Building Mishkan vs Temple: Willing Heart vs Corvee Labor Feb 28 2021

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Ruach HaYam teaching presented by Penina Weinberg February 28 2021

We will compare parashat Terumah (the week’s Torah reading) to 1 Kings, where Solomon builds the temple with corvee labor, resulting in the immediate rebellion of the Northern Kingdom when Solomon dies. We will mine the texts for what it means to come to an enterprise (or our lives) with an inclined/willing heart, vs an imposed obligation.
We will note that those who built and decorated the mishkan were all genders – craft persons of all materials, and that the mishkan was fabulous in its decoration. We will compare this to the Temple being constructed by indentured (corvee) labor (all male?) We’ll look at the intention of the builders (Moses and Solomon), and at the resulting buildings and carry forward our study of the heart.

On the left, a drawing from Chabad.org of the desert mishkan – with colorful clothing and draperies and giant billows of mystical smoke signifying the presence of God. On the right, an unattributed painting of Solomon’s temple with a great gold basin, gold pillars, brass or gold bowls, and a tall and very imposing enclosed building, with a thin funnel of smoke down front.

At 6:45pm ET, meeting will be open for logging in, schmoozing and solving any technical issues. [see below for details]
Study begins at 7:15 ET.

——>>>>>> Zoom login can be found in the Ruach HaYam study room
https://www.studywithpenina.com/ruach_hayam
——>>>>>> Only recognized names will be admitted to Zoom meeting. Please be sure to RSVP

Penina Weinberg is an independent Hebrew bible scholar whose study and teaching focus on the intersection of power, politics and gender in the Hebrew Bible. She has run workshops for Nehirim and Keshet and has been teaching Hebrew bible for 10 years. She has written in Tikkun and HBI blog, and is the leader and founder of Ruach HaYam.

*** Ruach HaYam https://www.facebook.com/groups/Ruach.HaYam/ study sessions provide a queer Jewish look at text, and are welcoming to LGBTQ+ and allies, to any learning or faith background, to all bodies, and friendly to beginners***