Sara led our last session, starting at Exodus 37:1. We discussed the description of Bezalel making the ark (aron). R. Sara pointed out that the cantillation emphasizes aron and stated that it is because the aronis the footstool of God. We noted that the gold overlay of the ark is pretty fancy. R. Sara pointed out the zer can mean rim, crown or molding. I asked whether Bezalel actually did all the work described. R. Sara stated that he has already been described as multi-talented and so it is reasonable to assume that he did all of it. R. Myra suggested another possibility, that ‘he did it’ means ‘he organized it’. R. Sara stated that the four rings are for the four poles not for four feet and we generally concurred that that makes more sense. We noted two meanings of kaporet, covering and atonement. There’s a cover over the ark but it has something to do with atonement. R. Myra reminded us of Friedman’s translation of the kaporet over the ark as atonement dais.

We noted that there’s almost no difference between this description of building the ark and the previous description. R. Myra said that all of chapter 37 could have been, simply, “He did it.”

We got into a discussion of law. R. Sara pointed out three levels of it: immutables, stringencies and insanities. Immutables would be laws that simply must be done, I imagine. Stringencies would be fences around the Torah. Insanities would be really going way beyond anything indicated or any reasonable fencing around Torah. Or at least I think that is what rabbi was indicating. We discussed the midrashic understanding of yarmulke coming from the Hebrew word for fear and the Aramaic word for king. Likely, it comes from a Polish word jarmulka which denoted a skullcap worn by priests. We liked the midrashic meaning, though.

We reviewed the meaning of kirubim. For the Assyrians, they were winged bulls that guarded the throne. We recalled that two of them were stationed by Adam and Eve to guard Eden. They were protector beasts, not babies, R. Sara reminded us.

Laura commented that the Judaism we are seeing, with such elaborate gold, for example, is not like the one we know. R. Myra commented that the strands of the rope of our tradition didn’t break. In other words, we keep continuity with prior traditions, even as we change parts of them.