Witnessing our Relationship to God

 Pekudei 14: This week’s Torah portion is Pekudei, which means reckonings. Moses gives an accounting of the value of the materials the Israelites brought to construct the Tabernacle. The vestments of the Priests are woven and sewn, and all the work is completed. Moses inspects it, approves it, and blesses all the people. God gives the instructions for Moses to set up, sanctify, and anoint the Tabernacle at the New Moon, and then Moses erects it. The priests are dressed in their vestments and also sanctified and anointed. When all was complete, the Holy Presence, represented by the Cloud of Glory, covered the Tent of Meeting, and filled the Tabernacle. God showed approval by a tangible manifestation of the Divine Presence, the Shechinah.

At the beginning of Pekudei, the structure that was being erected is called Mishkan Ha-Edut, the Tabernacle of the Testimony. The Hebrew for testimony comes from the word, EYD, witness. Mishkan and Shechinah both come from the word shachan, to dwell. Therefore, these two words can also be translated as the Dwelling of Witnessing or even the indwelling of witnessing. The Midrash asks, (Ex Rabba Midrash LI:4) “What is the meaning of testimony (or witnessing)? R. Simeon, said: It is a testimony to the whole world that there is forgiveness for Israel” in reference to the sin of the Golden Calf, that God’s instructions to build the Tabernacle showed that God had forgiven us. “Another explanation” given by the midrash is: “It is a testimony to the whole world that (he) [Moses] was appointed by God [to erect] the Tabernacle.”

For me, the dwelling of the witnessing also speaks about relationship. In Ki Tissa, two weeks ago, Moses has a conversation with God in which God says to him, “…you have found favor in my eyes and I have known you by name.” (Ex. 33:17) This intimacy between God and a human being was unprecedented before Judaism, before Abraham. It was something entirely new in human history. What is being witnessed by the Tabernacle, the dwelling, is truly the bringing forth of this intimacy of relationship into the lives of each of the Israelites, which has never ceased.

Moses speaks of this relationship all through the Book of Deuteronomy, and we recite it at each synagogue service: “You shall love the Eternal your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your might.” We are the witnesses, called upon to unite earth and heaven. Abraham Joshua Heschl speaks about this relationship in his book, Man Is Not Alone. He says, “God remains beyond our reach as long as we do not know that our reach is within God; that God is the Knower and we are the Known; that to be means to be thought of by God.” (P128). Heschl also speaks about being noticed by God, through our holy deeds. The S’fat Emet says that the Tabernacle was given to us, to “strengthen their hearts…to bring Divine blessing into the world.” (Commentary on Pekudey) He quotes the prophet Isaiah who said, “You are my witnesses, said the Eternal, and I am God.” (Is. 43:12)

The re-emergence of spirituality in our time, in Eastern religions and in Judaism shows the hunger for the intimacy of relationship that was established for us, at the completion of the Tabernacle. The cry of the prophet shows the great need for us to be witnesses to that relationship. As with the Israelites, we have been given, lovingly, a way to connect ourselves to that Divine love through our wholehearted intentions and righteous actions. The Zohar says, “Happy are the righteous …, for many are the effulgences treasured up for them, many the felicities reserved for them. … For them that take refuge in Thee…” We are meant to be witnesses to the possibility of intimacy with the Divine, and to actively seek out God’s love. Then will we experience God’s favor and we will know, as Heschl taught, that we are noticed by God: that God also knows us by name.