Blog

This coming Shabbat we read the concluding parasha of the book of Exodus: Pekudei. The construction of all the necessary components to build the mishkan, the portable sanctuary, have been completed and delivered to Moses, as well as all of the appurtenances, and the garb for the High Priest and his retinue have been fabricated. The first thing that Moses does is bless all of those involved in the process. Everything will then be anointed and assembled under Moses’ guidance. The first functioning synagogue, albeit portable, will soon be operational. The major distinguishing characteristic is that there will be a sacrificial system put into place, explained in great detail throughout the next book of the Torah, Leviticus. An Israelite would bring the appropriate sacrificial elements, depending upon the specific type of sacrifice, to the entrance to the Tent of Meeting, deliver these items to one of the priests, and then turn and leave. The priest would take care of offering the sacrifice on behalf of the one who offered it. This process continued throughout not only their wandering in the wilderness for forty years, but during the time of both the First and Second Holy Temples. 

Yet simultaneously, prayer was slowly replacing the sacrificial system, and I think one of the major reasons for this evolution was the absence of personal involvement in the process. Other than delivering the elements of your sacrifice, you turned and left it to someone else. I can’t help but wonder if this was a sufficiently meaningful moment for the individual. Ultimately, with the destruction of the Second Holy Temple in 70CE, the sacrificial system ended, and prayer replaced it permanently. 

We can see lessons in this evolution for ourselves, nearly 2,000 years later. Independent of the likely noise, mess and smoke from the sacrifices, the system that had existed relied upon what flowed into it. It was sort of like a drive-in facility where you dropped off your sacrifice and drove away. The deep personal connection that people needed was not being regularly felt, thus the evolution towards communal and personal prayer as the way to communicate with God more meaningfully. What flowed in no longer mattered. Of greater interest was what flowed out: raised voices in prayer; a better feeling of connection when the worshipper left the prayer space; encouragement to continue in this manner. 

That’s what matters in today’s synagogues. While we certainly are desirous of a greater than capacity crowd flowing into the building for every type of gathering, be it prayer, education, cultural or social, of even greater importance is what flows out of the building. What does the synagogue stand for? Does it message resonate and create interest? Is the taste and aroma of the synagogue something that attracts others? These questions, in varied forms, have continued over the past 2,000 years, and will continue to as Judaism continues to evolve. Of critical importance is your engagement to be one who does flow in, because what flows out makes meaning in your life.