This week’s Parshah, Tetzaveh, we discover the special garments worn by the priests and high priest when serving in the Tabernacle. Following that, we read God’s instructions to Moses regarding the seven-day inauguration for the Tabernacle. The portion concludes with a description of one of the vessels of the Tabernacle–the Incense Altar.
I want to read just 2 verses from the beginning of our parsha:
Exo 27:20 “You shall command the people of Israel that they bring to you pure beaten olive oil for the light, that a lamp may regularly be set up to burn.
Exo 27:21 In the tent of meeting, outside the veil that is before the testimony, Aaron and his sons shall tend it from evening to morning before the LORD. It shall be a statute forever to be observed throughout their generations by the people of Israel.
As soon as the Tabernacle was erected, God instructed that seven lights be kindled on the candelabra every day. According to a Midrash, Moses was surprised and he asked, “Dear God, You are the Master of light, do You require light from us?” God replied with the following parable:
A king informed his best friend that he would join him at his home for dinner. The friend brought out his very best chair, bedecked his table with the nicest tablecloth and laid out his finest china, cutlery and crystal. When the king arrived, he was attended by servants who illuminated his path with ornate lanterns carved in gold. The host immediately realized that his finest china paled to the king’s usual fare. Shamefacedly he hurried and put away everything he had prepared. When the king wondered aloud about the empty table, the host explained that he was gripped by a sudden sense of shame when he realized that his finest would not measure up to the king’s expectations. The king then ordered that the beautiful, ornate lanterns be put away and that only the host’s ordinary utensils will be used.
“You see,” God concluded, “I might have access to superior light, but I decree that My light be set aside in favor of the candles you kindle for Me.”
A closer analysis of the parable reveals an important point. The king did not set aside his lanterns before entering his friend’s home; he waited until his friend confessed his shame. This is because a king ought to be clothed in splendor and attended to in a luxurious manner. It was only when the host expressed his shame and inferiority that the king consented to be attended by his host’s simple fare. Please understand, this is not a shame born of guilt but a shame born of seeing the truly holy and wanting to measure up.
This parable speaks to our relationship with God. We are tasked with creating an abode for the Divine within our hearts, families and homes. We, inherently imperfect and finite creatures, realize that despite our best efforts we cannot build an abode of Divine magnificence. As noble, pure and holy as our attempts might be they will never measure up to the brilliance of the Divine. When confronted with this truth we can either dismiss our limitations or we can recognize our inferiority and feel an inner sense of shame as we stand before God. Again, please understand, this is not a shame born of guilt but a shame born of seeing the truly holy, and wanting to measure up, but knowing that we can’t.
When we feel this inner sense of shame before God, the King responds with gentle kindness. He comforts us and uplifts us. “I have not asked you to measure up to the exalted levels of My perfect holiness,” He soothes, “I have merely asked that you live to the best of your potential. Now that you have done that, I will enjoy your accomplishments and reside in your home as if it were a royal suite in My supernal palace.“
The first thing Adam and Eve experienced after eating from the forbidden fruit was shame. Shame is a message from the soul. It says: you have not lived up to your potential and you should have. It says: you could have been better, and next time you need to try harder. When Adam and Eve experienced shame, God helped them fashion garments. This was God’s way of telling them that He would guide them back to their original glory. He would help them find that place of pure innocence.
As He did to Adam and Eve when they experienced shame, God responds to us when we feel shame. With shame there is momentum. With shame there is acknowledgement of our lapses. With shame there is acknowledgement of the holiness of which we are capable. With shame there is potential for change, and with change comes improvement. When shame is experienced, when we are in full acknowledgement of our inadequacy, when it is our inner most desire to become like our Master Yeshua in every way, God accepts our behavior as if it were perfect.
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