Finally, the Mishkan, the portable sanctuary that the Israelites build so that God’s Presence can be with them in the wilderness, is finished. After all of the Torah’s detailed descriptions of the building project, the time has come for a final inspection. The workers bring each of the various parts of the Mishkan forward for Moses’ approval.
Imagine the scene: One by one, each of the parts of the Tabernacle appears: the planks, the posts, the coverings, the furnishing, the menorah, the clothing of the priests. All of it must pass inspection. Each work crew waits its turn. When called, the foreman steps up in front of everyone to present the result of his team’s labor to the boss.
That must have been a tense moment. After all, this is not just any building. This is the mishkan, a dwelling place for God. Did all of the work crews pull their weight? Did anyone cut corners, or get lazy? How is the Chief Building Inspector, Moses, going to react?
The Torah tells us:
“Just as the Lord had commanded Moses, so the Israelites had done all the work (avodah). And when Moses saw that they had performed all the tasks (melakhah) – as the Lord had commanded, so they had done – Moses blessed them.” (Exodus 43:38-39)
This is probably not the reaction they are expecting.
I get the impression that this blessing is kind of spontaneous. Moses is so overjoyed with what he sees, that he cannot contain himself. He bursts out in praise.
But what does he say? What is the blessing?
According to a midrash, Moses pronounces these words: Yehi ratzon she-tishreh shekhinah b’ma-aseh y’deikhem. “May it be his will that the Shekhinah will rest on the work of your hands.” (Tanhuma P’kudei 11)
What a wonderful blessing! The entire nation has been occupied in this project for many months. Our commentators teach that every single person had a part to play – some as designers, others as builders, craftsmen, weavers, and yes, some as donors. Each person is invested.
It is conceivable that after expending so much effort to build a building, one might be tempted to focus on its physical aspects – such as it’s beauty and sturdiness – and pay less attention to its spiritual function.
And so Moses’ blessing reminds the people of the Mishkan‘s purpose – to be a dwelling place for God’s Presence, the Shekhinah. “May the Shekhinah rest on the work of your hands.” Use this beautiful edifice for holy purposes. Don’t let it feed your ego, or symbolize greed.
But what is it that triggers Moses to offer this blessing? Why is he so inspired?
The Chatam Sofer, an Ashkenazi Rabbi from the early nineteenth century, suggests an answer. He notices that the Torah seems to be repeating itself. The Torah states: “Just as the Lord had commanded Moses, so the Israelites had done all the work (avodah).”
And then immediately afterwards says “And when Moses saw that they had performed all the tasks (melakhah)…”
They did all the work, they performed all the tasks. Why does the Torah need to say it twice, but with different words? Those two words, avodah and melakhah, says the Chatam Sofer, are two different things.
The second term, melakhah, refers to physical work. The work of our hands. It is the same word that is used at the end of the creation of the world to describe the work that God had done. Melakhah is also the word that the Torah uses to describe the kinds of activities that are prohibited on Shabbat. Melakhah is “creative and destructive labor.” It is the activities we perform which demonstrate our conquering, or mastery, of the physical world. It is what we do during the six days of the week.
Avodah is a different kind of work. It is internal. Nidvat halev, says the Chatam Sofer. “Generosity of the heart” without any concrete action.
“What is the avodah that is performed in the heart?” asks the Talmud (BT Taanit 2a) “Prayer.” And so, the term avodah is used to describe the worship of God in the Temple through the sacrificial system, and later to prayer as we understand it today.
In fact, the Chatam Sofer explains, the Torah is not repeating itself at all. The melakhah that the Israelites perform – the physical work that they do in building the Mishkan – is infused with avodah, with generosity of heart and spirit and with a desire to carry out God’s will.
But how could Moses have known this? How can he see into the hearts of every single Israelite?
Moses knows what is in their hearts because he has seen the final product that their hands have produced. He sees that it is pristine, without a single mistake or blemish. Moses knows that such a perfect result can only be achieved from pure hearts. The love and purity that the Israelites bring to their work infuses the very fabric of its creation. It is both melakhah and avodah.
When Moses sees this, he is overcome with emotion. Proud of these people whom he leads, he prays that the spirit which has motivated their efforts up to this point will remain with them so that the Mishkan can fulfill its function as a dwelling place for the Shekhinah.
It was eight years ago almost to the day that I first came to Congregation Sinai. At the time, I was here to interview to become its Rabbi. The synagogue still had that “new shul smell.” The building was brand new, having been constructed within the previous year.
I remember a story that was told to me during that interview weekend. Barry, our congregant who generously gave a year of his time to become the contractor for this wonderful building, stood before the synagogue and told the Sinai membership: “I have built it, now go and fill it.”
He knew that, as beautiful and well-designed a structure as this is, unless we infuse it with spirit, it is simply walls and a roof. Our community collectively makes it worthy of being a beit k’nesset, a house of gathering, a synagogue.
I would say that we have filled out these walls nicely. Congregation Sinai is a place in which we celebrate life’s joys and mourn its sorrows together, in which we express our connection to Israel and to Jews around the world. It is a sanctuary in which we come together to worship God. It is a center in which learning takes place by students of all ages. It is a shul in which the ancient values and practices of our people are lived and made relevant to modern life on a daily basis.
Our community has grown larger, with more people attending Shabbat services, more children in our Nursery School and Religious School, more programming, and more classes.
The reason for all of this is because we have so many people in our community who are willing and eager to work on behalf of this congregation. And I mean both kinds of work: melakhah and avodah. The physical work that has to be done, and the generosity of heart that is an expression of the love we have for each other and for God.
I feel so blessed to be the Rabbi of this community. And I am so grateful to have the opportunity to begin a shabbaton, a sabbatical, tomorrow. As this date has approached, people have been nervous – and that is understandable. What are we going to do without our Rabbi?
I am confident, however that Sinai will thrive in my five-month absence. We have worked hard to plan for all of the various contingencies that may arise, and to cover all of the responsibilities that generally call for a Rabbi.
Our religious services will continue. Limmud La-ad classes will take place. Celebrations will occur. There will even be some new initiatives, such as the Kabbalat Shabbat musical ensemble that will be leading services this coming Friday night. We are so blessed to have a community with so many knowledgeable and talented members who are willing and eager to give of themselves. That is why I am not especially worried. And it is why I am really looking forward to seeing all the ways in which we have grown when I come back at the end of the summer.
I really cannot fully express how grateful I am to everyone who has already stepped forward to plan for the next five months. I am especially appreciative of Joelle and the rest of the Sinai staff, who will be taking on numerous additional tasks during the time that I am away.
I can think of no better words to say than Moses’ blessing to the Israelites after they presented the completed Mishkan to him after months and months of melakhah and avodah, work of the hands and labors of the heart.
Yehi ratzon she-tishreh Shekhinah b’ma-aseh y’deikhem.
“May it be God’s will that the Shekhinah will rest on the work of your hands.”
Rebyehoshua 