Faces on Faith: Each part depends upon the other
I don’t know about you, but I’m tired! I’d be willing to bet that you are too.
The pace of change, the shocks to our senses we experience each day with the latest news, can be exhausting. Many of us have spent a lifetime working to implement a vision of a more just and equitable society. We look around us and perhaps we feel that our contributions didn’t matter. So, we give up, silence our voices and put our hands in our pockets. We are ready to give up. But the Bible teaches us that giving up isn’t an option and doing our part always matters.
Each week the Jewish people read a specific portion of the Bible known as Parsha HaShavuah, the portion of the week. This week we read the final chapters of the Book of Exodus. They describe the construction of the Tabernacle in the desert, the portable structure that contained the Ark of the Covenant, where God’s presence came to reside with the Jewish people during their wanderings in the wilderness.
Moses asks the Jewish people to donate gold, silver and copper for the construction of the Tabernacle. Seemingly, the most valuable and precious of these metals was gold, followed by silver, and least valuable was copper. But each of these three metals were used for completely different purposes in the construction of the Tabernacle and each metal was dependent upon the other metals so that their own purpose could be realized.
For example, gold was used to construct the Ark that housed the Ten Commandments, but the Ark needed to have a courtyard around it for protection, which needed silver and copper clasps in its’ construction.
The lesson here is that each one of us, on some level, may want to fix the world. But we may feel that the work is too much, and compared to others our contributions are not as significant. But the exact opposite is true. If we don’t do our part, it prevents others from doing their part. Each part depends upon the other.
Sometimes we doubt if we really have what it takes to make a difference, and we further question this if we compare our perception of our talent and resources to other people. But this is a great failing.
Every project that was ever completed had many people who made it happen more than only those who were “front and center.”
Just like the Israelites in the making of the Tabernacle, you have the responsibility to contribute in relation to your ability. Whether God gave you gold, silver, or copper — your spirit should move you to give what you can — as opposed to how little you can get away with.
No matter what you have to give, whether it’s your money, time or expertise, know that you are laying the foundation to allow many others to do their part as well.
Each of us are active partners with the Creator in the work of creation. There are no extras.
Got a question about matters spiritual or temporal? Ask a rabbi! I am at the Sanibel Deli, at 2330 Pine Ridge Road, Sanibel, every Wednesday from 10:30 a.m. to noon. Stop by, grab a cup of coffee and let’s talk about it.
Rabbi Sunny Schnitzer is with the Bat Yam Temple of the Islands.