1. ch. 25, v. 2-8: Was there an obligation to give to the tabernacle? Yes and no. From this verse one might think that there was not an obligation to contribute. G-d merely says that anyone whose spirit moves him or her to give should give. The text does indicate, however, that the children of Israel, perhaps the leadership thereof, should collect the donations of those who are moved to give. The collection is compulsory. the giving is voluntary. A community which does not make demands and encourage generosity of spirit is not doing its share in motivating its members. Ultimately, though, giving must be from the heart and not coerced. 

There is another portion, which we'll read in two weeks and again two weeks before Purim (Exodus ch. 30, v. 11-15), which speaks of the obligation to give one half a silver piece. Rich or poor, one cannot give less or more than that amount. In this week's reading it indicates that people should give gold and silver and materials as much as they would like. Isn't this a contradiction? The rabbis understood that the portion which speaks of obligation is for contributions to the daily communal sacrifices. In the worship of G-d as a community we cannot allow distinctions of rank to play a role. How then are the more zealous, those who have more to give, to play a role? The Torah provides space for individualism, and space for equality. 

Thus far we have suggested a synthetic approach which harmonizes two seemingly contradictory passages. Generally, it is the role of the Rabbis to harmonize contradictions so that the people are not left with contradictory directives as to how to conduct their lives. There is, however, a dialectic approach which refuses to harmonize contradictions and instead sees the contradiction as deliberate and as an expression of an irresolvable paradox or dialectic. 

The dialectic approach here would run something like this; There can be no coercion in giving to G-d, because all giving must be from love. Yet everyone must give. Being a part of the community and serving G-d are not options. They are imperatives. How can giving be both mandatory and optional? Sometimes the truth lies in the paradox, not in its resolution. 

2. ch. 25, v. 8, 22: What's the purpose of the tabernacle? These two verses indicate that the purpose of the tabernacle was a) to create "a holy temple," b) to build a place for G-d to live among us, and c) to have a place (through the cherubs over the ark which contained the ten commandments) through which to receive ongoing divine revelation. What's the point of having a "holy temple?" Although we believe that the purpose of our lives is to be holy (Leviticus 19, 2; Exodus 19, 6), and that that  holiness should pervade every aspect of our lives, there is still a need for holy time and holy space. Yes, there is a holy way to brush one's teeth (intending it as away of safekeeping the human body, G-d's gift to each of us) and an unholy way to do so (intending the white teeth to seduce an inappropriate other, or to insincerely charm someone into acting against their interests). Still, there is a difference between the holiness of uplifting the mundane and the holiness of G-d, of the Torah, of the Temple. If we are so taken by the potential for holiness in every act that we can't see the difference between G-d and a thoughtful person brushing his or her teeth, then we have sunk to paganism, polytheism. If we can try to imbue all of our living with holiness but still set aside a niche for the purely holy, the Divine, then we have understood the message of having a Temple. 

What does it mean to have G-d "live among us?" When we're alone at night or on a long walk, standing to say the 'amida, rejoicing or mourning, we should feel that without the need for extensive meditation, without the need to be transplanted mentally or physically to heaven, we can immediately just turn to G-d and thank Him, pray to Him, or just be with Him, because He is "living among us." He is not someplace else from which I need to summon Him. The Temple is not the place we go to to find G-d. The Temple is centrally located in the heart of the Israelite camp, or later in the heart of Israel, not merely so as to make it easy to visit, but as a symbol that G-d is "among us." He lives directly in our midst. 

How does the tabernacle serve as a center for ongoing revelation? Nahmanides (13th cent. Spain) writes that the Revelation at Mount Sinai was continued through the tabernacle. Mount Sinai was a fiery and smokey place of Divine Revelation. The tabernacle is also a place of fire, clouds and smoke for the revelation of G-d's word to Israel. 

Each time G-d speaks to Moshe through the tabernacle, is that considered a new revelation on par with that at Mount Sinai? Yes and no. In a way, there was only one revelation, which was at Sinai. By virtue of having received the 10 commandments there, which embody and represent all of the precepts, the whole Torah was already revealed. There is no need or even a possibility of something new or outside the general guidelines of the first commandments which could ever be revealed. Moses went up to study for 40 days and 40 nights, representing the notion that he learned everything there is to know. Our portion makes this point by stating that the subsequent revelations came through the cherubs on the ark containing the 10 commandments. All new revelations are simply an expansion of the original one. (See reading 3, question 3 for Solomon's view of the purpose of the Temple) 

3. The ark, table, golden altar, menorah, the tabernacle. Why are the directions given in this order? The directions are given in order of importance, and also in the order in which one would encounter them going from the holy of hollies and outward toward the outer parts of the tabernacle. Rashi (12th cent. France) points out that in the actual construction of the tabernacle, the order was reversed; First they built the tent and then the vessels. (see 35, 11-2) Logically, we are always tempted to begin at our goal. In reality, we sometimes need to begin from the beginning before we can reach the end goal (the ark). 

Reading 2: Haftarah Terumah (p. 336, Hertz), I Kings, ch, 5, v. 26- ch. 6, v. 13: Preliminary building of the first Temple by Solomon 

1. v. 26: Who is Hiram? see ch, 7, v. 13-5. Why is this of interest? Hiram of chapter 5 is the king of Tyre, Phoenicia (Lebanon). Hiram or Hirom of chapter 7 is a brilliant artist and architect, whose mother is of the tribe of Naftali, and whose father is a gentile bronze worker of Tyre. Whether or not these men are one and the same, gentile efforts were clearly involved in building the first Temple. The king sent the cedars of Lebanon and the craftsman was the main architect. Whereas the first tabernacle was very much the work of Jews, the Temple is more of a universal home for G-d which required non-Israelite participation. Isaiah speaks of The Temple as a house of prayer for all nations (56, 7). He envisions the nations bringing gifts to the Temple in ships and on horses or chariots. 

The fact that the artist's mother is from the tribe of Naftali, a relatively "minor" tribe, indicates that in the service of G-d there are no favored tribes. Similarly, the architects for the first tabernacle were Bezalel of the leading tribe of Judah, and also Aholiab of the minor tribe of Dan (Exodus 31). Politically, the two minor tribes, descendant of Jacob's concubine, Zilpah, played little role. Spiritually, they were as involved as King Solomon himself. The fact that Hiram's Tyran father may have been gentile shows that matrilineal descent makes him as worthy a Jew as any other, and that estranged families can sometimes still make great contributions to Israel. 

2. ch. 6, v. 11-3: On what basis does G-d dwell in the Temple? If Israel are worthy of His presence. 

Reading 3: I Kings, ch, 8, v. 17-44 (Dedication ceremony of Solomon's first Temple) 

1. v. 27: What paradox is dealt with? Though G-d is omnipresent, we speak of His dwelling in the Temple. 

2. v. 28-30: How does Solomon interpret Exodus 25, 8? He understands  the so-called "dwelling of G-d" in the Temple to mean that the Temple is the address of our prayers. G-d, as portrayed by the Jewish people, is the G-d one addresses when one prays via the Temple. 

3. What's the purpose of the temple according to Solomon? v. 31-44 It is primarily a house of prayer. Isaiah (ibid.) had a similar view. Hannah, the righteous mother of the prophet and leader, Samuel always came to the Temple to pour out her heart to G-d regarding the pain of being barren. For Solomon, the temple is also that place which, by virtue of the fact that those who pray in its direction are answered, can show the world that our understanding of G-d is the truth.