Parshat Naso – Why Shul is a Beit Hamikdash
Parshat Naso – Why Shul is a Beit Hamikdash
(1) On the day that Moses finished setting up the Tabernacle, he anointed and consecrated it and all its furnishings, as well as the altar and its utensils. When he had anointed and consecrated them, (2) the chieftains of Israel, the heads of ancestral houses, namely, the chieftains of the tribes, those who were in charge of enrolment, drew near (3) and brought their offering before the LORD: six draught carts and twelve oxen, a cart for every two chieftains and an ox for each one. When they had brought them before the Tabernacle, (4) the LORD said to Moses: (5) Accept these from them for use in the service of the Tent of Meeting, and give them to the Levites according to their respective services.
This week's parsha is the longest single reading of the entire year. In total, there are one-hundred-and-seventy-six pesukim/verses, eighty-nine of which encompass the whole of Chapter seven. As quoted above, it describes the extraordinary gifts bought to the Mishkan/Tabernacle by the prince of each tribe, a tribe per day for a total of twelve consecutive days. The readings are repeated during Shacharit over the eight days of Chanukah. In the desert, the tribes showed their love for the Mishkan, the prototype Temple through their dedication and donation of gifts whilst the Maccabees demonstrated their love for the Temple by recapturing it from the Seleucids and reigniting (quite literally), the Jewish flame via the Menorah. Naso provides that commonality.
A famous question asked by Chazal is why the Torah goes to such lengths to describe the identical gifts brought by all twelve princes. Would it not have sufficed to mention the first gift and then add a pasuk explaining that the other eleven princes brought exactly the same amount? In describing each tribe's donation, the Torah is teaching us that they were all equal in the eyes of Gd. What is just impressive is the fact (as per Rashi's observation) that the funds were paid for by the princes themselves. They did not want their brethren to feel that they had to contribute. Each gift was therefore given with the utmost love and selflessness. They wanted to show that the Mishkan was at the heart of their lives and it was therefore befitting of their greatest generosity.
Let us fast-forward four-hundred-and-eighty-years later. King Solomon, in the fourth year of his reign starts the process to build the Beit Hamikdash, the Temple. It takes seven years.
(1) Then Solomon convoked the elders of Israel—all the heads of the tribes and the ancestral chieftains of the Israelites—before King Solomon in Jerusalem, to bring up the Ark of the Covenant of the LORD from the City of David, that is, Zion. (2) All the men of Israel gathered before King Solomon at the Feast, in the month of Ethanim—that is, the seventh month. (3) When all the elders of Israel had come, the priests lifted the Ark (4) and carried up the Ark of the LORD. Then the priests and the Levites brought the Tent of Meeting and all the holy vessels that were in the Tent. (5) Meanwhile, King Solomon and the whole community of Israel, who were assembled with him before the Ark, were sacrificing sheep and oxen in such abundance that they could not be numbered or counted.
Does this seem familiar? The leader initiates the ceremony and the people demonstrate their love by bringing gifts.
However, what Solomon does next is remarkable. He makes a long speech and describes how, although his father, King David was not allowed to build the Beit Hamikdash, he had been given this honour. He continues by inviting Gd to come to His house and asks of Gd:
(29) May Your eyes be open day and night toward this House, toward the place of which You have said, ‘My name shall abide there’; may You heed the prayers which Your servant will offer toward this place. (30) And when You hear the supplications which Your servant and Your people Israel offer toward this place, give heed in Your heavenly abode—give heed and pardon.
The King continues with the following requests:
(33) “Should Your people Israel be routed by an enemy because they have sinned against You, and then turn back to You and acknowledge Your name, and they offer prayer and supplication to You in this House, (34) oh, hear in heaven and pardon the sin of Your people Israel, and restore them to the land that You gave to their fathers.”
(35) “Should the heavens be shut up and there be no rain, because they have sinned against You, and then they pray toward this place and acknowledge Your name and repent of their sins, when You answer them, (36) oh, hear in heaven and pardon the sin of Your servants, Your people Israel, after You have shown them the proper way in which they are to walk; and send down rain upon the land which You gave to Your people as their heritage.”
(37) “So, too, if there is a famine in the land, if there is pestilence, blight, mildew, locusts or caterpillars, or if an enemy oppresses them in any of the settlements of the land. “In any plague and in any disease, (38) in any prayer or supplication offered by any person among all Your people Israel—each of whom knows his own affliction—when he spreads his palms toward this House, (39) oh, hear in Your heavenly abode, and pardon and take action! Render to each man according to his ways as You know his heart to be—for You alone know the hearts of all men— (40) so that they may revere You all the days that they live on the land that You gave to our fathers.”
No-one present at that ceremony could have been in any doubt that they were indeed blessed to be there, at that moment and at that time. It was and remains one of the highlights of our history.
And centuries later, it was a smouldering pile of rubble.
But not quite, because its legacy lives on in our Shuls.
The Bimah
that we pray from is symbolic of the platform (Bamah) from which the Cohanim
recited their prayers. In fact, the three verses preceding the dedication of
the Mishkan consist of the ancient the Priestly Blessing:
|
(24) The
LORD bless you and protect you! (25) The LORD deal kindly and graciously with
you! (26) The LORD bestow His favour upon you and grant you peace! |
(כד) יְבָרֶכְךָ֥ יְהוָ֖ה וְיִשְׁמְרֶֽךָ׃ (ס) (כה) יָאֵ֨ר
יְהוָ֧ה ׀ פָּנָ֛יו אֵלֶ֖יךָ וִֽיחֻנֶּֽךָּ׃ (ס) (כו) יִשָּׂ֨א יְהוָ֤ה ׀
פָּנָיו֙ אֵלֶ֔יךָ וְיָשֵׂ֥ם לְךָ֖ שָׁלֽוֹם׃ (ס) |
The Ner
Tamid, the everlasting light that illuminated the entrance to the Binyan (Holy
building) can be found in all of our shuls, lighting up our Arks.
The perochet or curtain in front of the Ark reminds us of the one that separated the Kodesh (the Holy area) from the Kodesh Hakodashim (the Holy of Holies) and indeed our Arks containing the Holy Torah Scrolls are symbolic of the Aron Habrit, The Ark of the Covenant - the box which held both sets of Ten Commandments.
Our Shuls are therefore our very own Batei Mikdash/Temples and the prayer that King Solomon recited, lives on in our hearts. When we go to Shul, we ask Gd to protect us from war, hunger and plague. And when we don't go, our hearts and minds are focused on the amount of time it will take until we can re-enter our very own Temples.
This week, the Chief Rabbi set out a plan to enable us to return to our Shuls once it is safe to do so. It will take time and our memories may be all that can muster at present, to remind of us how sacred and important a role our Shuls play in our lives. Just as the Beit Hamikdash was reconfigured as a different model and became the Synagogue, so too will we be able to return to our own Temples, even if this means ‘conducting business’ slightly differently.
May Gd make this happen at the right time and may He grant us, all of us protection from the natural forces that could deter us from returning. They will not succeed.
Gd said the following when he instructed Moses to commence the building of the Mishkan:
“And let them make Me a sanctuary that I may dwell among them.”
He is still with us and His sanctuary in Staines awaits our return, b'shaah tovah - at the right time.
Shabbat Shalom.
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