Terumah -- Make Me A Sanctuary

"Make Me a sanctuary that I may dwell among them" (Exodus 25: 8).

Oh, that we would but each put the focused effort into our own inner lives that God asks the Jewish people to put into the sanctuary.

Perhaps that is exactly what this passage is about.

Imagine a world where everyone worked diligently to live out ideals such as "I am my brother's keeper" and "the evil I see in others is only a reflection of the evil I fear in myself."

Imagine.

Mishpatim -- Shiny Objects

Herein follows the torah I wish I was reading ….

Hey, this is the smart folks from the past writing for the smart folks in the future.

“God” is a metaphor for a mystery that transcends all categories of human thought. The mystery encompasses: why we live, why we die, why life feeds on eating other life, and on and on. A bright guy named Joseph Campbell will come up with that tidy definition for “God” in the late 20^th century.

It’s all a metaphor, folks. We know you know that. So if we occasionally use some language that seems to suggest an actual physical God, or an actual physical encounter with “God,: or an actual Promised Land, or an actual Heaven …. please look for the metaphor. As you will say, “Duh.”

There are two things to cover this week. One is to review the backstory. The other is to lay down some rules.

The backstory is known to you, smart folks, but needs to be repeated for clarity. Some person or persons who came before us had some great insights. They paid enough attention to their inner world to pick up some nice knowledge about what makes us tick as humans. Now, some not-so-bright folks talk about a guy named Moses, but of course we know that we have no idea whether there ever was such a person. The Eden story is about that movement from animalistic, survival-oriented thinking to more advanced thought processes. The Reed Sea story is about taking those advanced thought processes and being brave enough to keep moving forward in terms of facing our deepest fears, pains, regrets, losses.

It’s all metaphor for the journey we all take in life. Please keep reminding people that it’s all metaphor. Otherwise, we fear that multiple “gods” are going to spring up all over the world and that is not going to work out well … trust us.

The other thing we’re doing this week is laying down some societal rules. For the not-too-bright among us, we’re saying they come from “god.” In a few generations, we assume that everyone will understand that these rules did not literally get told to us by a physical “god,” but are simply an intelligent, productive way to run a society. And they certainly were inspired by that mysterious Source of all being, since the authors (us!) are all part of that Source.

Just in case anyone does not get the obvious metaphorical nature of all this, simply point out the constant references to the number 7 in our rules this week. Then point out the “amazing coincidence” (!!) that "Noah" and his "Ark" floated for precisely the same 40 days that “Moses” was on “Mount Sinai.” We’re sure that will take care of the problem.

Our thought was that you can pull this language out if folks start getting too literal, too physical about this stuff. We’re creating a community to share the journey that we all need to take deep inside ourselves. Don’t get distracted by the shiny objects.

Yitro – The God I Don’t Love

This parshah presents the essence of the God I don’t love.

I have been talking to my rabbi about this God, and saying to him: “This is not the God I believe in. Do I have to believe in this God to be a Jew?”

This God is vengeful, prideful, bossy, and all-too human. “Do this. Go there. Don’t do that, or I’ll kill you.”

This God is like a parody of a patriarchal, power-hungry tyrant.

I believe in the “god” that mythologist Joseph Campbell talks about: “God is a metaphor for a mystery that transcends all categories of human thought.”

A “metaphor for a mystery” does not act like God acts in this parshah.