Sunday, February 16, 2014

VAYAKHEL: JEWISH SPIRITUAL RENEWAL: RABBI ARTHUR SEGAL: SPIRITUAL AWAKENING

VAYAKHEL: JEWISH SPIRITUAL RENEWAL: RABBI ARTHUR SEGAL: SPIRITUAL AWAKENING
 
RABBI ARTHUR SEGAL: ECO-JUDAISM : VAYAKHEL: MISHKAN: SHEKINAH DWELLS
 
RABBI ARTHUR SEGAL: CHUMASH CANDESCENCE : PARASHA VAYAKHEL:  EXODUS 35:01-38:20 



CHUMASH CANDESCENCE
 PARASHA VAYAKHEL
EXODUS 35:01-38:20

 

 

''SHE'S A BRICK HOUSE. SHE'S MIGHTY MIGHTY, JUST LETTIN' IT ALL HANG OUT''


"And there was Extra" (Ex 36:07)

In this week's Torah portion we are given the mandate to build the
sanctuary. The details of how it was built, who funded it, and who was in charge of its construction are given.

 

It is interesting to note that a 13 year old, named  Bezalel, was assigned the task to be in charge of the artistry and construction of the Tabernacle. We can learn from this that even a great man  such as Moses, cannot be perfect in everything. We are a community and  depend on each other for our different skills and strengths. Bezalel needed Moses to teach him Torah. Moses needed Bezalel to teach him architecture and gold crafting.

Moses asks the people to contribute all sorts of items to be used for the
Mishkan's manufacture. The people voluntarily delivered gold, silver,
gems, jewels, cloth, silks, furs, and hides. They were so giving that there
was a  surplus of donations. God instructs Moses to "restrain us from giving"
(Ex 36:06). If only our modern building funds had this "problem"!

Why did we need a Mishkan? Why did we need the first and second Temples
in Jerusalem? Why do some of our people pray for the restoration of the
Third Temple? Why do we need our modern synagogues and temples? Do we in the year third millennium  really need a place where we can "see" God dwell among us? Is the Mishkan the answer to our quest to see and feel God that we tried to achieve  with the Golden Calf? (Please refer to last week's D'var on Ki Tisa.)

Bezalel made a wondrous menorah (Ex 37:17 to 24). It was of pure gold.
Did you ever note that the seven-candled menorahs in traditional shuls are
never golden. Perhaps they are bronze or silver. This is because the Talmud
ruled that a gold menorah can only be used in the Temple in Jerusalem. Have you noticed that Reform Judaism chose a gold menorah for its logo? Have you 
noticed that gold menorahs are used in liberal temples? They are making the
statement that they are no longer waiting for or praying for the Third
Temple.


In our temples, in our hearts, and in our good deeds are where we say
God's presence, the Shekinah, dwells. The Divine Light is accessible to us 
each and every day. We know from our history that God's presence left the
Second  Temple. Why? It was because of people's unbiased hatred, jealousy,
arguments, and the fact that even murder was committed there.

The Talmud teaches that studying Torah at night (when melancholy can
set in, when one can cry over the reasons for the Temple's destruction), is 
effective in bringing the Divine Light back. Our very own human behavior
can cause this light to be with us. Or our behaviors can cause it to leave
us.


We have freedom of choice. "Who is strong? The person who practices 
self-control" (Pirkei Avot 4:01).

Rabbi Chanina said, "Anyone whose good deeds are greater than his
wisdom, his wisdom will endure. Anyone whose wisdom is greater than his good deeds, his wisdom will not endure" (Pirket Avot 3:12). Torah study, or going to temple, or even teaching a class there, does not change people. Only by practicing what we learn or teach can we influence our own behavior and 
the behavior of others. Our actions of good deeds and tikun olam are 
essential.

They show our commitment. They help us to grow spiritually while at the
same time help others. The Talmud in Sotah (3a) tells us that we only sin
when  we are not thinking straight. God rewards us, in traditional teaching,
for  planning to do a good deed along with the finished deed itself. But God 
punishes us for sinning only if we do the act, not our thinking about it 
(Kiddushin 40a).

 

What if Moses said he did not want Bezalel's help, that
he knew it all? What if Moses acted jealously toward Bezalel or sabotaged
his  project? Do any of us today get jealous of the successes of our friends
and  undermine their advancement? Do we have folks in our temples who would be great resources, but do not use them because our fear and our jealousy keep us from doing so? This comes from a lack and faith a trust in God.


Are we so silly as to think that there is a finite amount of goodness in
God's  universe. Are we so unsophisticated to think that if we ignore our
friends  when they are in need, and do lashon ha ra about them when they wish to succeed, that these sins do not affect our own well-being? These types of
behaviors only reinforce our own fears of mortality and insecurities.
After all, is it not illogical to think that if we help another, there will be
less help available to aid us when we are in need? Is the Divine Light
available to us only finite?

What do we do in our modern Mishkan that we call our temples, shuls, and 
synagogues? "The people has approached Me with its mouth and honored Me
with its lips, but has kept its heart far from Me, and its worship of Me has
been a commandment of men learned by rote" (Isaiah 29:13).

 

The Torah is a tree of life. Judaism is not just a religion. It is a way of life.
"L'chaim...to life!!" is our toast. The Torah teaches us to behave at all times "when  we lie down and we rise up." Although we are taught to "love your brother as yourself" and to "pursue justice, " do we? What does our Judaism mean to us?


Is it just matzoth balls and singing our prayers without trying to act on
them in our daily lives? We are all children of God. If you want to make a
parent happy, be nice to his/her kids. "You are children of God, your
Almighty" (Deut 11:01).

We are also servants of God as it says in Ex 19:06: "You shall be unto Me
a  kingdom of priests. " We are to act holy, in all of our activities. "You
shall  be holy, for I God am holy" (Lev 19:02). This holiness is not genetic. We
need to work at it regularly. As Isaiah says it best in Chapter 44, verses
6-10,  "You are My witnesses...a light unto the nations, so that My salvation
may  be unto the ends of the earth!"

We are living during some interesting times when politicians have a
litmus test  for national office. They have a need to tell the voters how Jesus plays a  role in their lives. Does this marginalize us as Jews? Could you imagine in the mid-1970s a radio commentator saying to an African American, "Get the  bone out of your nose and get the NAACP to buy a liquor store and do riot rehearsals?" Yet,  this speech is allowed on the Rush Limbaugh
radio show from the mouth of the host!!

 

Limbaugh and his ilk want prayer in school  and the Ten Commandments posted. This is just as vain as having the Second Temple full of hatred and our modern temples filled with Torah talk without Torah behavior.

In Europe today, in the countries of the former USSR, Russia, Hungary, 
Sweden, France, and Austria, neo-Fascists parties like Le Pen and
Haider are or were part of their coalition governments. Anti-Semitic  web sites abound. Yet  Abe Foxman of the Anti-Defamation League acted conciliatory to
the government of Austria fearing a backlash. Didn't we hear those same
fears in  the 1930s? Did it save our European cousins? 

 

Rabbi Stephen Wise of our Reform movement  spoke out courageously against Hitler and Nazism in the 1930s. Aside from R' Michael Lerner and R' Arthur Waskow, who among us  will speak out forcefully now against  the American ayatollahs of the religious right?

Bezalel's menorah in his Mishkan, as our menorah and Torah in our own 
sanctuary, remind us about God's dwelling in this world. By virtue of our
incorporating Godliness and holiness into our own lives we can redeem the
world! This was the message that Moses brought to us from Sinai.

 

This is our mission as Jews. We cannot avoid it. Once we do, we are not Jews, and not  worthy of our temples, Torah, and menorah. May we all try to act better toward one another so that our neighbors can see that if we make our 
temples a place for brotherhood, there is hope, tikvah, to make our
cities, nations, and world fulfill our prophets' dreams. Let us give a little
"extra"  so that one day, there will be so much love, peace, and understanding,
God will tell us all to "restrain" with a loud "Dayenu"!

Shabbat Shalom,

 

 

If visiting SC's Low Country, contact us for a Shabbat meal, in our home by the sea, our beth yam.

Maker of Shalom (Oseh Shalom) help make us deserving of Shalom beyond all human comprehension!


 
 
 
RABBI DR ARTHUR SEGAL
www.JewishSpiritualRenewal.com/books www.FaceBook.com/Arthur.L.Segal www.FaceBook.com/RabbiArthurSegalJewishSpiritualRenewal www.RabbiArthurSegal.blogspot.com
Jewish Spiritual Renewal
Jewish Renewal
Jewish Spirituality
Hilton Head Island, SC; Bluffton, SC; Savannah, GA
 
RABBI DR ARTHUR SEGAL
www.JewishSpiritualRenewal.com/books www.FaceBook.com/Arthur.L.Segal www.FaceBook.com/RabbiArthurSegalJewishSpiritualRenewal www.RabbiArthurSegal.blogspot.com
Jewish Spiritual Renewal
Jewish Renewal
Jewish Spirituality
Hilton Head Island, SC; Bluffton, SC; Savannah, GA
Bookmark and Share
Posted by Rabbi Arthur Segal at 1:19 PM

VAYAKHEL: JEWISH SPIRITUAL RENEWAL: RABBI ARTHUR SEGAL: DIVINE LIGHT IS INFINITE


VAYAKHEL: JEWISH SPIRITUAL RENEWAL: RABBI ARTHUR SEGAL: DIVINE LIGHT IS INFINITE
 
RABBI ARTHUR SEGAL: ECO-JUDAISM : VAYAKHEL: MISHKAN: SHEKINAH DWELLS
 
RABBI ARTHUR SEGAL: CHUMASH CANDESCENCE : PARASHA VAYAKHEL:  EXODUS 35:01-38:20 



CHUMASH CANDESCENCE
 PARASHA VAYAKHEL
EXODUS 35:01-38:20

 

 

''SHE'S A BRICK HOUSE. SHE'S MIGHTY MIGHTY, JUST LETTIN' IT ALL HANG OUT''


"And there was Extra" (Ex 36:07)

In this week's Torah portion we are given the mandate to build the
sanctuary. The details of how it was built, who funded it, and who was in charge of its construction are given.

 

It is interesting to note that a 13 year old, named  Bezalel, was assigned the task to be in charge of the artistry and construction of the Tabernacle. We can learn from this that even a great man  such as Moses, cannot be perfect in everything. We are a community and  depend on each other for our different skills and strengths. Bezalel needed Moses to teach him Torah. Moses needed Bezalel to teach him architecture and gold crafting.

Moses asks the people to contribute all sorts of items to be used for the
Mishkan's manufacture. The people voluntarily delivered gold, silver,
gems, jewels, cloth, silks, furs, and hides. They were so giving that there
was a  surplus of donations. God instructs Moses to "restrain us from giving"
(Ex 36:06). If only our modern building funds had this "problem"!

Why did we need a Mishkan? Why did we need the first and second Temples
in Jerusalem? Why do some of our people pray for the restoration of the
Third Temple? Why do we need our modern synagogues and temples? Do we in the year third millennium  really need a place where we can "see" God dwell among us? Is the Mishkan the answer to our quest to see and feel God that we tried to achieve  with the Golden Calf? (Please refer to last week's D'var on Ki Tisa.)

Bezalel made a wondrous menorah (Ex 37:17 to 24). It was of pure gold.
Did you ever note that the seven-candled menorahs in traditional shuls are
never golden. Perhaps they are bronze or silver. This is because the Talmud
ruled that a gold menorah can only be used in the Temple in Jerusalem. Have you noticed that Reform Judaism chose a gold menorah for its logo? Have you 
noticed that gold menorahs are used in liberal temples? They are making the
statement that they are no longer waiting for or praying for the Third
Temple.


In our temples, in our hearts, and in our good deeds are where we say
God's presence, the Shekinah, dwells. The Divine Light is accessible to us 
each and every day. We know from our history that God's presence left the
Second  Temple. Why? It was because of people's unbiased hatred, jealousy,
arguments, and the fact that even murder was committed there.

The Talmud teaches that studying Torah at night (when melancholy can
set in, when one can cry over the reasons for the Temple's destruction), is 
effective in bringing the Divine Light back. Our very own human behavior
can cause this light to be with us. Or our behaviors can cause it to leave
us.


We have freedom of choice. "Who is strong? The person who practices 
self-control" (Pirkei Avot 4:01).

Rabbi Chanina said, "Anyone whose good deeds are greater than his
wisdom, his wisdom will endure. Anyone whose wisdom is greater than his good deeds, his wisdom will not endure" (Pirket Avot 3:12). Torah study, or going to temple, or even teaching a class there, does not change people. Only by practicing what we learn or teach can we influence our own behavior and 
the behavior of others. Our actions of good deeds and tikun olam are 
essential.

They show our commitment. They help us to grow spiritually while at the
same time help others. The Talmud in Sotah (3a) tells us that we only sin
when  we are not thinking straight. God rewards us, in traditional teaching,
for  planning to do a good deed along with the finished deed itself. But God 
punishes us for sinning only if we do the act, not our thinking about it 
(Kiddushin 40a).

 

What if Moses said he did not want Bezalel's help, that
he knew it all? What if Moses acted jealously toward Bezalel or sabotaged
his  project? Do any of us today get jealous of the successes of our friends
and  undermine their advancement? Do we have folks in our temples who would be great resources, but do not use them because our fear and our jealousy keep us from doing so? This comes from a lack and faith a trust in God.


Are we so silly as to think that there is a finite amount of goodness in
God's  universe. Are we so unsophisticated to think that if we ignore our
friends  when they are in need, and do lashon ha ra about them when they wish to succeed, that these sins do not affect our own well-being? These types of
behaviors only reinforce our own fears of mortality and insecurities.
After all, is it not illogical to think that if we help another, there will be
less help available to aid us when we are in need? Is the Divine Light
available to us only finite?

What do we do in our modern Mishkan that we call our temples, shuls, and 
synagogues? "The people has approached Me with its mouth and honored Me
with its lips, but has kept its heart far from Me, and its worship of Me has
been a commandment of men learned by rote" (Isaiah 29:13).

 

The Torah is a tree of life. Judaism is not just a religion. It is a way of life.
"L'chaim...to life!!" is our toast. The Torah teaches us to behave at all times "when  we lie down and we rise up." Although we are taught to "love your brother as yourself" and to "pursue justice, " do we? What does our Judaism mean to us?


Is it just matzoth balls and singing our prayers without trying to act on
them in our daily lives? We are all children of God. If you want to make a
parent happy, be nice to his/her kids. "You are children of God, your
Almighty" (Deut 11:01).

We are also servants of God as it says in Ex 19:06: "You shall be unto Me
a  kingdom of priests. " We are to act holy, in all of our activities. "You
shall  be holy, for I God am holy" (Lev 19:02). This holiness is not genetic. We
need to work at it regularly. As Isaiah says it best in Chapter 44, verses
6-10,  "You are My witnesses...a light unto the nations, so that My salvation
may  be unto the ends of the earth!"

We are living during some interesting times when politicians have a
litmus test  for national office. They have a need to tell the voters how Jesus plays a  role in their lives. Does this marginalize us as Jews? Could you imagine in the mid-1970s a radio commentator saying to an African American, "Get the  bone out of your nose and get the NAACP to buy a liquor store and do riot rehearsals?" Yet,  this speech is allowed on the Rush Limbaugh
radio show from the mouth of the host!!

 

Limbaugh and his ilk want prayer in school  and the Ten Commandments posted. This is just as vain as having the Second Temple full of hatred and our modern temples filled with Torah talk without Torah behavior.

In Europe today, in the countries of the former USSR, Russia, Hungary, 
Sweden, France, and Austria, neo-Fascists parties like Le Pen and
Haider are or were part of their coalition governments. Anti-Semitic  web sites abound. Yet  Abe Foxman of the Anti-Defamation League acted conciliatory to
the government of Austria fearing a backlash. Didn't we hear those same
fears in  the 1930s? Did it save our European cousins? 

 

Rabbi Stephen Wise of our Reform movement  spoke out courageously against Hitler and Nazism in the 1930s. Aside from R' Michael Lerner and R' Arthur Waskow, who among us  will speak out forcefully now against  the American ayatollahs of the religious right?

Bezalel's menorah in his Mishkan, as our menorah and Torah in our own 
sanctuary, remind us about God's dwelling in this world. By virtue of our
incorporating Godliness and holiness into our own lives we can redeem the
world! This was the message that Moses brought to us from Sinai.

 

This is our mission as Jews. We cannot avoid it. Once we do, we are not Jews, and not  worthy of our temples, Torah, and menorah. May we all try to act better toward one another so that our neighbors can see that if we make our 
temples a place for brotherhood, there is hope, tikvah, to make our
cities, nations, and world fulfill our prophets' dreams. Let us give a little
"extra"  so that one day, there will be so much love, peace, and understanding,
God will tell us all to "restrain" with a loud "Dayenu"!

Shabbat Shalom,

 

 

If visiting SC's Low Country, contact us for a Shabbat meal, in our home by the sea, our beth yam.

Maker of Shalom (Oseh Shalom) help make us deserving of Shalom beyond all human comprehension!


 
 
 
RABBI DR ARTHUR SEGAL
www.JewishSpiritualRenewal.com/books www.FaceBook.com/Arthur.L.Segal www.FaceBook.com/RabbiArthurSegalJewishSpiritualRenewal www.RabbiArthurSegal.blogspot.com
Jewish Spiritual Renewal
Jewish Renewal
Jewish Spirituality
Hilton Head Island, SC; Bluffton, SC; Savannah, GA
Bookmark and Share
Posted by Rabbi Arthur Segal at 1:19 PM

VAYAKHEL: JEWISH SPIRITUAL RENEWAL: RABBI ARTHUR SEGAL: ACT HOLY IN ALL WE DO

VAYAKHEL: JEWISH SPIRITUAL RENEWAL: RABBI ARTHUR SEGAL: ACT HOLY IN ALL WE DO
 
RABBI ARTHUR SEGAL: ECO-JUDAISM : VAYAKHEL: MISHKAN: SHEKINAH DWELLS
 
RABBI ARTHUR SEGAL: CHUMASH CANDESCENCE : PARASHA VAYAKHEL:  EXODUS 35:01-38:20 



CHUMASH CANDESCENCE
 PARASHA VAYAKHEL
EXODUS 35:01-38:20

 

 

''SHE'S A BRICK HOUSE. SHE'S MIGHTY MIGHTY, JUST LETTIN' IT ALL HANG OUT''


"And there was Extra" (Ex 36:07)

In this week's Torah portion we are given the mandate to build the
sanctuary. The details of how it was built, who funded it, and who was in charge of its construction are given.

 

It is interesting to note that a 13 year old, named  Bezalel, was assigned the task to be in charge of the artistry and construction of the Tabernacle. We can learn from this that even a great man  such as Moses, cannot be perfect in everything. We are a community and  depend on each other for our different skills and strengths. Bezalel needed Moses to teach him Torah. Moses needed Bezalel to teach him architecture and gold crafting.

Moses asks the people to contribute all sorts of items to be used for the
Mishkan's manufacture. The people voluntarily delivered gold, silver,
gems, jewels, cloth, silks, furs, and hides. They were so giving that there
was a  surplus of donations. God instructs Moses to "restrain us from giving"
(Ex 36:06). If only our modern building funds had this "problem"!

Why did we need a Mishkan? Why did we need the first and second Temples
in Jerusalem? Why do some of our people pray for the restoration of the
Third Temple? Why do we need our modern synagogues and temples? Do we in the year third millennium  really need a place where we can "see" God dwell among us? Is the Mishkan the answer to our quest to see and feel God that we tried to achieve  with the Golden Calf? (Please refer to last week's D'var on Ki Tisa.)

Bezalel made a wondrous menorah (Ex 37:17 to 24). It was of pure gold.
Did you ever note that the seven-candled menorahs in traditional shuls are
never golden. Perhaps they are bronze or silver. This is because the Talmud
ruled that a gold menorah can only be used in the Temple in Jerusalem. Have you noticed that Reform Judaism chose a gold menorah for its logo? Have you 
noticed that gold menorahs are used in liberal temples? They are making the
statement that they are no longer waiting for or praying for the Third
Temple.


In our temples, in our hearts, and in our good deeds are where we say
God's presence, the Shekinah, dwells. The Divine Light is accessible to us 
each and every day. We know from our history that God's presence left the
Second  Temple. Why? It was because of people's unbiased hatred, jealousy,
arguments, and the fact that even murder was committed there.

The Talmud teaches that studying Torah at night (when melancholy can
set in, when one can cry over the reasons for the Temple's destruction), is 
effective in bringing the Divine Light back. Our very own human behavior
can cause this light to be with us. Or our behaviors can cause it to leave
us.


We have freedom of choice. "Who is strong? The person who practices 
self-control" (Pirkei Avot 4:01).

Rabbi Chanina said, "Anyone whose good deeds are greater than his
wisdom, his wisdom will endure. Anyone whose wisdom is greater than his good deeds, his wisdom will not endure" (Pirket Avot 3:12). Torah study, or going to temple, or even teaching a class there, does not change people. Only by practicing what we learn or teach can we influence our own behavior and 
the behavior of others. Our actions of good deeds and tikun olam are 
essential.

They show our commitment. They help us to grow spiritually while at the
same time help others. The Talmud in Sotah (3a) tells us that we only sin
when  we are not thinking straight. God rewards us, in traditional teaching,
for  planning to do a good deed along with the finished deed itself. But God 
punishes us for sinning only if we do the act, not our thinking about it 
(Kiddushin 40a).

 

What if Moses said he did not want Bezalel's help, that
he knew it all? What if Moses acted jealously toward Bezalel or sabotaged
his  project? Do any of us today get jealous of the successes of our friends
and  undermine their advancement? Do we have folks in our temples who would be great resources, but do not use them because our fear and our jealousy keep us from doing so? This comes from a lack and faith a trust in God.


Are we so silly as to think that there is a finite amount of goodness in
God's  universe. Are we so unsophisticated to think that if we ignore our
friends  when they are in need, and do lashon ha ra about them when they wish to succeed, that these sins do not affect our own well-being? These types of
behaviors only reinforce our own fears of mortality and insecurities.
After all, is it not illogical to think that if we help another, there will be
less help available to aid us when we are in need? Is the Divine Light
available to us only finite?

What do we do in our modern Mishkan that we call our temples, shuls, and 
synagogues? "The people has approached Me with its mouth and honored Me
with its lips, but has kept its heart far from Me, and its worship of Me has
been a commandment of men learned by rote" (Isaiah 29:13).

 

The Torah is a tree of life. Judaism is not just a religion. It is a way of life.
"L'chaim...to life!!" is our toast. The Torah teaches us to behave at all times "when  we lie down and we rise up." Although we are taught to "love your brother as yourself" and to "pursue justice, " do we? What does our Judaism mean to us?


Is it just matzoth balls and singing our prayers without trying to act on
them in our daily lives? We are all children of God. If you want to make a
parent happy, be nice to his/her kids. "You are children of God, your
Almighty" (Deut 11:01).

We are also servants of God as it says in Ex 19:06: "You shall be unto Me
a  kingdom of priests. " We are to act holy, in all of our activities. "You
shall  be holy, for I God am holy" (Lev 19:02). This holiness is not genetic. We
need to work at it regularly. As Isaiah says it best in Chapter 44, verses
6-10,  "You are My witnesses...a light unto the nations, so that My salvation
may  be unto the ends of the earth!"

We are living during some interesting times when politicians have a
litmus test  for national office. They have a need to tell the voters how Jesus plays a  role in their lives. Does this marginalize us as Jews? Could you imagine in the mid-1970s a radio commentator saying to an African American, "Get the  bone out of your nose and get the NAACP to buy a liquor store and do riot rehearsals?" Yet,  this speech is allowed on the Rush Limbaugh
radio show from the mouth of the host!!

 

Limbaugh and his ilk want prayer in school  and the Ten Commandments posted. This is just as vain as having the Second Temple full of hatred and our modern temples filled with Torah talk without Torah behavior.

In Europe today, in the countries of the former USSR, Russia, Hungary, 
Sweden, France, and Austria, neo-Fascists parties like Le Pen and
Haider are or were part of their coalition governments. Anti-Semitic  web sites abound. Yet  Abe Foxman of the Anti-Defamation League acted conciliatory to
the government of Austria fearing a backlash. Didn't we hear those same
fears in  the 1930s? Did it save our European cousins? 

 

Rabbi Stephen Wise of our Reform movement  spoke out courageously against Hitler and Nazism in the 1930s. Aside from R' Michael Lerner and R' Arthur Waskow, who among us  will speak out forcefully now against  the American ayatollahs of the religious right?

Bezalel's menorah in his Mishkan, as our menorah and Torah in our own 
sanctuary, remind us about God's dwelling in this world. By virtue of our
incorporating Godliness and holiness into our own lives we can redeem the
world! This was the message that Moses brought to us from Sinai.

 

This is our mission as Jews. We cannot avoid it. Once we do, we are not Jews, and not  worthy of our temples, Torah, and menorah. May we all try to act better toward one another so that our neighbors can see that if we make our 
temples a place for brotherhood, there is hope, tikvah, to make our
cities, nations, and world fulfill our prophets' dreams. Let us give a little
"extra"  so that one day, there will be so much love, peace, and understanding,
God will tell us all to "restrain" with a loud "Dayenu"!

Shabbat Shalom,

 

 

If visiting SC's Low Country, contact us for a Shabbat meal, in our home by the sea, our beth yam.

Maker of Shalom (Oseh Shalom) help make us deserving of Shalom beyond all human comprehension!


 
 
 
RABBI DR ARTHUR SEGAL
www.JewishSpiritualRenewal.com/books www.FaceBook.com/Arthur.L.Segal www.FaceBook.com/RabbiArthurSegalJewishSpiritualRenewal www.RabbiArthurSegal.blogspot.com
Jewish Spiritual Renewal
Jewish Renewal
Jewish Spirituality
Hilton Head Island, SC; Bluffton, SC; Savannah, GA
RABBI DR ARTHUR SEGAL
www.JewishSpiritualRenewal.com/books www.FaceBook.com/Arthur.L.Segal www.FaceBook.com/RabbiArthurSegalJewishSpiritualRenewal www.RabbiArthurSegal.blogspot.com
Jewish Spiritual Renewal
Jewish Renewal
Jewish Spirituality
Hilton Head Island, SC; Bluffton, SC; Savannah, GA
Bookmark and Share
Posted by Rabbi Arthur Segal at 1:15 PM

VAYAKHEL: JEWISH SPIRITUAL RENEWAL: RABBI ARTHUR SEGAL: DIVINE ILLUMINATION

VAYAKHEL: JEWISH SPIRITUAL RENEWAL: RABBI ARTHUR SEGAL: DIVINE ILLUMINATION
 
RABBI ARTHUR SEGAL: ECO-JUDAISM : VAYAKHEL: MISHKAN: SHEKINAH DWELLS
 
RABBI ARTHUR SEGAL: CHUMASH CANDESCENCE : PARASHA VAYAKHEL:  EXODUS 35:01-38:20 



CHUMASH CANDESCENCE
 PARASHA VAYAKHEL
EXODUS 35:01-38:20

 

 

''SHE'S A BRICK HOUSE. SHE'S MIGHTY MIGHTY, JUST LETTIN' IT ALL HANG OUT''


"And there was Extra" (Ex 36:07)

In this week's Torah portion we are given the mandate to build the
sanctuary. The details of how it was built, who funded it, and who was in charge of its construction are given.

 

It is interesting to note that a 13 year old, named  Bezalel, was assigned the task to be in charge of the artistry and construction of the Tabernacle. We can learn from this that even a great man  such as Moses, cannot be perfect in everything. We are a community and  depend on each other for our different skills and strengths. Bezalel needed Moses to teach him Torah. Moses needed Bezalel to teach him architecture and gold crafting.

Moses asks the people to contribute all sorts of items to be used for the
Mishkan's manufacture. The people voluntarily delivered gold, silver,
gems, jewels, cloth, silks, furs, and hides. They were so giving that there
was a  surplus of donations. God instructs Moses to "restrain us from giving"
(Ex 36:06). If only our modern building funds had this "problem"!

Why did we need a Mishkan? Why did we need the first and second Temples
in Jerusalem? Why do some of our people pray for the restoration of the
Third Temple? Why do we need our modern synagogues and temples? Do we in the year third millennium  really need a place where we can "see" God dwell among us? Is the Mishkan the answer to our quest to see and feel God that we tried to achieve  with the Golden Calf? (Please refer to last week's D'var on Ki Tisa.)

Bezalel made a wondrous menorah (Ex 37:17 to 24). It was of pure gold.
Did you ever note that the seven-candled menorahs in traditional shuls are
never golden. Perhaps they are bronze or silver. This is because the Talmud
ruled that a gold menorah can only be used in the Temple in Jerusalem. Have you noticed that Reform Judaism chose a gold menorah for its logo? Have you 
noticed that gold menorahs are used in liberal temples? They are making the
statement that they are no longer waiting for or praying for the Third
Temple.


In our temples, in our hearts, and in our good deeds are where we say
God's presence, the Shekinah, dwells. The Divine Light is accessible to us 
each and every day. We know from our history that God's presence left the
Second  Temple. Why? It was because of people's unbiased hatred, jealousy,
arguments, and the fact that even murder was committed there.

The Talmud teaches that studying Torah at night (when melancholy can
set in, when one can cry over the reasons for the Temple's destruction), is 
effective in bringing the Divine Light back. Our very own human behavior
can cause this light to be with us. Or our behaviors can cause it to leave
us.


We have freedom of choice. "Who is strong? The person who practices 
self-control" (Pirkei Avot 4:01).

Rabbi Chanina said, "Anyone whose good deeds are greater than his
wisdom, his wisdom will endure. Anyone whose wisdom is greater than his good deeds, his wisdom will not endure" (Pirket Avot 3:12). Torah study, or going to temple, or even teaching a class there, does not change people. Only by practicing what we learn or teach can we influence our own behavior and 
the behavior of others. Our actions of good deeds and tikun olam are 
essential.

They show our commitment. They help us to grow spiritually while at the
same time help others. The Talmud in Sotah (3a) tells us that we only sin
when  we are not thinking straight. God rewards us, in traditional teaching,
for  planning to do a good deed along with the finished deed itself. But God 
punishes us for sinning only if we do the act, not our thinking about it 
(Kiddushin 40a).

 

What if Moses said he did not want Bezalel's help, that
he knew it all? What if Moses acted jealously toward Bezalel or sabotaged
his  project? Do any of us today get jealous of the successes of our friends
and  undermine their advancement? Do we have folks in our temples who would be great resources, but do not use them because our fear and our jealousy keep us from doing so? This comes from a lack and faith a trust in God.


Are we so silly as to think that there is a finite amount of goodness in
God's  universe. Are we so unsophisticated to think that if we ignore our
friends  when they are in need, and do lashon ha ra about them when they wish to succeed, that these sins do not affect our own well-being? These types of
behaviors only reinforce our own fears of mortality and insecurities.
After all, is it not illogical to think that if we help another, there will be
less help available to aid us when we are in need? Is the Divine Light
available to us only finite?

What do we do in our modern Mishkan that we call our temples, shuls, and 
synagogues? "The people has approached Me with its mouth and honored Me
with its lips, but has kept its heart far from Me, and its worship of Me has
been a commandment of men learned by rote" (Isaiah 29:13).

 

The Torah is a tree of life. Judaism is not just a religion. It is a way of life.
"L'chaim...to life!!" is our toast. The Torah teaches us to behave at all times "when  we lie down and we rise up." Although we are taught to "love your brother as yourself" and to "pursue justice, " do we? What does our Judaism mean to us?


Is it just matzoth balls and singing our prayers without trying to act on
them in our daily lives? We are all children of God. If you want to make a
parent happy, be nice to his/her kids. "You are children of God, your
Almighty" (Deut 11:01).

We are also servants of God as it says in Ex 19:06: "You shall be unto Me
a  kingdom of priests. " We are to act holy, in all of our activities. "You
shall  be holy, for I God am holy" (Lev 19:02). This holiness is not genetic. We
need to work at it regularly. As Isaiah says it best in Chapter 44, verses
6-10,  "You are My witnesses...a light unto the nations, so that My salvation
may  be unto the ends of the earth!"

We are living during some interesting times when politicians have a
litmus test  for national office. They have a need to tell the voters how Jesus plays a  role in their lives. Does this marginalize us as Jews? Could you imagine in the mid-1970s a radio commentator saying to an African American, "Get the  bone out of your nose and get the NAACP to buy a liquor store and do riot rehearsals?" Yet,  this speech is allowed on the Rush Limbaugh
radio show from the mouth of the host!!

 

Limbaugh and his ilk want prayer in school  and the Ten Commandments posted. This is just as vain as having the Second Temple full of hatred and our modern temples filled with Torah talk without Torah behavior.

In Europe today, in the countries of the former USSR, Russia, Hungary, 
Sweden, France, and Austria, neo-Fascists parties like Le Pen and
Haider are or were part of their coalition governments. Anti-Semitic  web sites abound. Yet  Abe Foxman of the Anti-Defamation League acted conciliatory to
the government of Austria fearing a backlash. Didn't we hear those same
fears in  the 1930s? Did it save our European cousins? 

 

Rabbi Stephen Wise of our Reform movement  spoke out courageously against Hitler and Nazism in the 1930s. Aside from R' Michael Lerner and R' Arthur Waskow, who among us  will speak out forcefully now against  the American ayatollahs of the religious right?

Bezalel's menorah in his Mishkan, as our menorah and Torah in our own 
sanctuary, remind us about God's dwelling in this world. By virtue of our
incorporating Godliness and holiness into our own lives we can redeem the
world! This was the message that Moses brought to us from Sinai.

 

This is our mission as Jews. We cannot avoid it. Once we do, we are not Jews, and not  worthy of our temples, Torah, and menorah. May we all try to act better toward one another so that our neighbors can see that if we make our 
temples a place for brotherhood, there is hope, tikvah, to make our
cities, nations, and world fulfill our prophets' dreams. Let us give a little
"extra"  so that one day, there will be so much love, peace, and understanding,
God will tell us all to "restrain" with a loud "Dayenu"!

Shabbat Shalom,

 

 

If visiting SC's Low Country, contact us for a Shabbat meal, in our home by the sea, our beth yam.

Maker of Shalom (Oseh Shalom) help make us deserving of Shalom beyond all human comprehension!


 
 
 
RABBI DR ARTHUR SEGAL
www.JewishSpiritualRenewal.com/books www.FaceBook.com/Arthur.L.Segal www.FaceBook.com/RabbiArthurSegalJewishSpiritualRenewal www.RabbiArthurSegal.blogspot.com
Jewish Spiritual Renewal
Jewish Renewal
Jewish Spirituality
Hilton Head Island, SC; Bluffton, SC; Savannah, GA
RABBI DR ARTHUR SEGAL
www.JewishSpiritualRenewal.com/books www.FaceBook.com/Arthur.L.Segal www.FaceBook.com/RabbiArthurSegalJewishSpiritualRenewal www.RabbiArthurSegal.blogspot.com
Jewish Spiritual Renewal
Jewish Renewal
Jewish Spirituality
Hilton Head Island, SC; Bluffton, SC; Savannah, GA
Bookmark and Share
Posted by Rabbi Arthur Segal at 1:14 PM
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)