Kollot Haftarah Introduction: It’s not about me

Written by Rabbi Josh Levy — 11 June 2022

Our haftarah for this morning is taken, as is our practice in our Kollot service, from rabbinic literature. Today from Midrash Tanchuma, which is a compilation of material probably dating to the 9C.

A moment ago Noa sang for us, ‘aseih l’cha sh’tei chatzotzrot kessef’ – Make for yourself two silver trumpets.

In response to this verse, the Midrash brings a story –
It is a story about King Solomon – really, a midrash on Psalm 24. That when he had completed the building of the Temple and was bringing in the ark of the covenant, the doors of the Temple made themselves too small for the ark to enter, thinking that Solomon was motivated by his own need for personal honour.

The doors complied only when convinced that Solomon was entering not for his own glory, but for the glory of God.

The obvious question is, why does the midrash bring this story.  It is also found elsewhere in Rabbinic Literature so is clearly a story known to the rabbis.  But why bring it here?  It has no obvious link with the trumpets of our Torah portion.

One possibility is that the midrash is assuming our knowledge of bible, and that our thoughts will automatically go to 2 Chronicles.  This describes the entry of the ark into Solomon’s Temple as accompanied by the blowing of Trumpets by 120 priests.

But the link is, I think, a little less prosaic than this.

In the instruction ‘make for yourself’ two silver trumpets in our Torah portion, there is a danger: that this making is understood as being for the sake of Moses; that we could read it as ‘Moses, make for your own ends, for your own honour’; that we understand the purpose of the trumpets as to glorify Moses rather than for the sake of God or community.

This is the same tension being explored in the story of King Solomon – the doors to the Temple would not open while they thought Solomon’s motivation was his own ego.

 

Central to religious life is that it is not primarily about Moses, or Solomon – or any of us, even in our greatest moments of celebration.
Rather, it is about something other – a set of values, of binding behaviours, a vision of the world.

A fundamental part of religious life is what we call bittul hayeish – the negation of the self – the awareness that what matters most is not me, not my own ego, but about something greater beyond ourselves.
This is a core value here in the work we do in this community.  Our communal goal, we often say, is that more Jews should have more meaningful Jewish lives more of the time – Judaism and community are the driver, not our own success.

 

This idea – that it is not about the ego of an individual – whether it be Moses or Solomon, or any of us – is particularly resonant at a time when person and personality are so prominent. Nowhere more so than in government, in which self aggrandisement and the self protection of individual power and glory have become more powerful motivations than making society better, pursuing a vision of how things ought to be.

 

Aseih l’cha sh’tei chatzotzrot kessef – Make for yourself two silver trumpets
The important message is that religious life is not about blowing one’s own trumpet, not about declaration of one’s own importance –
If it is, our midrash tells us, we should not expect the doors of communal life to let us in.

 

 

Midrash Tanchuma, B’ha’alot’cha 9 on Numbers 10:1

 

THE ETERNAL SPOKE TO MOSES, SAYING: MAKE FOR YOURSELF TWO SILVER TRUMPETS (Num 10:1–2)

This connects to the verse from Psalms O GATES, LIFT UP YOUR HEADS! UP HIGH, YOU EVERLASTING DOORS SO THE KING OF GLORY MAY ENTER IN (Psalm 24:7 and 9)

At the time when Solomon was bringing the ark into the Beit HaMikdash [the Temple in Jerusalem] the openings were too low. He began to say O GATES, LIFT UP YOUR HEADS and he said, UP HIGH, YOU EVERLASTING DOORS SO THE KING OF GLORY MAY ENTER IN.

The gates said to him, “Who is this KING OF GLORY?”
They wanted to come down upon him and to crush his head. [They would have done so] had he not said THE ETERNAL GOD OF HOSTS IS THE KING OF GLORY! SELAH (Psalm 24:10).
And he said [WHO IS THE KING OF GLORY?] THE ETERNAL MIGHTY AND VALIANT (Psalm 24:8).
O GATES, LIFT UP YOUR HEADS.

He said to them, “Make yourselves larger, for the King of Glory is coming upon you.”
Immediately, they showed respect and raised themselves up so that the ark could enter.

The Holy One said to them, “You have shown Me honour. Upon your lives, when I destroy My house, no person will rule over you.”

Know that all the vessels of the Temple went into exile in Babylon as it is said THE ETERNAL DELIVERED KING JEHOIAKIM OF JUDAH INTO HIS [NEBUCHADNEZZAR’S] POWER, TOGETHER WITH SOME OF THE VESSELS OF THE HOUSE OF GOD, AND HE BROUGHT THEM TO THE LAND OF SHINAR (Daniel 1:2).
But the gates of the Temple were hidden in their place, as it says, HER GATES HAVE SUNK INTO THE GROUND (Lamentations 2:9).