Tetzaveh

Knowing God's Will

Adapted from Rabbi Bradley Shavit Arvitson

In Parshat Tetzaveh, we learn about the urim v'tummim, a "decision-making device" (Exodus 38:20) that conveyed God's will to the people. The High Priest wore these precious stones inside his breastplate, and used them when asking God for help in making a difficult decision. According to the Talmud, the word urim is related to the Hebrew word or (light) and tummim is related to the word tam (complete).  Illumination and wholeness were the result of using the urim v'tummim.

Imagine the security of knowing that you and your community were doing exactly what God wanted!  No doubts, no reason to compromise or entertain any other viewpoints but the received one. Life would be simple, clear, and perhaps a bit rigid.

What is the religious implication of the loss of the urim v'tummim? In Biblical Israel, the High Priest could read the stones, eliminating uncertainty and confusion. Jews of later ages, however, can make no such claim.  We do not have devices that can scope out God's will once and for all. 

All we have is our inherited traditions, our sacred writings, the world around us, and the small, still voice that speaks within each one of us.  No one path alone can convey the full majesty and depth of God's will - but all four together provide the web that help us find our place in the world. 

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