A Thought on Parshas Vayakhel

"...for the work of the sacred labor to make the Mishkan..." "...l'meleches avodas ha'kodesh la'asos osa..." (36:3) This week ibn Shu'aib develops a theme which we introduced two weeks ago on Parshas Tetzaveh in his discussion of the process of the Divine Presence becoming known in this lower world. It follows that he would elaborate on this now: earlier on, that parsha had spoken about the instruction to build a Mishkan and then a Mikdash. This week's parsha discusses how the Mishkan was actually constructed. ibn Shu'aib bases his essay on a midrash on the verse in Shir haShirim 5:1: "...Ba'si l'Gani..." - I came into My Garden. The Shechina - when the Divine Presence can be sensed by mortal beings - was originally associated with the physical mundane world. This lower world, Earth, was the intended Abode of the Shechina. This is derived from the verse we cited in the Parsha Thought for Tetzaveh, "and they heard the Voice of HaShem going through the Garden of Eden (Bereishis 3:8)." That was the natural state of the Divine Presence being "accessible" or "apprehend-able" in our mortal existence. When Adam, the first man, challenged the Divine Word and questioned HaShem's Omnipresence, the Shechina was removed to the Second Firmament (rakia). When the generation of Enosh began constructing representational images which led to worship of idols, the Presence was removed to the Third level. When the generation of the Flood corrupted their ways with injustice, It was removed to the Fourth level. With the builders of the Tower, who blurred the roles of Heaven and Earth, It was removed to the Fifth level. With the oppression of humanity by Nimrod, It was removed to the Sixth level. The depravity and sodomy of Sodom led to the Shechina being removed to the Seventh level. With the descent of humanity to atheism, then to paganism, then to anarchistic corruption, then to blasphemous desecration, then to inhuman oppression, then to the overt institutionalization of immorality, the Shechina was in essence banished from Its original Abode among humanity. Humanity made Earth inhospitable to a manifest Holiness on this planet. But there were individuals who lived their lives in ways which remedied this tragedy: With the contribution of institutionalized kindness which Avraham Avinu introduced to civilization, the Shechina descended back to the Sixth rakia. Yitzchak's modeling of peaceful purity led to It's return to the Fifth. Yakov's civil avoda of unifying worldly and spiritual existence brought it to the Fourth. Dedication to the ideal of justice by Levi brought It to the Third. The focused devotion and service of Kahas brought It to the Second. Amram's unifying leadership and adherence to the traditions of his ancestors brought it to the First Firmament. When Moshe erected the Mishkan, the Shechina returned once again to Earth. The commandment to build the Mishkan was given expressly to Moshe who had demonstrated the capacity for a human being to commune with the Divine on Earth. What human beings can destroy, the Jewish people can restore. And now we understand the history of the Shechina on Earth. Good Shabbos. D Fox