I want to be close to You, my GOD.
“Happy is he whom You choose and whom You bring near to dwell in Your courts” (Tehillim 65:5)
“The LORD is near to all who call upon Him, to all who call upon Him in truth.” (Tehillim 145:18)
“Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you.” (Yaakov 4:8)
“But for me, it is good to be near GOD.” (Tehillim 73:28)
As I read this week’s passage, a crucial question came to mind: Why draw near to God? What good does it do me? Does there have to be a special reason? You know, we have some dogs at home; we are their owners, and if there’s one thing I’ve learned from these dogs, it’s that dogs don’t need a specific reason to be with their owners; they are there because they are simply happy to be there. That’s why Adam Harishon (the first man) aptly named these little animals: “ke-lev,” “from the heart.”
As I wrote this message, I remembered a song by Michael W. Smith, who composed a song for GOD, which says, “Draw me near to You”… “For You are all I need, all I’ve ever needed; Help me to know that You are near.” I don’t know in what context he wrote the song, but it made me think about my relationship with the Eternal One, and it was a prayer that is very connected to this week’s portion. In the same way that I tend to forget that God wants me to get closer to Him, I overlook the fact that He wants to be close to me.
In this portion, it begins with the following verse: וַיִּקְרָ֖א אֶל־משֶׁ֑ה וַיְדַבֵּ֤ר יְהֹוָה֙ “Vayikrá el-Moshe vayedaber Adonai” “And (the Eternal) called Moses, and the Eternal spoke to him.” How does the book of Shemot end? It ends by indicating that God enters His secret place, His dwelling place, His tent, His place of intimacy. However, it is not seen; it is only perceived. From this place, some sages say that He makes a loving call to Moses, telling him, “Moses, do you want to come?” It is this type of call that the text refers to. Sometimes they call us to scold us, other times to give instructions, others to inform, but sometimes it’s to be intimate, to open our hearts.
He then begins to explain in a very strange way, and here I am paraphrasing – Moses, what strategy can I use to get the people to come to me? Remember in Shemot 20:16, the people said to Moses, “You speak to us, and we will listen. But do not let God speak to us, lest we die!” And verse 18 indicates: “And the people stood at a distance…” It was clear that Israel did not fear the Eternal in the sense of revering, but rather they were afraid of Him. Fear is not a characteristic of God. After murdering Abel, Cain fled out of fear; Yaakov left Israel for Haran out of fear; Moses murdered an Egyptian out of fear, and Lot’s daughters practiced incest out of fear. In other words, a relationship based on fear becomes an unhealthy, toxic relationship.
God desires to maintain a healthy relationship, which is why He establishes Himself at the center of the camp, dwelling among them (as Shemot 25:8 mentions). His intention was clear: God wanted to be the “center” of their daily lives, He wanted to have a place in their hearts and minds and maintain a continuous contact with them. However, a very high barrier stood between them and God – fear.
I remember that when I wanted to win my wife’s heart, I tried different strategies to get her attention, to establish a relationship, and above all, to have her love returned. In this same way, God wanted to create a scenario that no matter what people’s current condition was, they would have an “excuse” to approach him. This would break the paradigms that had existed until then in those societies.
The first paradigm that existed was that God was exclusively for the priestly caste, not for the common people. All societies, without exception, had classes made up of royalty, the wealthy, the military, the religious, and at the bottom were the people and they were completely ignored. There existed a separation between the “gods” and themselves; they could only establish a distant relationship with these gods through religious practices and sacrifices. So, the fact that God’s dwelling place would be at the center of them was no small feat.
The second paradigm was the idea that the deities lived in large, colossal, fixed temples, with astonishing works of architecture and engineering, serving as a point of connection between earth and divinity. Here we read that the most powerful God of all existence desired to live in a tent! It was not a stationary temple. Can you imagine – the other gods had temples far more magnificent than the simple Mishkan? This was also no small feat; the goal was a movable and transportable temple, because wherever Israel was, God would be at their center. This was also innovative. Furthermore, GOD’s message was clear: “All the Earth is Mine.”
In the third paradigm, God decided that there should be Korbanot and not Zebachim, that is, a “rapprochement” and not “sacrifices.” In the ancient world, the shedding of blood was seen as the desire of the gods, and these gods showed no mercy or love; rather they demanded blind obedience. In case of disobedience, there was no room for mercy, only punishment. So, to appease His wrath, His anger was satisfied when someone “paid” for the penitent’s sins. However, this One God made it clear that He did not desire sacrifice or bloodshed; He asked that the people “draw near” to Him (as we see in Tehillim 51:16; Hosea 6:6).
So, why do we draw near to God? Well, as we read, there are several reasons.
First, the Korbanot, which depict drawing near, were voluntary, not obligatory. Second, they could be offered by any soul (regardless of race, sex, or social status); anyone who wished to draw near the Eternal. Regarding the specific reasons described in this portion, they teach us that there was no specific reason for the Olah and the Mincha; they were simply that we wanted to please God; we wanted to be close to Him; we wanted to recognize His majesty or contemplate His beauty.
Second, it teaches us about the Bikkurim, the offering of the first fruits. This was an offering of honor, thanking God for their sustenance. Third, there were the Shelamin. These were offerings of social communion, in which families made God a part of their lives and ate together before the Eternal. They are peace offerings. How important peace is in our homes today! They were often offerings of thanksgiving for some blessing or fulfillment of a promise.
Fourth, the Chataah offerings were to cover sins committed, for which the offeror realized they made a mistake and needed God’s forgiveness (His covering). The point is that we feel bad for having committed a wrong act in our life; we are ashamed and feel that we lack the “face” to stand before the Eternal. Then God removes our shame by covering our mistake, hiding it so that it is no longer exposed to everyone else.
Fifth, the Asham, the offering for mistakes committed consciously, especially in direct offense to the Eternal, breaking His commandments, provoking guilt. In other cases, guilt remains because we are not sure whether we erred or not. Notice that guilt is not the same as shame; guilt is a constant accusation that we are responsible for a wrongdoing, preventing us from raising our head. Shame, on the other hand, is temporary, arising during similar situations, whether by one’s own actions or those of others, reminding us of a wrongdoing. They usually go hand in hand. According to expert Dr. Palomares: “When we feel shame, our natural instinct is to hide as if we are shrinking emotionally, while the environment and the people around us seem to expand in size and importance. It manifests itself through blushing, avoiding eye contact, nervousness, and varying heart rates, and generates personal unworthiness as if we were inadequate or insufficient.” He continues: “Guilt, on the other hand, is a more introspective and morally charged emotion. It arises when we perceive ourselves as responsible for a mistake or harm caused. It generates moral conscience, self-criticism with an exaggerated level of severity, and can generate anxiety and persistent discomfort.”
The offerings had an integrating component, because they could be presented by everyone from the richest to the poorest, so the idea of a “bloody God or one who delights in gold” no longer existed, as grain offerings or inexpensive and easily accessible birds, such as doves, were also presented. The goal, then, was to draw near to God, for the soul who desired to draw near to Him.
Returning to the beginning, we must draw near to Him with sincerity, just as we are, not pretending to be different or perfect, with guilt or shame, with joy or sadness, with happiness or discomfort. When we present ourselves to Him, the law of action and reaction is in operation; as we draw near to Him, He draws near to us. When I think about it, I truly come to the conclusion that in the end, He chooses us to be close to Him. Even though it seems that we draw near to Him, and that being close to Him is for our ultimate good, there is no other place or time more important; in that lies true shalom. Amidst so much noise about wars today, the afflictions of trade disputes, and a new world order, finding Shalom is vital.
My prayer is that we may have a constant need to dwell in His house, to be close to GOD because that’s where we want to be. There’s no specific need, just the desire to be close to Him, to continually seek Him, and to find good.
Shabbat Shalom
Mauricio Quintero