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Drash for Shabbat Tetzaveh/Zachor By Dr. Steve Shapiro - March 2, 2007 This week's Torah portion, Tetzaveh, from the Book of Exodus details God's instructions to Moses concerning the construction of the Tabernacle (the portable Sanctuary) with its essential elements, as well as instructions on the ordination of Aaron and his sons as priests. God goes into great detail, prescribing the precise garments, precious metals and stones to be used in making the vestment for the priests. In sometimes vivid detail, he prescribes the animal sacrifices that shall be performed to purify the altar and atone for our sins. Also, instructions are given on the "regular" light which will become the "eternal light" (ner tamid). Tonight, as we sit in our Sanctuary we see many of the same symbols that God related to Moses. We as Jews hold these close to our hearts and they constitute much of our identity. Although we can converse and pray to God at any time, as we gather here in the Sanctuary together we realize this is a special place where special things happen. On the eve of my son's Bar Mitzvah, he is about to perform a basic Jewish rite of passage. His Jewish education has been an exercise in connecting these symbols to meaning in his life. I feel the beauty of these symbols has been their evolution over time without change in their meaning. The eternal light now stands over the ark and is illuminated by electricity, not olive oil. We no longer have animal sacrifices, but now use prayer and perform acts of loving kindness to show our devotion to God. We no longer have a hereditary priesthood that we adorn in such an extravagant way; we adorn the Torah, and look to it for our moral and ethical guidance. We hope as our children grow older and face difficult challenges that they will always have a guiding and eternal light to show them the way. I hope Jordan takes note that the ner tamid is a sign of welcome, reminding him to always welcome others into his heart. It is not a bright light. It is a humble light not overshadowing the Torah it illuminates. Humility is a virtue that will lead him to great things. And finally, it is of course eternal, not selectively switched on or off. These codes and standards God has chosen to give to us are always to be upheld. Shabbat Shalom.
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