Each of Us Has a Role to Play... What is Yours?

I am writing to you this week from Tel Aviv. Unfortunately, the Kavana-Mishkan group trip to Israel and the West Bank that we had envisioned for February didn't come together (we simply didn't have enough travelers to make it a go -- we'll have to try again). However, I decided to take advantage of this school break week to come with my own family, and we have spent time with relatives and friends, visited museums, archaeological and new cultural sites, and explored the complex political and social realities for both Israelis and Palestinians. It's been a packed and intense trip, and I look forward to debriefing it and sharing more of what I've experienced and learned with the Kavana community in future weeks. For now, I'll stick to the weekly Torah portion...

Parashat Terumah famously opens with God commanding Moses to collect all sorts of gifts from the Israelites: precious metals and stones, dyed yarns, oil, wood and skins. With these materials, God says, "V'asu li mikdash v'shochanti b'tocham," "Let them make Me a sanctuary that I may dwell among them." In other words, this is a collective building project with a lofty goal: the Israelites are trying to achieve no less than making room for the Divine presence on earth.  

As we start reading into the text, though, we immediately encounter an oddity. Just as the Israelites' time at Mount Sinai is known for its blurred sensory experiences (e.g. "seeing the thunder"), a close reading of Exodus 25:9-11 turns up confusion about whether the commands to build the Tabernacle are to be understood in the singular or plural -- in other words, whether this is a project for Moses alone or for all of the Israelites, and who is to do what. We read:

כְּכֹ֗ל אֲשֶׁ֤ר אֲנִי֙ מַרְאֶ֣ה אוֹתְךָ֔ אֵ֚ת תַּבְנִ֣ית הַמִּשְׁכָּ֔ן וְאֵ֖ת תַּבְנִ֣ית כׇּל־כֵּלָ֑יו וְכֵ֖ן תַּעֲשֽׂוּ׃ {ס} 

Exactly as I show you (s.)—the pattern of the Tabernacle and the pattern of all its furnishings—so shall you (pl.) make it.

וְעָשׂ֥וּ אֲר֖וֹן עֲצֵ֣י שִׁטִּ֑ים אַמָּתַ֨יִם וָחֵ֜צִי אׇרְכּ֗וֹ וְאַמָּ֤ה וָחֵ֙צִי֙ רׇחְבּ֔וֹ וְאַמָּ֥ה וָחֵ֖צִי קֹמָתֽוֹ׃

They (pl.) shall make an ark of acacia wood, two and a half cubits long, a cubit and a half wide, and a cubit and a half high.

וְצִפִּיתָ֤ אֹתוֹ֙ זָהָ֣ב טָה֔וֹר מִבַּ֥יִת וּמִח֖וּץ תְּצַפֶּ֑נּוּ וְעָשִׂ֧יתָ עָלָ֛יו זֵ֥ר זָהָ֖ב סָבִֽיב׃

You (s.) shall overlay it with pure gold—overlay it inside and out—and make upon it a gold molding round about.

Hopefully with my bolded indicators of singular and plural, it is clear how the text is toggling back and forth: that the pattern will be shown to Moses and then all the Israelites should make it, and that all the Israelites will construct the ark which then Moses alone (or perhaps the artisan Betzalel, later?) is commanded to overlay with gold.

Ramban, also known as Nachmanides -- a leading Jewish commentator and philosopher in 13th century Spain -- notes this phenomenon too, and offers the following commentary on these verses:

AND THEY SHALL MAKE AN ARK. The plural [and ‘they’ shall make] refers back to the children of Israel mentioned above. But afterwards Scripture states: And thou shalt overlay it, And thou shalt cast for it — all in the singular, as Moses is the leader of all Israel. It is possible that [in using the plural — and they shall make] God is indicating God's wish that all Israel should share in the making of the ark because it is the holiest dwelling-place of the Most High, and that they should all merit thereby [a knowledge of] the Torah. Thus the Rabbis have said in Midrash Rabbah: “Why is it that with reference to all the vessels it says, and thou shalt make, and in the case of the ark it says, and they shall make? Said Rabbi Yehudah the son of Rabbi Shalom: The Holy Blessed One said: Let all the people come and engage themselves in the making of the ark, so that they should all merit [a knowledge of] the Torah.” The “engaging themselves” of which the Rabbi speaks means that they should each offer one golden vessel [for the making of the ark, in addition to their general offering for the building of the Tabernacle], or that they should help Betzalel in some small way, or that they should have intent [of heart in the making thereof].

Ramban understands the text's back-and-forth between singular and plural as drawing attention to the complex interplay between a leader and a people -- ultimately, there should be alignment between them. Despite the fact that so many vessels of the mishkan are commanded to be built using singular language, Ramban takes the plural language of the command about the ark to underscore the point that everyone has a stake in this particularly holy project. 

In explaining how the Israelites were supposed to "engage themselves" in this collective construction activity, Ramban then shares a piece of ancient midrash that offers multiple possible pathways for how each of the Israelites might have chosen to engage. It turns out, according to him, that there were many more options than simply bringing different types of materials. The Israelites could "offer one golden vessel" (in other words, make a financial or material contribution), "help Betzalel in some small way" (that is, offer time, energy and labor), or "have intent of heart" (contribute emotional support). 

Reading Ramban's multiple pathways for engagement in this collective project reminded me of the powerful-yet-loose organizing model we've seen unfold in Minneapolis over the past couple of months. Writer and activist Rebecca Solnit re-posted the following words from a fellow activist a couple weeks ago, and these examples have stuck with me:

"One of the nuts things about organizing in the Twin Cities right now is that even the most long term organizers who've been here for decades can't keep track of all the resistance that is going on. There are so many self-organized crews just doing work that in any conversation with someone from another neighborhood, you might stumble over a whole collective of people resisting in ways you didn't think of. There's a crew of carpenters just going around fixing kicked-in doors. There are two truck drivers taking cars of detained people away for free. People delivering food to families in hiding. So many local rapid response groups that the number is uncertain... People standing watch outside daycares and schools..."

In this Minnesota example, too, we see a collective building project -- here, it's a particular vision of American society in which we hope to live. Here, too, we see that powerful engagement comes in ensuring that different individuals can all find ways to contribute their unique gifts and abilities in service of a greater goal.

This week's Torah portion provides us with a lens for understanding the big picture of what we're trying to do. Whether we are building the Mishkan or trying to improve and safeguard the society around us, our goal is always to take part in making this world a place where the Divine presence can reside. Despite the singular/plural confusion, and the fact that this could be construed as a job for only leaders, our long interpretive Torah tradition -- channeled to us here in the words of Ramban, as he cites an ancient midrash -- teaches that this is the work of all of us.

This week, I encourage you to think about which sacred, shared project(s) you believe in most fervently, and what contribution(s) you are willing to make in order to bring them to fruition. Each of us has a role to play in crafting our world into a place where God can dwell among us.

Shabbat Shalom,

Rabbi Rachel Nussbaum