Carry On

“And thou shalt make staves of acacia-wood, and overlay them with gold. And thou shalt put the staves into the rings on the sides of the ark, wherewith to bear the ark. The staves shall be in the rings of the ark; they shall not be taken from it.” – Exodus 25:13-15, JPS 1917 Tanach

On the commandment, “they shall not be removed from it” (Exodus 25:15), R’ Hirsch comments that because the poles that were placed in rings on the sides of the Ark of the Covenant were to always remain there, to carry the Ark, symbolically, this represents that the Torah itself is not bound to any one place; rather, wherever one goes, the teachings are meant to accompany him or her. Thus, G-d’s words are meant to be our companions, so to speak, even as we look towards His presence to guide us.

I would proffer, that the same idea holds true, chronologically, that the veracity of Torah carries its own weight, and holds true across the ages. Thus G-d’s commandments should be no less compelling today, then they were on the day that they were given at Sinai. Yet, even so, many forces in society tug at the heartstrings of the average human being, attempting to lure one’s understanding away from the truth. We are challenged to remain steadfast, by not going along with the zeitgeist; rather, that we remain loyal to G-d, even though many people may view the commandments as passé, a relic of the past.

G-d’s words through Moses and the prophets, as well as all throughout all of kitvei kodesh (holy scripture) are a moral compass, especially in times of tumult and confusion. Without the express knowledge of the pure unadulterated truth, how can mankind even know left from right, up from down, or good from evil? In general, we would not even know what direction we are headed, unless we have the “divine blueprint of life” to guide us along the way. So, let us not stray from the path, nor err in our judgment, as we encounter various elements in society that are not in accord with the truth. For, truth is not relative; rather, truth is an essential constant, like a compass always pointing in one direction.