- there are 70 faces to 
Post by alon on Feb 17, 2023 16:05:42 GMT -8
This Week’s Readings:
Parashah- Exodus 25:1-26:30
Haftara- Isaiah 66:1-24
D’rash: Thus says the Lord: “Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool; what is the house that you would build for me, and what is the place of my rest? (Isaiah 66:1).
The rest of the chapter is a description of the building of the Mishkan. In fact, much of this will be repetitive; the earlier writings being HaShem’s instructions for its’ building, the latter the actual building of the Mishkan. But 15 out of 40 chapters devoted to the building of the Mishkan- why so much?
Exodus 25:8 And let them make me a sanctuary, that I may dwell in their midst.
Elohei Yisroel, the God of Israel (2 Sam 23:3) did not dwell in His Tabernacle, rather it was to be a sign He dwelt among His people. Another difference in pagan gods and Kadosh Yisroel, the Holy One Of Israel (Psalm 78:41) is that pagan gods were mostly tied to the land. The God of the Hebrews went with them wherever they went, and the symbolism was not lost on the people of the nations, either. The Hebrews had no land at this time, yet their God was with them; and He proved time and again to be greater than all other gods!
This was to be the center of worship for the Hebrews. It was the place they could come closer to their God; the only place they were now to make sacrifices. The Hebrew for sacrificial offering is קָרְבָּן qorban, which derives from the root קרב qarav, to draw near. They drew nearer to Adonai in the Mishkan. This did not mean they could not worship or pray anywhere, or that He was not with them everywhere; just that this was their special place for those purposes, and the only place they could attain kapparah כפרה, the covering offered with a sacrifice.
Rabbi Menachem Mendel said “God exists wherever man lets Him in.”
Another reason for the amount of detail might be to communicate the majesty of Adon Kol HaAretz, Lord Of All The Earth M(icah 4:13) and the beauty of worshiping Him and Him alone. And it says “this is how I am to be worshiped; I am a God of details, and those details are important in My worship.” This is true whether in building the Mishkan, or later the Temple, and also in how we present ourselves and worship Him. All is to be done exactly as He said.
Exodus 25:2 “Speak to the people of Israel, that they take for me a contribution. From every man whose heart moves him you shall receive the contribution for me. Torah commands us to give to the poor. One example: “When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap your field right up to its edge, neither shall you gather the gleanings after your harvest. And you shall not strip your vineyard bare, neither shall you gather the fallen grapes of your vineyard. You shall leave them for the poor and for the sojourner: I am the Lord your God.” Leviticus 19:9-10.
That is a duty, a commandment to give to the poor. Yet for giving to El Shadai, God who Provides in the first place, that same God leaves it to our own heart how much our offerings should be. “From every man whose heart moves him” suggests we may choose to give nothing extra at all to Abba, our God and Father; the One who lovingly protects and provides for us as a father does his child.
So let’s look at a topic that goes directly against the oversimplified pap we’ve been taught. Does God just look at our heart; do good intentions erase any harm done by our actions? The answer is yes; and no. When giving to Adon Khol HaEretz, The Lord God of All the Earth (Josh 3:13) He wants it to be a heart issue. But note here the issue is not “Well, I’d like to give, but.” It is could you and did you. Did your heart motivate you to give, or to make excuses? “And a poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which make a penny. And he called his disciples to him and said to them, “Truly, I say to you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the offering box. For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on.”” Mark 12:42-44. We make excuses, but we all can give something. But yes, our heart condition does matter.
However what about when we mean well but the “Law of Unintended Consequences” rears its head and we end up doing evil? It is a principle of Torah that we are responsible for our actions. A good example might be Deuteronomy 22:8, “When you build a new house, you shall make a parapet for your roof, that you may not bring the guilt of blood upon your house, if anyone should fall from it.” It’s our house, and we did not intend that someone would fall from our roof. So if we, for example start a national Welfare program to help those in need, and it ends up harming those we intended to help, should we not “modify our roof,” i.e. correct the problems? What problems, you might ask:
1. reliance on handouts can destroy the character of recipients
it destroys human dignity
2. we now have a class of people deemed “unemployable
their ability to work, to fend for themselves is destroyed
3. those who just need a hand up, the ones it was originally meant to help are frozen out by a bureaucracy intent more on so called “social justice” than on actually helping anyone
And I get these first hand, having both friends and family who work in the “industry” (read that “bureaucracy”). The original plan was sold as a good thing; helping the needy. I remember President Johnson’s “Great Society” wherein we were to do away with poverty. And yet every year since his plans were put in place poverty has grown, and at a pace we cannot and should not ignore. The government bureaucracy says we need to throw more money at the problem. But any thinking individual can see the problem is that we’ve just thrown more and more money at the bureaucracy, and the more we do the worse it gets.
So now I am going to get political for a bit. Religion can and should drive politics. In the ancient world they were inseparable. It is ok to use our hearts when dealing with political issues, however we must first and foremost use our minds. Heart vs. mind is the current liberal vs. conservative debate at its most basic. And we tend to get so polarized we cannot see any common ground. But there is such a thing as “compassionate conservatism” where yes, we want to help, but we also take responsibility for the consequences of our actions! If the results are so obviously devastating, why have we not addressed the problems?
I’ve been blessed, never needing welfare. But I’ve helped someone who did need it but wanted to work their way off. I saw firsthand the pressure the system puts on people to stay on once they’ve got you. The threats and intimidation tactics, and the petty attacks the system makes on those it is supposedly helping. We need to start holding our elected officials accountable for the bureaucracies they create and supposedly oversee. It’s an uncomfortable truth, but we will be held accountable for the actions of our government. Time and again we see a national accounting in Torah and throughout the Bible.
We were given a heart, and a mind, and I believe we were meant to use them both.
I apologize for the rant. I chose this example because it is an area I have firsthand knowledge and experience with. But sadly there are many examples I could have chosen to illustrate this point, some far more serious (abortion, for example). I am just not as personally familiar with them.
Luke 12:47-48a And that servant who knew his master's will but did not get ready or act according to his will, will receive a severe beating. But the one who did not know, and did what deserved a beating, will receive a light beating. A beating is a beating, and God does not punish those who are not guilty. It doesn’t say if you meant well you are ok; it just says if you did not know you won’t be punished as severely. However at the extreme end “The wages of sin is death” (Rom 6:23). I do not know how the punishment at the end will be meted out. But death is death, and our heart condition notwithstanding that is not one I want to chance. So I try to choose wisely what politicians I support, and what causes I give to. I’ve written my representatives in congress and called the White House (but “he” was never so wise as to talk with me directly). I doubt I’ve done nearly all I could … “but my heart is in the right place.”
Doggone we are a miserable lot.
Mekorot: All scripture from the ESV unless otherwise specified; Stone’s TNK; W Wiersbe; Dennis Prager; my father and others
Next Week’s Readings:
Parashah- Ex 26:31-27:19
Haftara- Ezek 43:1-27
* Apostolic references will be given in the darashot
Parashah- Exodus 25:1-26:30
Haftara- Isaiah 66:1-24
D’rash: Thus says the Lord: “Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool; what is the house that you would build for me, and what is the place of my rest? (Isaiah 66:1).
The rest of the chapter is a description of the building of the Mishkan. In fact, much of this will be repetitive; the earlier writings being HaShem’s instructions for its’ building, the latter the actual building of the Mishkan. But 15 out of 40 chapters devoted to the building of the Mishkan- why so much?
Exodus 25:8 And let them make me a sanctuary, that I may dwell in their midst.
Elohei Yisroel, the God of Israel (2 Sam 23:3) did not dwell in His Tabernacle, rather it was to be a sign He dwelt among His people. Another difference in pagan gods and Kadosh Yisroel, the Holy One Of Israel (Psalm 78:41) is that pagan gods were mostly tied to the land. The God of the Hebrews went with them wherever they went, and the symbolism was not lost on the people of the nations, either. The Hebrews had no land at this time, yet their God was with them; and He proved time and again to be greater than all other gods!
This was to be the center of worship for the Hebrews. It was the place they could come closer to their God; the only place they were now to make sacrifices. The Hebrew for sacrificial offering is קָרְבָּן qorban, which derives from the root קרב qarav, to draw near. They drew nearer to Adonai in the Mishkan. This did not mean they could not worship or pray anywhere, or that He was not with them everywhere; just that this was their special place for those purposes, and the only place they could attain kapparah כפרה, the covering offered with a sacrifice.
Rabbi Menachem Mendel said “God exists wherever man lets Him in.”
Another reason for the amount of detail might be to communicate the majesty of Adon Kol HaAretz, Lord Of All The Earth M(icah 4:13) and the beauty of worshiping Him and Him alone. And it says “this is how I am to be worshiped; I am a God of details, and those details are important in My worship.” This is true whether in building the Mishkan, or later the Temple, and also in how we present ourselves and worship Him. All is to be done exactly as He said.
Exodus 25:2 “Speak to the people of Israel, that they take for me a contribution. From every man whose heart moves him you shall receive the contribution for me. Torah commands us to give to the poor. One example: “When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap your field right up to its edge, neither shall you gather the gleanings after your harvest. And you shall not strip your vineyard bare, neither shall you gather the fallen grapes of your vineyard. You shall leave them for the poor and for the sojourner: I am the Lord your God.” Leviticus 19:9-10.
That is a duty, a commandment to give to the poor. Yet for giving to El Shadai, God who Provides in the first place, that same God leaves it to our own heart how much our offerings should be. “From every man whose heart moves him” suggests we may choose to give nothing extra at all to Abba, our God and Father; the One who lovingly protects and provides for us as a father does his child.
So let’s look at a topic that goes directly against the oversimplified pap we’ve been taught. Does God just look at our heart; do good intentions erase any harm done by our actions? The answer is yes; and no. When giving to Adon Khol HaEretz, The Lord God of All the Earth (Josh 3:13) He wants it to be a heart issue. But note here the issue is not “Well, I’d like to give, but.” It is could you and did you. Did your heart motivate you to give, or to make excuses? “And a poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which make a penny. And he called his disciples to him and said to them, “Truly, I say to you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the offering box. For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on.”” Mark 12:42-44. We make excuses, but we all can give something. But yes, our heart condition does matter.
However what about when we mean well but the “Law of Unintended Consequences” rears its head and we end up doing evil? It is a principle of Torah that we are responsible for our actions. A good example might be Deuteronomy 22:8, “When you build a new house, you shall make a parapet for your roof, that you may not bring the guilt of blood upon your house, if anyone should fall from it.” It’s our house, and we did not intend that someone would fall from our roof. So if we, for example start a national Welfare program to help those in need, and it ends up harming those we intended to help, should we not “modify our roof,” i.e. correct the problems? What problems, you might ask:
1. reliance on handouts can destroy the character of recipients
it destroys human dignity
2. we now have a class of people deemed “unemployable
their ability to work, to fend for themselves is destroyed
3. those who just need a hand up, the ones it was originally meant to help are frozen out by a bureaucracy intent more on so called “social justice” than on actually helping anyone
And I get these first hand, having both friends and family who work in the “industry” (read that “bureaucracy”). The original plan was sold as a good thing; helping the needy. I remember President Johnson’s “Great Society” wherein we were to do away with poverty. And yet every year since his plans were put in place poverty has grown, and at a pace we cannot and should not ignore. The government bureaucracy says we need to throw more money at the problem. But any thinking individual can see the problem is that we’ve just thrown more and more money at the bureaucracy, and the more we do the worse it gets.
So now I am going to get political for a bit. Religion can and should drive politics. In the ancient world they were inseparable. It is ok to use our hearts when dealing with political issues, however we must first and foremost use our minds. Heart vs. mind is the current liberal vs. conservative debate at its most basic. And we tend to get so polarized we cannot see any common ground. But there is such a thing as “compassionate conservatism” where yes, we want to help, but we also take responsibility for the consequences of our actions! If the results are so obviously devastating, why have we not addressed the problems?
I’ve been blessed, never needing welfare. But I’ve helped someone who did need it but wanted to work their way off. I saw firsthand the pressure the system puts on people to stay on once they’ve got you. The threats and intimidation tactics, and the petty attacks the system makes on those it is supposedly helping. We need to start holding our elected officials accountable for the bureaucracies they create and supposedly oversee. It’s an uncomfortable truth, but we will be held accountable for the actions of our government. Time and again we see a national accounting in Torah and throughout the Bible.
We were given a heart, and a mind, and I believe we were meant to use them both.
I apologize for the rant. I chose this example because it is an area I have firsthand knowledge and experience with. But sadly there are many examples I could have chosen to illustrate this point, some far more serious (abortion, for example). I am just not as personally familiar with them.
Luke 12:47-48a And that servant who knew his master's will but did not get ready or act according to his will, will receive a severe beating. But the one who did not know, and did what deserved a beating, will receive a light beating. A beating is a beating, and God does not punish those who are not guilty. It doesn’t say if you meant well you are ok; it just says if you did not know you won’t be punished as severely. However at the extreme end “The wages of sin is death” (Rom 6:23). I do not know how the punishment at the end will be meted out. But death is death, and our heart condition notwithstanding that is not one I want to chance. So I try to choose wisely what politicians I support, and what causes I give to. I’ve written my representatives in congress and called the White House (but “he” was never so wise as to talk with me directly). I doubt I’ve done nearly all I could … “but my heart is in the right place.”
Doggone we are a miserable lot.
Mekorot: All scripture from the ESV unless otherwise specified; Stone’s TNK; W Wiersbe; Dennis Prager; my father and others
Next Week’s Readings:
Parashah- Ex 26:31-27:19
Haftara- Ezek 43:1-27
* Apostolic references will be given in the darashot
