EXODUS XXV:1-XXVII:19

THE MASTERY OF PASSIONS

Moshe (Moses) had great difficulty with the elaboration of the Menorah, the candelabra whose light was to radiate from the inner enclosure, the Kodesh HaKodashim (Holy of Holies) of the Mishkan (Tabernacle), and which centuries later would illuminate the Beit HaMikdash (Temple of Jerusalem). This difficulty was present with other elements that had to be included in the Mishkan. It seems that the fundamental problem for Moshe was how God, an Infinite Being, could be contained in a limited enclosure occupying a specific area. Apparently it was a transition. While God had manifested Himself publicly, especially in Egypt, through the ten plagues; after the revelation at Mount Sinai, he will communicate through a particular enclosure in the Mishkan, and in the more distant future he will project his voice from the place of the Keruvim who were on the Kaporet, the solid gold lid of the aron HaKodesh of the BeitHaMikdash of Yerushalayim (Jerusalem).

From the beginning, the world had been created within the canons of dialectics, it was necessary to choose between options: good and evil, what is ethical and what is immoral. It was necessary to choose between matter and spirituality. Or perhaps, the human being had to learn to synthesize matter with the spirit, to coexist with apparently antagonistic elements, a task that seems logical, because man contains both elements in his being.

The challenge of life can be seen as the resolution of the conflict between duty and passion, obligation and pastime, Mitzvah and the call of carnal desire. The fundamental task of the man of faith is to create a climate of harmony between these adverse impulses. 

For the construction of the Mishkan, the contribution of precious metals was required: gold, silver and copper, wool and leather, all with vivid colors that contrast with the idea that God does not make himself present within a framework of opulence but, on the contrary, within an environment of simplicity. 

The donation needed to make the Mishkan forced the people to make a choice. Would they part with the gold for a noble purpose? It is clear that the contribution to the Mishkan was a teaching about the dual function of things. The miser cannot part with his gold, it is his priceless treasure, but at the same time we see that from gold a candlestick can be made that symbolizes the light of knowledge. 

The Talmud and other traditions abound in the example of the tongue being a delicious delicacy when it comes from an animal, while the human tongue can build up and destroy, it can be used to teach or perhaps to slander.

In Gan Eden (Garden of Eden) there was only one rule to obey in order to remember the existence of only one God, to whom worship was due. The rule was very simple: do not eat the fruit of the forbidden tree. It was perhaps hoped that the human intellect could deduce, on its own, what are the rules or behavior that lead to social coexistence and the emotional and spiritual development of the person. The material element was not despised, because man is composed of body and soul. The human intellect was challenged to incorporate or elevate the material component to a spiritual level. 

The first couple’s internship at Gan Eden was short-lived. Adamand Chava (Eve) were cast out to appreciate the fruit of the sweat of their brow and through pain to value their offspring. The Korbanot that would be offered in the Sacred House had the purpose of “lekarev“, to bring man closer to God, to bring matter closer to spirit. By parting with an animal, by offering part of his goods for the construction of the Mishkan, the Hebrew who had emerged from Egyptian slavery showed that he was mastering his desires, that he did not bow down to them. 

The contribution had to be in accordance with asher yidvenulibo, “whatever the heart gives,” the victory of faith over the desire for the accumulation of possessions. The learning had an effect, because even after the destruction of both buildings of the Beis HaMikdash, the various persecutions and exiles had the effect of strengthening the notion that above the material is the spiritual ingredient; what had been accumulated in the material order could be taken away, but the spiritual element remained intact or perhaps strengthened.

MITZVAH: ORDINANCE OF THE TORAH IN THIS PARSHA

CONTAINS 2  POSITIVE MITSVOT AND 1 PROHIBITION

95. Exodus 25:8 Building the Beit HaMikdash (Holy Temple)

96. Exodus 25:15 Do not remove the poles from the Ark

97. Exodus 25:30 Arrange the Shewbread (Lechem hapanim) and the incense