The focus on the priestly garments
Then shift to topic of the dedication rituals that will be performed
to inaugurate the משכן, the altar, and the new priests
Since the first half of the portion is a description
of the elaborate and expensive priestly garb,
Question: What happens to those garments in the section we're about to read?
Take some of the blood that is on the altar and some of the anointing oil and spray in on Aaron and his clothes, and also on his sons and his sons’ clothes. And he and his clothes will be holy, as well as his sons and his sons’ clothes.
ולקחת מן הדם אשר על המזבח, “you will take from the blood which is on the altar;” we do not find another example of this kind of sprinkling blood when the blood had to be gathered up after first having been deliberately sprinkled, except during these consecration rites for Aaron and his sons when he and his sons were symbolically being united ("sown, interlaced") to the altar through each being sprinkled with some of the blood of each of these sacrifices.
become a permanent part of the priestly garments,
the priests become unified w/or "sown" into the altar and menorah.
But what is happening here on the more concrete level?
These beautiful and expensive clothes
are being stained, ruined,
on the first day they're worn!
If it was so important for the garments to be colored with costly dyes
of blue, and purple, and crimson,
and to be made of the finest linen,
why would we immediately cover them with oil and blood stains?!
This issue reminds me of a discussion
about the opening section of our portion,
the kind of oil that's used for the menorah.
(20) You shall further instruct the Israelites to bring you clear oil of beaten olives for lighting, for kindling lamps regularly. (21) Aaron and his sons shall set them up in the Tent of Meeting, outside the curtain which is over [the Ark of] the Pact, [to burn] from evening to morning before Hashem. It shall be a due from the Israelites for all time, throughout the ages.
Very expensive oil, best quality (the kind that would normally be used for culinary purposes while the cheaper stuff was for lamps)
Has to be provided ongoingly, but why?
At night - no one's there!
During day - light isn't needed!
תלמוד בבלי מנחות פט:
ושערו חכמים חצי לוג מאורתא ועד צפרא. איכא דאמרי מלמטה למעלה שערו. ואיכא דאמרי מלמעלה למטה שערו. מאן דאמר מלמטה למעלה שערו - "התורה חסה על ממונם של ישראל." מאן דאמר מלמעלה למטה שערו - "אין עניות במקום עשירות."
And the Sages measured the half log [that it would be sufficient to burn] from night until morning. There are those who say that they measured by increasing the amount [of oil each time they ran the experiment] and there are those who say that they measured by decreasing the amount. The position that says that they measured by increasing [employed the principle of] “the Torah spared the money of Israel” and the position that says that they measured in decreasing amounts [employed the principle of] “there is no poverty in the place of wealth.”
when we're considering what principle we should use to test
the amount of oil for this menorah (which is going to be expensive either way)
1) do we try to be frugal, knowing that resources are limited,
and for some they're acutely so
or
2) do we try not to bring scarcity into an experience
that's meant to be abundant?
Both principles are used off and on in the Talmud
to describe the spending or saving of resources for the Miskhan or Temple.
the role of money in Jewish communities.
Common wisdom: It's expensive to be Jewish,
our organizations cost a lot,
kosher food is expensive,
living near an organized Jewish community
frequently means being in a wealthy area.
Is there no room to be an active, observant, identified, or engaged Jew
and be anything less than upper-middle class?!
It would seem that American Judaism has gone far in the direction of
"אין עניות במקום עשירות" - "no poverty in a place of wealth"
no expense is to be spared when it comes to building our buildings
or the standards (and therefore the relative expense) of kosher meat,
or having two sets of everything in our kitchen,
which was out of the question for any of our ancestors,
or how often we're expected to travel to IL,
or how much Jewish education costs...and on and on.
If you have the resources, you might say,
what better to spend them on but devotion to God?
"התורה חסה על ממונם של ישראל" -
"Torah seeks to spare the financial resources of the Ppl of IL"
God knows we have limited resources.
God knows many of us struggle.
God doesn't desire for us to suffer unnecessarily
and especially doesn't want us closed out of communal Jewish life.
By the way,
I want to suggest the possibility that one factor,
I'm sure of many,
but one factor causing the younger generations of Jews
to affiliate with Jewish communities at such a low rate
is the fact, or at least the perception,
of not having enough disposable income
to pay dues, or live in the right area,
or keep up with communal standards.
That's a real issue.
And it's both an ethical challenge for Jewish org's
as well as a pressing pragmatic concern.
Many synagogues and other organizations
are in real danger if a place can't be made
for the next generation.
I'm not going to try to solve this one from the Talmud,
the tension between
emphasizing generosity and an experience of abundance
on the one hand
and sensitivity to real economic needs
on the other.
But I want to end by looking again at the priestly garments.
I haven't found any sources, traditional or modern,
that make explicit how crazy it is to
let's say
buy an Armani suit
as a way of honoring your friend's wedding
and promptly pouring wine all over it at the reception.
But as part of the larger conversation about money in Jewish community,
I think it's a powerful symbol.
Collectively, we should be willing to give generously,
to do our best to make our religious expression beautiful and abundant.
We should be willing to invest.
But, we have to recognize that the work of living out our values is messy,
unpredictable,
that carpets get stained,
that buildings end up getting used differently than we expected,
that being willing to pay top dollar for kosher meat
can have adverse consequences.
So while we should be willing to invest as generously as we can,
we also need to be ready to let go.
Aaron and his sons couldn't be squeamish about getting their fancy new clothes dirty.
That was the ritual.
Day one.
We need to be willing to give,
but then to let go of what we've given,
knowing that the most fundamental aspect of our work as a Jewish community,
the core of what we do,
has to be a collective practice of care and devotion.