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Sh'mot
25: 8 "They are to make me a sanctuary, so that I
may live among them." The word "among them"
is Mkwtb
betochem. He could have simply used the word wkwtb
betocho meaning G-d will dwell in the Sanctuary. G-d has
repeated time and again through our prophets that He will
dwell among his people, and that we would become vessels
for His Presence.
The
rabbis are divided about whether this was written before
or after the golden calf. It is my personal belief that
it came afterwards since there is a place to put the broken
tablets and many other reasons. As we know the Torah was
not written in a completely chronological fashion but
was meant to be more instructive or pedagogical.
In
the Mishna tractacte 66, a Christian man interviewed Rabbi
Haninah stating that the destruction of the Temple was
due to the fact that G-d had abandoned the Jews due to
our impurity. Basing his question on a portion in the
book of Lamentations (Ekhah), he asked the rabbi whether
the Jewish people were now impure since there was no longer
a Temple. The rabbi, with the intimate knowledge that
comes from a lifetime of studying the scriptures, replied
saying, "Come see what is written." Vayikra
(Leviticus) 16:16 "… because of the uncleannesses
of the people of Isra'el and because of their transgressions…"
What Rabbi Hanina was implying was that G-d knew that
His people were impure, unclean and the divine presence
remained in middle of the uncleanness. G-d has chosen
to dwell among his people in spite of their condition.
Rabbi
Shaul (Paul) echoes this fact in the Messianic Writings
and takes it to an even greater height when he calls us
vessels in which the Spirit of G-d dwells.
One
of the most insidious Christian doctrines, Replacement
Theology states that the Jew's status as the Chosen People
was conditional and after the completed work of Yeshua
the Messiah, it was revoked. They were destitute from
their status as the Chosen People of G-d. That state was
given to the Church. Now it is the Christians who are
the true chosen people of G-d. But in the preceding account,
Rabbi Haninah demonstrated that the chosen status of Israel
isirrevocable because it is based on what G-d decides
and not on circumstances of whether the Temple still is
there, or on the purity of the people of Israel. G-d does
not work in response to us but in response to Himself.
It
is logical to believe that if I pray, do good deeds and
do not commit sin that G-d will reward me. How then do
we explain why bad things happen to good people? (Can
we learn anything from Job?) But this is an entire other
discussion. We need for now to eat our humble pie and
admit that we don't always have the answers as to why
we are chosen. Israel cried and complained the entire
time before, during and after the exodus from Egypt but
G-d never abandoned us.
Maimonides
writes much in his rationalistic style trying to prove
why the chosen people were selected but in the end, he
admits that he doesn't know why G-d chose us; in other
words, Maimonides said that "Our
Eternal G-d knows the way, but we do not know".
Humanity looks to religion as the means to demonstrate
"the state of being chosen", practicing it as
the way to reach G-d. But all religion is based on the
performance of the individual encouraging elitism and
individualism. "I am the one who is attaining G-d's
election." "I am the one to whom G-d is showing
favor and blessing. " The practice of religion becomes
a competition among the chosen to prove that he/she is
the best choice. This leads to a competition to get more
favors (blessings) from G-d, to show that he/she indeed
is one of the chosen. This competition for G-d's favor
and the preceding spirit of elitism leads to the belief
that certain positions are more worthy before G-d and,
of course, other persons.
This
mindset was Korach's undoing. He felt that he was better
suited to be the high priest and so rebelled against G-d's
choice of Aharon. He focused on the importance of the
position and his personal merit for that position (Numbers
16). But G-d chooses whom He wills. His choice, as has
been mentioned so many times before, and needs to be repeated,
is not based on merit. It is according to His own design,
for His own purpose.
Paul
uses the example of the body to demonstrate that this
competition for position and merit is not the purpose
of G-d's choosing us. In Corinthians 12 he talks about
the different parts of the body as being part of the whole.
There are parts that may seem important and others that
are not important. Without one of these parts the body
is not whole. In addition if one part of the body, to
give itself more importance, decides to separate from
the body it will not survive. The body may survive without
one of the parts but the part cannot survive alone. It
needs to be part of the body. He was aware that G-d was
bringing Jews and Gentiles all over the world together
into one body. In that body G-d was making a sanctuary
to dwell among his people. The Gentiles were being grafted
and the Jews re-grafted into the body the olive tree of
Israel.
But
why does G-d instruct Moses to build a sanctuary to dwell
among his chosen people. Did G-d need a house to live
in? In fact the whole earth is His. Perhaps G-d chooses
to live among his people because of our own human weakness.
We are the ones who need the assurance that G-d is here.
One of our greatest fears is the fear of being abandoned.
We see this fear in our children from the earliest age.
Our child cries when we leave for work in the morning.
When our son or daughter is moved from mommy and daddy's
room to their own room, they call out to us all night
just to be assured that they haven't been abandoned. G-d
instructed the building of the Tabernacle and later the
Temple because of the people's need of His presence there
with them.
In
Ezekiel, G-d promises to bring his people back to his
Presence; not because they deserved it, nor because the
time of the punishment was complete. He promises to bring
them back to his Presence only because "of His Namesake".
The branches of Israel that have been cut off will be
regrafted into the olive tree. This is not a matter of
religion nor of belief; it is a matter of what G-d has
chosen to do.
Modern
"politically correct" theology has moved away
from the Presence of G-d. It instead promotes egalitarianism.
We are all created equal and none are the "chosen"
ones. We are all the same before G-d. G-d has been made
to fit into the role that society has made for Him. Scripture
has to conform to current thought, philosophy and science.
Instead of having G-d as the center, man now practices
the oldest religion of all- man has become the center.
By putting aside His word, the demarcation between right
and wrong has become ambiguous. We have difficulty to
distinguish what is right from what is wrong and so are
so easily deceived.
Yet
G-d has promised to use His dwelling in us to teach us
the right halachah (walk). His Word will instruct us.
Rabbi Shaul tells us that we are the Temple of G-d. G-d
dwells in us for our sake. Let us allow Him to govern
our lives because it is up to each one of us to let Him
do His will.
May
G-d add blessings to His Word!
Rabbi
Percy Johnson
Netanel
ben Yochanan
[nxy
[b lantn
©
2008 Use by Permission
Kehilat
She’ar Yashuv
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