Inspired by the weekly Torah portion of Pekudei *Exodus 38:21 - 40:38
Nothing is more satisfying than a job well done! This is what God and Moses and the Children of Israel felt when they finally completed and inaugurated the construction of the Tabernacle, the Mishkan in Hebrew. Finally, the Children of Israel had a sanctuary of their own constructed from materials they donated and built by their own craftsmen.
Similarly there was great joy when King Solomon undertook and completed the building of the First Temple in Jerusalem about 3,000 years ago, and likewise when Ezra the Scribe completed the re-building of the Second Temple in Jerusalem about 2,500 years ago. When the Second Temple was later defiled by the Greeks and then rededicated by the Hasmoneans there was not only great joy but an entire new festival, Hanukkah, grew out of it that Jews still celebrate joyously to this day.
And so it has been that every time a new synagogue or Jewish house of learning Torah, like a yeshiva, is inaugurated there is also great joy, even though sometimes big things have small beginnings.
When a Jewish family moves into a new home it is customary to make a Chanukat Habayit party. Every Jewish synagogue and every Jewish home is regarded in Judaism as a Mikdash Me'at, a miniature holy temple, and when it is inaugurated there is always great joy just as in this Torah there is great joy in setting and get the Tabernacle going as a portable temple before the permanent temple was built in Jerusalem.
Not only the structure of the building and its contents is important, but this Torah portion also pays attention to the clothing and uniform of the High Priest, known as the Kohen HaGadol in Hebrew, from top to bottom. Likewise Jews give honor to the rabbis inaugurated into their synagogues, communities and by extension into their homes and their lives. The High Priest must wear outfits designated by the Torah, and thus rabbis have always been distinguished by the clothing they wear both in and out of their work.
Let's look closer at some of the important contents of the Tabernacle and at the clothing of the High Priest and see how they are symbolically recreated in both the synagogue, home and in the person of every Jew:
The Ark of the Covenant with the Ten Commandments placed into it was at the heart of the Tabernacle. Likewise it was at the heart of the first and second Beit HaMikdash, the two Jewish temples. It is also symbolically reproduced on the inside of every synagogue being built into the front of every synagogue and called the ark where the Torah scrolls are placed. Similarly, Torah should be at the heart of every Jewish home and in the heart and mind of every Jew.
The special table, Shulchan, with the Lechem Hapanim, Showbread, on it, was symbolic of food and sustenance and it was also in the two Jewish temples. Every Shull has a kitchen that serves up either a Kiddush, or Brocha, or Seuda, meals in honor of special days or special events. Families and homes serve bread and food all the time which is sanctified by being Kosher and eating with the appropriate blessings being made. Every Jew eats the right Kosher food and does not live to eat, but rather eats to live in order to be able to serve God.
The Menorah, or candelabrum, shed light in the Tabernacle and later in the two Jewish Temples in Jerusalem. A synagogue without light is inconceivable, there is a special Mitzva called Ner LaMaor a "candle for lighting" for a lighting fund in most Shulls. Every Jewish home is lit by lights, extra lights especially on Shabbat and Jewish Holy Days and special occasions. The Torah is compared to light. The soul of a Jew is compared to light. The book of Proverbs (6:23) says, Ki Ner Mitzvah VeTorah Ohr, "a candle is like a mitzvah and the Torah is like its light"!
The Washstand where the priests could wash their hands and feet before doing the holy service. Usually not connected to a bathroom but outside of it is a place to wash one's hands in every Shull and home, while every observant Jew constantly makes sure to ritually wash his or her hands before making blessings and praying.
The Mizbeach HaZahav, or Golden Altar or the Incense Altar on which incense offerings were performed is similar to other altars in the Tabernacle and Temples on which Korbanot, sacrificial offerings, were brought for various purposes as designated by the Torah and required by God. In synagogues there is the Bimah, the central "stage", that serves as the focal point for services on which the Torah is read and is also used as the place for the Chazan to lead services in many places. The "altar" in any Jewish home is the main dining room table where Sabbath meals are served and special occasions celebrated. The heart and mind of every Jew are like metaphorical "altars" on which and from which a Jew thinks of Torah and Tefilot, prayers, and encapsulates the core intellect and emotions of every Jewish mind and heart.
Similarly the clothing of the priests had symbolic value functioning as "atonements" for various sins and shortcomings. One can also see other symbolic values in the priestly clothing. Note, every Kohen who served in the Temple wore four garments called "bigdei kohen hedyot" - the garments of the ordinary Kohen, while the Kohen Gadol, the High Priest, wore four more items of clothing called 'bigdei zahav" - the garments of gold (cited in The Midrash Says - The Book of Sh'mot, by Benei Yaakov Publications). The total number of priestly clothing items are known as the Shemona Begadim, the "eight pieces of clothing" worn by the priests including the High Priest. In Jewish mystical thinking the number eight denotes "above nature" - "lema'alah min hateva" because everything in nature revolves around the number seven. The world was completed in seven days. There are seven dimensions in the world (north, south, east, west, up, down, center) but eight is beyond these dimensions.
When Aaron the first High Priest donned his new priestly attire he entered a higher domain. When the Kohen Gadol dons his eight garments he literally becomes a totally different type of being, somewhere between humanity and the angels. He wears supernatural clothing such as the Choshen - breastplate that is able to communicate with God by receiving Divine messages. The core of the Choshen was the Urim Vetumim that contained God's name written on parchment to answer important questions of state relating to the king, courts of law, or matters of national concern to the Children of Israel. This is what is termed "supernatural" and it's part of the secret power hidden in the meaning of the number eight. Interestingly, on the festival of Hanukkah that celebrates the great victory by the priestly Hasmoneans over the ancient Greeks, the Menorah remained lit for eight days symbolizing the unnatural nature of the victory and which is celebrated for eight days to this day.
Another noteworthy item worn by the High priest was the Tzitz, a golden headplate inscribed with the words "Kodesh LaHashem" -- Holy to God. Imagine that, the Kohen Gadol who is the highest spiritual leader of the Children of Israel has on his forehead a golden plate inscribed with those incredible words: Holy to Hashem! It has multiple significances, such as that it atoned for the Chutzpah, brazenness of the nation as well as atoning for blasphemy (quoted in The Living Torah). But much more than that, there is the notion of a higher message that is worn on the forehead, the "billboard" of every human being so to speak, in this case, on the High Priest's forehead declaring that he is a holy person dedicated and devoted to God.
Every Jew should regard themselves as a holy person dedicated and devoted to God and every Jew should be connected with a holy place of worship like a synagogue or yeshiva. That is how it was from the time of the beginnings of the Jewish People at the inauguration of the first Jewish holy place, the Tabernacle, and the first High Priest, and that is how it has been throughout all the ages, and that is how it should always be going forward into the future culminating with the rebuilding of the Third Jewish Temple and the reinstatement of the temple service led by a Holy Unto the Lord Jewish High Priest, may it happen speedily in our time!
* Pekudei means "accounts" from Exodus 38:21 "These are the accounts of the Tabernacle..."
Contact Rabbi Yitschak Rudomin at: [email protected]