This week's portion focuses on the artistry of the Tabernacle, where the Ark of the Lord was to be kept, and which would be the central focus of prayer. The work of the chief artisan, Bezalel -- for whom a famous art academy in Jerusalem is named -- is described in detail, as is the final dedication of the Tabernacle, the culmination of several chapters of detailed descriptions.
The additional reading, from the Book of Kings, relates the parallel story of the dedication of the Holy Temple by King Solomon. The Tabernacle was temporary; the Temple was the permanent dwelling for the Lord among the people. These were two major peaks of Jewish history. And yet the story continued. the Bible does not end on these happy notes, as it could have done.
We know what happens, eventually: the Temple is destroyed and the people are gathered. And though they return, and the Second Temple is built, that, too, is destroyed, and the people are exiled once again. Today, we live in an era where Jews have a State of Israel, a spiritual homeland that some see as the sign of further fulfillment to come. We can't know; but we can help it thrive.
The story of Noah is familiar; the details, less so.
Noah is often seen as an ambivalent figure. He was righteous -- but only for his generation. What was his deficiency?
One answer suggests itself: knowing that the world was about to be flooded, he built an Ark for the animals and for his own family -- but did not try to save anyone else or to convince them to repent and change their ways (the prophet Jonah, later, would share that reluctance).
Abraham, later, would set himself apart by arguing with God -- with the Lord Himself! -- against the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, saying that they should be saved if there were enough righteous people to be found (there were not).
Still, Noah was good enough -- and sometimes, that really is sufficient to save the world. We don't need heroes every time -- just ordinary decency.
Hi all -- as I noted last month, I'm going to be closing down my Locals page, at least for tips and subscriptions -- I may keep the page up and the posts as well, but I'm no longer going to be accepting any kind of payment.
Look for cancelation in the very near future. Thank you for your support!
An interesting weekend -- one of the last of Daylight Savings Time -- in which there is much to celebrate, much to contemplate, and a bit to worry about.
The Gaza peace deal is shaky, but holding, after the living hostages returned; the shutdown is still going on, with no end in sight; the China trade war is heating up; and the confrontation with Venezuela continues to escalate.
The "No Kings" protest was a dud, despite the media's attempt to inflate it. What I find fascinating is that the Democrats have basically stolen the rhetoric and the imagery of the Tea Party protests, circa 2009. They claim they are defending the Constitution -- just like the Tea Party did.
On the one hand, this is good. How wonderful to have a political system in which both sides, bitterly opposed though they are, articulate differences through the Constitution -- and not, as in so many other countries, outside it.
On the other, this is sheer hypocrisy for the Democrats. Not only did they malign the Tea Party as ...
