February 25, 2012
T’rumah, Exodus 25:1–27:19
D'VAR TORAH 
God’s Place in Communal Space
Lucy H. F. Dinner
This year, I have the pleasure of studying the Book of Exodus together with the lay-led Hebrew Bible study group at Temple Beth Or in Raleigh, North Carolina, where I serve as senior rabbi. This d’var Torah draws on comments and realizations from members of the study group.
“Tell the Israelite people to bring Me gifts; you shall accept gifts for Me from every person whose heart is so moved. . . . let them make Me a sanctuary that I may dwell among them” (Exodus 25:2, 8).
The opening of Parashat T’rumah evoked definitive and divergent reactions from Temple Beth Or’s Torah study group. Theresa likes the lens of inclusivity: “accept gifts...from every person whose heart is so moved” (Exodus 25:2), including the women as well as the men. Ed sees the portion as laying out the game plan for forming community. Evelyn objects to the need for a specific place in which to meet God, saying that God is in each breath one takes. Anita clarifies that it is not just about setting up a camp but creating a spiritual place. Joe sees these opening phrases as a message to the pagan world that unlike the pagan’s idols that resided permanently in the King’s palace, the Israelite God, would “dwell among them” wherever they wandered. The powerful opening verses of the parashah draw the individual to God, God to the community, and the community of individuals to one another, all in the process of creating sacred space.
The genius of the Tabernacle’s construction is how it capitalized on individuals’ unique talents and contributions, and brought a physical element to the visceral experience of receiving Torah at Mount Sinai. It took the combination of unique talents of the entire community of Israel to bring together that assortment of colorful yarns, fine linens, acacia wood, and animal skins. The diversity of talent and contributions meant that no one person could claim the making of the Tabernacle was his or hers alone. The building project provided an integral, communal link for the Israelites in their joint accomplishment; and it gave each of them a unique connection to the Divine through the specific role each one played in the Tabernacle’s creation. The physical experience of building the Tabernacle sealed the covenantal bond of the receiving of the Ten Commandments. The Revelation they experienced as a community linked to communal action in constructing the Tabernacle was therein invested with abiding substance.
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