Shabbat Shalom: Parshat Tetzaveh Exodus 27:20-30:10

By Shlomo Riskin

Efrat, Israel - The leaders of Israel whose major domain was the Sanctuary - Holy Temple were the members of the tribe of Levi and especially the branch of the tribe who descended from Aaron, the kohanim - priests. Indeed, the Torah readings of last week as well as of this week deal with the Sanctuary and all of its accoutrements (parashat Terumah) and the special garments and functions of the kohanim-priests (parshat Tetzaveh) respectively. It seems to me that a clear understanding of the main purpose of the Sanctuary - Holy Temple and the functions of the kohanim - priests will do a great deal to clarify the role of religious leadership and religious institutions in Jewish life today - and will even help us in understanding the significance of the Holy Temple for the Jewish people and the sanctity of the Temple Mount.

There is a fascinating difference of opinion as to when precisely the Almighty commanded the Israelites to build a Sanctuary and began to delineate the function of the priests. According to Rashi, based on most of the Rabbinic (Midrashic) interpretations, the command “and they shall build for me a Sanctuary so that I may dwell in their midst” (Exodus 25:5) came after the Day of Forgiveness (Yom Kippur), after they had worshipped the golden calf and received atonement from the Almighty. From this perspective it would seem that the major task of rabbinic leadership is to help the Jewish people establish a relationship with G-d, seek His forgiveness when they falter and discover meaningful avenues of approach for a relationship with the Divine. The Ramban has a very different chronology based upon the specific order of the Biblical narrative. For him, G-d commanded the construction of the Sanctuary immediately after the Revelation at Sinai, in order to provide a place from which the word of G-d would continue to emanate to the nation in a relevant and inspiring manner. The Bible itself, in detailing the construction of the ark which housed the two tablets of testimony, declares in G-d’s name, “And I shall meet with you there and I shall speak with you from atop the arks’ cover (kapporet) from between the two cherubs. ….” (Exodus 25:22).

This difference of opinion has far reaching consequences in terms of the main function of our religious institutions and their personnel - as well as to what extent we truly yearn for a third - and permanent - Holy Temple. If one continues the thought of the Ramban it becomes clear that the major feature of the Sanctuary was the sacred ark which housed the Ten Commandments - and indeed the ark is the very first of the Sanctuary’s furnishings which is biblically described. We understand very well why the Great Sanhedrin - the institution which continued Torah interpretation and even additional enactments generated by changing conditions - was housed within the “office of the hewn stone” within the Holy Temple itself. This is likewise perfectly in consonance with the function of the kohen - priest as well as all of the Levites as expressed by Moses at the end of his life when he bestowed blessings on each of the various tribes: “They shall teach Your ordinances to Jacob and Your torah to Israel” (Deuteronomy 33:10). The chief task of Jewish leadership and institutions is to teach Torah; to make sure that G-d’s word remains immediate and significant.

On the other hand however Maimonides seems to have a different emphasis, much more in keeping with the chronology of the command to build the Sanctuary according to Rashi. This great codifier and philosopher begins his “Laws of the Chosen House” with the definition that “the Holy Temple is a place in which sacrifices are offered and three times a year the “seeing of the Divine” is celebrated (Rambam Laws of the Chosen House 1,1). He goes on to say, in terms of his description of the construction of the Holy Temple,

“The altar is the most specifically determined place whose precise locus is never to be changed. There is a tradition accepted by all that the place of the Temple is the place of the binding of Isaac, the place of the offering of Noah when he left the ark, the place of the offerings of Cain and Abel, the place of the offering of Adam when he was created - and that is the place from which the initial dust from which Adam was formed was taken.” (Ibid. 2, 1)

It is clear from Maimonides that the most significant place of the Sanctuary is the altar, the place of sacrifices. The three main types of sacrifices are sin offerings, gift offerings and whole burnt offerings. A sin offering expresses the fact that we humans are frail and prone to fall; it gives us the opportunity to stand before the creator of life and the universe, admit our mistakes and rise from our failure. The whole burnt offering expresses our readiness to commit our personal and material resources to the Almighty and His vision of a more perfect world of peace and harmony. The gift offering expresses our gratitude to a G-d who has created a world which can often give much pleasure and bring much satisfaction. If indeed, it is the altar - and not the ark - which is the main aspect of the Sanctuary than it becomes the most important task of our religious institutions to help the individual rise up after he has fallen, to visit the sick, to comfort the bereaved, and to inspire individual growth and personal commitment to the ideals of a G-d of compassion and justice. In Moses’ farewell blessing, he concludes the verse about the tribe of Levi which was previously cited with the words, “And they (the Levites and kohanim - priests) shall place incense before Your Presence and burnt offerings on your altar.” (Deuteronomy 33: 10) Religious leadership is therefore to be found first and foremost around the altar and not only in the classroom in front of the Holy Ark.

Unfortunately we generally think of the Holy Temple in terms of blood -and-gore sacrifice; I believe that it was much more like barbecued dinners where families would gather together to celebrate important occasions, not forgetting to give proper thanks to the Ruler of the Universe. The growth which comes from admitting one’s mistake, making proper restitution, and feeling the cathartic relief of forgiveness is likewise a critical aspect of our humanity and our yearning for improvement. And of course there can be no real excellence in any aspect of one’s life - personal, familial, intellectual, religious without commitment and sacrifice. In all of these ways the religious institution must play a major role and the Kohen - Rabbi - Pastor must be ready to give a helping hand and a warm embrace. Perhaps it is for this reason that the Almighty only entered into the covenant with the Israelites after the youth of the Jewish nation offered sacrifices and gifts to the Almighty. (Exodus 24:5)

Shabbat Shalom.