Two Minute Torah Podcast

Terumah 5772 by Rabbi Kim Blumenthal

Shalom. My name is Rabbi Kim Blumenthal, and I am a rabbi at Beth Israel Congregation in Ann Arbor, MI. Welcome to KOACH's Two-Minute Torah, a project of the College Department of the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism.

"Let them make Me a sanctuary that I may dwell among them." With this command, God sets into motion a new phase for the Israelites of the generation of the Exodus.

When the Israelites left first Egypt, they were focused on survival. They faced the harrowing obstacle of crossing the Red Sea. They were met by enemy forces in the wilderness. They had to adapt to new types of food and find sources for water. As they settled into the patterns of wilderness living and grew a little more secure, God puts a new task in front of them—and a daunting one at that. The Israelites are instructed to construct a mishkan, a portable dwelling place for God. The last third of the Book of Exodus is concerned almost entirely with the giving of instructions, details and exact specifications for the mishkan.

Jewish tradition proclaims that God can be found anywhere. Why, then, were the Israelites given such particular instructions regarding the construction for a dwelling place for God?

There are numerous answers to this question. I would like to focus on two. First, let us remember that the Israelites are new to monotheism. They have been surrounded by idolatrous culture, and thus they are accustomed to seeing physical representations for the Divine. We know that the Israelites had a difficult time conceptualizing God—in fact, we will soon read about the Golden Calf that they built when they lost faith in God. The mishkan served as a transitional structure—one that reminded the Israelites of God's presence, allowing the Israelites to recognize that there was space for God within their community.

It was important for the mishkan to serve as a transformational structure for the Israelites in the wilderness. But, just as critical as the beautiful, sacred finished product was the process of the construction. Here we find the second reason for the intricate details regarding the design and construction of the mishkan. The building of the mishkan was a group project. Each Israelite contributed gifts and labor towards its construction. This massive project allowed for all of the Israelites to create a special, symbolic dwelling place for God. In the process, they built for themselves a community. The completion of the mishkan was a complex task. Through this complexity the Israelites were forced to learn how to work together. The evolving formation of their collective identity was flavored by this experience. No longer were they former slaves on a trek through the desert. Now, they were a developing community, building an identity, building the mishkan, and building a relationship with God.