Thoughts about the Book of Exodus

The eleventh Exodus weekly Torah reading Pekekudei (38:21-40:38) is the last portion of Exodus. Exodus was so named because the book relates the events of the Israelites leaving Egypt. It is also called in Hebrew Shemos, based on the practice of naming a book after the first significant word in the book. Nachmanides (1194-1270) named it Sefer HaGeulah (“The Book of Redemption”).  He noted that the book includes the receiving of the Torah at Mount Sinai and the building of the tabernacle. He wanted to remind us that the Exodus is not the end of the story. We are not entirely free until we receive the Torah with its instructions for life and develop a relationship with God. All of these names are good, but none express all the wisdom the book contains. The following are some additional thoughts.

Perfect beginning and end

Exodus is brilliantly written. It begins with tales of Israelite enslavement by Egyptians and ends with rules about the Tabernacle, the Israelite relationship with God rather than servitude to other humans. There is great wisdom in this.

Slaves are required to surrender themselves entirely to their masters. God does not require or even want surrender.

The phrase “leap of faith” is usually attributed to the hugely influential 19th-century Danish philosopher and theologian Søren Kierkegaard (1813–1855). However, while the idea is his, he never used this exact phrase. He used “qualitative leap” to describe the radical shift in belief. He felt that a leap was vital in accepting Christianity due to the unexplained paradoxes that exist in Christianity. He, in essence, advised people not to spend time trying to find reasons for religious teachings but to accept them without thinking about them.

Maimonides taught the opposite. All Jewish teachings are rational and can be understood if someone seeking an explanation spends time learning. He stressed that the opening chapter of the Torah states that God placed the “Image of God” in humans, which Maimonides said was the intellect. He also emphasized that when people need help, they should not rely on God but use their intellect, and people who have improved their thinking do better than others.

Thus, the ending of the Book of Exodus teaches that true freedom comes when we are neither the puppets of fellow humans or God but live a life where we improve ourselves, be all we can be, and help other people and all that God provided in the universe.

This lesson about growing up and learning to initiate our actions without relying on parents or our “Father” in heaven is seen in the fact that Exodus opens with the Israelites needing divine help through plagues and ends with humans working to build the tabernacle. Similarly, it begins with the Israelites needing aid from Moses and his brother Aaron and ends with skilled workers unrelated to the two leaders doing the work. Also, Moses, not God, uses his intellect in verse 38:21 and commands that a full accounting must be given to the people of all they gave to build the tabernacle – a lesson still not learned by governments today. In each instance, the Torah highlights that the people learned to care for themselves.

The accounting

Verse 39:6 instructs Israelites to stop contributing gifts for the building of the tabernacle. This remarkable announcement that the government has enough money is unique.

When was the tabernacle constructed?

Verse 40:17 reveals that the building of the tabernacle was completed on the first day of the first month, the month of the exodus, two years after the exodus. The two events are connected. The passage teaches that Jews must not forget the events of the past and must constantly learn from past events to improve their lives today.