1. “THEY SHALL MAKE FOR ME A TEMPLE … MAKE AN ARK (FOR THE TABLETS OF THE TEN COMMANDMENTS) … TWO AND A HALF BY ONE AND A HALF BY ONE AND A HALF … (25:8-10)
It was after the Exodus. The Jews are traveling through the desert.
And they build a Temple. With a menorah. An altar.
And the Ark. Containing the Ten Commandments.
The Torah tells us the exact size of each one.
And Jewish tradition sees a lesson in these details.
… Because it seems a little strange.
How each of the measurements uses whole numbers: ‘x’ by ‘y’ by ‘z’.
Except the Ark.
… It’s all fractions. 2½ by 1½ by 1½.
Why do it that way?
The answer is that the Ark held the two tablets of the Torah. And there’s a message here.
… About Torah study.
Because sometimes we say to ourselves:
‘Sure it would be nice to study Torah. But I have so little time.
And what’s the point of starting now? After all these years?
And let’s face it. I can’t possibly learn all there is to know.
So why even start?’
… It may sound reasonable.
But it’s wrong.
Because the measurements of the Ark tell us something.
… That it’s important to start. To do what we can.
Because the Torah has so much wisdom.
So much to teach us about everyday life.
That even if we won’t get the whole thing. We’ll get a fraction.
… And the fractions are valuable.
And they add up.
2. “MAKE AN ARK … IN THE ARK PLACE THE TESTIMONY (THE TEN COMMANDMENTS) … MAKE TWO GOLDEN CHERUBS … AND THE CHERUBS SHALL BE HAVE THEIR WINGS SPREAD UPWARDS … AND THEY SHALL FACE ONE ANOTHER. (25:10-20)
It’s got to be one of the most mystical Mitzvahs in the Torah.
In the holiest part of the Jewish Temple … right on top of the Ark with the Ten Commandments … there were two golden cherubs.
It’s mystical. But Jewish tradition also brings it down to earth.
Explains its symbolic meaning with a very powerful lesson.
… The Cherubs – on top of the commandments – were a reminder to us of what it means to be holy.
That it’s not just about “wings pointing upwards”.
About the ‘laws between man and G-d.’ Prayer. Study. And rituals.
… It’s also very much about how we deal with others.
“And they shall face one another.”
Because holiness is also about how we look at someone else.
The smile. The love and compassion. And the friendship that shows on our face.
