"A picture is worth a thousand words." Familiar saying, right? The meaning of which is that you can describe something endlessly and try to convey all aspects of it, but ultimately a single picture could do
a better job. A gorgeous sunset over a breathtaking valley; a child greeting a parent at the airport (especially after a military tour); the final 'out' when your team wins the World Series - how many of us wouldn't prefer to see it in just one image, rather than trying to read about it in a thousand, or more, words? Interestingly, the same seems to be true for Moses in the Torah.
This week, Moses is given the daunting task of starting to build God's Tabernacle. A sort of precursor to the eventual Temple in Jerusalem, it was a portable structure that the Israelites brought along throughout their Exodus from Egypt. A student of mine once
described it as a 'synagogue-on-the go.' And as God lists all the specific items that Moses must construct - the menorah, the ark, the lampstand, the curtain, etc. - God repeatedly reminds Moses to follow the instructions 'I have shown you.' Three times, God says this. Not 'as I have instructed,' or 'as I've requested,' but SHOWN. What does that mean? What did God provide for Moses on top of Mount Sinai to help clarify the precise look of this Tabernacle? Did Moses receive blueprints? I like to imagine a laser three-dimensional model, suspended in mid-air, straight out of the best science fiction movie! The great Torah commentator, Nahum Sarna, suggests also that it might be referring to God's Temple in heaven. The prophet Isaiah speaks of seeing a Divine Temple above in one of his visions, and many later rabbinic sources talk about there being a 'Temple on High' to mirror the Temple we constructed down below. So maybe Moses was offered a glimpse of the Big House 'upstairs,' though I can't even imagine how much MORE daunting it must now have seemed to try and recreate such a thing in the lowly desert...
But Sarna also suggests another possibility, echoed in the Torah commentary of Rabbi Matthew Berkowitz. God tells Moses to recreate the 'pattern' (tavnit) that has been shown to him. 'Tavnit' can also mean 'model' or 'image,' and both Sarna and Berkowitz imagine that God is modeling behavior, and asking Moses to imitate it
in the world below. Rabbi Berkowitz describes it as, 'a metaphor for bringing holiness and goodness into the world at large.' Which, of course, then begs the question, does that make it more or less daunting for Moses to have to recreate?? A picture may indeed be worth a thousand words, but what if we are meant to BE that picture? We, as human beings, are not just made in the image of God, we ARE that image, and we have to live our lives as such.
Sadly, we see role models falling from grace every day. Inspirational athletes, political figures, and world leaders who disappoint us and reveal serious character flaws and poor judgment. Because it's hard to
be that 'tavnit'!! A single picture or a bunch of words might ultimately have been easier than being commanded to live a life of honesty, integrity, and kindness. But that is our task. That is what it means to be human, and to keep striving to be a better person. God has to remind Moses THREE times, because it's a lot to internalize. We cannot demand it of our leaders if we don't first model it ourselves. And to truly be a 'tavnit,' we must use all three - our words, our pictures, AND our behavior - to inspire and influence those around us. Let us all strive to make that the pattern of our lives.
Photos in this blog post:
1. CC image courtesy of The National Guard on Flickr
2. CC image courtesy of Todd Ehlers on Flickr
4. CC image courtesy of blprnt_van on Flickr
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