Aaron, Archaeology, Attributes, Census, Craftsmen, Family, Golden Calf, Ki Tisa, Moses, New Orleans, Offering, Parsha, Radiance, Ritual, Sinai, Smells, Synagogues, Tabernacle, Tablets, Worship
Mardi Gras & Radiant Faces
Last week I was in New Orleans celebrating the return of spring with my family. We enjoyed touring Touro Synagogue, hanging out in the French Quarter, attending the St. Patrick’s Day Parade, visiting Chalmette Battlefield and other national parks, learning about pottery from Israel, eating fabulous food, going to Preservation Hall, and taking the street car.
Drinking Bronze Age Coffee
The Beauregard Plantation House at Chalmette Battlefield (the location of the Battle of New Orleans)
Jackson Square at Sunset – St. Louis Cathedral in the background
Treme on St. Patrick’s Day
But late is better than never, right? I like last week’s parsha (Ki Tisa) because it begins with the best subject – numbers!! Continuing with a focus on details, G!d instructs Moses to count the people, then lays out how each will give money to support the community and the service/worship of G!d. From the economic details, G!d moves on to giving instructions about how to make his dwelling and the acts of worship smell good. Many houses of worship still burn incense, spices are used in havdalah…smells offer a pleasing aroma and help worshippers connect with the place, act, moment, ritual of worship. Just like the ornate elements of the Tabernacle and priestly garments, G!d again spares no detail as he directs Moses in establishing worship practices. The smell is to be special, used only for the purpose of worshipping G!d.
Moses is far from alone in being appointed to the work of establishing worship practices among the Israelites. G!d instructs Moses on the skilled craftsmen who will be involved with the design of the Tabernacle. He also uses this place and these rituals to emphasize Shabbat, reinforcing the need for his people to observe the day set aside in space and time to remember who G!d is and how he redeemed them.
G!d is done detailing his instructions to Moses, and gives him the infamous two tablets of stone. Sadly, the Israelites were impatient and Moses returned to see the people worshipping a golden calf they asked Aaron to build. This angered Moses and G!d, and has lived on in our history as an example of staying faithful in our relationship with G!d even when we are impatient.
The last two chapters of this parsha see the Tabernacle set up. We learn that Moses is physically changed by visiting the place of his dwelling. The people see his face shine each time he returns from abiding with the Most High. He is given the unbelievable opportunity to see G!d, an event detailed more by the attributes presented rather than any physical description. This event marks the relationship Moses had with G!d – a mark of the unbreakable bond forged through obedience, frustration, challenges, trials, failure, and supreme loyalty.
