Parashat Trumah introduces us to several new terms and concepts that we have not encountered hitherto. "Truma", translated “contribution”, is derived from the root r.o.m  (resh, vav, mem) – meaning "high up, to lift up, to exalt". Having warranted such a term, this type of contribution was obviously held in high esteem by the Almighty. Furthermore, it also speaks of its Originator and His exalted position. The description of the potential “contributor” as a person whose "heart generously impels him", reinforces the significance of this offering. "Yidvenu" is the verb used here, meaning to “cause one to be generous", stemming from the root n.d.v. (noon, dalet, bet/vet), which is also: "willing, noble, volunteer, freewill offering". Copious rain, for example, is "geshem n'davot" (Ps. 68:9). Other examples of the usage of this word are found in Hoshe’a (Hosea) 14:4 where YHVH declares: "I will love them [Yisrael] freely" (italics added), and in Shoftim (Judges) 5:9 D'vorah describes the lawgivers of Yisrael, as those who "freely offered themselves among the people" (italics added). This contribution, therefore, was to be given freely or generously (see 25:3-7), and was to include gold and silver (being undoubtedly the gifts the Egyptians gave to the Hebrew people). The articles of “trumah” were intended for the building of the “holy sanctuary - mikdash - for YHVH” (v. 8), so that He will "dwell among them" (v. 8; cf. Ezekiel 37:26-28; 43:9b) – although the Hebrew – b’to’cham - may be read “in them”.

    The sanctuary in the desert is more often called "mishkan" (v. 9), meaning "a dwelling place". However, being its first time mention, it may have been necessary to clarify that this place was to be set apart and dedicated to the presence of YHVH, hence "mikdash".  “And let them make Me a sanctuary that I may dwell among them”. (“ve’sha’chanti,” hence “mishkan” – dwelling place). “The text does not say 'that I may dwell in its midst,' but 'among them,' to teach you that the Divine Presence does not rest on the sanctuary by virtue of the sanctuary, but by virtue of Israel, 'for they are the temple of the Lord.’” To these words by the Zedah La-derekh Commentary, we add another. In referring to the same text, Malbim comments: "He commanded that each individual should build him a sanctuary in the recesses of his heart, that he should prepare himself to be a dwelling place for the Lord and a stronghold for the excellence of His Presence, as well as an altar on which to offer up every portion of his soul to the Lord, until he gives himself for His glory at all times".[1]

The Almighty says of Himself in Yishayahu (Isaiah) 66:1: “The heaven is My throne and the earth My footstool - where is the house that you may build for me?" (cf. I Kings 8:27). This sanctuary, therefore, is a place where the “creature” could have a measure of access to its Creator and experience His love, justice and forgiveness. The sanctuary is a tangible place of meeting (ref. Ex. 25:22) for the sake of human beings who are confined to time and space.

The first article that is to be built is the "aron" (25:10). We have already encountered this term (which means a “chest”, or an “ark”, and a sarcophagus – i.e. a stone coffin) in B’resheet (Genesis) 50:26, where reference was made to Yoseph's embalming and burial. This wooden case, overlaid with gold, was to be the Ark of the Testimony (25:16), bearing witness to YHVH's word, covenant, atonement and forgiveness with and to the Israelites. Shlomo Ostrovski is of the opinion that in this unique and important article two very distinct and different characteristics come together, as the acacia wood from which the ark was made originated from the plant world, while the precious metal of overlaid gold was derived from an altogether different source. The latter’s use was intended to magnify this special article, and thereby “elevate its status”.[2] Thus the ‘lesser’ is transformed by virtue of the ‘covering’ by the ‘greater’.  Interestingly, in the book of Hitgalut (Revelation) 11:19 there is also a reference to the ark, though in a different location: “And the temple of Elohim was opened in heaven, and there was seen in His temple the ark of his testament…”  

"You are to make a cover for the ark out of pure gold" (25:17). This "cover", translated in English “mercy seat”, is the familiar "kaporet" of the root k.f.r (from which stems "kippur" - "propitiation" and literally means “cover”). On this cover were to be placed two gold k'ruvim (cherubs). In the Assyrian language "kruv" (singular) is “to be gracious or to bless", with its adjective meaning "great or mighty". In Shmuel Bet (2^nd Samuel) 22:11, we read that YHVH "rode on a k'ruv, and did fly, and was seen on the wings of the wind". Likewise, the k'ruvim were also placed as guards preventing entry to the Garden of Eden (Gen. 3:24). Here on the other hand, their presence signifies accessibility to the Most High. It will be “from between the two cherubim” that YHVH will “meet” and “speak… about everything which [He] will give… in commandment…” (25:22). The k'ruvim were to be situated in such a way that their faces – panim - would be turned toward each other (v. 20). In verse 30 we read about "the table of showbread" being the table of "lechem hapanim", literally "bread of the face".

"Panim" stems from the root "pana" (p.n.h - pey, noon, hey), meaning "to turn". There are several other words (usually with an added preposition) connected to the same root, such as "in front of, before, toward, corner, attend to, undertake, take away and clear". "Panim", as are several other Hebrew words, always occurs in the plural form. Thus its very meaning and usage take into account the existence and presence of someone else, whom one is potentially facing (by turning one’s head). This is evident here by the description of the k'ruvim's position: “…and their faces [are turned] each toward its brother" (v. 20 literal translation). The "bread of the face" (v. 30) is a seemingly obscure term which requires an explanation. There are numerous instances where YHVH speaks of His Presence in terms of "panim" (although it may not be borne out by the English translations), as we saw for example in last week's Parasha, “…they shall not appear before Me [literally - My Face] empty-handed" (Ex. 23:15). The "bread of the face" therefore refers to YHVH's Presence which is turned toward His creatures, an image that clearly foreshadows the "Bread of Life" as epitomized in and by Yeshua.3

The way in which YHVH was to meet and speak between the cherubim remains the million and one dollar/euro (choose your currency) question. Our only clue are the respective meanings of the terms “kaporert”, “k’ruv/k’ruvim”, and “panim”, which point not to the physical dimension, but rather to the qualitative and spiritual aspect of this awesome “meeting”.

Following the descriptions of the Ark and the “Table of the Bread of the Presence", we now move on to the “lampstand - Menorah" (stemming from "nur - fire, light, shine". Root: noon, vav, resh. 25:23-30). The Menorah’s components, quite curiously, are not merely functional. At least five of its elements seem to be directly connected to the botanical sphere: "calyxes, knobs, blossoms (or flowers), branches and almonds". These features are all part of the almond tree. Let us bear in mind that in the desert, where these instructions were given and where the Mishkan was to be set up, there was not an almond tree in sight! In other words, here, for the first time, we encounter elements characterizing the Land of Promise (the ultimate goal of the People’s present circumstances) as they are included in the most important of edifices -YHVH's sanctuary. The Menorah is not the only article that points to the Land and to its characteristics. The others are also built right into the worship system and into the whole framework of the Israelites' relationship with YHVH (as we shall see in future Parashot/Parashas).

“The beautiful almond tree, whose white and pink blossoms are the first to emerge from winter dormancy, dominating the landscape of Israel at the end of the rainy season, passes very rapidly through several stages of growth”.4 What then is the connection of the Menorah to this plant? "Almond" in Hebrew is "sha'ked", related to the root sh.k.d (shin, kof, dalet), meaning "to watch, be diligent and insistent". In Yirmiyahu (Jeremiah) 1:11-12 we encounter the imagery of the almond tree as related to the above terms: "And the word of YHVH to me was, saying, Jeremiah, 'what do you see?' And I said, 'I see an almond rod'. Then YHVH said to me, 'You have seen well; for I will watch over My word to perform it'”. We learn from Mishley (Proverbs) 8:34 that, "happy" is the person who is "watching – “lishkod” - daily at My threshold". Hareuveni points out that it is likely that "the knobs and the flowers of the Menorah were patterned after the cups of the almond flower or after the embryonic almond fruit still crowned with the calyx of the flower". Thus, the Menorah was to be a reminder of YHVH's faithfulness and steadfastness, as demonstrated by the natural phenomena of the Land of Yisrael.

There is yet another tree which is connected to the Menorah, one whose oil was to feed it, and that is the olive tree. In Yisrael the sight of the newly blossoming almonds in spring, strewn in the olive groves, is a reminder that YHVH "watches over His word to perform it", especially to the proverbial ‘olive tree’ - Yisrael (see Jer. 11:16; Rom. 11:17, 24).

As was already mentioned, the two k’ruvim above the kaporet (so called mercy seat), and also those woven on the veil and the curtains of the Mishkan (Ex. 26:31, 1) recall the ones mentioned in B’resheet (Genesis) 3:24, whose function (with the flaming sword) was to  guard the way to the Tree of Life in the Garden of Eden. But in addition to this feature, several other ones are similar to the one in the Garden. The entrance to the Garden as well as to the Mishkan was in the east side (Gen. 3:24; Ex. 26:22 - the far end of the Mishkan was to the west, thus the entrance would have been from the eastern side). We also saw above the Menorah’s similarity to a tree. Placed at the center of the Mishkan it may be linked to the Tree of Life “in the midst of the Garden” (Gen. 2:9). Man was put in the Garden to “work (la’avod) and keep (lishmor)” it (Gen. 2:15), while the Ko’hanim (priests) were also said to have to “keep” (tend) – lishmor – the Mishkan and its articles, and “to do the work of the Mishkan” (Num. 3:7-8). Lastly, Moshe was to make tunics for A’haron and his sons and then to clothe them (Ex. 28:40), with the same word for “tunics”  - ku’tanot - being used for the skin tunics that YHVH made for man and woman, with which He dressed them (Gen. 3:21). These associations point to the fact that in some way the Mishkan was a gate leading to a path that was to restore humanity back to the Garden.

The edifice of the sanctuary was a tent, "ohel", with a primary meaning (in some of the ancient languages of the Middle East) of “to settle down and be inhabited, settlement, and city". This temporary and collapsible structure, which was essentially made of cloth, skins and wooden poles, and housed a number of articles that were made of a variety of materials for diverse purposes, illustrates a very central scriptural principle. Twice in the midst of instructions relating to the tent's several components we read, “and it shall be one - echad" (26:6,11). This demonstrates that it is the varied components that make up the "whole", or the "one", as well as "oneness" and "unity”.

Most times “echad” is used to denote simply a singular “one” (e.g. Gen. 42:13), but undoubtedly the most well known occurrence of this word is found in the “Sh’ma”: “Hear Oh Israel, YHVH our Elohim is one Elohim” (Deut. 6:4). This eternal injunction and tenet of faith actually points to a union of plurality, since the word “Elohim” is the plural form of “el”. Thus, “echad” is not just a singular “one”, as is verified by other expressions such as: “one flesh” (Gen. 2:24); “one people” (Gen. 11:6); “So all the men of Israel were gathered against the city, united together as one man” (Judges 20:11), and of course by our present example. However, “echad” also has a plural form: “achadim” found, for example, in Y’chezkel (Ezekiel) 37:17: “that they may become one (literally, “plural of one”, emphasis and italics added) in your hand”, speaking of the sticks of Yoseph and Yehudah. “Echad” also lends itself to “oneness”, as we see in Y’chezkel 21:16 (although, again, it may not show up in the English translation). However, the command there (addressing a sword): “hitachadi” – “unite yourself” - can also be read: “sharpen yourself”. This makes for a union between “one” (“ehcad”) and “sharpness” -“chad” - which is also a shortened form of “echad” (see Ez. 33:30), and indeed is the word for “one” in Aramaic. Finally, in creation the first day was pronounced not “first day”, but “one day” – yom echad (Gen. 1:5). In conclusion, true oneness is a pressed together, compacted union of many in one, portraying a sword-like sharpness (e.g. Zechariah 9:13). In the Brit Chadasha (New Testament) the ‘one who is made up of many’ is exemplified by the many-membered Body of Messiah. The concept of Echad well represents integration and inclusion (into oneness and wholeness; remember "shalem"?) typical of the Hebrew language and Hebraic thought.

Adding to the oneness of the Mishkan is the description of joining the curtains and the loops (26:3,5,6). The word for “curtain” here is “y’ree’a”, and for “loop” - “loo’la’a”, both being in the feminine gender. In joining them “one to another” the Hebrew employs anthropomorphism (personification) and reads: “a befriending (“joining” being of the root ch.v.r meaning to bind together and “friend”) of one woman (one curtain/one loop) to her sister (i.e. to another identical curtain/loop)”. In this way, even the technical instructions for the construction of the Mishkan exemplify oneness and relationship.

The boards that were to make up the structure of the Mishkan had to be held together with “tenons” (26:17): “binding one to the other…” Here again in Hebrew it is: “one woman to her sister…” while the (silver) sockets (v. 19) being a masculine noun, are called “adanim”, stemming from the root a.d.n (alef, dalet, noon) which means “sustaining, providing a base”. It is from this root that the word “adon” – master – is derived and hence Adonai – the Sustainer and the One who has set up the foundations and who upholds everything. In verse 31 we encounter the veil that was to enclose the Kodesh Kodashim (“Holy of Holies”), called “parochet” – a divider, separator. Ironically, the Egyptians were described as “making the children of Israel serve with rigor” (Ex. 1:13 italics added), which is the translation for “perech” – labor that signified separation, that is the discrimination that was inflicted upon them. Now they are told to make the “parochet” - an element in an edifice in the making of which they are once again to labor, but now not as slaves but as those who have been separated as a unique people in order to have a special relationship with the Adon/Master of the universe with whom they were to meet in this structure.

Three times in this Parasha we read that Moshe is told to make the articles and the Mishkan, “according to that which you were shown on the mountain" (25:40; 26:30; 27:8). When and where was he shown "the pattern"? If we refer to the end of last week's Parasha we may find the answer: "And the glory of YHVH dwelt on the mountain of Sinai. And the cloud covered it six days. And He called to Moses on the seventh day from the midst of the cloud… And Moses came into the midst of the cloud" (24:16, 18). Thus, the 'where' and 'when' are answered, but what was Moshe actually shown? “In six days the Lord made heaven and earth. The actual making of the Tabernacle and its furnishings He entrusted to man. Its design or pattern God similarly made in six days. On the seventh day He called to Moses, and Moses was shown the design of the Tabernacle and its furnishings on the mount”. The commentator further demonstrates this point by comparing B’resheet (Genesis) 2:1,2 to Sh’mot (Exodus) 39:32 - 40:33, revealing a similarity of terminology used in both accounts. Martin Buber, for example, discovered seven corresponding elements in key words, which are used in both accounts.5 Thus we may ask, does the pattern of the "Mishkan" in some microcosmic way reflect YHVH's creation, and if so, how?

This question will be answered partly in Parashat P’kudey, but also in our present Parasha there are some notable parallels:

Above were mentioned examples of the usage of “echad” (as we saw above), while in B’resheet 1:5 it says (as we have already noted above): “Elohim called the light Day, and the darkness He called Night. So the evening and the morning were the (literally) one [echad] day.”

B’resheet 1:7 - “Elohim made (va’ya’as) the firmament…”

Sh’mot 25:8 - “And let them make (ve’a’su) Me a sanctuary”.

B’resheet 1:16 - “Then Elohim made (va’ya’s) two great lights…”

Sh’mot 25:10 - “And they shall make (ve’a’su) an ark”.

B’resheet 1:25 - “And Elohim made (va’ya’s) the beast of the earth…”

Sh’mot  25:23  - “You shall also make (ve’a’sita) a table”.

Additionally, as already mentioned, at the end of last week’s Parasha (Mishpatim) we read:  “Now the glory of YHVH rested on Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it six days. And on the seventh day He called to Moses out of the midst of the cloud” (Ex. 24:16 italics added). In parallel it says in Sh’mot 20:11: “For in six days YHVH made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day” (italics added).

  

1 New Studies in Shmot Part 2, Nechama Leibowitz, trans. Aryeh Newman.

   Eliner  Library, Department for Torah Education and Culture in the Diaspora.

   Hemed Books Inc., Brooklyn, N.Y.

2 Moses on the Witness Stand, Shlomo Ostrovski, Keren Ahava Meshichit,      

  Jerusalem, 1976,  1999

3 See blogspots for 2 related articles

http://israeliteletters.blogspot.co.il/2014/02/bread-of-presenceface.html

http://israeliteletters.blogspot.co.il/2014/02/bread-of-life.html

 4 Nature in Our Biblical Heritage, Nogah Hareuveni, trans. Helen Frenkley, Neot

   Kdumim  Ltd. Lod, Israel, 1996

 5 New Studies in Shmot Part 2, Nechama Leibowitz, trans. Aryeh Newman.

   Eliner Library, Department for Torah Education and Culture in the Diaspora.

   Hemed Books Inc., Brooklyn, N.Y.

 Most of the word definitions were extracted from: The New Brown, Driver, Briggs, Gesenius Lexicon, Francis Brown Hendrickson. Publishers, Peabody, Mass. 1979.

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Hebrew Insights into Parashat Trumah - Sh’mot (Exodus) 25-27:19

 

Parashat Trumah introduces us to several new terms and concepts that we have not encountered hitherto. "Truma", translated “contribution”, is derived from the root r.o.m  (resh, vav, mem) – meaning "high up, to lift up, to exalt". Having warranted such a term, this type of contribution was obviously held in high esteem by the Almighty. Furthermore, it also speaks of its Originator and His exalted position. The description of the potential “contributor” as a person whose "heart generously impels him", reinforces the significance of this offering. "Yidvenu" is the verb used here, meaning to “cause one to be generous", stemming from the root n.d.v. (noon, dalet, bet/vet), which is also: "willing, noble, volunteer, freewill offering". Copious rain, for example, is "geshem n'davot" (Ps. 68:9). Other examples of the usage of this word are found in Hoshe’a (Hosea) 14:4 where YHVH declares: "I will love them [Yisrael] freely" (italics added), and in Shoftim (Judges) 5:9 D'vorah describes the lawgivers of Yisrael, as those who "freely offered themselves among the people" (italics added). This contribution, therefore, was to be given freely or generously (see 25:3-7), and was to include gold and silver (being undoubtedly the gifts the Egyptians gave to the Hebrew people). The articles of “trumah” were intended for the building of the “holy sanctuary - mikdash - for YHVH” (v. 8), so that He will "dwell among them" (v. 8; cf. Ezekiel 37:26-28; 43:9b) – although the Hebrew – b’to’cham - may be read “in them”.

  The sanctuary in the desert is more often called "mishkan" (v. 9), meaning "a dwelling place". However, being its first time mention, it may have been necessary to clarify that this place was to be set apart and dedicated to the presence of YHVH, hence "mikdash".  “And let them make Me a sanctuary that I may dwell among them”. (“ve’sha’chanti,” hence “mishkan” – dwelling place). “The text does not say 'that I may dwell in its midst,' but 'among them,' to teach you that the Divine Presence does not rest on the sanctuary by virtue of the sanctuary, but by virtue of Israel, 'for they are the temple of the Lord.’” To these words by the Zedah La-derekh Commentary, we add another. In referring to the same text, Malbim comments: "He commanded that each individual should build him a sanctuary in the recesses of his heart, that he should prepare himself to be a dwelling place for the Lord and a stronghold for the excellence of His Presence, as well as an altar on which to offer up every portion of his soul to the Lord, until he gives himself for His glory at all times".[1]

The Almighty says of Himself in Yishayahu (Isaiah) 66:1: “The heaven is My throne and the earth My footstool - where is the house that you may build for me?" (cf. I Kings 8:27). This sanctuary, therefore, is a place where the “creature” could have a measure of access to its Creator and experience His love, justice and forgiveness. The sanctuary is a tangible place of meeting (ref. Ex. 25:22) for the sake of human beings who are confined to time and space.

The first article that is to be built is the "aron" (25:10). We have already encountered this term (which means a “chest”, or an “ark”, and a sarcophagus – i.e. a stone coffin) in B’resheet (Genesis) 50:26, where reference was made to Yoseph's embalming and burial. This wooden case, overlaid with gold, was to be the Ark of the Testimony (25:16), bearing witness to YHVH's word, covenant, atonement and forgiveness with and to the Israelites. Shlomo Ostrovski is of the opinion that in this unique and important article two very distinct and different characteristics come together, as the acacia wood from which the ark was made originated from the plant world, while the precious metal of overlaid gold was derived from an altogether different source. The latter’s use was intended to magnify this special article, and thereby “elevate its status”.[2] Thus the ‘lesser’ is transformed by virtue of the ‘covering’ by the ‘greater’.  Interestingly, in the book of Hitgalut (Revelation) 11:19 there is also a reference to the ark, though in a different location: “And the temple of Elohim was opened in heaven, and there was seen in His temple the ark of his testament…”  

"You are to make a cover for the ark out of pure gold" (25:17). This "cover", translated in English “mercy seat”, is the familiar "kaporet" of the root k.f.r (from which stems "kippur" - "propitiation" and literally means “cover”). On this cover were to be placed two gold k'ruvim (cherubs). In the Assyrian language "kruv" (singular) is “to be gracious or to bless", with its adjective meaning "great or mighty". In Shmuel Bet (2^nd Samuel) 22:11, we read that YHVH "rode on a k'ruv, and did fly, and was seen on the wings of the wind". Likewise, the k'ruvim were also placed as guards preventing entry to the Garden of Eden (Gen. 3:24). Here on the other hand, their presence signifies accessibility to the Most High. It will be “from between the two cherubim” that YHVH will “meet” and “speak… about everything which [He] will give… in commandment…” (25:22). The k'ruvim were to be situated in such a way that their faces – panim - would be turned toward each other (v. 20). In verse 30 we read about "the table of showbread" being the table of "lechem hapanim", literally "bread of the face".

"Panim" stems from the root "pana" (p.n.h - pey, noon, hey), meaning "to turn". There are several other words (usually with an added preposition) connected to the same root, such as "in front of, before, toward, corner, attend to, undertake, take away and clear". "Panim", as are several other Hebrew words, always occurs in the plural form. Thus its very meaning and usage take into account the existence and presence of someone else, whom one is potentially facing (by turning one’s head). This is evident here by the description of the k'ruvim's position: “…and their faces [are turned] each toward its brother" (v. 20 literal translation). The "bread of the face" (v. 30) is a seemingly obscure term which requires an explanation. There are numerous instances where YHVH speaks of His Presence in terms of "panim" (although it may not be borne out by the English translations), as we saw for example in last week's Parasha, “…they shall not appear before Me [literally - My Face] empty-handed" (Ex. 23:15). The "bread of the face" therefore refers to YHVH's Presence which is turned toward His creatures, an image that clearly foreshadows the "Bread of Life" as epitomized in and by Yeshua.3

The way in which YHVH was to meet and speak between the cherubim remains the million and one dollar/euro (choose your currency) question. Our only clue are the respective meanings of the terms “kaporert”, “k’ruv/k’ruvim”, and “panim”, which point not to the physical dimension, but rather to the qualitative and spiritual aspect of this awesome “meeting”.

Following the descriptions of the Ark and the “Table of the Bread of the Presence", we now move on to the “lampstand - Menorah" (stemming from "nur - fire, light, shine". Root: noon, vav, resh. 25:23-30). The Menorah’s components, quite curiously, are not merely functional. At least five of its elements seem to be directly connected to the botanical sphere: "calyxes, knobs, blossoms (or flowers), branches and almonds". These features are all part of the almond tree. Let us bear in mind that in the desert, where these instructions were given and where the Mishkan was to be set up, there was not an almond tree in sight! In other words, here, for the first time, we encounter elements characterizing the Land of Promise (the ultimate goal of the People’s present circumstances) as they are included in the most important of edifices -YHVH's sanctuary. The Menorah is not the only article that points to the Land and to its characteristics. The others are also built right into the worship system and into the whole framework of the Israelites' relationship with YHVH (as we shall see in future Parashot/Parashas).

“The beautiful almond tree, whose white and pink blossoms are the first to emerge from winter dormancy, dominating the landscape of Israel at the end of the rainy season, passes very rapidly through several stages of growth”.4 What then is the connection of the Menorah to this plant? "Almond" in Hebrew is "sha'ked", related to the root sh.k.d (shin, kof, dalet), meaning "to watch, be diligent and insistent". In Yirmiyahu (Jeremiah) 1:11-12 we encounter the imagery of the almond tree as related to the above terms: "And the word of YHVH to me was, saying, Jeremiah, 'what do you see?' And I said, 'I see an almond rod'. Then YHVH said to me, 'You have seen well; for I will watch over My word to perform it'”. We learn from Mishley (Proverbs) 8:34 that, "happy" is the person who is "watching – “lishkod” - daily at My threshold". Hareuveni points out that it is likely that "the knobs and the flowers of the Menorah were patterned after the cups of the almond flower or after the embryonic almond fruit still crowned with the calyx of the flower". Thus, the Menorah was to be a reminder of YHVH's faithfulness and steadfastness, as demonstrated by the natural phenomena of the Land of Yisrael.

There is yet another tree which is connected to the Menorah, one whose oil was to feed it, and that is the olive tree. In Yisrael the sight of the newly blossoming almonds in spring, strewn in the olive groves, is a reminder that YHVH "watches over His word to perform it", especially to the proverbial ‘olive tree’ - Yisrael (see Jer. 11:16; Rom. 11:17, 24).

As was already mentioned, the two k’ruvim above the kaporet (so called mercy seat), and also those woven on the veil and the curtains of the Mishkan (Ex. 26:31, 1) recall the ones mentioned in B’resheet (Genesis) 3:24, whose function (with the flaming sword) was to  guard the way to the Tree of Life in the Garden of Eden. But in addition to this feature, several other ones are similar to the one in the Garden. The entrance to the Garden as well as to the Mishkan was in the east side (Gen. 3:24; Ex. 26:22 - the far end of the Mishkan was to the west, thus the entrance would have been from the eastern side). We also saw above the Menorah’s similarity to a tree. Placed at the center of the Mishkan it may be linked to the Tree of Life “in the midst of the Garden” (Gen. 2:9). Man was put in the Garden to “work (la’avod) and keep (lishmor)” it (Gen. 2:15), while the Ko’hanim (priests) were also said to have to “keep” (tend) – lishmor – the Mishkan and its articles, and “to do the work of the Mishkan” (Num. 3:7-8). Lastly, Moshe was to make tunics for A’haron and his sons and then to clothe them (Ex. 28:40), with the same word for “tunics”  - ku’tanot - being used for the skin tunics that YHVH made for man and woman, with which He dressed them (Gen. 3:21). These associations point to the fact that in some way the Mishkan was a gate leading to a path that was to restore humanity back to the Garden.

The edifice of the sanctuary was a tent, "ohel", with a primary meaning (in some of the ancient languages of the Middle East) of “to settle down and be inhabited, settlement, and city". This temporary and collapsible structure, which was essentially made of cloth, skins and wooden poles, and housed a number of articles that were made of a variety of materials for diverse purposes, illustrates a very central scriptural principle. Twice in the midst of instructions relating to the tent's several components we read, “and it shall be one - echad" (26:6,11). This demonstrates that it is the varied components that make up the "whole", or the "one", as well as "oneness" and "unity”.

Most times “echad” is used to denote simply a singular “one” (e.g. Gen. 42:13), but undoubtedly the most well known occurrence of this word is found in the “Sh’ma”: “Hear Oh Israel, YHVH our Elohim is one Elohim” (Deut. 6:4). This eternal injunction and tenet of faith actually points to a union of plurality, since the word “Elohim” is the plural form of “el”. Thus, “echad” is not just a singular “one”, as is verified by other expressions such as: “one flesh” (Gen. 2:24); “one people” (Gen. 11:6); “So all the men of Israel were gathered against the city, united together as one man” (Judges 20:11), and of course by our present example. However, “echad” also has a plural form: “achadim” found, for example, in Y’chezkel (Ezekiel) 37:17: “that they may become one (literally, “plural of one”, emphasis and italics added) in your hand”, speaking of the sticks of Yoseph and Yehudah. “Echad” also lends itself to “oneness”, as we see in Y’chezkel 21:16 (although, again, it may not show up in the English translation). However, the command there (addressing a sword): “hitachadi” – “unite yourself” - can also be read: “sharpen yourself”. This makes for a union between “one” (“ehcad”) and “sharpness” -“chad” - which is also a shortened form of “echad” (see Ez. 33:30), and indeed is the word for “one” in Aramaic. Finally, in creation the first day was pronounced not “first day”, but “one day” – yom echad (Gen. 1:5). In conclusion, true oneness is a pressed together, compacted union of many in one, portraying a sword-like sharpness (e.g. Zechariah 9:13). In the Brit Chadasha (New Testament) the ‘one who is made up of many’ is exemplified by the many-membered Body of Messiah. The concept of Echad well represents integration and inclusion (into oneness and wholeness; remember "shalem"?) typical of the Hebrew language and Hebraic thought.

Adding to the oneness of the Mishkan is the description of joining the curtains and the loops (26:3,5,6). The word for “curtain” here is “y’ree’a”, and for “loop” - “loo’la’a”, both being in the feminine gender. In joining them “one to another” the Hebrew employs anthropomorphism (personification) and reads: “a befriending (“joining” being of the root ch.v.r meaning to bind together and “friend”) of one woman (one curtain/one loop) to her sister (i.e. to another identical curtain/loop)”. In this way, even the technical instructions for the construction of the Mishkan exemplify oneness and relationship.

The boards that were to make up the structure of the Mishkan had to be held together with “tenons” (26:17): “binding one to the other…” Here again in Hebrew it is: “one woman to her sister…” while the (silver) sockets (v. 19) being a masculine noun, are called “adanim”, stemming from the root a.d.n (alef, dalet, noon) which means “sustaining, providing a base”. It is from this root that the word “adon” – master – is derived and hence Adonai – the Sustainer and the One who has set up the foundations and who upholds everything. In verse 31 we encounter the veil that was to enclose the Kodesh Kodashim (“Holy of Holies”), called “parochet” – a divider, separator. Ironically, the Egyptians were described as “making the children of Israel serve with rigor” (Ex. 1:13 italics added), which is the translation for “perech” – labor that signified separation, that is the discrimination that was inflicted upon them. Now they are told to make the “parochet” - an element in an edifice in the making of which they are once again to labor, but now not as slaves but as those who have been separated as a unique people in order to have a special relationship with the Adon/Master of the universe with whom they were to meet in this structure.

Three times in this Parasha we read that Moshe is told to make the articles and the Mishkan, “according to that which you were shown on the mountain" (25:40; 26:30; 27:8). When and where was he shown "the pattern"? If we refer to the end of last week's Parasha we may find the answer: "And the glory of YHVH dwelt on the mountain of Sinai. And the cloud covered it six days. And He called to Moses on the seventh day from the midst of the cloud… And Moses came into the midst of the cloud" (24:16, 18). Thus, the 'where' and 'when' are answered, but what was Moshe actually shown? “In six days the Lord made heaven and earth. The actual making of the Tabernacle and its furnishings He entrusted to man. Its design or pattern God similarly made in six days. On the seventh day He called to Moses, and Moses was shown the design of the Tabernacle and its furnishings on the mount”. The commentator further demonstrates this point by comparing B’resheet (Genesis) 2:1,2 to Sh’mot (Exodus) 39:32 - 40:33, revealing a similarity of terminology used in both accounts. Martin Buber, for example, discovered seven corresponding elements in key words, which are used in both accounts.5 Thus we may ask, does the pattern of the "Mishkan" in some microcosmic way reflect YHVH's creation, and if so, how?

This question will be answered partly in Parashat P’kudey, but also in our present Parasha there are some notable parallels:

Above were mentioned examples of the usage of “echad” (as we saw above), while in B’resheet 1:5 it says (as we have already noted above): “Elohim called the light Day, and the darkness He called Night. So the evening and the morning were the (literally) one [echad] day.”

B’resheet 1:7 - “Elohim made (va’ya’as) the firmament…”

Sh’mot 25:8 - “And let them make (ve’a’su) Me a sanctuary”.

B’resheet 1:16 - “Then Elohim made (va’ya’s) two great lights…”

Sh’mot 25:10 - “And they shall make (ve’a’su) an ark”.

B’resheet 1:25 - “And Elohim made (va’ya’s) the beast of the earth…”

Sh’mot  25:23  - “You shall also make (ve’a’sita) a table”.

Additionally, as already mentioned, at the end of last week’s Parasha (Mishpatim) we read:  “Now the glory of YHVH rested on Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it six days. And on the seventh day He called to Moses out of the midst of the cloud” (Ex. 24:16 italics added). In parallel it says in Sh’mot 20:11: “For in six days YHVH made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day” (italics added).

 

1 New Studies in Shmot Part 2, Nechama Leibowitz, trans. Aryeh Newman.

   Eliner  Library, Department for Torah Education and Culture in the Diaspora.

   Hemed Books Inc., Brooklyn, N.Y.

 

2 Moses on the Witness Stand, Shlomo Ostrovski, Keren Ahava Meshichit,      

  Jerusalem, 1976,  1999

 3 See blogspots for 2 related articles

http://israeliteletters.blogspot.co.il/2014/02/bread-of-presenceface.html  http://israeliteletters.blogspot.co.il/2014/02/bread-of-life.html

 4 Nature in Our Biblical Heritage, Nogah Hareuveni, trans. Helen Frenkley, Neot

   Kdumim  Ltd. Lod, Israel, 1996

 5 New Studies in Shmot Part 2, Nechama Leibowitz, trans. Aryeh Newman.

   Eliner Library, Department for Torah Education and Culture in the Diaspora.

  Hemed Books Inc., Brooklyn, N.Y.

 Most of the word definitions were extracted from: The New Brown, Driver, Briggs, Gesenius   Lexicon, Francis Brown Hendrickson. Publishers, Peabody, Mass. 1979.

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Hebrew Insights into Parashat Mishpatim – Sh’mot (Exodus): 21- 24

 

"This Parasha is extraordinarily rich in variety of themes, and multiplicity of laws, judgments and statutes governing every facet of human existence. This comprehensive legislation covers relations of man to their society, between members of the same community, between peoples, between man and man, man and his enemy, and even between man and the flora and fauna of his environment, not to mention the relationship with man to his Creator. The Torah therein regulates the life of the Hebrew person at work and at leisure, on Shabbat and festivals".[1] We will examine some of Parashat Mishpatim’s terms against the backdrop of this summary. Last week we noted that, the Ten Words were presented in a progression, from the overriding theme of the relationship to the Creator, gradually breaking down into particulars (in human relationships, and finally to one’s own heart). This week the trend seems to go the other way. Thus, before the ‘national’ commandments regarding the times and seasons (in the land) – 23:10-19 - and the ‘big picture’ as described in 23:20-33, the people of Yisrael are presented with very detailed and specific instructions as to what is expected of a set apart nation.

 

"And these are the judgments which you shall put before them…" are the opening words of our Parasha.  The singular form of “mishpatim” (“judgments”) is “mishpat”, the root letters being sh.p/f.t (shin, pey, tet). Last week we noted that YHVH's instructions to His People were not to be defined simplistically as a set of rules of 'do's' and 'don'ts.'  “Mishpat” may be compared to last week's “chock” -  "law" - which is also to “engrave", and to “pikudim” - "precepts" (a glimpse of which we had in Parashat Shmot,  in 3:16, where it appeared as the verb to “visit"). Likewise, “mishpat” also has a variety of meanings such as "just" (Deut. 32:4), and "justice" (Is. 16:5). In this Parasha “mishpat” is used several times as "arbitration" and "decision making" (21:31), as well as "legal right" (23:6) and "custom" (21:9). According to The Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament, this “word [which is] of broad meaning, is also to be understood as to “govern or rule". [2] Thus, although some of the “mishpatim” could be termed as "judgments" or “ordinances” in the stricter sense of the word, this judicial term is couched in a much larger social and spiritual framework, a framework that is rooted in YHVH's Torah, the latter (as already pointed out), being anything but a strictly official and legal codex.

 

Let us go back to our opening verse:  "And these are the judgments which you shall put before them".  Notice that Moshe is told to “put" or "place" the judgments before the Israelites. "Put", as used here, appears to be almost out of place, unless it is tied to some image such as we encounter in Ya’acov (James) 1:22-25: “…Become doers of the Word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.  Because if anyone is a hearer of the Word, and not a doer, this one is like a man studying his natural face in a mirror; for he studied himself, and has gone away, and immediately he forgot of what kind he was. But the one looking into the perfect Torah of liberty, and continuing in it, this one not having become a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in his doing” (italics added).

 

Thus the Torah, which is to reflect the new nature of the “am s'gula” (the “treasured People” as mentioned in last week’s Parashat Yitro), is likened to a mirror. "Placing the mishpatim before the people" becomes clear, therefore, especially when considering the Israelites' response last week: "All which YHVH has spoken we will do” (Ex. 19:8) and this week too (ref. 24:3). ). Incidentally the same verb, put (“sim”) is also used in Bamidbar (Numbers) 6:27, regarding the placing of the Priestly Blessing upon the Children of Yisrael (as well as in 6:26, where YHVH is said to “put” or “place” His peace on the recipients of this blessing).

 

These “mishpatim”, therefore, constitute one of the aspects reflecting and revealing the ‘new nature’ (and also ‘flesh’ and sin) of YHVH's special and holy people (ref. 22:31), which they see each time they look "into the prefect Torah of liberty". And what is it that they first see there? "When you buy a Hebrew slave  (“eved” – “one who works”), he shall serve six years, and in the seventh he shall go out free for nothing" (21:2). What could be more appropriate for the newly released slaves than to act with consideration and kindness toward their own brethren who have met with this predicament? Is it any wonder then that, this is the first ruling they encounter as they look into the “mirror” which has been “placed before” them? Various dimensions of this topic are dealt with all the way through to 21:11. A variety of regulations ensue, mostly dealing with acts of violence, followed next by rules regarding damages caused specifically by one's livestock (chiefly oxen) to others.

 

Reparations for these damages proceed (chapter 22:1-17), leading to various moral and ethical issues, as well as to the treatment of the defenseless. But before we get to this point, let’s examine verses 5 and 6. The translation reads as follows: "If a man causes a field or vineyard to be grazed, and lets loose his animal, and it feeds in another man's field... If fire breaks out and catches in thorns, so that stacked grain, standing grain, or the field is consumed, he who kindled the fire shall surely make restitution” (emphases added). Notice the words: causing (a field) to be grazed, animal, feeds, he who kindles fire. In Hebrew all these verbs and nouns stem from a single root, b.ae.r (bet, ayin, resh) with its primary meaning being “to burn, destroy”. But as is illustrated in our text, this term is ‘stretched’ further to include grazing (in a sense of “removal”) and even animals, from which it morphs into “brutishness”.  The latter meaning is then applied to the “fools” and ones “without sense” or “knowledge” (e.g. Ps. 94:6a; Pro. 32:2a; Jer. 10:21a, being just a few examples). “Removal” (mostly of evil) is another usage of this term (e.g. Deut. 17:12; 19:13). This is a typical illustration of the associative Hebraic thinking. Let us now return to the “treatment of the defenseless”. In 22:21 we read: "You shall not torment an alien. You shall not oppress him, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt". The word here for "alien" is “ger”, from the root “gur” (g.u.r, gimmel, vav, resh), to “live, reside, dwell, or sojourn”. According to The Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament, "this root means to live among people who are not blood relatives… thus, the ‘ger’ was dependent on the hospitality that played an important role in the ancient Near East”. [2] Some examples of the way this word is used are as follows:

 

· Avraham sojourned in Egypt during the famine in the Land of Yisrael (Gen. 12:10).

· Lot was scornfully called a sojourner by the people of Sdom (ref. Gen. 19:9).

· Ya'acov described his stay with Lavan as that of a sojourner (ref. Gen. 32:4).

· Ya’acov’s sons defined their status in Egypt as that of sojourners (ref. Gen. 47:4).

· Hebrews 11:9,13 characterizes the Patriarchs as those who considered themselves pilgrims and aliens (not regarding themselves as members of this sin-ridden world).

· The Elohim of Yisrael is termed this way, when not welcome among His people (ref. Jer. 14:8).

· Finally, in the age to come the wolf will be the "protected citizen" of the lamb (Is. 11:6). [3]

 

The Torah’s cautions regarding all behavior towards the ‘stranger’ number no less than 36; more times than it deals with any other command![4] This fact powerfully speaks for itself. In 22:21 Yisrael is told to not “wrong or oppress“ him, with the latter verb being “lo’chetz” (l.ch.tz. lamed, chet tzadi) - literally “to restrict, squeeze”. YHVH used this very term when He was responding to Yisrael’s cry in Egypt: “I have seen the oppression with which the Egyptians are oppressing them” (Ex. 3:9 italics added). This kind of repetition puts Yisrael ‘on the spot’ as to their treatment of the alien/stranger.  A similar theme is reiterated in 23:9, with the addition, “…you know [understand] the soul of an alien, since you were aliens in the land of Egypt". The Israelites are most emphatically expected to empathize with the alien, having once been in that humbling station themselves. Remembering at all times that they have “come out of Egypt” leaves the people without an excuse as to forgetting the conditions of the less fortunate and for lording it over them!   Interestingly, “gur” also means “dread, fear”. This illustrates the fact that the stranger was placed in a vulnerable position, requiring protection by the local inhabitants. Moreover, if the many repeated lessons of sojourning will not have been sufficiently learned, the Israelites may find themselves aliens all over again (e.g. Deut. 28: 63ff.), as YHVH would judge them for unrighteousness as He did the Egyptians, and even more strictly, because of the higher standards expected from them.

 

Our text continues in verses 22:22-24 as follows: "You shall not afflict an orphan or a widow.  If you afflict him, if he at all cries to Me, I will surely hear his cry, and My anger shall glow, and I will kill you with the sword; and your wives shall become widows, and your sons orphans". Once again we turn in the Brit Chadashah (New Testament) to the Epistle of Ya'acov (James), where we read, “Pure and undefiled religion before Elohim and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their afflictions" (1:27). In the same vein, Sh’mot 23:3 and 6 read, respectively, "And you shall not favor the lowly – dah’l - in his lawsuit" and, "You shall not pervert the judgment of your needy one – “evyon” in his lawsuit". And although “favor” and “pervert” are certainly not synonymous, according to the commentator Cassuto the way these two verbs are presented here makes for similarity between the two ideas. He therefore tried to reconcile these two passages, which he deemed to be redundant if not explained in some other way. Cassuto therefore attaches to “ev'yon” (here) a meaning other than "needy", and connects it to the word “oyev” - “enemy” - thus making this a prohibition corresponding to the two preceding admonitions (23:4-5), that is, to meting out justice to the enemy. [5] Nevertheless, it does make perfect sense that YHVH would forbid favoring the needy in judgment, as a lowly social status, obviously, does not necessarily equal righteousness. At the same time, perverting the needy’s case in court is also a very severe violation of YHVH’s righteousness.

 

YHVH’s expectation from the redeemed community’s attitudes is also illustrated in another way. In 22:25 we read: "If you lend money to My people, to the poor among you, you are not to act as a creditor to him; you shall not charge him interest”. The preposition “if” (that the Torah presents here, rather than “when”), intrigued the Jewish commentators, since in their opinion there was no question that lending to the needy was a definite command. They resolved this by stating that if one does something compulsorily, it is not necessarily done as graciously as when doing it out of one’s own free will. Thus, YHVH expects His people to act as if given an option; that is from a heart that is generous and has elected to act, even if in reality there is no choice in the matter. Put differently, we are to delight in obedience and generosity.

 

Let us return now to 22:26-27 briefly, there to find included in the ordinance a reasoned appeal: "If you ever take your neighbor's cloak as a pledge, you are to return it to him before the sun sets,  for that is his only covering; it is his cloak for his body. What else shall he sleep in? And it shall come about that when he cries out to Me, I will hear him, for I am gracious” (italics added). This “neighbor” is possibly so poor that his cloak serves him as “his covering” – a sheet – “cloak for his body” – sleeping garment, and “for sleeping in” – it is his very mattress. YHVH is concerned with every detail, “for I am gracious”, and expects as much from His own.  

 

Verse 29 in our chapter (22) is unique in its (Hebrew) vocabulary. It is generally translated: “You shall not delay [to offer] the first of your ripe produce and your juices. The firstborn of your sons you shall give to Me”. But “the first of your ripe produce and your juices”, are rendered in Hebrew: “your fullness – “m’le’at’cha” - and your tear/drop – “dim’a’cha”. Before we go any further, let us note that the “fullness” is in reference to the first fruit, while the “tear” connect to the free will offering. Interestingly, within “demah” or “dim’ah” is included the word for blood, “dam”. This gives an added meaning to Luke 22:44, where we read about Yeshua’s sweat that was like “drops of blood”. But what about the “fullness”? John 19:29 mentions the “full” jar of vinegar into which a sponge was dipped and held up to Yeshua’s thirsting lips. In the second part of verse 29 (in our chapter) YHVH continues, saying in the same breath with the “fullness” and “tear/blood” concept: “the firstborn of your sons you shall give to Me”. As we know, bloody sweat and the fullness of the cup of sorrows were both experienced by YHVH’s Firstborn, whom He gave “that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life” (John 3:16).     

 

"And you shall sow your land six years, and you shall gather its produce. And the seventh year you shall let it rest and lie fallow" (23:10). After the seventh year release of the slaves (referred to above), we encounter again a ‘seventh year’ principle, this time regarding the land. "Let it rest and lie fallow" is designated by two verbs, “shamot” (sh.m.t. shin, mem, tet), and “natosh” (n.t.sh. noon, tet, shin); the first meaning to “let go", and the other to “forsake". This "letting go" and "forsaking" of the land and its husbandry is designed so that "the needy of your people shall eat. [Whatever] they leave behind, the animals of the field shall eat. So you shall do to your vineyard, and to your olive grove" (v. 11). A similar theme is seen in the following verse, which speaks of seven days of labor, and of a seventh day in which "you shall rest, so that your ox and your ass may rest, and the son of your slave-girl and your alien may be refreshed". It is significant that the care of the poor, slaves, and livestock is related to "resting" and "letting go", all of which point to trust, faith and reliance on YHVH, while also having His heart of care and compassion toward the less fortunte. Similarly, we read in T’hilim (Psalms) 46:10 (literal translation): “Let go and know that I am Elohim”.

 

Coming next in chapter 23 verses 14-17 is a reference to the calendar, and its feasts (or rather, “pilgrimages” – “regalim”). But whereas the month of Aviv, mentioned in verse 15, is to be the first of months (ref. Sh’mot 12:2), speaking of the “Feast of Ingathering”, in verse 16, as being at the “end of the year” appears to be problematic. Hence let us take a close look at the words used in verse 16. In Hebrew the “end of the year” is rendered “tzet ha’shana” – literally, the “going out of the year”. However, can this term “tzet” have a different meaning? In D’varim 14:22 there is mention of “the grain that the field produces year by year”. In Hebrew it says:  the produce of your seed that comes out – yotzeh - year by year”. Thus the verb yotzeh – comes out – in its noun form - “tzet” - may be understood as the “produce” of a given year. Going back to our verse, 23, we may read therefore: “The Feast of Ingathering at [the time of] the year’s produce…” Verse 18 deals with the blood and the fat of the sacrifices, and their proper handling. Some of the translations read: “nor shall the fat of My sacrifice remain until morning” for the second part of the verse (italics added). The Hebrew word used there for “sacrifice” is “chag, which literally means feast with the idea of circularity imbedded in it (both in terms of the repetition or reoccurrence of the feast, and may also refer to the actual physical marching and/or procession connected with it. See Is. 40:22).

 

In 23:19 (v. 18 in Hebrew) we encounter 10 words (5 in Hebrew) upon which rest most of the elaborate Jewish dietary laws: "You shall not boil a kid in its mother's milk". It follows, "You shall bring the first of the fruit of your soil to the house of YHVH your Elohim". The word used for "boil" (“bashel” - b.sh.l, bet.shin.lamed) or "cook" also means "ripe" (e.g. Joel 3:13). Could this be a reminder, therefore, not to let the kid become too mature before offering it up to YHVH, especially if the context of the entire verse is taken into consideration, along with 22:30 (where mention is made of bringing to YHVH the firstlings of the sheep on the eighth day)?

 

According to the above-examination of the term “mishpatim”, translated “judgments”, it is not to be defined strictly by the letter of the law but more broadly as YHVH’s just arbitrations, which are to become standard and customary within the redeemed community of Yisrael (the italicized terms are all rendered “mishpat” or “mishpatim” in Hebrew). As a provision for making this lifestyle feasible, we read: “Behold, I send an Angel/Messenger before you, to keep you on the way and to bring you to a place which I have prepared” (Ex. 23:20 ff). Thus protection is already provided, and the destination has also been prepared. “If you obey his voice and do as I say…” tells us that the Messenger’s voice and YHVH’s are synonymous. “And I will be an enemy to your enemies and I will be an adversary to your adversaries”. In the Hebrew “I will be an enemy”-  “ve’a’ya’vti (le’oy’vecha”- “to your enemies”) appears here in verb form (to be found nowhere else in the Hebrew bible), as it does too with “I will be an adversary” - “ve’tza’rarti (le’tza’re’cha” –  “to your adversaries”, v. 22). The usage of the verb form (and especially in the case where a verb is literally made up for the purpose of conveying this idea) underscores YHVH’s total identity with His People. It illustrates more vividly His active participation in their experiences. The presence of the Angel/Messenger, in whom abides YHVH’s name, in their midst adds to the closeness that YHVH is establishing with His people.

 

Leaving YHVH’s Messenger, we continue on and climb new heights, but not before the act of sprinkling the atonement blood (24:6), in the course of which the “young men of Israel” offered up burnt offerings and peace offerings (v. 5), while the seventy elders, “went up… and saw the Elohim of  Israel… and did eat and drink” (24:9,10,11). In this way the covenant is seen to encompass the people as a whole; from the young men at the foot of the mountain (the foundations), to the elders at the top and in close proximity to YHVH, with the sprinkling of the atonement blood being at the heart of the event and literally over the ‘body’ of the nation. The twelve pillars and the altar, in 24:4, provide a graphic and physical illustration, again, of the total inclusion of every member of the household of Yisrael. In addition, in Hebrew the word for “pillars” is actually conveyed here in singular form, thus adding a unifying factor to the all-inclusive nature of the covenant and oneness of the people. The scene climaxes with Moshe being called up to YHVH on the seventh day of this season, during which YHVH’s glory appeared on the Mountain:  “And to the eyes of the sons of Israel the appearance of the glory of YHVH was like a consuming fire on the mountain top” (24:17).  

 

YHVH summoned Moshe to come up to the Mountain, where he was to stay for forty days, as he was about to give “the tablets of stone, and the Torah and the commandment which [YHVH] has written to teach them" (24:12). The word for "teach them" is “(le)horotam”, of the root y.r.h (yod, resh, hey) - meaning to “shoot" or to “fling" and by implication to “teach" and forms the root of “Torah” (as mentioned last week).  This one verse makes quite clear the connection of Torah to "teaching".  Here we see again, as we observed in the beginning that, "the Torah is anything but a strictly official and legal codex”.

  

 

[1] New Studies in Shmot Part 2, Nechama Leibowitz, trans. Aryeh Newman. Eliner Library, Department for Torah Education and Culture in the Diaspora. Hemed Books Inc., Brooklyn, N.Y.

[2] Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament, Vol. 2, ed. R. Laird Harris,    Moody  Press, Chicago, 1980.

[3] Ibid.

[4] New Studies

[5] Ibid.