Two Minute Torah Podcast

Vayakhel-Pekudei 5770 by Rabbi Jacob Blumenthal

What are we to make of a figure like Tiger Woods? Would it be enough - dayeinu - to be inspired by his talent as a golfer; his rise through hard work, constant practice, and sheer force of will to the top of his chosen game? Is it unfair of us to expect that he be of exemplary character as well? Knowing what we now know of his private life, has he lost any right or opportunity to inspire us?

The Talmud shares wisdom on some of these issues as it notes something curious about the construction of the Aron HaBrit—the Ark of the Covenant—that is described both in parashat Terumah two weeks ago, and again in this week's parshiyot. The instructions given in the Torah are that the aron should be constructed of acacia wood, and covered in gold, both on the outside and on the inside. In the Talmud, the great sage Rava compares the construction of the ark to the makings of a great student: "Kol talmid haham sh'ein tokho k'varo, aino talmid chakham—A student whose 'inside' is not like his 'outside' is not a wise student." A person's public and private life should be of similar high quality - both should be golden.

That is indeed a very high standard. Yet the Bekhor Shor, a medieval interpreter of the Torah, offers another interesting insight. Noting that, in effect, the ark is just a gold plated sandwich of acacia wood covered with gold, the Bekkor Shor asks why the ark wasn't made entirely of gold! But he tells us that such an ark, made of solid gold, would be too heavy for the Israelites to carry on their shoulders through the desert. He reminds us that, in fact, the use of ordinary wood in the design of the ark was a compromise - literally, it was an adaptation to human weakness. And yet the ark, with a core of ordinary wood, was still sufficient to serve as the container for Judaism's holiest objects, and as the base for God's most intense presence, the "seat of mercy" between the two cherubim that sat above its cover.

So too, I believe God's presence is not only felt by us when our actions are pure and golden. Perhaps we need celebrities and role models like Tiger Woods not only for their superhuman talents, but as a reminder that we need to look more closely at our own flaws. The Bekhor Shor's teaching is a reminder to judge others less, and look more deeply at the more ordinary stuff that makes us who we are. In that process of humble introspection, we create an important opening for God's presence. Just as God's spirit comes to rest upon the ark and the mishkan at the conclusion of our parshiyot this week, by judging others less and ourselves more, we too can cause God's spirit to dwell within us and among us.