Our session began at Exodus 39:32. In a remarkably rich discussion, Rabbi Sara provided us numerous ways of thinking about the importance of the mishkan (dwelling, sanctuary) and of the text’s repetition of the description of building the mishkan. First, she pointed out that we do not really know why it was repeated. One idea, she then pointed out, is that it is repeated because it is so important.

Marilyn W., referring to an Orthodox commentary, suggested that the description is repeated so that the people will engage in the practices in exactly the correct way. R. Sara pointed out that what Marilyn was referring to reflects the rabbinic view according to which every practice must be exact. In other words, it reflects more of a rabbinic view than just something that can be read right off the text itself.

We discussed the fact that the mishkan is so important because God’s footstool is within it. R. Sara pointed out that God created all things for humanity and humanity built the mishkan for God. Laura Ashkin mentioned that, as Plaut points out, God is absent at the beginning and present at the end of Exodus.

Laura Ashkin, referring to the Plaut commentary, pointed out that the passage with the odd phrase “the mishkan (dwelling, sanctuary) of the ohel moed (tent of meeting)” combines the two peoples, the northern Jews (mishkan) and the southern Jews (ohel moed). R. Sara has mentioned previously that the text sometimes is an attempt to combine the two groups in the text itself in order to create a text that unifies the two groups. She also mentioned that Plaut was one of the first people to bring archaeology and history into a Jewish interpretation.

We discussed verse 39:32 in which we are told that the Israelites completed all the work according to all that YHVH had commanded. R. Sara pointed out the striking cantillation emphasizes all the work and all that God had commanded to show and emphasize that the work is totally finished. Shay mentioned that Or HaChaim states that the reference to the Israelites (plural) makes clear that we can’t fulfill the commandments on our own.

Sara taught us that Or HaHayim was an 18^th c. North African kabbalist and wanted people to do mitzvot to bring the messiah. As the mishkan is a community project so doing the mitzvot is the work of a community. Or HaHayim takes what happens in Exodus all as metaphor for what we should do in daily life. R. Sara pointed out that his name was Haim Ibn Attar though he was called Or HaHayim after his major work of the same name, a common practice with kabbalistic authors (for example, the Sfat Emet).

Rabbi Sara told us that Torah flourished in the Golden Age during which there was north African influence with Jews being heavily involved in Muslim life. The Ashkenazic Jewish world was more isolated. These were the two dominant Jewish groups while now the two most important are U.S. Jews and Israeli Jews (with, I wanted to add, French Jews coming up right behind).

Following the comments about kabbalistic authors, we discussed the kabbalistic work, the Zohar, which is probably from 13^th c. Spain and later was influential in Sfat, northern Israel, in the 1600’s.

Robbie mentioned that, as the JPS commentary states, verse 43’s statement that they had done all the work reflects God having done all the work at the end of the creation. That reference indicates that the priest’s actions mirror God’s.

Sara commented that we are building a world for God, a home for God. The rabbis lived before and after the destruction of the Temple in which we needed something other than a mishkan or temple to have God’s presence. We needed gimilut chasadim (deeds of lovingkindness). Hence, the rabbis see Torah through the commandments since commandments are what, for them, bring us the presence of God.

Shay pointed out that it is we who need that home for God. R. Sara pointed out that the mishkan is in the middle to remind us of God’s presence. She stated that where God is—God’s presence–is one of the central questions of Exodus.

Marilyn, referencing Alter, remarked on the incantatory power of the repetition of the building of the mishkan and that the text reaches a climax that brings all the themes together.

Sara notes Moses blessing the people. There are two different building projects. As God blesses the world with “it is good” when God complete’s God’s project so Moses blesses the people when they complete their building project.

On a Hebrew language note, R. Sara reminded us that a yod without its own vowel is not pronounced.

Putting these comments together, R. Sara showed us a wide variety of ways of understanding the building of the mishkan and its importance in our daily life.