Despite
the most recent blast of winter during this final week of February, I was
reminded that that winter is nearing its cold dreary conclusion. My son and I
were reminded of the inevitable conclusion of winter the other evening. With my
son sitting and studying downstairs, I happened to be watching my news show.
During the commercial, I did a bit of channel surfing and landed upon the Major
League Baseball network. My son looked
up from his studies and we gave each other knowing smiles. There it was, a
beautiful sunny day in Florida, two teams that neither of us actually care
about, and yet we sat there on the sofa watching mesmerized. We were watching baseball!
Yes, it is only spring training. It was meaningless. Yet we couldn’t move. The
grass was green, the field was well manicured, the fans and the players were
having a relaxed wonderful time. My son and I understood immediately that the
baseball season was nearing its start and with it the end of winter and the
eternal home of spring. We watched a few innings and listened to the announcers
talk baseball. The players interacted with the “snowbird” fans. The interviews
with the players were more relaxed. The fans were much closer to the field than
in a typical major league baseball park. The relaxed atmosphere of the game
made it more approachable, and pure. Young draft picks were trying hard to make
the team, and grizzled veterans were trying hard to remain on the team. This is
where the Baseball Gods dwell, in the simplicity of the spring training
facility, in the spring air, and the eternal hope and optimism of a new season.
This week’s Parshah is Terumah. Terumah means “a
portion”. In the context of this week’s Parsha, the portion in question is the
portion of wealth that B’nai Yisroel would dedicate to the construction of the
Aron, the ark that would hold the Luchot Habrit (the stone tablets upon
which the Ten Commandments were written), the lamp, the table, and the material
for the Ohel Moed (the tent of the meeting). All of which comprised the
Mishkan or the Tabernacle. If you are in construction, interior design, or
architecture, the details in Parsha Terumah are fascinating. If you’re not in
any of those occupations then all the details might seem, shall we say, a bit
dry. Whether a fan or not, whether an architect or not, there are certain
things that we can all appreciate, and there are certain concepts that increase
our appreciation and perspective for the Mishkan as well as the ballpark.
Moshe was told: V’Asu Li Mikdash
v’Shachanti B’tocham- “They shall
make a sanctuary for Me so that I may dwell among them” (Ex.25:8). What
follows is the details and decor of a place where the people were able to
approach God. If they build according to plan, then God will reside there. If
they behave according to G-d’s Torah then G-d will dwell among them.
I know what you’re thinking. “ Isn’t G-d
everywhere?” “If so, how can G-d only reside in the Mishkan?” One way to understand
the verse is in terms of our needs, the community’s needs. If B’nai Yisroel
builds it, he will dwell among them. Certainly, G-d resides everywhere. However,
the verse is incomplete. If they build it, yes, G-d will dwell among them. If
G-d dwells among them, that is the entire community, then the entire community
must have a central gathering place, the Ohel Moed (the tent of the
meeting). The difference, of course, is that the Mishkan was built so that G-d
could be among the people in the present. The spring training stadiums are
frequently sold out because baseball fans yearn for a place for people to go that reminds them of
something simpler and more romantic – their childhoods.
As
I have grown older and I watch my children grow, I have started to appreciate
that God dwells in some fascinating places. God dwells in the imaginations of
small children and the wonder with which they see the world. God dwells in the
questions that our children ask, or the concern they express when they see
suffering or injustice in the world. God dwells with the family that has been
struck by the loss of a loved one but has rallied together to offer support and
sustenance to each other. No wonder my kids think I am crazy. They want to grow
up already, speed up the process. I want to return to the carefree days of my
childhood, playing catch with my friends without a care in the world because
God dwells in our ability to return to the more innocent and pure days of
springtime.
Peace,
Rav Yitz
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