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March 15, 2024 - 6 Adar-2 5784 Parashat P'kudei - Details Matter
Dear Friends, I hope this correspondence finds you well and enjoying a taste of the spring to come. Please join us this Saturday morning for Shabbat services in our sanctuary, which will begin at 10:00 am and be followed by a festive Kiddush. This Shabbat, we are honored to welcome Hazzan Sam Josephson as our guest cantor, who will fill in for me at the Bimah. Since I am out of town this Shabbat, the services will not be broadcast over Zoom. After much anticipation, I was delighted last week when the large box finally arrived on my doorstep. After awkwardly schlepping it inside, I cautiously entered the kitchen and searched for an implement to pry open the curious container. Keep in mind that in the past I’ve broken nails, given myself cardboard paper cuts, and said a few choices words while trying to open these super-sealed surprise packages, so I wanted to make sure I had a tool to make the job easy. Not only is it extremely frustrating to open these IKEA boxes, but to do so correctly adds unnecessary time to an already time-consuming process! Cutting through the tape, I began to unpack the myriad of contents. In addition to an always useful Allen wrench, I unloaded 6 mounting rails, 12 panels, 18 hinges, 24 brackets, 48 connectors, and 7 hinges. I couldn’t help but wonder why there was an odd number of hinges while all the other contents seemingly came in pairs. Finally, at the bottom of my now empty box, I discovered the dreaded, but needed detailed instruction manual. Written in Chinese, Swedish, English, and Spanish, the sixteen page “essay of assembly” was accompanied by a variety of microscopic pictures, all seemingly laughing at me. Clearly, they are waiting for the tiniest mistake to render my entire activity and effort a colossal failure. Over six days of work, I lovingly but exhaustedly completed my wall-length cabinet project. As I drifted off to sleep, after cleaning up the mess, I was met in my dreams by the chime of the doorbell and the appearance of a top-level manager from IKEA, who introduced himself as Sven and asked to enter my residence for the explicit purpose of intricately inspecting my precisely constructed work of art. Needless to say, Swen’s unexpected “house call” leaves me feeling uneasy, tense, worried, nervous, and in a heightened state of anxiety. Imagine my amazement when Swen enthusiastically compliments my work, not once, but seven times. Chanting in Kulning, an ancient Swedish herding call that dates back to the Middle Ages, Swen tunefully assures me that the cabinet is perfect, beautiful, and stunning. Furthermore, Swen suggests that I should take it with me whenever I decide to move! While the above story may be apocryphal, it allegorically mimics the experience of synagogue goers over the last two months. Each week, in the Torah reading, we have learned of the instructions, design, and pain-staking implementation process related to the construction of the Mishkan (portable tabernacle). The Mishkan, will becomes the holding vessel of the covenantal tablets, and the sacred space surrounding it, will eventually be filled by the Glory of Hashem. This week, in Parashat Pekudei, Exodus 39 marks the realization of the only ever “correctly constructed IKEA project” by Jewish folks! Due to our people’s collective attention to the holiness of the task at hand, and due to the sincerity by which the B’nei Yisrael (Jewish people) approached both the largesse (and minutiae) of the assignment, the Mishkan is indeed perfect. The details matter! Seven times in the chapter, the phrase כַּאֲשֶׁ֛ר צִוָּ֥ה יְהֹוָ֖ה אֶת־מֹשֶֽׁה (Exactly like God commanded Moshe) is repeated indicating that each step of the project is flawless. While the number seven is a biblical echo of Godly creation, divine schema, and preconceived perfection, here, the achievement of the people is angelically lauded. They have acted in accordance with all the finer points of Hashem’s loftiest wishes for the design of His earthly abode. Beyond the literary allusion to the original Creation, final proof of divine satisfaction is represented by Hashem’s spiritual relocation to “dwell therein,” thus fulfilling His original request, as found earlier in Exodus 25:8: וְעָ֥שׂוּ לִ֖י מִקְדָּ֑שׁ וְשָׁכַנְתִּ֖י בְּתוֹכָֽם (make Me a sanctuary that I may dwell among them). Moving forward, the people of Israel, will always experience Hashem’s presence. Similarly, it is the attention to detail and consideration of the holiness of the task at hand that makes our work here at the CBIOTP sacred. Each and every week, we strive to create a unique Shabbat experience, which is filled with Ruach (spirit), learning, Torah, and joyful singing. While I am often the one front and center, it is the efforts and presence of each of you that make our time together meaningful and simply divine! Like our ancestors of old, we refine, focus, and dedicate all of our energy to making this building and this Shul, a community of love, respect, and devotion. Indeed, we have made this a place where Hashem’s spirit proudly dwells. Don’t take my word for it, however. Join us with your family and friends to experience and enjoy our Kedusha (holiness) - the always engaging Shabbat community of CBIOTP! Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Eric L. Wasser, EdD, Hon.DM
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