Exodus 35 is proof that the scribes just threw together whatever material they had, including multiple versions of the same story. Here Moses starts to tell the people what's on the new and largely different set of Ten Commandments, but he only gets through one. He then repeats the gift list we were already subjected to in Exodus 25. Oh yeah -- it's coming again in 39. God's utter self-absorption, narcissism and psychopathy are still very much in evidence. Remind you of anybody?
35 Moses assembled all the congregation of the Israelites and said to them: These are the things that the Lord has commanded you to do:
2 Six days shall work be done, but on the seventh day you shall have a holy sabbath of solemn rest to the Lord; whoever does any work on it shall be put to death. 3 You shall kindle no fire in all your dwellings on the sabbath day.
We've been through this before. Would you really feel good about killing somebody who works on the sabbath? Obviously the Jews who wound up in cold climates such as eastern Europe must have had a problem with this, but maybe they interpreted it as being okay to keep fires going as long as they were already lit on Friday. I don't know. Anyway Moses now drops the subject.
4 Moses said to all the congregation of the Israelites: This is the thing that the Lord has commanded: 5 Take from among you an offering to the Lord; let whoever is of a generous heart bring the Lord’s offering: gold, silver, and bronze; 6 blue, purple, and crimson yarns, and fine linen; goats’ hair, 7 tanned rams’ skins, and fine leather; acacia wood, 8 oil for the light, spices for the anointing oil and for the fragrant incense, 9 and onyx stones and gems to be set in the ephod and the breastpiece.
10 All who are skillful among you shall come and make all that the Lord has commanded: the tabernacle, 11 its tent and its covering, its clasps and its frames, its bars, its pillars, and its bases; 12 the ark with its poles, the mercy seat, and the curtain for the screen; 13 the table with its poles and all its utensils, and the bread of the Presence; 14 the lampstand also for the light, with its utensils and its lamps, and the oil for the light; 15 and
the altar of incense, with its poles, and the anointing oil and the
fragrant incense, and the screen for the entrance, the entrance of the
tabernacle; 16 the altar of burnt offering, with its grating of bronze, its poles, and all its utensils, the basin with its stand; 17 the hangings of the court, its pillars and its bases, and the screen for the gate of the court; 18 the pegs of the tabernacle and the pegs of the court, and their cords; 19 the
finely worked vestments for ministering in the holy place, the holy
vestments for the priest Aaron, and the vestments of his sons, for their
service as priests.
The repetition of this material seems particularly inane because it is of no evident relevance to the faithful at the time the Torah was compiled, and even less so as the centuries went on. I believe I have pointed this out before but it's ironic that Jewish houses of worship nowadays are generally not very ornate, and the celebrants' clothing is simple. And this was of course true of the early Christians as well. But the Catholic church developed palatial structures, with gold ornaments, spectacular art works, and elaborate silk vestments for the priests. Many protestant denominations have reverted to plainness in their houses of worship.
20 Then all the congregation of the Israelites withdrew from the presence of Moses. 21 And they came, everyone whose heart was stirred, and everyone whose spirit was willing, and brought the Lord’s offering to be used for the tent of meeting, and for all its service, and for the sacred vestments. 22 So
they came, both men and women; all who were of a willing heart brought
brooches and earrings and signet rings and pendants, all sorts of gold
objects, everyone bringing an offering of gold to the Lord. 23 And everyone who possessed blue or purple or crimson yarn or fine linen or goats’ hair or tanned rams’ skins or fine leather, brought them. 24 Everyone who could make an offering of silver or bronze brought it as the Lord’s offering; and everyone who possessed acacia wood of any use in the work, brought it. 25 All
the skillful women spun with their hands, and brought what they had
spun in blue and purple and crimson yarns and fine linen; 26 all the women whose hearts moved them to use their skill spun the goats’ hair. 27 And the leaders brought onyx stones and gems to be set in the ephod and the breastpiece, 28 and spices and oil for the light, and for the anointing oil, and for the fragrant incense. 29 All the Israelite men and women whose hearts made them willing to bring anything for the work that the Lord had commanded by Moses to be done, brought it as a freewill offering to the Lord.
This is all repetition from 25 so I will also repeat myself. Why is the name of Bezalel so important? We don't hear from him again. Since nobody reads this literary waste, his name is forgotten anyway.
30 Then Moses said to the Israelites: See, the Lord has called by name Bezalel son of Uri son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah; 31 he has filled him with divine spirit, with skill, intelligence, and knowledge in every kind of craft, 32 to devise artistic designs, to work in gold, silver, and bronze, 33 in cutting stones for setting, and in carving wood, in every kind of craft. 34 And he has inspired him to teach, both him and Oholiab son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan. 35 He
has filled them with skill to do every kind of work done by an artisan
or by a designer or by an embroiderer in blue, purple, and crimson
yarns, and in fine linen, or by a weaver—by any sort of artisan or
skilled designer.
1 comment:
I'm guessing Bezalel was one bad artist, unparalleled in his skills, and though the Israelites' culture was largely about the collective, he still was singled out for his fifteen seconds of fame because he was just such an amazing and creative artist ...
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