Mandala Sanctuary: The Fate of the Mishkan Based upon and inspired by a shiur (class) taught by Rabbi Tali Adler at Hadar (see link below) Parshat Tetzaveh

(1) The word that came to Jeremiah from GOD: (2) Stand at the gate of the House of GOD, and there proclaim this word: Hear the word of GOD, all you of Judah who enter these gates to worship GOD ! (3) Thus said GOD of Hosts, the God of Israel: Mend your ways and your actions, and I will let you dwell in this place. (4) Don’t put your trust in illusions and say, “The Temple of GOD, the Temple of GOD, the Temple of GOD are these [buildings].”

(5) No, if you really mend your ways and your actions; if you execute justice between one party and another; (6) if you do not oppress the stranger, the orphan, and the widow; if you do not shed the blood of the innocent in this place; if you do not follow other gods, to your own hurt— (7) then only will I let you dwell in this place, in the land that I gave to your ancestors for all time.

(8) See, you are relying on illusions that are of no avail. (9) Will you steal and murder and commit adultery and swear falsely, and sacrifice to Baal, and follow other gods whom you have not experienced, (10) and then come and stand before Me in this House that bears My name and say, “We are safe”?—[Safe] to do all these abhorrent things! (11) Do you consider this House, which bears My name, to be a den of thieves? As for Me, I have been watching—declares GOD.

(12) Just go to My place at Shiloh, where I had established My name formerly, and see what I did to it because of the wickedness of My people Israel. (13) And now, because you do all these things—declares GOD —and though I spoke to you persistently, you would not listen; and though I called to you, you would not respond— (14) therefore I will do to the House that bears My name, on which you rely, and to the place that I gave you and your ancestors, just what I did to Shiloh. (15) And I will cast you out of My presence as I cast out your kinsfolk, the whole brood of Ephraim. (16) As for you, do not pray for this people, do not raise a cry of prayer on their behalf, do not plead with Me; for I will not listen to you.

(7) The priests and prophets and all the people heard Jeremiah speaking these words in the House of GOD. (8) And when Jeremiah finished speaking all that GOD had commanded him to speak to all the people, the priests and the prophets and all the people seized him, shouting, “You shall die! (9) How dare you prophesy in the name of GOD that this House shall become like Shiloh and this city be made desolate, without inhabitants?” And all the people crowded about Jeremiah in the House of GOD. (10) When the officials of Judah heard about this, they went up from the king’s palace to the House of GOD and held a session at the entrance of the New Gate of the House of GOD. (11) The priests and prophets said to the officials and to all the people, “This man deserves the death penalty, for he has prophesied against this city, as you yourselves have heard.”

(12) As she kept on praying before the LORD, Eli watched her mouth. (13) Now Hannah was praying in her heart; only her lips moved, but her voice could not be heard. So Eli thought she was drunk. (14) Eli said to her, “How long will you make a drunken spectacle of yourself? (15) And Hannah replied, “Oh no, my lord! I am a very unhappy woman. I have drunk no wine or other strong drink, but I have been pouring out my heart to the LORD. (16) Do not take your maidservant for a worthless woman; I have only been speaking all this time out of my great anguish and distress.”

(12) Now Eli’s sons were scoundrels; they paid no heed to the LORD. (13) This is how the priests used to deal with the people: When anyone brought a sacrifice, the priest’s boy would come along with a three-pronged fork while the meat was boiling, (14) and he would thrust it into the cauldron, or the kettle, or the great pot, or the small cooking-pot; and whatever the fork brought up, the priest would take away This was the practice at Shiloh with all the Israelites who came there. (15) [But now] even before the suet was turned into smoke, the priest’s boy would come and say to the man who was sacrificing, “Hand over some meat to roast for the priest; for he won’t accept boiled meat from you, only raw.” (16) And if the man said to him, “Let them first turn the suet into smoke, and then take as much as you want,” he would reply, “No, hand it over at once or I’ll take it by force.” (17) The sin of the young men against the LORD was very great, for the men treated the LORD’s offerings with contempt.

(22) Now Eli was very old. When he heard all that his sons were doing to all Israel, and how they lay with the women who performed tasks at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting, (23) he said to them, “Why do you do such things? I get evil reports about you from the people on all hands. (24) Don’t, my sons! It is no favorable report I hear the people of the LORD spreading about. (25) If a man sins against a man, God may pardon him; but if a man offends against the LORD, who can obtain pardon for him?” But they ignored their father’s plea; for the LORD was resolved that they should die.

(27) A man of God came to Eli and said to him, “Thus said the LORD: Lo, I revealed Myself to your father’s house in Egypt when they were subject to the House of Pharaoh, (28) and I chose them from among all the tribes of Israel to be My priests—to ascend My altar, to burn incense, [and] to carry an ephod before Me—and I assigned to your father’s house all offerings by fire of the Israelites. (29) Why, then, do you maliciously trample upon the sacrifices and offerings that I have commanded?You have honored your sons more than Me, feeding on the first portions of every offering of My people Israel. (30) Assuredly—declares the LORD, the God of Israel—I intended for you and your father’s house to remain in My service forever. But now—declares the LORD—far be it from Me! For I honor those who honor Me, but those who spurn Me shall be dishonored. (31) A time is coming when I will break your power and that of your father’s house, and there shall be no elder in your house. (32) You will gaze grudgingly. at all the bounty that will be bestowed on Israel, but there shall never be an elder in your house. (33) I shall not cut off all your offspring from My altar; [but,] to make your eyes pine and your spirit languish, all the increase in your house shall die as [ordinary] men.-i (34) And this shall be a sign for you: The fate of your two sons Hophni and Phinehas—they shall both die on the same day. (35) And I will raise up for Myself a faithful priest, who will act in accordance with My wishes and My purposes. I will build for him an enduring house, and he shall walk before My anointed evermore. (36) And all the survivors of your house shall come and bow low to him for the sake of a money fee and a loaf of bread, and shall say, ‘Please, assign me to one of the priestly duties, that I may have a morsel of bread to eat.’”