The eleventh Exodus weekly Torah reading Pekekudei (38:21-40:38) is the last portion of Exodus. Exodus was so named because the book relates the events of the Israelites leaving Egypt. It is also called in Hebrew Shemos, based on the practice of naming a book after the first significant word in the book. Nachmanides (1194-1270) named it Sefer HaGeulah (“The Book of Redemption”). He noted that the book includes the receiving of the Torah at Mount Sinai and the building of the tabernacle. He wanted to remind us that the Exodus is not the end of the story. We are not entirely free until we receive the Torah with its instructions for life and develop a relationship with God. All of these names are good, but none express all the wisdom the book contains. The following are some additional thoughts.
Perfect beginning and end
Exodus is brilliantly written. It begins with tales of Israelite enslavement by Egyptians and ends with rules about the tabernacle, the Israelite relationship with God rather than servitude to other humans. There is great wisdom in this.
Slaves are required to surrender themselves entirely to their masters. God does not require or even want surrender.
The phrase “leap of faith” is usually attributed to the hugely influential 19th-century Danish philosopher and theologian Søren Kierkegaard (1813–1855). However, while the idea is his, he never used this exact phrase. He used “qualitative leap” to describe the radical shift in belief. He felt that a leap was vital in accepting Christianity due to the unexplained paradoxes that exist in Christianity. He, in essence, advised people not to spend time trying to find reasons for religious teachings but to accept them without thinking about them.
Maimonides taught the opposite. All Jewish teachings are rational and can be understood if someone seeking an explanation spends time learning. He stressed that the opening chapter of the Torah states that God placed the “Image of God” in humans, which Maimonides said was the intellect. He also emphasized that when people need help, they should not rely on God but use their intellect, and people who have improved their thinking do better than others.
Thus, the ending of the Book of Exodus teaches that true freedom comes when we are neither the puppets of fellow humans or God but live a life where we improve ourselves, be all we can be, and help other people and all that God provided in the universe.
This lesson about growing up and learning to initiate our actions without relying on parents or our “Father” in heaven is seen in the fact that Exodus opens with the Israelites needing divine help through plagues and ends with humans working to build the tabernacle. Similarly, it begins with the Israelites needing aid from Moses and his brother Aaron and ends with skilled workers unrelated to the two leaders doing the work. Also, Moses, not God, uses his intellect in verse 38:21 and commands that a full accounting must be given to the people of all they gave to build the tabernacle – a lesson still not learned by governments today. In each instance, the Torah highlights that the people learned to care for themselves.
The accounting
Verse 39:6 instructs Israelites to stop contributing gifts for the building of the tabernacle. This remarkable announcement that the government has enough money is unique.
When was the tabernacle constructed?
Verse 40:17 reveals that the building of the tabernacle was completed on the first day of the first month, the month of the exodus, two years after the exodus. The two events are connected. The passage teaches that Jews must not forget the events of the past and must constantly learn from past events to improve their lives today.
Thus, the ending of the Book of Exodus teaches that true freedom comes when we are neither the puppets of fellow humans or God but live a life where we improve ourselves, be all we can be, and help other people and all that God provided in the universe.
Beautifully written Israel, Slavery was a evil act.
Thank you.
Verse 39:6 instructs Israelites to stop contributing gifts for the building of the tabernacle. This remarkable announcement that the government has enough money is unique.
In modern economics; we should not view a balanced budget as a good thing because, it leads to a lack of money in investment, spending and etc which props up economic growth?
I do not think governments were established to do this.
The Torah, our foundational text, sets the tone for the approach, declaring that God created humanity in His “image” – a concept that I firmly believe refers to the capacity for rational thought and intellect, dear Rabbi Israel Drazin !
This notion has profound implications, for it suggests that human beings possess a divine spark, a spark that can be fanned into a flame of understanding and wisdom through the cultivation of our intellectual faculties. When we face challenges and difficulties, it is not enough to simply pray for divine intervention; rather, we must strive to exercise our rational faculties, to think critically and creatively, and to seek solutions through our own efforts.
In this sense, I argue that the development of our intellect is a sacred endeavor, one that allows us to fulfill our potential as human beings and to live a life of purpose and meaning. Those who dedicate themselves to the pursuit of knowledge and wisdom, who strive to improve their thinking and to deepen their understanding of the world, will inevitably fare better than those who do not. The power of human reason, I firmly believe, is a gift from God, and it is our responsibility to nurture and develop it to the fullest extent possible.Best: stephen
Beautiful way of saying what you and I agree to be true.
Hi Stephen, I agree with you entirely that the divine gift of reason is the choicest gift of God to man.
It is also a responsibility, the requirement to use it.
Regarding Søren Kierkegaard. While I agree with you and dislike his idea of a “leap of faith” or a “qualitative leap,” I like some of his ideas. For example, Kierkegaard said “The function of prayer is not to influence God, but especially to change the nature of the one who prays.” Do you like his view on prayer and what do you think about it?
As I think I wrote in the past, I think that prayer is not directed to God, but is a collection of different thoughts that we should read, think about, agree with the ideas in some and disagree with others, but learn from each and use what we learn to improve ourselves, others, and all that God placed in the unuverse.
I agree with you that we use try to improve all that God created in the universe but what do you think of Kierkegaard’s words about prayer above?
I do not think the sage Kierkegaard understood the value of prayer, that its purpose is to improve humans, not get things from God, and only helps humans if they understand what they are reading.
I think Kierkegaard is trying to say that prayer is not a time to influence God or ask for things but a time to change the character of the one who prays.
The goal is not to change the character of the person praying, but the prayers should be understood as teaching many lessons that can help people be all they can be and improve the world.
Thank you for another brilliant essay. I like the Exodus story. If it occurred, I do not think it occurred as described. I do not believe in miracles. Maimonides interpreted Judaism rationally. Therefore, we should interpret extraordinary events in scripture naturally. Here is my interpretation of the pillar of cloud and fire. I adopt the apporach of the deist-pantheist, John Toland (1670-1722). The miracles in the Bible were not really miracles. They can be explained by natural causes. For example, the miracle that the ancient Israelites were led from Egyptian captivity to the promised land by a cloud and a pillar of fire can be explained as a natural event. The cloud and pillar of fire was not a supernatural miracle. It was merely the Israelites carrying a beacon of fire, which the front of the army used to signal to the rest of the army. In ancient times it was a very common practice for armies to use fires as a kind of a beacon.
This is very possible.