Mar 12/05 — Shabbat Pekudei

Commentary by Rabbi Lawrence M. Pinsker

The last portion of the Book of Exodus describes completion of the Mishkan, the Israelites’ portable sanctuary. The instructions for its construction appeared several weeks ago and now are repeated as the project is completed to emphasize that this job was done and done right.

The Hebrew text sounds an even more impressive note of awe by using a verb form found only six times in the entire Torah: vayechal. Elsewhere this word marks the conclusion of major transitions: 1) At the end of Deuteronomy it concludes Ha'azinu, Moses’ second-to-last speech to the Israelites. 2) Earlier in Exodus, it is used to emphasize that Moses has restored the covenant that was broken in the Golden Calf episode. 3) The word appears when Jacob completes his blessings to his twelve sons, and 4) as the exchange between God and Abraham over the fate of Sodom and Gomorrah ends. Finally — and perhaps most important for us — 5) in Genesis, chapter 2, we find the word in a familiar context: "Vayechal Elohim bayom hash’vi’ee m'lachto asher asah.” — “On the seventh day God finished the work that He had made” which we recite every Friday night as part of the Kiddush over wine.

In Exploring Exodus, Professor Nahum Sarna tells us that the use of this verb vayechal links the Creation of the universe to the creation of the Tabernacle. Example, Moses registers approval over the finished Tabernacle six times, exactly as God does over the new cosmos. Both acts conclude with a blessing. In Genesis it is states “And God blessed the seventh day.” In Exodus, Moses blesses the Israelites as they complete the tasks assigned them by God. (Ex. 39:43)

It is therefore reasonable to conclude that these parallels draw a direct comparison between the human-fabricated Tabernacle and God’s work of Creation. Perhaps the Tabernacle is not only a portable sacred space or an extension of events at Mt. Sinai, but also a symbol that the world that God created requires a human contribution of rules, order, and cooperation in order to be complete. God created the cosmos, but human beings must fashion the Tabernacle to demonstrate the sovereignty of God.

Creation is God's gift to humanity, but the Tabernacle is our gift to God. The real gift is an entire people cooperating in a holy task. After the Golden Calf, after the discord, pain, and fear that marked the early departure from Egypt, it is extraordinary to see them united.

After several major and minor missteps, our ancestors had secured a covenant with God replete with moral, ethical, and ritual laws. Though events will not remain satisfying for very long, there is recognition that God’s presence at the centre of their lives can lift their weariness and disunity. For the moment they have overcome their centuries of slavery and achieved something great.

Is their effort worthwhile if it does not last? I am reminded of a story I read many years ago about Renoir, the great French artist, who suffered the crippling pain of rheumatoid arthritis in his hands during the later years of his life. Renoir would paint by being placed in a chair which was moved as he directed. As he applied the paint to the canvas, suffering intensely, perspiration would cover his brow. Yet he persisted and continued to paint masterpieces by this means. One day Renoir was visited by his student Matisse, who pleaded, "Why torture yourself to do more?"

Gazing at his favourite canvas Renoir replied, "The pain passes, but the beauty remains."

Such is the beauty of the Tabernacle: a moment achieved, but a moment that the Israelites could not sustain. Nevertheless, it has left us a tantalizing legacy about what humankind can accomplish in service to God.