Pekudei

Completing Creation

Adapted from Nechama Leibowitz

 

The Torah says:

 

"Thus was completed all the work of the Tabernacle of the tent of meeting; and the children of Israel did according to all that the Lord commanded Moses, so did they."  (Exodus/Shemot 39:32)

 

Question:  Why does the Torah describe such a curious sequence of events?  Shouldn't it first have stated "The children of Israel did according to all that the Lord commanded Moses" and then have added "Thus was completed all the work"?

 

A possible answer:  The puzzling verse from Exodus/Shemot is alluding to another section of the Torah by mimicking its style.  This verse from Exodus/Shemot is alluding to the verses in Genesis/Bereisheet that describe the completion of God's work of creation.  The Exodus/Shemot text is drawing a parallel between Israel's work of building the Tabernacle and God's creation of the world.

 

Compare the two texts:

 

Genesis says:

1. Thus were completed the heavens and earth

2. And all their host

3. And God completed on the seventh day His work which He had done

 

Exodus says:

1.  Thus was completed all work of the Tabernacle of the tent of meeting

2.  and the children of Israel did according to all the Lord commanded

3.  ...And Moses completed the work

 

The correspondence between God's work and the human work of building the tabernacle reinforces a theory about humanity's work in creation.  The Israelites had "to use all the bounty with which God has endowed" us -- "nature's resources, animal, vegetable, and mineral" -- to prepare the tabernacle, a dwelling place for God's presence on earth.  The creation of the world was brought to a new level with the creation of the tabernacle.  So is it our responsibility every day to elevate creation, and to use all of nature's resources to create a world in which God can dwell.

 

 

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