Parsha_Push, Parshat Pekuday

One of the beautiful things about the Torah is the balancing of different values. The Torah brings different voices on many topics, and in each one can find various nuances and different aspects. Thus, in our Torah portion, it becomes clear that there is a connection between ‘Mishkan HaEdut’ (Tabernacle of Testimony) and ‘Ohel Moed’ (Tent of Meeting).
Mishkan HaEdut is the place where the tablets of testimony are housed, testifying to the covenant between the people of Israel and God, and to the connection between heaven and earth that occurred at Mount Sinai. It represents the static aspect of that structure built in the desert. Over the Mishkan, they spread the tent, ‘Ohel Moed,’ which is the meeting place between human beings and God. When the Torah speaks of ‘Ohel Moed,’ it deals both with God’s speech to Moses—”I will meet with you there”—and with the Temple service of the priests, which is described specifically with this title, ‘Ohel Moed.’ If ‘Mishkan HaEdut’ represents the static component of the structure, the ‘house’, Ohel Moed deals with the dynamic encounter, the ‘home’. At the end of our Torah portion, the entire structure is called ‘Mishkan Ohel Moed,’ simultaneously representing both elements.
But the Torah doesn’t just contain nuances; it also balances values that are somewhat contradictory. Thus, in the later Torah portion of Korach, we find those who challenge Moses’ leadership, those who claim that Moses has personal interests and accuse him of nepotism. There we discover that challenging Moses’ leadership is like challenging God’s leadership, and the judgment is most severe. One might understand from this that Moses is above criticism. He received God’s trust (and also several times in the past, the peoples’ trust), and therefore it should be assumed that he is always “right.” But our Torah portion begins with Moses giving an accounting to the people regarding the money collected. The sages understood from this the importance of leadership transparency toward the people. Even if constant complaints are inappropriate, and even if it is proper for the people to trust Moses, this does not exempt Moses from being constantly concerned that this trust is justified.
These days, it is crucial to remember the importance of constantly strengthening the foundations—the “shared building”—that upholds the fundamental principles of our existence and alongside it the ongoing effort to gather together and connect. We must foster a positive outlook toward public servants, and at the same time public servants must be committed to transparency and trust-building. May we merit the Divine presence dwelling among the children of Israel.