We all appreciate finishing a job well done. There’s a sense of ticking another item off our ever-growing lists, and a sense of satisfaction for having accomplished something worthy of our time and efforts. As we bring the Book of Exodus to a close with this week’s Torah portion, P’kudei, the Israelites await God’s affirmation that their resources and energies in completing the Mishkan—the portal desert Tabernacle—were recognized and invested well. God does indeed send a cloud—fittingly indicating “Kavod Adonai/The Honor of God’s presence”—to acknowledge the work. And yet, we are left with the rhetorical question of whether God truly needs a specific site in which to meet the people, for does not God’s presence fill the world? We respond with an ancient take on the old adage: It is not the destination that is important, but rather the journey. Similarly, it is not the Mishkan itself that is the point, but rather the committed process that brought it to realization.
By Rabbi Daniel Weiner