Author: Shlomo Bar-Ayal

The Torah places emphases on the objects to be used in the Tabernacle. Teaching us that how we use object will determine their holiness. We can make the mundane holy through our actions.

The purpose of the Tabernacle, and later the Temple, was for the people to focus on what is truly important. That is that they are on a mission to bring brotherhood to the world through the Torah.

In this week’s portion God informs the Jewish people that they should be God a home so that He can dwell among them. To teach us that when we perform the ritual with loving kindness, we are bringing God into the world.

The Tabernacle was built by donations. This teaches us that a spiritual building needs the financial and physical support of the community it serves.

We do not celebrate the death of our enemies. But we are not allowed to tolerate their evil. In the words of President Truman, “When dealing with a beast, treat them like a beast.”

To have a just society we have to live a just life. This is why the Torah first covers how we behave individually and then proceeds to society in general.

According to the Torah we are all responsible for our actions. Our social or economic status, rich or poor, famous or not, does not protect us from punishment for committing an offense.

The Torah concept of justice is that the victim has to be made whole by the perpetrator. It is not enough that the perpetrator has to be punished for his misdeed, but he is responsible to his victim.

The Torah is opposed to slavery since a slave cannot perform all the commandments. A free man is responsible for his actions while a slave is not. A slave has no free will, but a free man does.

While showing the importance of ritual laws, the Torah emphasizes that social laws are as important, if not more so. That we can do ritual correctly but if we mistreat one another socially then it does not matter.