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The Mishkan
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In this week's parasha the Children of Israel are commanded to build the Mishkan, the traveling Tabernacle (tent) in which they will worship God while traveling through the Sinai desert.
Although the Torah records that God told the Israelites, "Build me a Sanctuary so that I may dwell among you," (Ex. 25:5) "God dwelling" among the Israelites must be understood allegorically. God cannot be contained in any structure or in any physical form. God's Glory fills all of Creation and is greater than Creation. The Mishkan symbolized God's constant Presence and protection, and gave the Israelites a place to focus their worship.
The Mishkan contained many sacred utensils, vessels, and pieces of furniture. One of the most elaborate was the Aron (Ark) which housed the tablets of the Ten Commandments. It was beautifully decorated and overlaid inside and out with gold.
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Ark of the Covenant
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In the Talmud, the sage Rava explained the
symbolism of the gold overlay. He said that just as the ark was golden inside and out, so must a Talmid Chacham, a Torah scholar, be "golden inside and out." A wise and holy person's outer actions must reflect his/her internal spiritual life. No matter how learned or observant people seem to be, they are not considered a Talmid Chacham if they act with disrespect or callousness towards their fellow human beings. (Yoma )
The commentator know as Eilshach also makes an important point based upon the Torah's text. He says that when it comes to making the Ark, the Hebrew word God uses is plural: v'asu, "You (plural) shall make..." In regard to all of the other utensils only the singular verb: v'asita (You (singular) shall make..." is used.
| Talmid Chacham | The use of the plural reminds us that the Ark housed the tablets of the Ten Commandments, which leads us think about the entire Torah which is God's gift to everyone. While some privileges are inherited, such as whether or not one is a Kohen or Levi, "Keter Torah," the Crown of Torah learning, and is open to all. Torah study is open to every Jew and every Jew benefits from it.
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Keter Torah
| When it comes to building the Aron the Torah uses the plural "asu" to remind us that Torah study is open and incumbent upon every Jew. (Iturei Torah)
As the Talmud says, "A Talmid Chacham of questionable family origins is greater than a Kohen Gadol, a High Priest, who is an ignoramus."
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Leonard Rosenthal Tifereth Israel Synagogue
San Diego, CA 92119
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