בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהֵֽינוּ מֶֽלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם אֲשֶׁר קִדְּ֒שָֽׁנוּ בְּמִצְוֹתָיו וְצִוָּנוּ לַעֲסֹק בְּדִבְרֵי תוֹרָה:
Blessed are You, Adonoy our God, Ruler of the Universe, Who sanctified us with commandments and commanded us to be engrossed in the words of Torah.
(כא) וַיָּבֹ֕אוּ כָּל־אִ֖ישׁ אֲשֶׁר־נְשָׂא֣וֹ לִבּ֑וֹ וְכֹ֡ל אֲשֶׁר֩ נָדְבָ֨ה רוּח֜וֹ אֹת֗וֹ הֵ֠בִיאוּ אֶת־תְּרוּמַ֨ת יְהוָ֜ה לִמְלֶ֨אכֶת אֹ֤הֶל מוֹעֵד֙ וּלְכָל־עֲבֹ֣דָת֔וֹ וּלְבִגְדֵ֖י הַקֹּֽדֶשׁ׃ (כב) וַיָּבֹ֥אוּ הָאֲנָשִׁ֖ים עַל־הַנָּשִׁ֑ים כֹּ֣ל ׀ נְדִ֣יב לֵ֗ב הֵ֠בִיאוּ חָ֣ח וָנֶ֜זֶם וְטַבַּ֤עַת וְכוּמָז֙ כָּל־כְּלִ֣י זָהָ֔ב וְכָל־אִ֕ישׁ אֲשֶׁ֥ר הֵנִ֛יף תְּנוּפַ֥ת זָהָ֖ב לַיהוָֽה׃ (כג) וְכָל־אִ֞ישׁ אֲשֶׁר־נִמְצָ֣א אִתּ֗וֹ תְּכֵ֧לֶת וְאַרְגָּמָ֛ן וְתוֹלַ֥עַת שָׁנִ֖י וְשֵׁ֣שׁ וְעִזִּ֑ים וְעֹרֹ֨ת אֵילִ֧ם מְאָדָּמִ֛ים וְעֹרֹ֥ת תְּחָשִׁ֖ים הֵבִֽיאוּ׃ (כד) כָּל־מֵרִ֗ים תְּר֤וּמַת כֶּ֙סֶף֙ וּנְחֹ֔שֶׁת הֵבִ֕יאוּ אֵ֖ת תְּרוּמַ֣ת יְהוָ֑ה וְכֹ֡ל אֲשֶׁר֩ נִמְצָ֨א אִתּ֜וֹ עֲצֵ֥י שִׁטִּ֛ים לְכָל־מְלֶ֥אכֶת הָעֲבֹדָ֖ה הֵבִֽיאוּ׃ (כה) וְכָל־אִשָּׁ֥ה חַכְמַת־לֵ֖ב בְּיָדֶ֣יהָ טָו֑וּ וַיָּבִ֣יאוּ מַטְוֶ֗ה אֶֽת־הַתְּכֵ֙לֶת֙ וְאֶת־הָֽאַרְגָּמָ֔ן אֶת־תּוֹלַ֥עַת הַשָּׁנִ֖י וְאֶת־הַשֵּֽׁשׁ׃ (כו) וְכָל־הַ֨נָּשִׁ֔ים אֲשֶׁ֨ר נָשָׂ֥א לִבָּ֛ן אֹתָ֖נָה בְּחָכְמָ֑ה טָו֖וּ אֶת־הָעִזִּֽים׃ (כז) וְהַנְּשִׂאִ֣ם הֵבִ֔יאוּ אֵ֚ת אַבְנֵ֣י הַשֹּׁ֔הַם וְאֵ֖ת אַבְנֵ֣י הַמִּלֻּאִ֑ים לָאֵפ֖וֹד וְלַחֹֽשֶׁן׃ (כח) וְאֶת־הַבֹּ֖שֶׂם וְאֶת־הַשָּׁ֑מֶן לְמָא֕וֹר וּלְשֶׁ֙מֶן֙ הַמִּשְׁחָ֔ה וְלִקְטֹ֖רֶת הַסַּמִּֽים׃ (כט) כָּל־אִ֣ישׁ וְאִשָּׁ֗ה אֲשֶׁ֨ר נָדַ֣ב לִבָּם֮ אֹתָם֒ לְהָבִיא֙ לְכָל־הַמְּלָאכָ֔ה אֲשֶׁ֨ר צִוָּ֧ה יְהוָ֛ה לַעֲשׂ֖וֹת בְּיַד־מֹשֶׁ֑ה הֵבִ֧יאוּ בְנֵי־יִשְׂרָאֵ֛ל נְדָבָ֖ה לַיהוָֽה׃ (פ)
(21) And everyone who excelled in ability and everyone whose spirit moved him came, bringing to Hashem his offering for the work of the Tent of Meeting and for all its service and for the sacral vestments. (22) Men and women, all whose hearts moved them, all who would make an elevation offering of gold to Hashem, came bringing brooches, earrings, rings, and pendants—gold objects of all kinds. (23) And everyone who had in his possession blue, purple, and crimson yarns, fine linen, goats’ hair, tanned ram skins, and dolphin skins, brought them; (24) everyone who would make gifts of silver or copper brought them as gifts for Hashem; and everyone who had in his possession acacia wood for any work of the service brought that. (25) And all the skilled women spun with their own hands, and brought what they had spun, in blue, purple, and crimson yarns, and in fine linen. (26) And all the women who excelled in that skill spun the goats’ hair. (27) And the chieftains brought lapis lazuli and other stones for setting, for the ephod and for the breastpiece; (28) and spices and oil for lighting, for the anointing oil, and for the aromatic incense. (29) Thus the Israelites, all the men and women whose hearts moved them to bring anything for the work that Hashem, through Moses, had commanded to be done, brought it as a freewill offering to Hashem.
(א) וְעָשָׂה֩ בְצַלְאֵ֨ל וְאָהֳלִיאָ֜ב וְכֹ֣ל ׀ אִ֣ישׁ חֲכַם־לֵ֗ב אֲשֶׁר֩ נָתַ֨ן יְהוָ֜ה חָכְמָ֤ה וּתְבוּנָה֙ בָּהֵ֔מָּה לָדַ֣עַת לַעֲשֹׂ֔ת אֶֽת־כָּל־מְלֶ֖אכֶת עֲבֹדַ֣ת הַקֹּ֑דֶשׁ לְכֹ֥ל אֲשֶׁר־צִוָּ֖ה יְהוָֽה׃ (ב) וַיִּקְרָ֣א מֹשֶׁ֗ה אֶל־בְּצַלְאֵ֘ל וְאֶל־אָֽהֳלִיאָב֒ וְאֶל֙ כָּל־אִ֣ישׁ חֲכַם־לֵ֔ב אֲשֶׁ֨ר נָתַ֧ן יְהוָ֛ה חָכְמָ֖ה בְּלִבּ֑וֹ כֹּ֚ל אֲשֶׁ֣ר נְשָׂא֣וֹ לִבּ֔וֹ לְקָרְבָ֥ה אֶל־הַמְּלָאכָ֖ה לַעֲשֹׂ֥ת אֹתָֽהּ׃ (ג) וַיִּקְח֞וּ מִלִּפְנֵ֣י מֹשֶׁ֗ה אֵ֤ת כָּל־הַתְּרוּמָה֙ אֲשֶׁ֨ר הֵבִ֜יאוּ בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֗ל לִמְלֶ֛אכֶת עֲבֹדַ֥ת הַקֹּ֖דֶשׁ לַעֲשֹׂ֣ת אֹתָ֑הּ וְ֠הֵם הֵבִ֨יאוּ אֵלָ֥יו ע֛וֹד נְדָבָ֖ה בַּבֹּ֥קֶר בַּבֹּֽקֶר׃ (ד) וַיָּבֹ֙אוּ֙ כָּל־הַ֣חֲכָמִ֔ים הָעֹשִׂ֕ים אֵ֖ת כָּל־מְלֶ֣אכֶת הַקֹּ֑דֶשׁ אִֽישׁ־אִ֥ישׁ מִמְּלַאכְתּ֖וֹ אֲשֶׁר־הֵ֥מָּה עֹשִֽׂים׃ (ה) וַיֹּאמְרוּ֙ אֶל־מֹשֶׁ֣ה לֵּאמֹ֔ר מַרְבִּ֥ים הָעָ֖ם לְהָבִ֑יא מִדֵּ֤י הָֽעֲבֹדָה֙ לַמְּלָאכָ֔ה אֲשֶׁר־צִוָּ֥ה יְהוָ֖ה לַעֲשֹׂ֥ת אֹתָֽהּ׃ (ו) וַיְצַ֣ו מֹשֶׁ֗ה וַיַּעֲבִ֨ירוּ ק֥וֹל בַּֽמַּחֲנֶה֮ לֵאמֹר֒ אִ֣ישׁ וְאִשָּׁ֗ה אַל־יַעֲשׂוּ־ע֛וֹד מְלָאכָ֖ה לִתְרוּמַ֣ת הַקֹּ֑דֶשׁ וַיִּכָּלֵ֥א הָעָ֖ם מֵהָבִֽיא׃
(1) Let, then, Bezalel and Oholiab and all the skilled persons whom Hashem has endowed with skill and ability to perform expertly all the tasks connected with the service of the sanctuary carry out all that Hashem has commanded. (2) Moses then called Bezalel and Oholiab, and every skilled person whom Hashem had endowed with skill, everyone who excelled in ability, to undertake the task and carry it out. (3) They took over from Moses all the gifts that the Israelites had brought, to carry out the tasks connected with the service of the sanctuary. But when these continued to bring freewill offerings to him morning after morning, (4) all the artisans who were engaged in the tasks of the sanctuary came, each from the task upon which he was engaged, (5) and said to Moses, “The people are bringing more than is needed for the tasks entailed in the work that Hashem has commanded to be done.” (6) Moses thereupon had this proclamation made throughout the camp: “Let no man or woman make further effort toward gifts for the sanctuary!” So the people stopped bringing:
ויבאו כל איש אשר נשאו לבו. כ' הרמב"ן בנדבה כתב אשר נדבו לבו ולא כתב בה נשיאות כאשר כתב בעושי המלאכה לפי שלא הי' מי שלמד המלאכה ממלמד או מי שאימן ידו בה לעשותה אלא מי שמצא בטבעו שידע לעשות ויגבה לבו בדרכי ה' לבא לפני משה לאמר לו אני אעשה כל אשר אדוני דובר ולכך הזכיר בה נשיאות לב:
ויבאו כל איש אשר נשאו לבו, “Every man whose heart inspired him came;” Nachmanides draws our attention to the change in expression here. In connection with the donations, (25,2) the Torah had described the individual’s motivation with the words אשר נדבנו לבו, “whose heart motivates him,” whereas here we are told about a different level of generosity, enthusiasm, i.e. אשר נשאו לבו, “whose heart inspired him.” Men who had no training in performing any of these tasks were inspired and suddenly were able to perform tasks they had never considered themselves capable of performing. Artisans who were skilled in performing tasks but had never trained others to do so, now became skilled at teaching their art, and men or women who had never displayed skill with their hands were suddenly inspired to do so. They came to Moses volunteering to perform the tasks that were required.
ויבאו כל איש אשר נשאו לבו על החכמים העושים במלאכה יאמר כן, כי לא מצינו על המתנדבים נשיאות לב, אבל יזכיר בהם נדיבות. וטעם אשר נשאו לבו, לקרבה אל המלאכה, כי לא היה בהם שלמד את המלאכות האלה ממלמד, או מי שאימן בהן ידיו כלל, אבל מצא בטבעו שידע לעשות כן, ויגבה לבו בדרכי ה' (דה''ב יז ו) לבא לפני משה לאמר לו אני אעשה כל אשר אדני דובר וכבר הזכרתי זה בסדר האחר (רמב"ן על שמות ל״א:ב׳).
Every man whose heart lifted him up (asher nesa’o libo). This expression is used only in connection with the artisans (see for example 36:2), whereas regarding the donors it is written, “every man whose heart impels him (asher yidvenu libo)” (see 25:2). The artisans are described in this way because none of them had studied their crafts formally. Rather they discovered that they were naturally endowed with these gifts and then were “lifted up” spiritually and inspired to come before Moshe to offer their services.
כן עשו בני ישראל את כל העבודה. היה לומר את כל המלאכה, אבל הכתוב קרא למלאכת המשכן עבודה שעשו אותה לעבודת הש"י, כענין שכתוב (שמות כ״ג:כ״ה) ועבדתם את ה' אלהיכם וכתיב (דברים יג) ואותו תעבודו.
. כן עשו בני ישראל את כל העבודה, “so did the Children of Israel perform all the labour.” We would have expected the Torah to write כל המלאכה instead of כל העבודה. The Torah, however, wanted to remind us that all work performed for the building of the Tabernacle was equivalent in spiritual value to service in the Sanctuary, עבודה, i.e. something sacred, holy. Just as the expression עבודה is always used in connection with directly serving the Lord, so this too was directly serving the Lord. (compare Deut. 13,5 or Exodus 23,28).
אלא מנלן מהכא (שמות לח, כב) ובצלאל בן אורי בן חור למטה יהודה וכתיב (דברי הימים א ב, יט) ותמת עזובה (אשת כלב) ויקח לו כלב את אפרת ותלד לו את חור וכי עבד בצלאל משכן בר כמה הוי בר תליסר דכתיב (שמות לו, ד) איש איש ממלאכתו אשר המה עושים ותניא שנה ראשונה עשה משה משכן שניה הקים משכן ושלח מרגלים
The Gemara asks: Rather, from where do we derive that in earlier generations men fathered children at the age of eight? From here, as it is written: “And Bezalel, son of Uri, son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, made all that the Lord commanded Moses” (Exodus 38:22). And it is written: “And Azubah died, and Caleb took for himself Ephrat, who bore him Hur. And Hur begot Uri, and Uri begot Bezalel” (I Chronicles 2:19–20). And when Bezalel made the Tabernacle how old was he? He must have been at least thirteen years old, as it is written: “And all the wise men that carried out all the work of the sanctuary, came every man from his work that they did” (Exodus 36:4), and one who is less than thirteen is not called a man. And it is taught in a baraita: In the first year following the exodus from Egypt Moses made the Tabernacle; in the second year he erected the Tabernacle and sent out the spies.
From Rabbi Jill Hammer, “Parashiyot Vayakhel and Pekudei: The Power of Embodied Love” at https://www.myjewishlearning.com/2013/03/04/parashiyot-vayakhel-and-pekudei-the-power-of-embodied-love/
Moses has been instructed to create a mishkan dwelling place for the Divine. He asks the people to bring gifts of precious metal, colored yarn, tanned animals skins and jewels to beautify the shrine. The pattern for the mishkan has been set by heaven, yet it is human wisdom and physical activity that weaves the pattern into a multifaceted reality. We are told “all the women whose hearts stirred them up in wisdom spun the goats’ hair” (Exodus 35:26) and “Moses summoned Bezalel and Oholiav [the chief artists] and every man who was wise of heart.” This wise-heartedness allows the people to bring the plans for the sacred shrine to life. Unlike Sinai, when the role of the people is to receive, here the role of the people is to give, and for each to give a unique and personal gift. The design Moses has received cannot live except through the hands of the givers, workers, and artists who join together to weave, shape, build and forge all the necessary pieces of the mishkan-puzzle. When the mishkan is built, it holds something of each person in it.
The words in our parshiyot suggest that “wise-heartedness,” the knowing that comes from inside, has something to contribute to the body of sacred knowledge. Queer people, like other marginalized people, have often spent a great deal of time becoming wise-hearted: knowing and skillful in understanding the workings of their bodies, hearts and spirits. They have had no choice: this skill is a necessary defense against the many people who misunderstand, demonize, or ignore them. Only by knowing themselves can they accurately know which of the images others have thrust on them are false. The gifts they bring to communal understanding of self, sexuality, love and community are powerful. Their embodied wisdom is not simply an idea to take or leave, it is an expertise in being, one that the community needs in order to build.
Moses has been instructed to create a mishkan dwelling place for the Divine. He asks the people to bring gifts of precious metal, colored yarn, tanned animals skins and jewels to beautify the shrine. The pattern for the mishkan has been set by heaven, yet it is human wisdom and physical activity that weaves the pattern into a multifaceted reality. We are told “all the women whose hearts stirred them up in wisdom spun the goats’ hair” (Exodus 35:26) and “Moses summoned Bezalel and Oholiav [the chief artists] and every man who was wise of heart.” This wise-heartedness allows the people to bring the plans for the sacred shrine to life. Unlike Sinai, when the role of the people is to receive, here the role of the people is to give, and for each to give a unique and personal gift. The design Moses has received cannot live except through the hands of the givers, workers, and artists who join together to weave, shape, build and forge all the necessary pieces of the mishkan-puzzle. When the mishkan is built, it holds something of each person in it.
The words in our parshiyot suggest that “wise-heartedness,” the knowing that comes from inside, has something to contribute to the body of sacred knowledge. Queer people, like other marginalized people, have often spent a great deal of time becoming wise-hearted: knowing and skillful in understanding the workings of their bodies, hearts and spirits. They have had no choice: this skill is a necessary defense against the many people who misunderstand, demonize, or ignore them. Only by knowing themselves can they accurately know which of the images others have thrust on them are false. The gifts they bring to communal understanding of self, sexuality, love and community are powerful. Their embodied wisdom is not simply an idea to take or leave, it is an expertise in being, one that the community needs in order to build.
From Rabbi Shai Held, (A) Building With Heart at https://www.hadar.org/torah-resource/building-heart
The question, of course, is why. What is it about the construction of the mishkan that makes giving from the heart so fundamental? The answer, I think, lies in the fact that the heart is the great equalizer.
R. Meir Leibush Weiser (Malbim, 1809-1879) makes the beautiful observation that in the construction of the mishkan, “the essence of the gift (terumah)... is the generosity (nedavat ha-lev); the spirit’s desire to donate is the very essence of the donation.” This requires emphasis, Malbim writes, because “there were poor people among the children of Israel who did not have anything at all to donate, but they gave in spirit (hitnadvu be-ruham)—that is, they thought that if only they had great wealth, they would give enough for the whole mishkan and all of its utensils just from their own possessions. God, who knew what was in their heart, received this as if they had given concretely” (Comments to Exodus 35:21).
Why the special concern in this context to include those who cannot afford to contribute materially? The mishkan is a magnificent structure; in constructing it, the Torah tells us, the Israelites make use of “gold, silver, and copper; blue, purple, and crimson yarns; fine linen and goats’ hair; tanned ram skins, dolphin skins, and acacia wood... lapis lazuli and other stones” (Exodus 25:3-5,7). In any massive capital campaign, the temptation is for people to lavish attention and admiration upon those with means; after all, it is their generosity that makes the project feasible. In such moments, those without wealth or “capacity” can quickly be rendered invisible. Yet something about that possibility undercuts the very purpose of the construction: If the mishkan is to be erected so that God can dwell in and with the entire people, then manifesting—and even deepening—divisions of status and class in the process of building it represents a spiritual contradiction in terms. So God stresses that all gifts count—even the smallest of the small;8 even the purely internal gift of wishing one had the means to contribute materially. As a Talmudic dictum puts it, “It is the same whether one offers much or one offers little, as long as one directs one’s heart to Heaven” (BT, Menahot 110a).
A similar logic underlies a memorable midrash about those who led the construction efforts. The Torah highlights the great wisdom and skill of Bezalel, from the tribe of Judah, who directed all aspects of the building (35:30-35). Alongside him, we learn, stood Oholiab, from the tribe of Dan (35:34). R. Hanina b. Pazi observes that “there was no more elevated tribe than the tribe of Judah and no more lowly tribe than the tribe of Dan, who was from among the sons of Jacob’s concubines... The Blessed Holy One said, ‘Let Oholiab come and work with Bezalel, lest the latter grow haughty—for the great and the lowly are equal before the Blessed Holy One’” (Tanhuma, Ki Tissa 13). Expanding upon this midrash, Rashi (1040-1105) cites a description of God from the book of Job: “The noble are not preferred to the wretched” (Job 34:19, cited in Rashi’s comments to Exodus 35:34). In appointing those who will manage the massive construction project, in other words, God carefully ensures that the whole people is represented. The mishkan is to be built together, without some being glorified and others erased.
The question, of course, is why. What is it about the construction of the mishkan that makes giving from the heart so fundamental? The answer, I think, lies in the fact that the heart is the great equalizer.
R. Meir Leibush Weiser (Malbim, 1809-1879) makes the beautiful observation that in the construction of the mishkan, “the essence of the gift (terumah)... is the generosity (nedavat ha-lev); the spirit’s desire to donate is the very essence of the donation.” This requires emphasis, Malbim writes, because “there were poor people among the children of Israel who did not have anything at all to donate, but they gave in spirit (hitnadvu be-ruham)—that is, they thought that if only they had great wealth, they would give enough for the whole mishkan and all of its utensils just from their own possessions. God, who knew what was in their heart, received this as if they had given concretely” (Comments to Exodus 35:21).
Why the special concern in this context to include those who cannot afford to contribute materially? The mishkan is a magnificent structure; in constructing it, the Torah tells us, the Israelites make use of “gold, silver, and copper; blue, purple, and crimson yarns; fine linen and goats’ hair; tanned ram skins, dolphin skins, and acacia wood... lapis lazuli and other stones” (Exodus 25:3-5,7). In any massive capital campaign, the temptation is for people to lavish attention and admiration upon those with means; after all, it is their generosity that makes the project feasible. In such moments, those without wealth or “capacity” can quickly be rendered invisible. Yet something about that possibility undercuts the very purpose of the construction: If the mishkan is to be erected so that God can dwell in and with the entire people, then manifesting—and even deepening—divisions of status and class in the process of building it represents a spiritual contradiction in terms. So God stresses that all gifts count—even the smallest of the small;8 even the purely internal gift of wishing one had the means to contribute materially. As a Talmudic dictum puts it, “It is the same whether one offers much or one offers little, as long as one directs one’s heart to Heaven” (BT, Menahot 110a).
A similar logic underlies a memorable midrash about those who led the construction efforts. The Torah highlights the great wisdom and skill of Bezalel, from the tribe of Judah, who directed all aspects of the building (35:30-35). Alongside him, we learn, stood Oholiab, from the tribe of Dan (35:34). R. Hanina b. Pazi observes that “there was no more elevated tribe than the tribe of Judah and no more lowly tribe than the tribe of Dan, who was from among the sons of Jacob’s concubines... The Blessed Holy One said, ‘Let Oholiab come and work with Bezalel, lest the latter grow haughty—for the great and the lowly are equal before the Blessed Holy One’” (Tanhuma, Ki Tissa 13). Expanding upon this midrash, Rashi (1040-1105) cites a description of God from the book of Job: “The noble are not preferred to the wretched” (Job 34:19, cited in Rashi’s comments to Exodus 35:34). In appointing those who will manage the massive construction project, in other words, God carefully ensures that the whole people is represented. The mishkan is to be built together, without some being glorified and others erased.
וּמִמַּאי דִּבְשַׁבָּת קָאֵי? דִּילְמָא בְּחוֹל קָאֵי, וּמִשּׁוּם דִּשְׁלִימָא לַהּ מְלָאכָה, כְּדִכְתִיב: ״וְהַמְּלָאכָה הָיְתָה דַיָּם וְגוֹ׳״?! — גָּמַר ״הַעֲבָרָה״ ״הַעֲבָרָה״ מִיּוֹם הַכִּפּוּרִים: כְּתִיב הָכָא: ״וַיַּעֲבִירוּ קוֹל בַּמַּחֲנֶה״, וּכְתִיב הָתָם: ״וְהַעֲבַרְתָּ שׁוֹפַר תְּרוּעָה״, מַה לְּהַלָּן — בַּיּוֹם אָסוּר, אַף כָּאן — בַּיּוֹם אָסוּר.
The Gemara asks: And how do you know that he was standing and commanding the people on Shabbat? Perhaps he was standing during the week, and Moses commanded the cessation of contributions because the labor of the Tabernacle was completed, since all the necessary material was already donated, as it is written: “And the work was sufficient for them for all of the work to perform it, and there was extra” (Exodus 36:7). Rather, derive this by means of a verbal analogy between passing mentioned in this context and passing mentioned with regard to Yom Kippur. It is written here, with regard to the Tabernacle: “And they passed a proclamation throughout the camp,” and it is written there, with regard to Yom Kippur: “And you shall pass a blast of a shofar on the tenth day of the seventh month, on Yom Kippur you shall sound a shofar throughout your land” (Leviticus 25:9). Just as there, with regard to the shofar of the Jubilee Year, passing is on a day on which it is prohibited to perform labor, so too, here passing is on a day on which it is prohibited to perform labor.
By Rabbi Tamara Cohen, “And they Assembled” https://truah.org/resources/and-they-assembled-prayer-covid-19-2020-rabbi-tamara-cohen/
And Moses said dayam, enough
Enough: enough
Stop, withdraw,
bring/do/perform/gather no more.
Let the silver glare of a silent sanctuary,
the gold blue of a plane-less sky
the garnet sheen of an empty concert hall
be our sacred offering,
meager gifts of absence from wise and less wise-hearted people.
Please God let our ceasing be enough.
Let our hospital beds be enough.
Let our slow awakening to the interconnectedness of every living being be enough.
Let a pillar of stillness rest at the entrance of every home and prison.
Let this plague pass over us, enough of us.
Enough.
And Moses said dayam, enough
Enough: enough
Stop, withdraw,
bring/do/perform/gather no more.
Let the silver glare of a silent sanctuary,
the gold blue of a plane-less sky
the garnet sheen of an empty concert hall
be our sacred offering,
meager gifts of absence from wise and less wise-hearted people.
Please God let our ceasing be enough.
Let our hospital beds be enough.
Let our slow awakening to the interconnectedness of every living being be enough.
Let a pillar of stillness rest at the entrance of every home and prison.
Let this plague pass over us, enough of us.
Enough.