Parashat HaShavua - Pekudei

Can a world that is so complex still be understood to have an ikar-עיקר, an essence, a set of core values or ideals? In reading this week’s parashah of Pekudei, along with all the Torah portions relating to the Mishkan, I was struck by how much attention to detail is invested in producing something that on the surface appears simple. Eric Kandel, in his book “Reductionism in Art and Brain Science,” helped give me some insight into why this would be, when he quotes the artist James Turrell as saying about his work that it “has no image and no focus. With no object, no image and no focus, what are you looking at? You are looking at you looking. What is important to me is to create an experience of wordless thought.” (p. 161)

In other words - without trying to claim that the Mishkan is some form of abstract art! - just as reductionism “can succeed in distilling the most essential and powerful aspects of art,” and “sometimes evokes a sense of spirituality,” (p. 176) so too can the Mishkan be seen as an attempt to distill the most essential and powerful aspects of God’s presence in the world. And just as “art is incomplete without the perceptual and emotional involvement of the viewer,” (p. 18) so too is the Mishkan, and arguably God as well; understanding them personally adds meaning to them.

Kendal explains that in the context of art, this is sometimes called “beholder’s involvement” or “beholder’s share.” May we, when we behold the world, also feel our sense of involvement and our share in the world. To be sure, this does not preclude also seeking God’s protectiveness as represented by the cloud of the Mishkan, or God’s light as represented by its fire. (Ex. 40:34-38) What it can mean is that even in the face of wanton aggression and immense suffering, as we have seen happening in Ukraine, we can still believe that our world at its essence is caring and kind; and that we can have a role in returning us to that essence by acting in accordance with the best possible values and core ideals.

Shabbat shalom,

Rabbi Jack Nahmod
Middle School Judaic Studies Head
Rabbinic Advisor