Shabbat Vayakhel 24 Adar I 5768,Mar 1, 2008

Efrat, Israel — “And let every wise-hearted man among you come, and make all that G-d has commanded; the tabernacle, its tent, and its covering, its clasps, and its boards, its bars, its pillars, and its sockets; the ark, and its poles, the ark-cover and the veil of the screen” (Exodus 35:1-12).

Strangely enough, the detailed and explicit record of the construction of the Sanctuary in the desert as the Israelites journeyed toward the promised land can illuminate for us the entire world of marriage.

What is the most critical ingre¬dient in a marriage, the most crucial factor to determine an enduring relationship?

Is it physical attraction, emotional empathy, congruent interests - or is it perhaps the capacity to forgive and even to forget, to renew the relationship after a major domestic battle without continuing to bring up past wrongdoings?

This latter idea may provide a clue to our understanding of what is a strange Biblical puzzle: Virtually everything in this week’s portion of Vayakhel (as well as next week’s portion of Pekuday) concerning the Tabernacle has already been presented earlier in the portions of Truma and Tetzave. All the ritual objects and furnishings such as the Menora, the Table, the Ark, the Incense Altar, the beams, the Sacrificial Altar, as well as the special garments required for Temple priests have all been mentioned previously.

So why the repetitions? It is almost as if the Torah is testing our nerves, seeing if we can sit through the weekly reading without growing impatient.

As we have attempted to demonstrate in the past, context adds to our comprehension. These repetitions in Vayakhel don’t simply appear out of nowhere; they emerge after the incident of the Golden Calf, the sin of idolatry perpetrated by the Jewish people. And immediately before the repetition, God forgives Israel of their sin and grants them the ‘second tablets.’

Clearly the first and second presentation of the Tabernacle’s construction are connected by some of the most significant moments in the history of the Jewish people, an unforgettable sequence of transgression and forgiveness which culminate with the light from Moses’ face being so brilliant that he needed a veil to protect others from its dazzling, blinding splendor!

With this bridge in mind, let’s step back for a moment and see if the context now adds a certain dimension, even tension, to the difference between Tabernacle Truma and Tabernacle Vayakhel.

What is the Golden Calf? One basic way to see this calf is in the cusp between the literal and the mystical; by now it is not only the mystics who have absorbed the concept in Judaism of G-d as the lover and the Jewish people as His beloved. We reflect this lofty notion each Friday evening in the chanting from Song of Songs and in the act of binding the t’fillin around our fingers each morning with a quote from the prophet Hosea, “I will betroth you unto Me forever, and I will betroth you to Me with righteousness, justice, kindness and mercy; and I will betroth you to Me with fidelity, and you will know G-d” (2:21-22).

The Holy Zohar speaks of the Revelation at Sinai as a marriage, the raised mountain as the canopy and the Ten Commandments as the marriage contract. Emerging from this idea, the Israelites’ engagement with the Golden Calf becomes a metaphor for betrayal, for adultery. And the Sanctuary is after all the nuptial canopy, the mutual home. From this perspective, we may look upon Truma and Tetzave as a metaphor for engagement, a couples’ involvement in planning for their new home, tending to all its furnishings from the candelabrum to the dining room table.

And what if an important business trip calls away the groom, and he stays away longer than anticipated? When he returns, a terrible scene greets his eyes. He finds his beloved bride dancing with another person, hypnotized by a golden hunk of brawn. It’s all over, the relationship seems dead, divorce inevitable…. However what if the husband has the ability – and sensitivity - to look at the events from his wife’s point of view: he was away too long, he seemingly lost interest in her, he had found a new “occupation”. And, after all, had he not left her alone in an unfriendly desert, without adequate preparation or protection?

And if his love for her is truly deep, he may begin to feel the urge to forgive her. And what expression should it take? Chocolates and flowers? Candlelight dinner for two? No, the best expression for forgiveness is going back to doing exactly what they were doing before the crisis. Looking at places to live, planning their living rooms and bedrooms, choosing curtains and cutlery and porcelain, everything that makes a home work. And if they’re able to do this, it means that they have really put away this tragic episode and they’re willing to make peace.

Now we understand the significance of the repetition of the details and exact measurements of the Sanctuary. Theoretically, the Torah could have stated that the “...children of Israel did everything G-d commanded them to do. . .” End of story. Instead the Torah spells out the exact details and measurements, a precise accounting of the Sanctuary’s construction, demonstrating with an actual play-by-play description that the relationship has been normalized. They’re back where they used to be, and life will go on, nail by nail, and beam by beam. Indeed, the greatest tangible expression of their undying love is the building of their home together, detail by detail. Each repetition merely emphasizes the Divine forgiveness and the eternity of the relationship. G-d loves us unconditionally. Our relationship with our Bride-Groom in Heaven is truly an eternal covenant.

May we soon express our love once again by building a third sanctuary through which the entire world may become a home of Sanctity for G-d and humanity.

Shabbat Shalom
Shlomo Riskin
Chancellor Ohr Torah Stone
Chief Rabbi - Efrat Israel