The Accounting
The opening words of the weekly Torah reading Prkudei (Exodus 38:21-40:38) state that an accounting was given of the precious metals used in the construction of the Tabernacle, the name given to the desert Temple during the days of Moses. There is no command by God to do so. One might think that Moses and the principal worker, Bezalel, were above suspicion, but the Midrash Tanchuma informs us otherwise:
Why did Moses give an accounting? The Holy One, blessed be He, trusted him, for it says: “He is trusted” (Numbers 12:7). Nevertheless, Moses issued an accounting because the scoffers of his time gossiped about him, as it says: “And it happened that whenever Moses went out to the tent, all the people would rise and stand, each at the door of his tent, and gaze after Moses until he had entered the tent” (Exodus 33:8). What did they say? They looked at his back and said to each other, “What a neck! What legs! He eats and drinks what belongs to us.” To which his fellow responded, “Fool! What else would you expect from a man who constructs the Tabernacle? Surely, he will become rich.” When Moses heard this, he said, “I swear that as soon as the Tabernacle work ends, I will give them an accounting.” When it was finished, he said to them, “These are the accounts of the Tabernacle.”
Other commentaries say that, although Moses and Bezalel were beyond suspicion, they set an example about using public funds. They felt the Israelites were entitled to a reckoning since the donated materials had initially belonged to them. As a result of their example, many people learn to do likewise.
How far should people go to show they are honest? Must people, especially politicians, be accountable to others even when the law doesn’t require it?
The Tabernacle and later Temples
In his “Guide for the Perplexed,” Maimonides (1138-1204) writes that God did not need or want a Sanctuary but only allowed it because the people needed a physical structure. Using the Maimonidean approach, shouldn’t we understand that the building contained God is wrong? It reflects how the people thought of the Sanctuary and what it meant to them.
The details about the Tabernacle
Not only are the kinds of vessels used in the Tabernacle and their design, measurements, and composition mandated, but their exact location is stipulated by God in this week’s Torah portion.
Why was all of this necessary? Couldn’t Moses make decisions on some of them without divine instructions? Is order in life necessary? I think so. Order is needed for clear thinking. The Hebrew word for the prayer book is siddur, “order” (of prayers). The Hebrew word for the Passover eve ceremony at which the Exodus story is told is Seder, “order” (of rituals). Must ceremonies follow an order? The Golden Rule of “The Middle Path” applies to “order” as to all other things: One must order one’s life between the extremes of disorderly and OCD (Obsessive-compulsive disorder).
What do the early Genesis chapters tell us about order in the universe? Maimonides suggests that the Torah starts with a parable about the Creation to inform people that they must learn how the earth functions, the sciences, and the orderly rules of nature. Doesn’t this make sense to you?
Pekudei ends Exodus
When Jews end reading a book of the Bible in the synagogue, as they do when Pekudei ends, the congregation says, “Chazak chazak v’nitchazeik—Be strong, be strong, and let us be strengthened [together].”
What is the meaning of this proclamation? Why is strength emphasized over joy? Why is this statement mandated only at the end of a book of the Bible rather than at the end of each Torah portion? Isn’t it because the Torah wants proper actions performed with strength, not emotions such as beliefs and faith? And isn’t the end emphasized because we should be “end-oriented,” focusing our actions on the goal we want to reach?
Jews attending different synagogues
In Moses’ day, there was one Tabernacle for all Israelites. Today, there are Orthodox, Modern Orthodox, Chassidic, Conservative, Reform, Reconstruction, and more. This is good and bad. The bad is when Jews do not work together.
The message of Judaism is respect for others. Love your neighbor as yourself. What is harmful to you, do not do to others. Neither Adam nor Eve were Orthodox or Reform Jews, but God created them. All humans, with no exception, are made in the image of God. Abraham wore no yarmulke. King David no tzitzis. King Solomon acquired materials from pagan idol-worshiping kings to build the temple. Non-priests entered the temple’s Holy of Holies to make repairs so that it would not fall apart. Secular Jews led the reestablishment of Israel and fought in its war before and in 1948, as well as after. We need to be together, or we will cease to exist.
Today, there are Orthodox, Modern Orthodox, Chassidic, Conservative, Reform, Reconstruction, and more. This is good and bad. The bad is when Jews do not work together.
What happens if a Jew just decides one day we need to start sacrificing our kids to Adonai?
Sacrifice them through the cutting of their heart?
And praise the lord to give us rain and harvest for this worthy sacrifice?
What then Rabbi?
Is he still a Jew?
Idol worshipper?
He is still a Jew, but he is a stupid Jew and a murderer.
“He is still a Jew, but he is a stupid Jew and a murderer.”
I agree with you that such a person who makes a human sacrifice is stupid. I am not sure if a Jew who is an idolator or an atheist is still a Jew from a religious point of view. Maybe I am wrong. I will give you my reasons for saying so. Let me know if what I say makes sense or if you disagree and why.
Rabbi Asher Meza maintains that a Jew who abandons Judaism is no longer a Jew in the eyes of God, even though he/she is ethnically Jewish by virtue of having a Jewish mother. He says that Judaism is a religion, not an ethnicity.
Covenants were made with Abraham and Isaac. The Torah says if an Israelite violates the Torah laws he/she is “cut off.” Thus, a Jewish atheist does not become a gentile but he is not really Jewish either until he repents. He becomes a non gentile. One who publicly desecrates Shabbat is called not Jewish until he/she repents. God doesn’t care about DNA.
I understand that a Jew who worships idols is still a Jew. But he is a bad Jew.
Dear Israel,
We must change the mind of athetist and chrsitians and agnostiic people
Judaism has contributed much to western civilization
As you state in your Torah commentary that God wants us to study the sciences
And it is that passage in the torah that allow western civilization to industralize and modernized compared to the rest of the world
You are right.
How do we do this?
Do i need to take politics seriously?
Do i need to educate other people about the Rambam?
What do i do Israel?
WHAT SHOULD I DO 🙁
We should tell people Maimonides brilliant ideas, as I do.
Dear ISrael,
Hwo do we treat someone with the proper respect when they are nazis, hamas, or evil?
There are always in life exceptions to everything. We need to protrct ourselves, other people, and society. Therefore there is a need to destroy evil.
Dear Israel,
I believe its best for Jews to make a plan.
Because things will now on be very difficult for Jews.
Both Republicans and Democrats hate jews for their own specific reason.
Jews are human like other humans.
Israel is being attacked very harshly.
I believe a world war is close General.
Thoughts?
Also, i believe Jews should have some speciailized treatment because of the holocaust.
African American, European Americans, Asian Americans And everyone on the planet do not have the total terror of being wiped out, starved to death, and gassed.
Hope all is well 🙂 it is for me except for the Jew hating that is going on.
Antisemitism is at a high level. We need to do more than hope it will diminish. Our leaders need to show that Jews have made and continue to make helpful contributions to the world.
How do you do that when hasidic Jews try to seperate themselves from other people?
Should every other jew interact with non-jews and try to convince them that they are people like them and we just want to have productive happy lives like everyone else?
I think we should socialize with non-Jews but be careful not to violate Jewish laws and not absorb and mimic their customs. I recognize that this is difficult and not everyone can do it without accepting wrong ideas. I know of famous rabbis who went to secular colleges and later taught their congregants to have a leap of faith and surrender themselves to God, which they claimed was more important than action, and which is a non-Jewish Christian idea.
Dear Israel,
We can’t force people to not be antisemitic.
They have to learn it and force themselves to not be.
We can’t force people not to rape and kill we can only lead them to how to stop these habits.
If people want to kill Jews; they will disregard anything we will state and ignore the evidence that is shown in front of them.
Hi Rabbi Drazin,
I think we can help stop antisemitism by having an open-door policy. I think the idea that non-Jews have that Jews are so closed and secretive fuels antisemitism. They don’t even know that they can convert. Maybe if we adopted this approach they would stop telling lies because they could find out for themselves. But when Chabad rabbis say we don’t want converts it builds contempt and resentment. Proselyting lessens antisemitism.
We discurrage prosetyzing becase we feel that good non-jews are just as good as good Jews. Thus there is no need to become Jewish.
I actually agree with you. Although I can’t think of one halacha that prohibits us from proselytizing. Prosetyzing means more Jews and more Jews making the world better will make the messianic age faster.
When a person applies to convert, many rabbis tell him the difficulty of observing the laws and that we think non-Jews are as good as Jews.
I also feel that non-Jews are as good as Jews. It’s OK to warn them of the difficulties and remind them that they are joining the most persecuted people in the world. But I don’t like how some conversion programs by Chabad make converts wait for ten years and have to spend 10,000 dollars. Rabbi Asher Meza converts people in a few weeks. But we agree. They do not have to become Jewish to get to heaven. They can remain a righteous non-Jews and follow the seven Noahide laws.
Regarding conversion. There was a mixture of non-Hebrews and Hebrews and they’re all called Israel on Sinai. We are united by philosophy. Judaism is universal. Islam claims that the Torah is only for Jews. The Quran is more universal because its message is for mankind. The Koran is for everyone. But that’s not true. The Torah is for all people. In my view, the mixed multitude, in the plain meaning of Scripture, were people of differing ethnic and racial backgrounds who joined the Hebrews out of slavery in Egypt. I think Judaism is a religion. Many Jews today are descended from the mixed multitude from Egypt. The Talmud says that there were more people from the mixed multitude than ethnic Hebrews. God doesn’t have favorites. God did not create two different types of humans; we all descended from Adam and Eve. The patriarchs (Abraham, Isaac, Jacob) were non-Jews.
I think we should seek converts. If God is good He would want to share His will with all people. If person A discovered the cure to cancer surely he would share it with person B. In my view, Judaism is a religion. I do not think Judaism is just an ethnicity. I think that if the Torah is a document that will make your life better we should teach it to non-Jews and spread its message to all. Rambam states that Abraham sought converts. He sat at the front of his tent willing to teach anyone willing to listen. Maimonides states that we should do what Abraham did. Of course, this can’t be completely true from a historical point of view. Ruth was not a convert (for example) because conversion didn’t exist way back when. But the bottom line is that I can’t think of any law to encourage Gentiles who want to convert to accept the Noahide laws. But nowadays some rabbis offer the Noahide laws as an alternative. They don’t even mention the possibility of conversion or they downplay it. Although I concur with your view that a good non-Jews can be just as good as the born Jew who keeps the Torah.
I agree.
I also take the Maimonidean approach that God did not need or want a Sanctuary but only allowed it because the people needed a physical structure. Not even the temple could contain God. “But will God indeed dwell on the earth? Behold the heaven and the heaven of heavens cannot contain You. How much less this temple which I have built!” (1 Kings 8:27)
Also agree with Maimonides that the Genesis narrative is a parable about the Creation teaching the orderly rules of nature. It shouldn’t be taken literally. It is only a parable. But it prompts
people to learn physics. This makes sense to me.
Agreed that one must order one’s life between the extremes of disorderly. I have OCD (obsessive-compulsive disorder) and I am still trying to take control of it!
The Chassidic Jews should join the military, join the workforce, and participate in Israeli society. The Chief Rabbinate only accepted Orthodox conversions but the Supreme Court made them also accept Reform. Jewish dominations should stop dissociating themselves from other Jews due to different beliefs. We should even be friends with messianic Jews. Sure, they believe in Jesus and we do not, but let’s focus on what we have in common. We have the Torah. As you said, secular Jews led the reestablishment of Israel. Herzl was irreligious and David Ben-Gurion was a secular Buddhist.
Love your neighbor as yourself is the essence of the Bible and is what, in my view, makes it divine. “Abraham wore no yarmulke. King David no tzitzis.” I express in words how much I agree with that statement! Abraham wasn’t even Jewish and yet he is the father of three world religions, including Judaism, the first of the Abrahamic faiths. Jews should work together. Maybe then our enemies will stop trying to hurt us (together we are stronger than hate). Together we can create a messianic age.
You have expressed what we need to do and think beautifully.
An off-topic question.
It seems that there are no other text or documents that mention the Noahide laws outside of the Talmud. I found two quotes here that may reference them. What do you think of these quotes? Are they referencing the seven laws of Noah?
The Christian New Tesitment may have mentioned them: “It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us not to burden you with anything beyond the following requirements: You are to abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meat of strangled animals and from sexual immorality. You will do well to avoid these things. Farewell.” Acts 15:28-29 (NIV)
The Jubilees 7 has a different enumeration: “And in the twenty-eighth jubilee Noah began to enjoin upon his sons’ sons the ordinances and commandments, and all the judgments that he knew, and he exhorted his sons to (1) observe righteousness, (2) and to cover the shame of their flesh, (3) and to bless their Creator, (4) and honor father and mother, (5) and love their neighbor, (6) and guard their souls from fornication and uncleanness and all iniquity.”
The book of Jubilees dates back to the Hasmonean era (snd c. BCE), some several hundred years prior to the rabbinical period. Jubilees only list 6 while the New Tesitment list four. They are different from the rabbinical laws outlined for non-Jews. Do you think these texts are alluding to the seven Noahide laws?
I think these esrly statements contain good advice but they are not based on the list of Seven Noahide Commandments that the rabbis invented later in an attempt to get non-Jews to behave properly.
I do not think the 7 laws are alluded to in the Jubilees. Many think the New Testiment mentions the 7 laws. It is possible.
I agree with you, Rabbi.
In the text from Zevachim 101, an argument arises about the accounting of the silver collected for the Temple. Kuntrukos the Roman minister accused Moses of being a thief, kidnapper or inept accountant due to the discrepancy in the silver accounts. Rabban Yochanan ben Zakkai defended Moses by explaining that the talent of the Temple was twice the size of the common unit, and thus, the 200 talents collected were only 100 in terms of the Temple units. This demonstrates that Moses gave an accounting to ensure transparency and accuracy in the management of the Temple’s resources. He valued accountability and wanted to remove any doubt or suspicion about his honesty and integrity. Moses provided an accounting to maintain transparency and demonstrate his integrity in handling public funds. This was done to dispel any claims or suspicions that he had misappropriated any of the collected resources that were designated for the Tabernacle. This responsibility and accountability was important for maintaining trust amongst the children of Israel, dear Rabbi Israel Drazin. Best; atephen
Thanks for the quote that suppots what I wrote. You are very learned, my friend, Stephen.