Tyler’s Torah Thoughts for 1 Adar II, 5784
Parsha Pekudei: (Exodus 38:21 – 40:38)
Second Portion: Exodus 39:2 – 39:21

Good morning! As we start the work week, we work towards the completion of the book of Exodus. Today is a NEW opportunity – a NEW birth of a NEW moon cycle. We start Adar II – the month of Purim!

May the week ahead find us opportunity to “begin again.” This is always the key to life. We can “begin again” in each moment we live in.

Yesterday, we looked at “why are we on this journey?”  Is it to escape? To fight? To love? To be?

We can choose this in any moment we find ourselves in.  Let’s dig in:

2And he made the ephod of gold, blue, purple, and crimson wool, and twisted fine linen.

3They hammered out the sheets of gold and cut threads [from them] to work [the gold] into the blue wool, into the purple wool, into the crimson wool, and into the fine linen, the work of a master weaver.

4They made connecting shoulder straps for it at both its ends, it was entirely connected.

5And its decorative band, which is above it, [emanated] from it, of the same work: gold, blue, purple, and crimson wool, and twisted fine linen as the Lord had commanded Moses.

6And they prepared the shoham stones, enclosed in gold settings, engraved [similar to] the engravings of a seal, with the names of the sons of Israel.

7And he put them upon the shoulder straps of the ephod [as] stones of remembrance for the sons of Israel, as the Lord had commanded Moses.

What is an Ephod?

Simply put? It’s an apron. It’s meant to shield the priestly garments from the spray of blood. It wasn’t going to stop a weapon – like a knife – but it would shield the priest from the blood spilled for the sacrifice.

I think being on this journey means we are going to get dirty. We want to always be clean. But the highest of highest priest in the Torah? Got dirty. Needed a smock to protect his clothes.

Where did we learn that being spiritual meant living a “clean” life? That being spiritual meant avoiding getting dirty? This is what I am contemplating.

How do we protect ourselves? What are the practices we bring into our lives that keep us from getting the dirt beyond the surface? They may not stop a knife, but they will stop the soil from staining our clothes.

For me? It’s journaling. It is mediation. It is rituals I’ve put into place to keep me grounded each day.

And. This covering? It had weight to it. The shoulders had stones for the names of the tribes of Israel. The family tree.

And. I also realized. I wear a literal ephod every day.  My tzitzit.  I get a lot of questions about my fringes – especially from those who are not Jewish. The garment itself is a covering I wear – it protects me spiritually from the dirt.

And. As we are about to see – it’s not enough to just put on our ephod.

8He made the choshen, the work of a master weaver like the work of the ephod, of gold, blue, purple, and crimson wool, and twisted fine linen.

9It was square [and] they made the choshen doubled its length one span and its width one span, doubled.

10And they filled into it four rows of stones. One row: odem, pitdah, and bareketh, the one row.

11And the second row: nofech, sappir, and yahalom.

12And the third row: leshem, shevo, and achlamah.

13And the fourth row: tarshish, shoham, and yashpheh; enclosed in gold settings in their fillings.

14And the stones were for the names of the sons of Israel twelve, corresponding to their names; [similar to] the engravings of a seal, every one according to his name, for the twelve tribes.

15For the choshen they made chains at the edges, of cable work, of pure gold.

16They made two golden settings and two golden rings, and they placed the two rings on the two ends of the choshen.

17And they placed the two golden cables on the two rings, at the ends of the choshen.

Ok. What is the choshen? It is the breastplate. It was made of metal. And it went over the Ephod.

This would stop a knife. And. The 12 tribes of Israel? They were NOT ONLY a weigh on the shoulders of the High Priest – they were the protection on the breastplate.

And I think about family. How our ancestors both create a weight for us to bear, and a protection for us to wear.

I wrote this last year about this passage:

The weight of family. How it can help bring clarity. It can bring certainty. Or the opposite.

We can put on the breast plate. We can protect ourselves. And be certain Hashem has us protected.

Family can be a weight on our shoulders or a protection. In reality it is both.

The weight of family keeps us from getting dirty. The protection of family keeps us from future wounds.

Sit with that. I know it creates cognitive dissonance.  It may even make you angry.

And. Let me explain.

Before these garments were fashioned? This was NOT true. Israel was BURDENED by family. By the weight of what came before. There was NO protection from our ancestors as our ancestors were the ones who LED US into slavery.

It was not until Bezalel WEILDED and FASHIONED these garments that family became our shield and protection.

How have you alchemized our family? Do they sit in judgment, guilt and shame – with a covering of anger for the slavery we find ourselves in? Or do we take the moment and fashion the past into a shield and protective garment? That is a choice we have – when we are ready to make that choice.

For Israel? They didn’t make this choice until AFTER the golden calf. And I find that comforting.

Family is a burden. And a protection. Do we wear that?

Do we run from family (past, present, and future)?

Do we fight our family (past, present, and future)?

Do we love our family (past, present, and future)?

Or.

Are we just being with our family (past, present, and future)?

Mmmmmm. Maybe the spiritual journey – finding spiritual freedom and liberation? All about family. Maybe our souls have come to this space and time to learn what we need to through our family? There is something about that – it seems difficult and challenging and beautiful at the same time.

Let’s finish this out:

18And the two ends of the two cables they placed upon the two settings, and they placed them upon the shoulder straps of the ephod, on its front part.

19And they made two golden rings and placed them on the two ends of the choshen, on its edge that faced the inner side of the ephod.

20And they made two golden rings and placed them on the two shoulder straps of the ephod, from below, toward its front, adjacent to its seam, above the band of the ephod.

21And they fastened the choshen by its rings to the rings of the ephod with a cord of blue wool, so that it could be upon the band of the ephod, so that the choshen would not move off the ephod, as the Lord had commanded Moses.

Of course. The Ephod and Choshen – the Apron and the Breastplate? All connected.

The burden and weight of family is connected to the protection of family.  I think we are on to something here.

Those are my thoughts. What are yours?

Here are my thoughts on the past two years:

Tyler’s Torah Thoughts for 23 Adar, 5783

In our joined Parshas this week, we have another passage that is just one reading. That feels important. Like we are meant to pay special attention to it.

I read this passage and the breastplate.

Things are fairly clear in this literal level. But as we dig deeper, I’m chewing on how at the time, the certainty of entering the promised land was not assured for most of the people. They would have doubts.

Things are clear for sure. They are being guided in what to do. The only choice was to accept or reject them.

But the uncertainty of whether they were going to end up in the promised land? Still not clear.

Where do we seek clarity? Do we even seek it? How do we navigate uncertainly? Confusion? Unpredictability? This is what I’m reflecting on.

And. The weight of family. How it can help bring clarity. It can bring certainty. Or the opposite.

We can put on the breast plate. We can protect ourselves. And be certain Hashem has us protected.

Thoughts?

Tyler’s Torah Thoughts for 27 Adar I, 5782

Yesterday’s portion was accounting for the tabernacle materials. We learned just what went into making the tabernacle.

Today, we are learning about the Priestly garments. Before jumping in, I’m reflecting on how issues of the tabernacle relating to us are more internal; things that are relatively solid and stable (though not permanent – like the tabernacle).

Today as we focus on the garments, I’m reflecting on those things we can “put on” and “take off” in our lives; maybe our attitude? We can change how we engage- we can put on a positive or negative attitude. Just a thought as we dig in:

We see the beginning of the gold apron; with sheets of gold woven in. They made shoulder straps – these were woven separately and connected to the apron.

So- one thing my brain connects with here is the idea of the golden apron being “protection” to a degree. Not like a shield; but a covering protection. We wear aprons to avoid things splattering on us. In our brains and hearts, do we “cover” our hearts with an apron to avoid things of this world “splattering” on us?

Next we learn of the belt woven out of a piece of gold. It isn’t a functional belt; the Torah calls it decorative. This belt is also “above it” this is right after hearing about the shoulder straps being connected “to it.” So the “it” is the apron. This decorative belt goes above the apron? The neck? Maybe connected to the shoulder straps?

Next we see the preparation of the shoham stones surrounded in gold settings engraved with the names of the sons of Israel. They were put on the shoulder straps as stones of remembrance.

When I think of adding things to shoulders, I think of weight. In a sense, these stones provided grounding to our past. We are to remember our family; the children of Jacob.

Next, Bezalel prepares the breastplate. Now this is solid. Protective from attacks. An apron is about protecting from splatters – things unintentional. A breastplate is more of a shield.

This breast plate had four rows of precious stones inlaid with gold. The names of the children of Israel were on the stones.

So not only is our family a weight we carry; it’s protection as well. That’s something I’m taking away. Being Jewish is a responsibility – but it’s also protection.

They then made chains to connect the breastplate and it was attached to the apron.

This passage has me thinking about my roots as a Jew; and the weight of what I carry with me AND at the same time the protection it affords.

It’s heavy for sure; but it’s not a burden.

That’s my thought on todays portion- what’s yours?