Moments in Time When History Invites Us to Participate in Its Unfolding
A Minute with Moshe Kruger, Executive Director of the Jewish Federation of St. Joseph Valley
The weekend I wrote this article was Parshat Terumah. The call for action for shared participation caught my attention in the Torah reading. Through Moses, God asked the people to contribute something, be it gold, silver or bronze, oil or incense, wool or animal skin – everyone brought a different, unique contribution to build something together – and that something was the Tabernacle, the traveling Sanctuary the Children of Israel carried on their journey through the wilderness.
This call to action was significant for the Jewish People. Up until this point, the Israelites were more like a group of individuals. The Israelites, long deprived of freedom while in Egypt, were unwilling or unable to take responsibility to collaborate; their first response at every setback was to kvetch – to complain – despite all the signs and wonders God performed on the people’s behalf.
Hashem had:
Taken them out of Egypt
Divided the sea for them
Provided water from the rock and manna from heaven
And still, they do not cohere as a nation. Even with God’s single most significant act in history, the revelation at Mount Sinai, when God appeared to an entire people, it only took 40 days for the Israelites to make a Golden Calf.
What all the signs and wonders failed to do, the construction of the Tabernacle succeeded in transforming the people into a cohesive group. As “builders,” the people were inspired to come together. The act of shared participation provided the underlying unity for an individual to become part of a larger community -- connected by a sense of purpose, responsibility, and identity.
This story about combining the efforts of many to build the Mishkan (the Tabernacle) resonates with the opportunity to rally around our Jewish community’s future. It begs the question, what can we contribute to ensure a strong, vibrant, and safe Jewish future?
May we set meaningful and audacious goals that reflect our highest priorities as a community. In doing so, as we learn in Terumah, the people were generous and gave excitedly.
Moshe Kruger
Executive Director
574-233-1164 x1802
MKruger@TheJewishFed.org