Torah For Today

Vayekhal/Pekeudai=

Exodus 35:1 – 40:38

<= span style=3D'mso-spacerun:yes'> This week’s Torah portion bri= ngs us to the end of the book of Exodus. It is the narrative of the building of the Tabernacle and the indwelling of God within the Tabernacle. Our ancient Sages gave several dif= ferent reasons for the construction of the Tabernacle. One of those reasons; proba= bly the predominant opinion, is that the Tabernacle gave the Israelites an opportunity to relive the Sinai experience over and over again. There are a variety of similarities between the Sinai experience and the presence of God in the Tabernacle. Nahum Sarna describes the similari= ties like this:

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<= span style=3D'mso-spacerun:yes'> During the theophany, the mount was separated into three distinct z= ones of increasing degrees of holiness and restriction of access. At the foot of= the mount stood the people, and there the alter was set up; in like manner, the alter was placed in the Court of the Tabernacle to which the laity had acce= ss. Higher up on the mount was the second zone of holiness, to which only the priests and elders were admitted. Corresponding to this in the Tabernacle w= as the Holy Place, which was restricted to the Priesthood. The summit of the mountain constitu= ted the third zone, which was exclusively reserved for Moses. It’s counterpart in the Tabernacle was the Holy of Holies. Just as the Lord communicated with Moses on the mountaintop, so He does in the Holy of Holie= s; and in the same way that the cloud covered Mt. Sinai after Moses had ascend= ed, so the Tabernacle became enveloped in cloud on its completion, and the pill= ar of fire hovered over both Sinai and it. Finally, of course, the most powerf= ul and impressive reminder of the experience at Sinai was provided by the two tablets of stone housed in the Ark inside the Holy of Holies, 2which served= as the focal point of the entire edifice.”

Another Rabbi described more= in detail the similarities of Moses at Sinai and Moses in our Torah portion today.:

1) Moshe acts alone (= see 24:12-15).

2) God's glory embodi= ed in a cloud covers the mountain and dwells upon it.

3) Moshe is held back= . He cannot enter and must await the divine summons.

4) God calls Moshe and Moshe enters to be with God.

5) The Children of Israel = witness Sinai enveloped in cloud and fire.[1]

<= span style=3D'mso-spacerun:yes'> The presence of God in the Tabernac= le reminded the people of the covenant relationship. It also meant that they were not alone – G= od was going with them. Today, as believers, the Holy Spirit dwells inside of us testifying of the presence of God. This truth identifies us with the events= in Acts 2 when Yeshua was sitting at the right hand of the Father and He poured out the Spirit. It identifies us with the empowerment that the early believ= ers experienced. It reminds us of our calling. As we read in Acts 1:8 but you will receive power wh= en the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part = of the earth." Someti= mes when it seems that we walking in the wilderness, we need a reminder of our encounter with God. Collectively we look back to the day Yeshua died and to that Pentecost day. However, individually, the presence of God in our lives brings us back to the day we received the Messiah into our lives. It is important to relive those da= ys because the cares of this world easily choke the newness of faith that we experienced back then.

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U= nfortunately all of these experiences also remind us that we still see in a glass darkly= . In other words, these experiences remind us that we still do not have complete access to God. Our ancestors certainly did not have complete access to God = at Sinai. As Sarna wrote above, in the Tabernacle, the people did not have complete access to God. Even today, with the Holy Spirit living within us – we still do not have complete access. However, a day is coming when this will be changed. In Revelation 21:3 we read And I heard a loud voice from the t= hrone, saying, "Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among the= m, The passage goes on to say…R= evelation 21:22-23 I saw no temple in it, for th= e Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. ²³And the city has no = need of the sun or of the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God has illumined it, and its lamp is the Lamb. In heaven – the New Jerusalem there will be no Temple! The reason is because in that d= ay there will be no barrier between God and man. The glory of the Lord will not onl= y fill the Tabernacle, but the glory of the Lord will fill the world. This points us to our last point: the Tabernacle as well= as the indwelling of the Holy Spirit today, do not only help us to remember pa= st events, but they also point toward the future; to the reality of heaven. Ma= y we all remember our salvation experience and look forward to being in heaven – the very presence of God, Shabbat Shalom.