Pekudei

What does it mean to bear witness?

Just before we locked down for Omicron, I a ended a friend’s wedding. It had been
years since I had the privilege of such a gathering and it was exhilara ng. The couple was
radiant. The crowd around them was electric. The intense in macy–between the bride
and groom themselves and between them and those who love them–was palpable. The
experience felt profoundly sacred.

A er a long, inten onal ceremony under the chuppah, just before the breaking of the
glass, the o cia ng rabbi asked the couple to step toward the crowd. We enveloped
them, sending blessings their way, holding them in the bonds of community, just as they
cemented their union. It was absolutely gorgeous and also a bit unse ling. Was I
invading the privacy of these lovers? What role did the public serve at this quintessen al
moment of in macy? Why ought we be onlookers to other people’s secrets?

The answer, I believe, is to bear witness. Jewish weddings tradi onally require two
witnesses to legally a est to the union, and they require the presence of a minyan, a
quorum of 10, to cons tute a public celebra on. That is, we tes fy to the commitments
of others to help hold them accountable to one another. And also to hold some of the
weight of their heavy promises. We carry the memory of their abounding love perhaps
to remind them of it, should they one day need it. We bear witness to love to yield it.

***

Parashat Pekudei comes on the heels of the wedding between the Holy One and the
Israelites at Mount Sinai; of their broken union and reconcilia on through the Golden
Calf; and at the moment when, nally, they are about to move into their home
together. . Pikudei begins:

‫אֵּ֣לֶה פְקּוֵד֤י הַּמִׁשְּכָן֙ מִׁשְּכַ֣ן הָעֵֻד֔ת אֲׁשֶ֥ר ּפֻּקַ֖ד עַל־ּפִ֣י מֹׁשֶ֑ה עֲבַֹדת֙ הַלְוִּיִ֔ם ּבְיַד֙ אִֽיתָמָ֔ר ּבֶֽן־אַהֲֹר֖ן‬
‫הַּכֹהֵֽן׃‬

These are the records of the Tabernacle, the Tabernacle of Witness, which were
drawn up at Moses’ bidding—the work of the Levites under the direc on of
Ithamar son of Aaron the priest.

1|S e f a t E m e t o n t h e P a r s h a h — R a b b i D r. E r i n L e i b S m o k l e r
© Institute for Jewish Spirituality 2021
ft
ffi
ti
ti
ti
tt
ti
fi
tt
ti
ti
ti
ti
ti
ti
tt
ti
ti
 No ng the speci c name a ributed to the Tabernacle–mishkan ha-edut, the Tabernacle
of Witness–the midrash comments:

‫ ׁשֶהֲֵרי הִׁשְָרה ׁשְכִינָתֹו‬,‫ עֵדּות לְיִׂשְָראֵל ׁשֶּוִּתֵר לָהֶם הַּקָּבָ"ה עַל מַעֲׂשֵה הָעֵגֶל‬.‫משכן העדת‬
(‫ )רש’י שם‬:‫ּבֵינֵיהֶם‬

The Tabernacle of Witness was a witness to Israel that the Holy Blessed One
forgave them for the Sin of the Golden Calf, as God rested the Divine Presence
among them. [Midrash Tanchuma, Pekudei 6]. (Rashi, ad loc)

The grand structure of the mishkan, the presumed house of God, was apparently
erected for the people. It was built for their sake, as an emblem of God’s abiding love
and presence–a love unmoved by betrayal and a presence unperturbed by an act of
iniquity.

The Sefat Emet argues that the mishkan was a gi from the Holy One to a fallen, broken
people.

‫משכן העדות עדות הוא לישראל שויתר להם הקב"ה על מעשה העגל שהרי השרה‬
‫ אך כי נשפלו מאוד בנ"י ע"י החטא ונתן להם הקב"ה‬.‫ ומה צריכין עדות‬.‫שכינתו ביניהם‬
‫ ובאמת בנ"י הם עדים על‬.‫עדות ע"י המשכן לחזק את לבם ולהראות שתיקנו כל החטא‬
‫ ובוודאי בני ישראל שנבראו להעיד על אלקותו ית"ש שהוא‬.‫הקב"ה כדכתיב אתם עדי‬
‫ ולכן נתרשלו בנ"י בעדותן עד שהראה להם‬.‫אחד איך יתכן שיהיו הם עובדי ע"ז ח"ו‬
‫ ושהם ראוין להעיד עליו‬.‫הקב"ה שלא הי' זה החטא בעצם רק במקרה ע"י הערב רב‬
(‫ תרנ"ז‬,‫ פקודי‬,‫… )שפת אמת‬.‫ית"ש כבראשונה‬

[Pekudei begins: “These are the records of the Tabernacle, the Tabernacle of
Witness (mishkan ha-edut), which were drawn up at Moses’ bidding—the work
of the Levites under the direc on of Ithamar son of Aaron the priest” (Exodus
38:21)]. The “Tabernacle of Witness” [was so called] because it was a witness
to Israel that the Holy Blessed One forgave them for the Sin of the Golden Calf,
as God rested the Divine Presence among them (Rashi, ad loc). Why did they
need witness [or proof]? The Israelites were humbled by their sin, so the Holy
One gave them proof via the mishkan to strengthen their hearts and to show
them that their sin had been rec ed.

In truth, the Israelites are witnesses for God, as the verse states: “You are my
witnesses [declared the Lord]” (Isaiah 43:10). Surely the Israelites, who were
created to bear witness to God’s unity, how could they be idol worshippers,
God forbid?!

But for this reason, the Israelites were negligent regarding their witness, un l
God showed them that their sin was not [a re ec on of] their essence, but was

2|S e f a t E m e t o n t h e P a r s h a h — R a b b i D r. E r i n L e i b S m o k l e r
© Institute for Jewish Spirituality 2021
ti
fi
tt
ti
ti
fi
fl
ft
ti
ti
 [an] incidental ac on of the erev rav1; that they were worthy to bear witness
for God [now], as before [their sin]... (Sefat Emet, Pekudei, 1897)

Having transgressed gravely through construc ng the Golden Calf, the Jewish people
were ashamed, de ated, unable to see themselves as agents of the Divine. They could
not believe that the God they wronged could so genuinely forgive. They could not
believe that they themselves could be forgiven. Neither teshuva (repentance) nor kkun
(rec ca on) seemed possible.

In comes the mishkan ha-edut, the Tabernacle of Witness, to bear witness to them that
the Divine will reside within their midst come what may. Forgiveness is real and so is
self-correc on. Our past need not hold a grip on our future. We can tes fy to the very
things we rejected not long ago. We can be loved on the other side of sin.

The Rebbe references the following Talmudic statement from tractate Avodah Zara:

‫וא"ר יהושע בן לוי לא עשו ישראל את העגל אלא ליתן פתחון פה לבעלי תשובה שנאמר‬
.(:‫ כה( מי יתן והיה לבבם זה להם ליראה אותי כל הימים וגו' )עבודה זרה ד‬,‫)דברים ה‬

Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi says: The Jewish people fashioned the [Golden] Calf
only to give a claim to penitents, as it is stated [a er the revela on at Sinai:]
“Who would give that they had such a heart as this always, to fear Me, [and
keep all My commandments, that it might be good for them, and with their
children] forever” (Deuteronomy 5:25). (Avodah Zara 4b)

In his annotated English transla on of the Talmud, Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz explains R.
Yehoshua ben Levi’s statement: If the na on was truly at such a lo y spiritual state, how
could they worship the Golden Calf? Rather, their sin occurred so that it would be made
clear that one can repent for any sin, as even a sin as severe as the Golden Calf was
forgiven.

The Sefat Emet takes up this teaching and renders it thus:

‫ פי' להודיע לכל בר תשובה‬.‫וכדאיתא לא היו ראוין בנ"י לאותו חטא רק להורות תשובה‬
‫שלא יהי' נופל ביותר בעיניו וידע כי ע"י התשובה ניתקן כבראשונה‬.

As it is brought [in BT Avodah Zara 4b], the Israelites were only “worthy” of the
sin [of the Golden Calf] in order to teach [us] about repentance. Meaning: [In
order] to make known to any penitent [lit. son of repentance] that they do not
fall in God’s eyes and that, through repentance, they are restored to their
original posi on [pre-sin].

1 The erev rav are understood to be Egyp ans (and maybe others) who joined the Jewish people in their
Exodus. See Shemot Rabbah 42:6 for the claim that it was this group who was responsible for the crea on
of the Golden Calf.

3|S e f a t E m e t o n t h e P a r s h a h — R a b b i D r. E r i n L e i b S m o k l e r
© Institute for Jewish Spirituality 2021
ti
fi
ti
ti
ti
ti
fl
ti
ti
ti
ti
ft
ti
ft
ti
ti
ti
 Bracke ng ques ons related to free will, the sugges on here is that the whole episode
of the Golden Calf was a purposefully-constructed pedagogical moment. The Israelites at
Sinai–witnesses to Revela on, idolaters at the foot of the mount–were des ned to be
exemplars of atonement. If the sin of the Golden Calf could be forgiven, anything can be
forgiven. If the Holy One could rest among the Israelites a er that travesty, the Holy One
can reside with–and within–all of us, imperfect as we may be. The Tabernacle of Witness
would bear witness to that possibility for all me, the possibility of teshuva and the
possibility of kkun.

The Sefat Emet concludes:

‫וכמו כן אחר יוה"כ שהוא יום סליחה ומחילה ניתן מצות סוכה שהיא מעין השראת‬
‫השכינה במקדש לחזק לכל בעלי תשובות כי ראוים הם שתשרה שכינה עליהם‬

In this vein, a er Yom Kippur, which is the day of penance and forgiveness, the
mitzvah of sukkah–which is like the res ng of the Shechinah in the Temple–is
o ered to strengthen all penitents (baalei teshuva) to know that they are
worthy of the Divine dwelling among them.

Every year we are to be reminded of this during the season of the High Holidays. A er a
month of Elul and the Ten Days of Repentance from Rosh Hashanah to Yom Kippur,
during which we focus deeply on clearly seeing our shortcomings, our sense of self-
worth might be so low that it doesn’t feel possible to con nue. Yet immediately
following Yom Kippur comes Sukkot, and with it the invita on to rest in God’s enduring
embrace. We enter sukkot, humble huts open to the stars; we sit under the “clouds of
glory” (ananei ha-kavod); and we bask in the deep knowledge that, though we err, we
can love and be loved by the One who dwells among us: Ve’shachan be’tocham2. The
Divine bears witness to our unbreakable bond.

Bifnim/Ques ons for Re ec on

1. The Sefat Emet suggests that the Mishkan stands as enduring tes mony to the
possibility of forgiveness, even a er the gravest sins. Have you ever been
confronted with a need to forgive yourself or someone else for a serious breach?
What happened? What, if any resistance did you encounter within yourself?
What, if anything, helped you work through it? When, if at all, did you sense the
presence of the Divine in the process?
2. This week’s teaching is built upon the descrip on of the Mishkan as the Mishkan
HaEdut, or Tabernacle of Tes mony, as opposed to another of its names, Ohel
Moed, or Tent of Mee ng. What, if anything, do you understand to be the

2 Exodus 25:8:
‫וְעָׂ֥שּו לִ֖י מְִקּדָׁ֑ש וְׁשָכַנְּתִ֖י ּבְתֹוכָֽם׃‬
And let them make Me a sanctuary that I may dwell among them.

4|S e f a t E m e t o n t h e P a r s h a h — R a b b i D r. E r i n L e i b S m o k l e r
© Institute for Jewish Spirituality 2021
ff
ti
ti
ti
ft
ti
ti
fl
ti
ti
ti
ft
ti
ti
ti
ti
ti
ti
ft
ti
ti
ti
ft
 di erence between these two names for the same place? Does one or the other
par cularly resonate with you? How might each name evoke a di erent aspect of
your understanding of the Holy One?
3. The Midash quoted by the Sefat Emet understands the Golden Calf episode to, in
some mysterious way, be foreordained by God–a built-in teaching lesson in the
possibility for forgiveness. This is a poten ally striking posi on to take. Do you
nd it surprising, pleasant, unpleasant, or something else? How might you
paraphrase the lesson here and apply it to your own life?

Avodah-Prac ce–Rabbi Myriam Klotz

The Divine is imagined by the mys cs in the Zohar as having di erent faces, and di erent
aspects to each face. One central image presents the Divine as having one eye, not two,
in the center of the forehead. In this face of the Divine, the two eyes, represen ng
Judgment and Love, appear as one, Judgment having been enveloped and transmuted
into, and only, Love (see Seekers of the Face: Secrets of the Idra Rabba (the Great
Assembly) of the Zohar, Melila Hellner-Eshed, p. 200)..

When other eyes meet this gaze of the Divine, they are held in a constant, all-
encompassing stream of Love that sees and forgives all, emi ng streams of
uncondi onal, ever- owing Love. While other ways of Divine seeing are nged with
judgment and vola lity, in this image we are given what the mys cs understand as the
innermost, primordial and primal Ancient One, an ever-present aspect of the Divine
presence that is a never-ending streaming of life-giving, “gushing Love.” Beholding the
gaze of the Ancient One, all is forgiven. When one’s own self is seen through the Eye of
Divine Love, it is as if they are held deeply within a sanctuary of sacred and healing
witness. Perhaps, in a sense, this is the kind of power that the Mishkan ha’Edut, the
Sanctuary of Witness, had for the Israelites.

For our prac ce this week, your invita on is to work with building an inner Mishkan
ha’Edut, an inner sanctuary of Witness, from which you bear witness to all that comes
into your gaze, bathing what arises in your awareness with Love, and perhaps, the
possibility of forgiveness.

Return to a place where you can sit, lie down or otherwise rest quietly and
undisturbed.
For at least one minute, simply no ce your breath, sensa ons in your body. Arrive
where you are, just as you are.
Follow the breath in your mind’s eye, gazing upon its descent into the body and its
release back out for another minute.

With eyes closed, begin to move the eyes beneath the lids in a clockwise direc on.
Bring your awareness to the eyes as they move. You may no ce that there are some
areas where the eyes move freely and others where they might get “stuck” or have
di culty. Without forcing them, simply allow the eyes to con nue moving in clockwise
circles 5 mes.
Repeat this in counter-clockwise circles.

5|S e f a t E m e t o n t h e P a r s h a h — R a b b i D r. E r i n L e i b S m o k l e r
© Institute for Jewish Spirituality 2021
fi
ff
ffi
ti
ti
ti
ti
ti
ti
fl
ti
ti
ti
ti
ti
ti
tti
ti
ti
ff
ti
ff
ti
ti
ti
ff
 When complete, allow your eyes to rest, gazing forward at eye level.
Return awareness to your breath for a spacious inhala on and a full exhala on.

On the next inhala on, with eyes closed, again li the eyes to look upwards towards the
forehead.
Rest here for several breaths.
With each inbreathe and exhale, repeat the word:
Love. Love. Love.
Ahavah. Ahavah. Ahavah.
Or, choose another word that conveys for you a sense of uncondi onal lovingkindness
and forgiveness. If the mind gets distracted with thoughts, commentaries, judgments,
simply return a en on to your breath, the sensa ons of the eyes looking towards the
forehead behind closed lids, and bring kindness to your experience.

As you are ready, allow a memory or thought of someone or something that you have
held in judgment. Even the most jus able and righteous judgment! The prac ce here is
simply to bear witness to what arises from within an inner sanctuary from which the
gaze of Love is undergirding your capacity to stay present.

If available to you, bring the image of this person or thing into that gaze and hold them
spaciously for a cycle of breath.
Hold them in the gaze of Love, staying present to whatever arises inside you as you do.
Extend that gaze of Love to bear witness to whatever thoughts, sensa ons, emo ons,
memories arise within you, and once more, bring your focus to the image before you,
and simply prac ce what it is like to gaze upon them from an Eye of Loving Witness. You
don’t have to “do” anything else.

Release that image, and return to your breath.

Allow your eyes to move in circles beneath your eyelids.

When you are ready, once again li your eyes to the forehead beneath the lids.
Bring to mind a memory or image of a moment or experience in which someone or
something wronged you. The prac ce here is to cul vate the capacity to sustain the
clear witnessing to your own heart, your own being, and to o er yourself the gaze of
Love as you li up this memory or image to this inner witness.
Gaze upon your self from this inner sanctuary, bathing that memory or image in Loving
awareness.
Remain here for several breaths, or release this image sooner if you need to.

As you release these images, return your awareness to the sanctuary of breath moving
through your body.
From beneath closed lids, let your eyes look down towards your heart.
You might bring your hands to your heart, placing your palms atop one another.
Bring the Gaze of Love to your heart, and listen for what you hear, what you may receive,
as you do. There is no “right way” to engage this prac ce, simply the invita on to

6|S e f a t E m e t o n t h e P a r s h a h — R a b b i D r. E r i n L e i b S m o k l e r
© Institute for Jewish Spirituality 2021
ft
tt
ti
ti
ti
ft
ti
ti
fi
ft
ti
ti
ti
ti
ff
ti
ti
ti
ti
ti
ti
 cul vate that capacity to bear witness to whatever is arising, again and again, and to
open to extend, and receive, a gaze infused with Loving a en on and presence.

7|S e f a t E m e t o n t h e P a r s h a h — R a b b i D r. E r i n L e i b S m o k l e r
© Institute for Jewish Spirituality 2021
ti
tt
ti