The Nature and Purposes of Sacred Space - Part 2

Introduction - Today we will begin an exploration of the priests - who they were, the roles they played in sacred space, and the standards by which they were expected to live. Since our mission is to be a kingdom of priests, our working hypothesis will be that a keen understanding of these ancient keepers of sacred space can help us as well in lighting the path to holiness for both clerics and laity today.

X-XI. Read Leviticus 21:8 and Numbers 18:4. What do we learn here about the most important functions of the priests? Why are we to honor them? Do we have priests in our own time? And, if so, who or what are they?

(The priests were divinely designated to lead us in our mission to become a holy people. They were dignified, and we were required to treat them as such, principally through their role in helping facilitate our encounter with the Divine through offerings we bring. In our sacred encounter, we come near God and closer to holiness. In our own time, our rabbis, ministers, religious leaders and teachers certainly, in many ways, play this role. I would suggest that the part of our selves and souls that drives us to draw near God and toward holiness plays a priest-like function, too. It is these figures and these features that have dignity and that demand honor and respect.

What are those features of us - our conscience, minds, hearts, hands, character, and/or souls - that could be considered priest-like and lead to the performance of priest-like tasks? How do we show them proper honor and respect? What parts of our selves are not priest-like (or not yet priest-like that can’t or don’t perform these functions?

Discussion)

XII. Read Numbers 6:23-26. The priests bless us in God’s name. This is the famous priestly benediction. What, in effect, is the priest doing here?

(The blessing embodies the essence of the covenant. We draw near to God in our offerings, which the priest facilitates. We commit to and strive to fulfill the mission of holiness, living in God’s ways. The priest, on behalf of God, conveys back to us the Divine consideration in the covenant agreement - the blessing of spiritual contentment and wholeness.)

XIII-XV. Read Leviticus 21:10 and Exodus 30:23-25, 31-32. Why and how was the anointing of the priest so special? Would we moderns ever

consider such a ritual of consecration in our own time, and, if so, what form might it take for those who (or which) perform priest-like functions in our lives?

(The anointing of a priest was a precious experience, akin in pleasantness to brothers dwelling together in unity or the falling of dew upon the mountains of Zion. The oil was thick and full of fragrance and flowed softly, slowly, and sweetly. We have the feeling that the priest and those who watched in these moments had a small sense of eternal bliss.

In some ways, these and other ancient practices are off-putting to us. Our similar rituals today are almost entirely words. Do we miss the mystery, beauty, richness - the sights, sounds, smells, and other sensations of sacred drama - that word-filled worship today largely lacks? Though the ancient ways will never be restored as they were precisely, do these mitzvot call us to consider ways in our own time of arousing the senses more fully to the glorious moments of the sacred? Do you have ideas about how we could do that in the moments we install or consecrate those who serve priestly functions or that part of our selves that does?

Discussion: Should we consider fragrance of spices, drops of special oil, music, words, blessing of the inner-priest? Perhaps, in such moments, we would reflect on the High Priest in the Temple in days past, on the sweet dew of eternal Heaven, and on the holiness by which we and our new priest commit to live in the present.)

XVI. Read Exodus 27:20-21. What’s the meaning of keeping the lamp lit for all time, and what does it mean that the people bring the oil?

(Sages teach that the lamp beautified the sanctuary and also symbolized the soul as well as the radiance that exuded from one who lives within the Way. Some say the light softened and prepared worshippers to enter sacred space. Others say the lamp provided testimony to the world that the Eternal dwells among us.

For those who seek its paths, the light of the Way is available at all times. But while the priests help keep it lit, the people (indeed our earthly/human side) must bring the oil, the fuel, by which it can be lit. We can have direction and leadership from the “priest,” but we (or the self or ego?) must bring the willingness, the intention, and the stuff that “actualizes light” to make light possible. This is symbolic of our doing our part of living out the covenant. We bring our commitment to Torah; our priests help us live it. And the light of lives lived in the Way burns forever.

In what ways can we bring oil to light the everlasting light in sacred space in our own time?

Discussion.)

XVII-XIX. Read Exodus 30:7,9,37. What do you think the purpose of incense was? Should we do more to involve more of our senses in worship?

(Sages thought that the smell of incense made the worshipper more conducive to loftier and spiritual thoughts and a helpful inspiration for worship and sacred encounter. Seeing the ever-lit lamp stand, smelling the sweet aroma of spices and incense, hearing the bells on the high priest’s robe - these and other sensations sharpened one’s meditative state by enhancing the atmosphere of the sanctuary. Again, the question arises: do we rely too heavily on words and cognitive senses in sacred encounter?

Chinuch: “It is impossible to increase the appreciation of an object in man’s heart and his thoughts - except by enhancing it with things that he considers glorious, and in which he finds pleasure and joy….”

Without doubt, also, as Maimonides pointed out, the environment of constant sacrifice of animals benefited greatly by burning of the incense!)

XX. Read Leviticus 6:3. What are we to make of the requirement that the priests removed the ashes daily from the Altar? Or to state it another way, isn’t that work the “janitor” should do?

(To make this even more interesting, the priest was required to wear linen garments in doing so. This task was actually an important and desired assignment. It represented the conclusion of the previous day’s offerings when worshippers drew near to God. So, the priest, in a way, began and ended the process of the offerings.

What does the “removal of ashes” represent? What might it mean for us?

First, the fire burns better if old ashes are removed. But, also and importantly, there’s something special in the work of aftermath. If, for example, our offering is a contribution of goods or money or time, the rabbi, minister, or leader must often wrap up the process in ways less glorious than the initial receipt. Or, if there’s an issue or a mess where there’s a

residue of a problem, say differences among congregants, the leader might need to tie up loose ends or do “clean up.”

Aren’t there often “ashes” from our own offerings that must be cleaned up? Examples?

Discussion - There is often as much dignity in the lonely and dirty work of completing the offering as there is in the glory and passion of its beginning.)

XXI. Read Deuteronomy 18:6-8. Though the language is somewhat unclear, it is understood to guide that the priests are required to minister in Courses, which means (outside of the main festivals) there was to be a division of priests into different groups that served in different ways in an orderly and efficient manner? Why might this be important, and what does it mean to us?

(Given the intense and demanding work required in drawing near to God, having breaks in work and divisions in work might be very helpful to remaining fresh, dignified, and true to the moment. This, physically and spiritually, seems important, if not necessary, to performing priestly functions effectively. Plus, working in groups generally is supportive and conducive to less straying.

Perhaps there’s wisdom here for today’s rabbis, ministers, and leaders, as well as to us in the way our “internal priests” work to facilitate our encounter with the Divine. Whether it’s time for rest, preparation, freshness, strength, or avoiding duplication, wasted effort, loss of energy, unwarranted competition for authority - operating within the discipline of courses may be a crucial way to enhance the effectiveness of the priest.

Can you see ways that such divisions would be helpful to you generally, and even more specifically in handling tasks that have sacred elements to them?

Discussion)

XXII. Read Leviticus 16:2. Why might there be a limit to access to certain sacred space even to the priest? (We’ll discuss later, but not now, the exception on the holiday of Yom Kippur, the day of turning back to God for all the people.) And what might this sort of limit mean to us?

(Sages teach that no one, including the most esteemed priest, can casually approach the Divine and indeed that there may be certain space, here in the Holy of Holies, where generally no one can go. It’s as if we are called to draw near but to understand always that there’s a dividing line, that we are human and God is God. This respect, deference, humility are fundamental to our faith, and this mitzvah, along with many lessons taught in so many other places in the Bible, reinforce that understanding.

However much we strive to be holy as God is holy, and we should, we are not as holy as God, and we stray if and when we forget that truth.)

XXIII-XXIV. Read Numbers 7:9 and Exodus 25:15. Why would the priests (or the Levites) be required to carry the Ark when it is moved, and why must the Ark be ready to be moved with ease and dispatch? And what might all this mean to us in our own time?

(There is no possession more valuable than the Tablets and the divinely granted Way of life they represent. There is no other way of life worth living if it is contrary to God’s expectations. Since it is the priests’ duty to protect this in sacred space, it follows that it should remain within the duty of the most sanctified to protect it in transition as well. This includes the idea of carrying by people, not by animals or wagons.

Those who have priest-like duties in our own time also have extraordinary custodial duties with respect to protecting God’s word and those texts and objects that contain and honor that word. To the extent that a part of us plays the role of priest in our own lives, that part bears responsibility for

keeping and protecting and honoring the custody of the Ark inside of us, and carrying it, along with God’s word, wherever we go.

When the Ark is endangered or it must be moved at an inhospitable time, we must be ready to move it immediately. Religious leadership entails guiding and helping the community “move the ark” from the “places” in their lives where living in the Way is threatened. Presumably, there’s a part of each us that must take the responsibility to “move the ark” when other forces threaten it and our living in accord with it.

Also, the ark was to be moved to be with our forces in battle as a sign of support. Perhaps our “internal priest” also must be able to “move the ark” to “the scene of battle” inside of us where God’s word must be applied.

Under either understanding, how might these ideas play out in real-world ways for us?

Discussion)

Conclusion