Parashat Pekudei | The Work Upon Us

The time has come, the work on the tabernacle is over, and a detail accounting of what went in is to be reported. “This is the number of the things for the tabernacle, the tabernacle of the testimony, as they were counted according to the command of Moses, for the service of the Levites, by the hand of Ithamar the son of Aaron the priest. Now Bezalel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, made everything that the Lord had commanded Moses. With him was Oholiab the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan, an engraver and a skilled embroiderer, and a weaver in violet, in purple, and in scarlet material, and fine linen. All the gold that was used for the work, in all the work of the sanctuary, which was the gold of the wave offering, was twenty-nine talents and 730 shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary.[1]”

It is once again an opportunity to visit Sefer HaAgada, edited by Bialik and Ravnistski, where we find an explanation from Midrash Tanhuma, on this issue. “Why did he have to provide the numbers? The Holly One believes him, as it is said ‘He is faithful in all My household” – so why did he have to provide an account? That is because the clowns of the generation where speaking behind his back, as it was said,’ whenever Moses went out to the tent, that all the people… gaze after Moses’ And what did they say? They were looking at him from behind and one would say to the other: see his neck! Look at his thighs! He eats that which is ours, drinks from that which is ours; then his friend responds: ‘Stupid man! A person who is appointed to be in charge of the building of the tabernacle, on all the pieces of silver and gold, that cannot be counted – you think he is not going to become rich?’ When he heard this he said: I can assure you, once the building phase is done, I will report back to you. Once the job was done he told them ‘This is the number of the things for the tabernacle’.[2]”

Honest and truthful leadership is essential. There will always be those clowns of the generation who will find it appropriate to criticize, to mock, to insult. As we can see here, this is not something that is unique to our generation. It is well-known over many centuries. The true leader, just like Moses, it not afraid from this kind of language that has no real impact, which is not honorable and does not forward a just cause. This is sheer populism that are meant for the sole purposes of defamation of another person. While they use their foul language, a true leader will opt to handle herself or himself quite differently. They will focus on trying to understand what is really needed and act accordingly. That us why Moses, when he understands the issue at hand opts to prepare a detailed report. Even though he is even beyond a Godly suspicion, still humans may think differently, maybe because deep inside of them they well-know how they would behave had the situation be reversed.

An unfortunate example of that kind of behavior we have experienced in the past few days when MK David Amsalem who directed his hateful and inflammatory rhetoric against MK rabbi Gilad Kariv. He argued “You want to destroy Judaism[3]”, “That I will speak to you? I do not say Shalom to you here”, “From my perspective you are the destruction of Judaism, all the sect that you lead”, “You use a vaunt and arrogant language just about like all the Reform people you represent”, “You are the one who make people hate Judaism, you are destroying the entire Jewish fabric”, and some more of these “gems”. What is he so proud of?! That fact that he is not a man descent enough to say Shalom to someone who has a different opinion than he does?! He continued to say “How many Reform people are there in the State of Israel? I do not know if there is at all a Minyan”. But if it is so, what is he so angry about? He knows the truth but prefers to lie about the facts. He does not want to have a real count of the numbers, it is the result that he is afraid of.

Like his “teacher” Irit Linoy he also repeated a call to MK rabbi Kariv, “Leave for the USA and live with Reform people like you”. A clear example of two post-Zionists who call upon Jews to leave the Promised Land. There is nothing more stupid than this, nothing more wicked and shameful to call upon Jews to leave the Jewish Homeland, especially when made by self-proclaimed persons who think they speak for the Jewish peoplehood.

They are thoroughly mistaken about us, and they are misleading others about us too. They still do not comprehend nor understand that if they would have counted us faithfully, they would have seen all the people who walk into the Mishkan. They would have understood that there are many more angles to Judaism, that go well-beyond the establishment of Haredi and Orthodox Judaism. Many Haredi and Orthodox already understand that the way Israeli establishment practices Judaism is unsustainable. There is nothing Jewish about sending some Jews to eat at another table, there is nothing Jewish in giving up rights of someone else so that we can have more rights over them, regardless if they are Jewish or not. There is nothing Jewish in using foul, hateful and despicable language in an argument; and raising voices and waving hands violently will not change this fact.

“This is the number of the things for the tabernacle, the tabernacle of the testimony, as they were counted according to the command of Moses”. Everything is counted, counted well and accounted for. Nobody is left outside of the camp because everyone contributes to the wide Mishkan, a tent that everyone can find a place within. We shall continue to fight our cause, we will continue to pace our long term progress, and we shall win.

Shabbat Shalom. Chodesh Tov and wishes for Good Health.

Reuven Marko, 25 February 2022, 25 Adar A, 5782

[1] Exodus 38 21-24 [2] Sefer HaAgada, edited by Bialik and Ravnitski, 3rd edition, 1st part, 70, based on Midrash Tanhuma, Fekudei, 7 (my free translation) [3] Speech recorded by the Knesset Channel (my translation)