Month: March 2025

Pekudei: What Does It Mean?

Rabbi Ben Herman , , , ,

      The meaning of words is very important to me. While I’m not as much of a Hebraist as my teacher, Rabbi Art Green, I value finding out what words precisely mean. That is a question with this week’s Torah portion Pekudei.

          A common origin of the term pakad according to the Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew English Dictionary and Lexicon is “to pay attention to, observe with care.”[1] We see this on the first day of Rosh Hashanah when God took heed of Sarah as he had promised (פקד את שרה כאשר אמר) and has her give birth to her son Isaac. Similarly the פקודי המשכן appears to be the accountings of the Tabernacle. In the fifth and final portion of the Tabernacle, we make sure that each of the accoutrements of the Tabernacle are accounted for.

          With that being said in opening 3 different texts I got 3 different translations for Pekudei. In our Etz Hayim Humash it says, “the records of the Tabernacle”[2]; in the Stone Humash it reads “the reckonings of the Tabernacle”[3]; Richard Elliott Friedman translates פקודי as “the accounts of the Tabernacle.”[4] One might say they are all close enough in meaning-we are talking about the entire kit and kaboodle of the chart of accounts of the Tabernacle to show that every detail was noted.

          Rabbi Ovadiah Seforno, a 16th century Italian rabbi, has an interesting comment here. He writes “all the individual components described previously are the ones concerning which the Torah wrote ובשמות תפקדו את כלי משמרת הקדש…ביד איתמר, ‘you shall list by name the objects that are their porterage tasks.’[5] The meaning of the line is that each and every one of these items was important enough to be known by its specific name. In other words, one did not refer to it only by the name of the category of utensils it belonged to, such as “fork,” but one had a name for each fork. This method of naming each item individually contributed to their being of permanent significance.”[6] In other words, don’t underestimate the importance of an item or say that it has been ‘used up’ or ‘outlived its usefulness.’[7]

          This is the lesson we should take from concluding the Book of Exodus with Parshat Pekudei. Rather than merely viewing it and Parshat VaYakhel as carrying out the blueprint that had been previously established in Parshiyot Terumah and Tetzaveh, we should strive to find significance in each of the items listed. For some that might be to examine why some things are listed in one place and not another; for others it might be to see is there something new here-the school of Rabbi Akiva-or is this the same as what came before-the school of Rabbi Ishmael. For others it might be leaving the details, the individual trees, behind and seeing the forest, everything which comprises the mishkan, and how these items parallel those found in Mosaic Law Congregation. For others the focus might be to ask the metaquestion “What does God want from me in this moment?” Wherever we are at, as we enter the eve of the new month of Nisan, it is my hope and prayer that we can imbue whatever we do with meaning and purpose. Ken Yhi Ratzon, may it be our will to do so.

[1] BDB Page 823.

[2] Page 564

[3] Page 531

[4] The Bible with Sources Revealed, Page 185

[5] Numbers 4:32-33

[6] Ovadiah ben Yaakov Sforno, ד”ה אלה פקודי המשכן

[7] See Babylonian Talmud Yoma 71

Strengthening our Relationship with God

Rabbi Ben Herman , , ,

          On Sunday we will get to say “Happy New Year!”  It will be Rosh Hodesh Nisan-the first day of the first month of the Hebrew calendar. We learn in the Talmud that there are 4 new years: the first of Nisan, the new year for festivals; the first of Elul, the new year for tithing animals; the first of Tishrei, the new year for years; and the fifteenth of Shevat, the new year for trees.[1]

          Parshat Pekudei also references this Sunday, the first of Nisan. God spoke to Moses saying, “On the day of the first new moon, on the first of the month, you shall erect the Tabernacle, the Tent of Meeting.”[2] The date that the first House of God is set up is also the new year. The Mishkan represents a new beginning: no longer will Israel be wandering with an intangible God-now God will have a permanent home in the Mishkan, a tangible structure to which we can connect.

          This is a lesson for us as we approach Passover, or Pesach. Throughout the year we might struggle to find a tangible connection with God: on Passover, however, we have so many tangible symbols of God’s presence. For example, the shank bone, זרוע, represents not only the Paschal lamb but also God bringing us out with an outstretched arm, ובזרוע נטויה. Passover, and our special Haftarah HaHodesh, which we will read on Shabbat, come to symbolize that we are at an inflection point, or liminal moment, when we should strive to strengthen our relationship with הקדוש ברוך הוא, with God. That is our task not only for Rosh Hodesh Nisan, but also for the upcoming Passover holiday and the counting of the Omer-that we be centered and grounded as we seek God’s presence in our lives.

[1] Mishnah Rosh Hashanah 1:1

[2] Exodus 40:2

Turning Towards Each Other

Rabbi Ben Herman , , ,

One of the challenges with Parshat Ki Tisa is that it deals with turning away from the proper path rather than turning towards it. After our ancestors made the golden calf, G-d said to Moses “They have been quick to turn aside from the way that I enjoined upon them.”[1] Because they turned away from G-d, G-d turned away from them, proclaiming “I see that this is a stiff-necked people. Now, let Me be, that My anger may blaze forth against them and that I may destroy them…”[2] Moses, however, intervenes, refusing to let G-d destroy Israel. He says words which we repeat every fast day: שוב מחרון אפך והנחם על-הרעה לעמך; “Turn away from Your blazing anger and renounce the plan to punish Your people.”[3] In so doing, Moses makes two very important points: Israel remains G-d’s people as opposed to a “stiff-necked” people independent from G-d, and G-d does not need to turn away from Israel just because they have turned away from Him at this particular moment.

The term “turn away” struck me because of the work done by marriage therapist Dr. John Gottman. Dr. Gottman writes that the married couples he see who turn towards one another at times of conflict stay together 86% of the time, whereas those who turn away from each other stay together only 33% of the time.[4]  In our tradition, G-d and Israel are a couple, bound together by a ברית, or covenant, just as a married couple is bound by a Ketubah. In our portion because Israel has forsaken its end of the bargain, worshiping other gods, G-d is going to follow suit and strike them from the earth-that is until Moses intervenes. He says to G-d, ‘calm down; take a chill pill,’ and he gets G-d to refrain from forsaking the covenant. וינחם ה על-הרעה אשר דבר לעשות לעמו, “G-d forsook the evil that G-d had said he would do to His people.”[5]

There are two reasons to speak about this today. First we are celebrating the milestone 60th anniversary of Ed and Gail Fishkin. This power couple always turns toward each other out of love and affection. Of course like every couple, especially good, old-fashioned New Yorkers, they argue with each other as well as with me at Shabbat Torah Study. However, that’s what makes things entertaining. We should all learn from Gail and Ed to be selfless, generous and of course have an acerbic sense of humor and not be afraid to challenge others.

The second is to celebrate the baby naming of Leona Eli McCracken, daughter of Sara Harbarger and James McCracken. Today Leona was given the Hebrew nameדבורה  סימא, after Sara’s maternal grandmother Elsie and great aunt Dotty. The name Sima means precious, or treasure. Your little 3 month old is truly a treasure who blesses you each and every day with her smile and her cooing. Every time you are stressed, please turn towards this beautiful little face; it should put you at ease. Devorah is the name of our people’s greatest prophetess, who foresaw the defeat of the Canaanites and their general Sisera. In modern Hebrew it means bee. James and Sara, we hope and pray that your little bee will showcase her feistiness and strength, in the example of prophetess Deborah.

Ed and Gail-I know that your love for one another will continue to grow stronger. James and Sara-I know with the new addition of סימא דבורה that your love for one another will blossom in new ways and your family life will flourish.

My prayer for you, Gail and Ed, Sara and James, is that you always turn towards each other and towards your loved ones, recognizing that your family bond and your partnership supersedes any specific issue at hand. Mazal Tov on the celebration of your anniversary and your baby naming. As we celebrate here at Mosaic Law Congregation, let’s sing siman tov u’mazal tov.

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[1] Exodus 32:8

[2] Exodus 32:9-10

[3] Exodus 32:12

[4] https://www.gottman.com/blog/turn-toward-instead-of-away/

[5] Exodus 32:14

Lighting the Ner Tamid

Rabbi Ben Herman , ,

          Parshat Tetzaveh has a couple of strange features. One is that it is the only Torah portion in Exodus through Deuteronomy not to mention Moses’ name. Another is that its beginning, the lighting of the Menorah, towards, but not at the end, of a chapter (Exodus 27:20).

          Rabbi Elliott Cosgrove of Park Avenue Synagogue gave a D’var Torah about this to the Executive Council of the Rabbinical Assembly, for which I am privileged to begin my second year of service. He pointed out that chapter divisions come from the 13th century, from the Archbishop of Canterbury, Stephen Langton. Langton connected the נר תמיד, the eternal light, with the accoutrements of the משכן, the tabernacle, as found in Terumah. In contrast, the rabbis had viewed it as connected to the obligations of the High Priest, so it goes in Tetzaveh.

          As Rabbi Cosgrove argued, the communal obligation of the משכן meets the priestly obligation of lighting the נר תמיד. In other words, the community needs to work together with the leadership, with the two meeting halfway.

          I think about how the rabbi meets with the congregational leadership. In a breakout session, Rabbinical Assembly and United Synagogue CEO Jacob Blumenthal shared that the two things that make for thriving congregations, more than demographics, are a visionary rabbi and a collaborative lay and staff culture. This makes sense: synagogues need to have their Board and staff working in concert with one another and must have a vision of where they’re going. Without these two aspects, there is confusion and tension. A rabbi without a vision is a functionary; a congregation not in harmony with its staff can breed toxicity.

          How does one achieve this? The sermon Rabbi Cosgrove said he is giving this Shabbat is the leadership of Vashti versus that of Esther: when do we need to stand on our principles versus when do we need to compromise/adapt? That is a false dichotomy-at times one certainly needs to do both. With that being said, to adapt Israel Salanter, a rabbi who never takes a stand is no rabbi; a rabbi who refuses to compromise is a fool.

          Our challenge as a congregation is to light the eternal light steadfastly holding to tradition, while recognizing that like the משכן we must move and adapt to new circumstances and new situations. Finding the balance between the two can be tricky; however, we need to put in the work to make it so. We also must remember not to fear כי אהיה עמך, for God is with us in this holy work.