Wednesday, February 17, 2021

Exodus 25:1–Exodus 27:19

 25 And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying,

Speak unto the children of Israel, that they bring me an offering: of every man that giveth it willingly with his heart ye shall take my offering.

And this is the offering which ye shall take of them; gold, and silver, and brass,

And blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine linen, and goats' hair,

And rams' skins dyed red, and badgers' skins, and shittim wood,

Oil for the light, spices for anointing oil, and for sweet incense,

Onyx stones, and stones to be set in the ephod, and in the breastplate.

And let them make me a sanctuary; that I may dwell among them.

According to all that I shew thee, after the pattern of the tabernacle, and the pattern of all the instruments thereof, even so shall ye make it.

10 And they shall make an ark of shittim wood: two cubits and a half shall be the length thereof, and a cubit and a half the breadth thereof, and a cubit and a half the height thereof.

11 And thou shalt overlay it with pure gold, within and without shalt thou overlay it, and shalt make upon it a crown of gold round about.

12 And thou shalt cast four rings of gold for it, and put them in the four corners thereof; and two rings shall be in the one side of it, and two rings in the other side of it.

13 And thou shalt make staves of shittim wood, and overlay them with gold.

14 And thou shalt put the staves into the rings by the sides of the ark, that the ark may be borne with them.

15 The staves shall be in the rings of the ark: they shall not be taken from it.

16 And thou shalt put into the ark the testimony which I shall give thee.

17 And thou shalt make a mercy seat of pure gold: two cubits and a half shall be the length thereof, and a cubit and a half the breadth thereof.

18 And thou shalt make two cherubims of gold, of beaten work shalt thou make them, in the two ends of the mercy seat.

19 And make one cherub on the one end, and the other cherub on the other end: even of the mercy seat shall ye make the cherubims on the two ends thereof.

20 And the cherubims shall stretch forth their wings on high, covering the mercy seat with their wings, and their faces shall look one to another; toward the mercy seat shall the faces of the cherubims be.

21 And thou shalt put the mercy seat above upon the ark; and in the ark thou shalt put the testimony that I shall give thee.

22 And there I will meet with thee, and I will commune with thee from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubims which are upon the ark of the testimony, of all things which I will give thee in commandment unto the children of Israel.

23 Thou shalt also make a table of shittim wood: two cubits shall be the length thereof, and a cubit the breadth thereof, and a cubit and a half the height thereof.

24 And thou shalt overlay it with pure gold, and make thereto a crown of gold round about.

25 And thou shalt make unto it a border of an hand breadth round about, and thou shalt make a golden crown to the border thereof round about.

26 And thou shalt make for it four rings of gold, and put the rings in the four corners that are on the four feet thereof.

27 Over against the border shall the rings be for places of the staves to bear the table.

28 And thou shalt make the staves of shittim wood, and overlay them with gold, that the table may be borne with them.

29 And thou shalt make the dishes thereof, and spoons thereof, and covers thereof, and bowls thereof, to cover withal: of pure gold shalt thou make them.

30 And thou shalt set upon the table shewbread before me alway.

31 And thou shalt make a candlestick of pure gold: of beaten work shall the candlestick be made: his shaft, and his branches, his bowls, his knops, and his flowers, shall be of the same.

32 And six branches shall come out of the sides of it; three branches of the candlestick out of the one side, and three branches of the candlestick out of the other side:

33 Three bowls made like unto almonds, with a knop and a flower in one branch; and three bowls made like almonds in the other branch, with a knop and a flower: so in the six branches that come out of the candlestick.

34 And in the candlesticks shall be four bowls made like unto almonds, with their knops and their flowers.

35 And there shall be a knop under two branches of the same, and a knop under two branches of the same, and a knop under two branches of the same, according to the six branches that proceed out of the candlestick.

36 Their knops and their branches shall be of the same: all it shall be one beaten work of pure gold.

37 And thou shalt make the seven lamps thereof: and they shall light the lamps thereof, that they may give light over against it.

38 And the tongs thereof, and the snuffdishes thereof, shall be of pure gold.

39 Of a talent of pure gold shall he make it, with all these vessels.

40 And look that thou make them after their pattern, which was shewed thee in the mount.

26 Moreover thou shalt make the tabernacle with ten curtains of fine twined linen, and blue, and purple, and scarlet: with cherubims of cunning work shalt thou make them.

The length of one curtain shall be eight and twenty cubits, and the breadth of one curtain four cubits: and every one of the curtains shall have one measure.

The five curtains shall be coupled together one to another; and other five curtains shall be coupled one to another.

And thou shalt make loops of blue upon the edge of the one curtain from the selvedge in the coupling; and likewise shalt thou make in the uttermost edge of another curtain, in the coupling of the second.

Fifty loops shalt thou make in the one curtain, and fifty loops shalt thou make in the edge of the curtain that is in the coupling of the second; that the loops may take hold one of another.

And thou shalt make fifty taches of gold, and couple the curtains together with the taches: and it shall be one tabernacle.

And thou shalt make curtains of goats' hair to be a covering upon the tabernacle: eleven curtains shalt thou make.

The length of one curtain shall be thirty cubits, and the breadth of one curtain four cubits: and the eleven curtains shall be all of one measure.

And thou shalt couple five curtains by themselves, and six curtains by themselves, and shalt double the sixth curtain in the forefront of the tabernacle.

10 And thou shalt make fifty loops on the edge of the one curtain that is outmost in the coupling, and fifty loops in the edge of the curtain which coupleth the second.

11 And thou shalt make fifty taches of brass, and put the taches into the loops, and couple the tent together, that it may be one.

12 And the remnant that remaineth of the curtains of the tent, the half curtain that remaineth, shall hang over the backside of the tabernacle.

13 And a cubit on the one side, and a cubit on the other side of that which remaineth in the length of the curtains of the tent, it shall hang over the sides of the tabernacle on this side and on that side, to cover it.

14 And thou shalt make a covering for the tent of rams' skins dyed red, and a covering above of badgers' skins.

15 And thou shalt make boards for the tabernacle of shittim wood standing up.

16 Ten cubits shall be the length of a board, and a cubit and a half shall be the breadth of one board.

17 Two tenons shall there be in one board, set in order one against another: thus shalt thou make for all the boards of the tabernacle.

18 And thou shalt make the boards for the tabernacle, twenty boards on the south side southward.

19 And thou shalt make forty sockets of silver under the twenty boards; two sockets under one board for his two tenons, and two sockets under another board for his two tenons.

20 And for the second side of the tabernacle on the north side there shall be twenty boards:

21 And their forty sockets of silver; two sockets under one board, and two sockets under another board.

22 And for the sides of the tabernacle westward thou shalt make six boards.

23 And two boards shalt thou make for the corners of the tabernacle in the two sides.

24 And they shall be coupled together beneath, and they shall be coupled together above the head of it unto one ring: thus shall it be for them both; they shall be for the two corners.

25 And they shall be eight boards, and their sockets of silver, sixteen sockets; two sockets under one board, and two sockets under another board.

26 And thou shalt make bars of shittim wood; five for the boards of the one side of the tabernacle,

27 And five bars for the boards of the other side of the tabernacle, and five bars for the boards of the side of the tabernacle, for the two sides westward.

28 And the middle bar in the midst of the boards shall reach from end to end.

29 And thou shalt overlay the boards with gold, and make their rings of gold for places for the bars: and thou shalt overlay the bars with gold.

30 And thou shalt rear up the tabernacle according to the fashion thereof which was shewed thee in the mount.

31 And thou shalt make a vail of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen of cunning work: with cherubims shall it be made:

32 And thou shalt hang it upon four pillars of shittim wood overlaid with gold: their hooks shall be of gold, upon the four sockets of silver.

33 And thou shalt hang up the vail under the taches, that thou mayest bring in thither within the vail the ark of the testimony: and the vail shall divide unto you between the holy place and the most holy.

34 And thou shalt put the mercy seat upon the ark of the testimony in the most holy place.

35 And thou shalt set the table without the vail, and the candlestick over against the table on the side of the tabernacle toward the south: and thou shalt put the table on the north side.

36 And thou shalt make an hanging for the door of the tent, of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen, wrought with needlework.

37 And thou shalt make for the hanging five pillars of shittim wood, and overlay them with gold, and their hooks shall be of gold: and thou shalt cast five sockets of brass for them.

27 And thou shalt make an altar of shittim wood, five cubits long, and five cubits broad; the altar shall be foursquare: and the height thereof shall be three cubits.

And thou shalt make the horns of it upon the four corners thereof: his horns shall be of the same: and thou shalt overlay it with brass.

And thou shalt make his pans to receive his ashes, and his shovels, and his basons, and his fleshhooks, and his firepans: all the vessels thereof thou shalt make of brass.

And thou shalt make for it a grate of network of brass; and upon the net shalt thou make four brasen rings in the four corners thereof.

And thou shalt put it under the compass of the altar beneath, that the net may be even to the midst of the altar.

And thou shalt make staves for the altar, staves of shittim wood, and overlay them with brass.

And the staves shall be put into the rings, and the staves shall be upon the two sides of the altar, to bear it.

Hollow with boards shalt thou make it: as it was shewed thee in the mount, so shall they make it.

And thou shalt make the court of the tabernacle: for the south side southward there shall be hangings for the court of fine twined linen of an hundred cubits long for one side:

10 And the twenty pillars thereof and their twenty sockets shall be of brass; the hooks of the pillars and their fillets shall be of silver.

11 And likewise for the north side in length there shall be hangings of an hundred cubits long, and his twenty pillars and their twenty sockets of brass; the hooks of the pillars and their fillets of silver.

12 And for the breadth of the court on the west side shall be hangings of fifty cubits: their pillars ten, and their sockets ten.

13 And the breadth of the court on the east side eastward shall be fifty cubits.

14 The hangings of one side of the gate shall be fifteen cubits: their pillars three, and their sockets three.

15 And on the other side shall be hangings fifteen cubits: their pillars three, and their sockets three.

16 And for the gate of the court shall be an hanging of twenty cubits, of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen, wrought with needlework: and their pillars shall be four, and their sockets four.

17 All the pillars round about the court shall be filleted with silver; their hooks shall be of silver, and their sockets of brass.

18 The length of the court shall be an hundred cubits, and the breadth fifty every where, and the height five cubits of fine twined linen, and their sockets of brass.

19 All the vessels of the tabernacle in all the service thereof, and all the pins thereof, and all the pins of the court, shall be of brass.

Wednesday, February 3, 2021

Character Being a Different Thing from Beauty, Describe the Difference by Carl Phillips

 

Character Being a Different Thing from Beauty, Describe the Difference


Carl Phillips

                 And sometimes, yes, I’d beg for it—
           he’d make me beg: Shy moon, 
                      why shy tonight? 

I heard the geese before I saw them again this morning—
this time, flying north. Above them, thunderheads like doomed 
zeppelins, like whales when sounding, though they brought 
no rain. That’s how I used to write, insisting on ordinary things 
being somehow more than that, that they had to mean something, 
the way disruption can punctuate with meaning an established 

pattern, or as when finding out one’s silence has been mistaken 
for arrogance or, worse, indifference, when all you meant 
was to be kind—retreat, not exile; less the monsters, than 
how we lived beside them, our lives not leaves not trash on an 
updraft that at random carries them then refuses them, can a wind 
refuse. And yet… 

                        Shy moon --

As if doing what we’d always done were enough to be grateful for, 
as if to keep doing it were itself to be grateful. You just forgot, 
that’s all. It’s harder not to forget. How the yard gave way 
like a ragged imperative to a forest of scrub-pines and oak, mostly, 

how a stand of ferns there almost looked, from above, like a boat 
of shadows, coming at last unmoored, and the forest a sea—that 
endless-seeming, that steeped in night-dark, beg for it, why shy
tonight?

Copyright © 2021 by Carl Phillips. Originally published in Poem-a-Day on February 1, 2021, by the Academy of American Poets.

Dear MoveOn member,

 Dear MoveOn member,

We'll get straight to the point. U.S. Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) supports the QAnon cult, has called deadly school shootings "false flag" operations by gun reform advocacy groups,1 and thinks Jewish space lasers are responsible for a wildfire in California.2 Yet somehow Representative Greene has secured a position on the House Committee on Education and Labor. This cannot stand.

Sign now: Tell Republican leaders to remove Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene from the House Committee on Education and Labor!

Hundreds of posts, likes, and comments showing Rep. Greene inciting violence by spewing baseless conspiracy theories that have endangered the lives of many are resurfacing all over the internet. Rep. Greene is seen in one of these posts supporting the execution of prominent Democratic politicians.3 She is even seen on Capitol Hill, harassing Parkland student and activist David Hogg and other survivors of gun violence.4

Rep. Greene was recently assigned to the House Committee on Education and Labor by Republican leadership. This is unacceptable. In 2019, Republicans removed Representative Steve King of Iowa from the Judiciary and Agriculture Committees in response to his support for white nationalists.5 The same must be done to Rep. Greene.

Based on this precedent, her incitement of violence, and her egregious attacks on our democracy, Republican House leaders can and must remove Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene from her committee appointment.

Throughout history, we've seen white supremacy and far-right groups go unchecked for the violence and terror they have caused.  Most recently, Donald Trump was enabled and supported by Republicans for four years as he attacked our democracy over and over.

It's long overdue for the GOP to grow a spine. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene's support for QAnon and her attacks against survivors of gun violence have no place in Congress. Her dangerous ideas have no place in Congress.

Add your name to this petition to demand that Republican leaders remove Rep. Greene from the House Committee on Education and Labor.

Thanks!

–Matthew Hildreth, Rural Organizing

Sources: 

1. "Marjorie Taylor Greene on Facebook in 2018: Parkland school shooting was a false flag planned event," Media Matters for America, January 19, 2021
https://act.moveon.org/go/149790?t=10&akid=289060%2E38938583%2E5JgEhJ

2. "Marjorie Taylor Greene's 'Jewish Space Lasers' Conspiracy Theory Met With Derision, Jokes," Newsweek, January 29, 2021
https://act.moveon.org/go/149792?t=12&akid=289060%2E38938583%2E5JgEhJ

3. "Marjorie Taylor Greene indicated support for executing prominent Democrats in 2018 and 2019 before running for Congress," CNN, January 26, 2021
https://act.moveon.org/go/149744?t=14&akid=289060%2E38938583%2E5JgEhJ

4. Tweet by David HoggJanuary 27, 2021
https://act.moveon.org/go/149791?t=16&akid=289060%2E38938583%2E5JgEhJ

5. "Steve King Removed From Committee Assignments Over White Supremacy Remark," The New York Times, January 14, 2019
https://act.moveon.org/go/62092?t=18&akid=289060%2E38938583%2E5JgEhJ

You're receiving this petition because we thought it might interest you. It was created on MoveOn.org, where anyone can start their own online petitions. You can start your own petition here.

Want to support our work? Together, we made Donald Trump a one-term president! Now, it's time to expand access to health care, fight for citizenship for the undocumented, reform policing, and tackle the climate crisis.

Will you chip in to power the fight for bold, progressive change?

Click here to chip in $3, or whatever you can afford.

Contributions to MoveOn Civic Action are not tax-deductible for income tax purposes. This email was sent to Tiumothy on January 29, 2021. To change your email address or update your contact info, click here. MoveOn's privacy policy was recently updated. To read our new privacy policy, click here. To remove yourself from this list, click here.

📢 Campaign

 


Dear timothy,

I am writing because Sefaria needs to raise $70,000 before Purim.

This money will go toward the Sefaria Innovation Fund, which fuels special projects like the Powered by Sefaria Contest, our work with interns, and R&D to support out-of-the-box tech features.

SUPPORT THE INNOVATION FUND
Investing in this fund ensures that we can deliver more Torah technology and support the next generation of Torah innovators. 

To kick off another year of creative learning and exploration with Sefaria, we’ve secured matching gifts for all donations to the Sefaria Innovation Fund. 

That means every innovation dollar raised will be matched 1:1 — getting us to $70,000 twice as fast.

Make a donation today to expand the reach, use, and access of Jewish texts in new and unprecedented ways!

After all, the possibilities for innovation are endless.

Sincerely, 

Annie Lumerman
Annie Lumerman
Chief Operating Officer

P.S. Dov Katz, the Grand Prize Winner of the 2020 Powered by Sefaria Contest, generously donated his winnings back to Sefaria to seed future innovation. Will you join Dov by making a tax-deductible gift today?

P.P.S. Stay tuned for special updates from our team and spotlights on innovators in our community!

McCarthy seeks shift from party's civil war

 

 
 
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McCarthy seeks shift from party's civil war
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) is desperately looking to change the subject from his own party’s civil war to a common opponent: President Biden.

McCarthy and other GOP lawmakers will travel to Houston on Tuesday to rail against what they call Biden’s “job-killing” energy policies. The GOP leader previously spent several days accusing Biden of dragging his feet in reopening schools and knocking his administration’s plan to give COVID-19 vaccinations to Guantánamo Bay prisoners.

The efforts are a reprieve for McCarthy, who is otherwise the touchstone of an internecine battle ripping apart his party as it charts a path forward after former President Trump’s defeat and departure from Washington.

When I asked Rabbi Lerner how he wanted to celebrate his 78th birthday

 

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Dear Tumothy,

When I asked Rabbi Lerner how he wanted to celebrate his 78th birthday, he said: with prayer and Torah study. While the actual date is February 7th, we decided that it would make most sense to celebrate with anyone who wants to honor him on Shabbat—the day of spiritual nourishment. The nearest one to his birthday is February 6th, this Saturday, when we read the Torah reading (Yitro) in which the newly freed Hebrew slaves experience the revelation at Sinai of the Ten Speech Acts (known by some as “the Ten Commandments”).

Zoom link - https://zoom.us/j/233133667? pwd= MzhuUzZvS1pQYWR5ZzNLaFQ5K3RoZz 09

The biggest gift you could give him on this occasion would be to video tape or just audio tape a message to the Rabbi Michael about some way in which his presence in your life or his teachings in books or through Tikkun magazine contributed in some important way to your spiritual, psychological, or political life…or in any other aspect of your life or your understanding of your life. Record that for him either on video or audio or even write it out. Please be sure to include your name and a sentence or two about you in case he doesn’t remember connecting with you (as he’s been having issues with memory loss recently). Then email it to me at cat@spiritualprogressives.org. Hearing your stories is the best gift he could get!

Here is the schedule for the morning - you are welcome to join us for any or all of it.

9:30am PT (12:30pm ET) - Prayer and Celebration of the Universe with Rabbi Lerner, Cat Zavis, and Ami Goodman

10:30am - 12:00am PT (1:30-3:00pm ET) - Torah study:  Exodus 18:1 – 20:23
You can read it here.

12:00pm - 12:30pm PT (3:00-3:30pm ET) - Shabbat celebration with songs and honoring of Rabbi Lerner. We’d love for you to share a story, or your recording during this time if possible. Of course, you can send these anytime (even after Shabbat!).

Check your timezone here.

If you have any questions, please contact Alden at alden@tikkun.org or 510-644-1200 before 1:00pm PT Friday, February 5, 2021. We look forward to seeing you soon.

Many blessings,
Rabbi Michael Lerner and Cat Zavis

 

Bring It On Home

 

Bring It On Home
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ten commandments


 

  1. You shall have no other Gods but me.
  2. You shall not make for yourself any idol, nor bow down to it or worship it.
  3. You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God.
  4. You shall remember and keep the Sabbath day holy.
  5. Respect your father and mother.
  6. You must not commit murder.
  7. You must not commit adultery.
  8. You must not steal.
  9. You must not give false evidence against your neighbour.
  10. You must not be envious of your neighbour's goods. You shall not be envious of his house nor his wife, nor anything that belongs to your neighbour.

Why is truth not allowed to exist anymore?

 Why is truth not allowed to exist anymore? Why is basic reality banned from our lives? Nobody believes in basic logic anymore! Truth judges...