣וֹ לִבּ֑וֹ וְכֹ֡ל אֲשֶׁר֩ נָדְבָ֨ה רוּח֜וֹ אֹת֗וֹ הֵ֠בִיאוּ אֶת־תְּרוּמַ֨ת יְהוָ֜ה לִמְלֶ֨אכֶת אֹ֤הֶל מוֹעֵד֙ וּלְכָל־עֲבֹ֣דָת֔וֹ וּלְבִגְדֵ֖י הַקֹּֽדֶשׁ׃

Each person whose heart carried them, and every individual whose spirit has filled with generosity came and brought an offering to the Lord for the work on the tent of meeting, for all its service, and for the sacred garments.

The commentator Ohr Hachayim explains the difference between being “carried by your heart” and being “filled with generosity” by your spirit: The latter is one who is moved to give what he has. The former however, one “carried by your heart,” means “One who volunteers beyond her ability, out of the expanding goodness of her heart.”

We volunteer or give when we feel a stake in a project. In this chapter we see women and men participating in whatever ways they can, sometimes beyond their means or abilities. For many of us at TNS who work or dabble in the arts, we know what that feels like. I have no time? No money? No strength? When we get into a project none of that matters.

This Mishkan, the abode of The Presence needed to be filled with the objects and work of the members of the Israelite community. That’s what made it theirs, and what made their God, the God of them present in it.

It can be the same with our community. The more each of us feels moved to participate, to give of what they have and know how to do, the greater the presence of our New Shul version of God, (or UnGod if you prefer). In the Kumah Festival, which we launch next month, we are very excited to enjoy the work, art and ideas of many of the talented people in our community, as well as some from beyond.

I look forward to seeing you and your generous hearts this evening at 6pm at Kabbalat Shabbat, where we will hear some music from Ran Livneh, one of the musicians who will open the Kumah festival for us with an ancient new sound from Morocco.

Shabbat shalom,
Rabbi Misha