MOSHE THEN
CONVOKED THE WHOLE

ISRAELITE
COMMUNITY AND SAID TO THEM:

 (Shemot 35:1)

Right, Justice, and Peace Are
Essential for the Dwelling of the Shekhina

"Moshe then convoked the whole Israelite community" – Rashi
explains: On the morrow of the Day of Atonement. And in Parashat Yitro it is
written: "And on the morrow, Moshe sat to judge the people"
and there Rashi explained that it was on the morrow of the Day of
Atonement.

It seems to me that it was known that the purpose of this convocation
was to inform them of the mitzvoth of the Mishkan and of contribution, as will
be explained shortly, and Moshe feared lest someone contribute to the Mishkan
something which was not his but which he thought [incorrectly] was legally
his; it is inconceivable that this great and holy edifice be constructed from
stolen materials, that the place of justice be the place of iniquity, so
therefore Moshe first announced: Whoever has a dispute, let him appear before
me for adjudication, in order that everything be peacefully settled, and
everyone should know what is his, and what is not – and only then he informed
them of the matter of donation, saying "Take from among you gifts to
the Lord" – "from you" i.e., yours and not that of
your neighbor.

By
way of intimation, we can say that this convocation was intended to mediate and
bring peace between them, for a person does not dwell with a snake in close
proximity; because he wanted to inform them of the Mishkan project – in which
all will be partners, as though gathered into a single compartment, therefore
it was necessary to first convoke them, that they be one brotherhood.

(Kli Yakar, Shemot 35:1)

THE STAGES OF SHEKHINA

Yair Furstenberg

"And they shall build me a Mikdash
and I will dwell among them" (Shemot 25:8) – this statement by
God, spoken at the outset of the Mishkan chapters, is, at the end of the
process, fully realized in both its aspects. "Moshe completed the work,
and the cloud covered the Tent of Appointment, and the glory of God filled the
Mishkan (Shemot 40:33-34) God's request to have a house built for Him on
earth, where He might dwell among his priests and servants, was fulfilled – in
the temporary and humble dwellings of a nation wandering through the desert.

According to the Book of Shemot, the Mishkan
– built as a house – is God's private home. On the one hand, He has no other
place where He dwells, therefore Israel's great desire to build it. At the same
time, once He has moved into this place, no one may enter without the Master's
invitation: "Moshe could not enter the Tent of Appointment, for the
could lay upon it, and the glory of God filled the Mishkan". (Shemot
40:35). Authorization for Moshe to enter the Mishkan was given him at the Sinai
revelation: "And the glory of God rested upon Mt. Sinai, and the cloud
covered it for six days, and He called to Moshe on the seventh day from within
the cloud." Thus should be described Moshe's entrance into the
Shekhina's permanent site.

This description, in which God's actions seem
similar to those of humans, grates upon our sensibilities.

In the Bible itself we are cautioned against
that. Note the difference between God's wish – "I shall
dwell" – and the realization of the wish "And the glory of
God filled the Mishkan". This tendency to avoid humanization of
God is emphasized in the Aramaic translations of the Bible. God's request "I
shall dwell among them" – is rendered "I shall cause my holy
presence to dwell among them." The Shekhina, the holy presence of God,
replaces God himself; from here on, it is not God who dwells in the Mishkan,
but his Shekhina.

The concept of Shekhina originated in the
world of Chazal. The physical place called Mishkan was transformed into
an abstraction, not tied to a specific place, describing the Divinity itself.
The presence of God in the world is no longer limited to a specific area; the
new term 'Shekhina' – in the language of the Sages – facilitated
transfer of the contact which existed in the Mishkan to additional places. So
we learn in the Mishna: Rabbi Hannya ben Tradyon said… Two who sit and engage
in Torah discussion, the Shekhina is present (Avoth 3:2). Rabbi Halafta ben
Dosa of Kfar Hannanya says: Ten who sit and engage in Torah study, the Shekhina
is present etc (Ibid., Mishna 6). In this fashion, the terminology of the
Tanaim established Torah study as a parallel of the Mikdash.

As
in certain circles of Tanaim the study of Torah brings the Shekhina to the
midst of the learners, so in other circles, mystical in character, the study of
the "Account of the Chariot" brings the presence of the Shekhina. So
said Rabban Yochanan ben Zakkai to Rabbi Elazar ben Arach when the latter
desired to delve into the "Account of the Chariot":

[Rabbi Yochanan dismounted from his donkey. When asked by
Rabbi Elazar for the reason, he replied]: "Is it possible that you should
delve into the"Account of the Chariot", and the Shekhina is in our
midst, and the ministering angels accompany us – and I shall continue to ride
upon a donkey?"

In
the post-Temple world, God joins not his servants, the priests, but rather
those who study his wisdom, both the revealed and the obscure.

Again,
the same difficulty arises.

True,
we are no longer talking about God himself nor about a single specific
dwelling-place. Chazal replaced that with the abstract "Shekhina" and
extended its presence to all places of study. But the difficulty remains, for "the
world is full with His glory" – what is the meaning of a special
divine presence found in the midst of Torah students? This tension is reflected
in the following Talmudic story:

Said a heretic to Rabban Gamliel: "You say that among
every ten men, Shekhina is to be found – how many Shekhinas are there?"
Rabban Gamliel called to his servant and struck him on his neck. He said to
him: "Why does the sun enter the home of the heretic?!" He replied: "The
sun rests on all the world." "Now, if the sun, which is one of
millions of suns before The Holy One, Blessed Be He, rests on all the world,
the Shekhina of The Holy One, Blessed Be He, how much more so?" (Bavli
Sanhedrin 39a)

The
heretic's question was based on the assumption that when the Shekhina is found
in a minyan of men, that is the only place where God is to be found – similar
to the Biblical description of God's dwelling in the Mishkan. This assumption
led directly to the argument that there are multiple Shekhinot. In other words:
You Jews who insist in believing that God continues to dwell in your midst even
after the destruction of the Temple, you have causd the splitting of God and his
Shekhina into fragments. Rabban Gamliel's parable, which compared the Shekhina
to the sun, is also well known among Christian writers – the same Shekhina is
found everywhere, for it radiates from the same source. This parallel between
Shekhina and sunlight, is another abstraction of the concept of Shekhina, an
abstraction which preserves the exalted unity.

But
the abstraction has its drawbacks. Let us ask Rabban Gamliel: The sun beats
down indiscriminately (despite the Chazal Midrash which describes the sun as 'healing
Yaakov but searing Esav and his generals'), dare we say the same about the
Shekhina? True, things which look and sound good for the outside world do not
always faithfully reflect the thoughts of Chazal, expressed in their language.
Even if the Shekhina hovers over a specific place and above a small group of
Torah students, it never goes beyond the boundaries of Klal Yisrael, the Jewish
people. This is the maximal framework in which the Shekhina rests; this is why
anyone who converts is termed 'entering beneath the wings of the Shekhina.'

The
abstraction has its drawbacks. It conceals the sense of closeness essential for
the observance of religious life. How paradoxical is the passage in our parasha
"and Moshe could not enter the Tent of Appointment because the cloud
had settled upon it".
The obligation to keep distance is the best proof of presence and
proximity. Only the desire to escape the presence of the Shekhina, as an
indication of its tangible existence, can explain the following Talmudic story:

Come and see how beloved are Israel, for to wherever they were
exiled, Shekhina remained with them. Where so in Babylon? Said Abaye: In the
synagogue of Hotzel and in the synagogue of 'Shef V'yashiv' in Nehardeah. Came
the Shekhina, and a loud voice was heard – they rose and exited. (Megilla
29a)

The
Sages in Babylon did not want an abstract Shekhina which can be found
throughout the world. They set its place in the miniature Bet Mikdash in their
town, even if they had to distance themselves from the place in order to make
place for the Shekhina. Thus, at the end of a number of stages, the cloud of
glory and the Shekhina returned to the Mishkan.

The
proper balance between proximity and respectful distance is perhaps the place
where Shekhina and Man can co-exist.

 Yair
Furstenberg is a student of Talmud and Classic Studies in the Hebrew University

REACTIONS
TO SHAMMAI LEIBOWITZ'S LETTER ("SHABBAT SHALOM" PARASHAT TETSAVEH)

            I
have been distributing "Shabbat Shalom" in my synagogue since its
inception. I consider it to be the most important project undertaken by "Oz
V'Shalom – Netivot Shalom" in years; it has taken legitimate place among
the Parashat HaShavua publications, and is definitely read also by people who
disagree with us. Yes, the movement has a responsibility for the
crystallization and the discussion among people who, in general, identify with
the movement. "Shabbat Shalom", however, has succeeded to an
extraordinary degree in fulfilling the second function of the movement – the
circulation of its ideology among the wide religious community of
non-supporters. This past Shabbat, for the first time, I did not distribute the
issue in my synagogue. Despite all the reservations which preceded the letter,
a Parashat Shavua sheet publishing a letter calling for refusal to serve would
have repelled all those people who had gotten used to the idea that perhaps we
have something interesting and important to say. It does not seem to me to be a
positive act to destroy the credibility of "Shabbat Shalom" because
of a single letter which would certainly not influence anyone in the wider
community. "Shabbat Shalom" has succeeded in presenting opinions (not
only political ones!) which had previously never been heard in the synagogue,
thus resulting in their being read by many readers. This is an accomplishment.
Preserve it.

Zvi Bernhardt

Beit Shemesh

            I
wholeheartedly agree with the title "Refusal to Obey Orders as an
Expression of Religious-Moral Commitment". It is necessary, however to
discuss and understand those religious and moral commitments.

In continuation
of my letter to "Haaretz" ("The Field of Battle" – Haaretz,
24/02/02) I shall relate to a number of points in Shammai Leibowitz's letter.  

First
of all, you began with demagoguery for its own sake: Do we want to rule over
another people? Is this the goal of the nation dwelling in Zion? We want
peace which also puts an end to the occupation. To our sorrow, because of
developing events, we are forced to deny rights of populations in which the
enemy lives. Are only Palestinians killed in this war? It seems to me
that whoever thinks so is out of touch with reality. In the very same week
which saw publication of your letter, Jewish citizens – elderly citizens,
women, and children – were murdered by nefarious terrorists.

Perhaps
the most serious distortion in your letter is your misunderstanding of our
father Avraham, unfairly ascribing to him refusal to follow orders.

Avraham
was not a conscientious object; he never received a command which he refused to
obey. On the contrary; in the case of Akeidat Yitzhak he was prepared to obey
the word of God. The situation described in the story of Sodom is a most important
dialogue between Avraham and God; there is no call to rebellion against
God or country. It was Avraham's custom to cry out against immoral acts (see
Rashi's commentary and midrashim on the quarrel between the shepherds of
Avraham and those of Lot). I call upon you and your companions to do the same,
out of moral and religious commitment.

The
occupation in its current form was forced upon us; in this war we must protect
our women and children, at the same time preserving a high moral level.        

You
concluded with an 'approximate' order which a reservist receives. It seems to
me that you are maligning Tzahal; if an order in this spirit was given, woe to
you and to whoever else did not immediately react to an immoral order by
screaming to high heaven.

In
the army in which I serve, the exact opposite is the reality.

In
my opinion, one must differentiate between political and ideological arguments
and the complex issue of army service even when it is necessary to cope with
moral dilemmas.

It
seems to me that you have forgotten Tzahal's historical and Zionist goal. You,
with your refusal, are offending the law, morality, and the religious
commitment of "You shall not stand by as your brother's blood is shed",
and are liable to encourage murderous suicide bombers to continue to attack us.
Moral persons as yourself, in particular, are obligated to serve in places most
susceptible to moral stumbling, in order to fight any transgression perpetrated
against a civilian population and in order to serve as an example for emulation
– how to cope with the war, and yet preserve the human image.

Change
course! – and together with us, save Israel.

                                                                                    Yoni
Yehuda, Educator

The writer is General Director of "Temurot"
the Movement for Religious-Zionist Renewal

Editorial Board:
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Menachem Klein

Translation:
Kadish Goldberg

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