for Parshat Mishpatim
i
God tells Moses:
Let My altar be of clay
or unhewn stone
untouched by a sword;
let it have a ramp
and no stairs—
so that a man’s nakedness
will not be uncovered
as he ascends.
*
Then God gives the Laws of justice:
of treating slaves well
and daughters well,
of being watchful of others’ property
and other such Laws.
*
Soon after, God speaks of the Tent
the people shall make
where God will dwell
with a golden altar,
a brass altar,
and silver,
and silk and scarlet and purple cloth:
a place of beauty.
ii
First, God’s altar
will be a simple monument
housed by nothing specific—
of the world
untouched by a sword
—and so caring for peace;
hiding nakedness.
*
From this, we come to God’s Laws of Justice.
*
From God’s Laws of Justice,
we come to the altars in God’s Tent—
ornaments of God’s cloistered, gorgeous place.
iii
We come to the God of the world.
He shows us how to care for the world.
Learning to care for the world,
we come to God.
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Shabbat Shalom,
Abe
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This email was sent before Shabbat
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