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Drash
for Shabbat Pekudei/Shekalim This week’s Torah portion, P’kudei is the conclusion of the book of Exodus and takes place about a year after the Jews’ exodus from Egypt. It completes the story of the building of the Tabernacle, or Tent, a "portable temple" if you will, that the Jewish people could move with them on their long journey to find a permanent home, after leaving Egypt. The Tabernacle served as a house of prayer – and a house for God’s spirit to dwell within, as well as providing a safe and holy gathering place for the community. P’kudei means "amounts of". In this section, exquisite detail is given to every aspect of the project with an eye toward utilizing the correct amounts of the most precious and beautiful building materials. Skilled craftsmen are sought to put them together exactly as God directed to Moses. The cloud that descends over the tent provides the Jews with the clue as to when to stay and when to move on again. The Tabernacle provides a literal home for the symbolic nature of God and thus should reflect the value and importance of this. Yet it also reflects the continued willingness of the people to follow God’s direction, even when the reason for such specific detail is unclear, and the path they are on somewhat murky. Building a Tabernacle is like building a family. You try to find the best of what exists to create it with, in the hopes that it will reflect all of your faith, hopes, and dreams for a future. You build it so that it is sturdy, and of high quality. Much as the Tabernacle needed to be portable to support the wanderings of the Jewish people, while keeping them close to God, the family must be able to sustain the ups and downs of life, the growth and departure of children, and the other spiritual challenges we all face as we move through life. It must be constructed carefully as a structure that will always be wherever it is needed, for any of its members - there to support us in our efforts, successes and failures and also serve to reflect God’s presence in our lives. Just as the Tabernacle is able to be moved, the heart and value of the family must be, in a way, "portable" as well, because life is unpredictable and you never know where it will lead you. Our faith needs to be there…wherever "there" might be. As the Tabernacle was carried and reconstructed from one place to another, we all must learn to carry our faith inside us, reconstruct it every time it is tested, and yet at the same time, not rely only on a specific structure or locale to enable us to feel safe and close to God. Shabbat Shalom.
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