Dear Friends,
This week’s Torah Portion, Tetzaveh, continues the instructions for constructing the Tabernacle, the portable Temple that accompanied our ancestors during the desert wanderings, and the various ritual items used in it. It tells us,
They shall make the ephod of gold, of blue, purple, and crimson yarns, and of fine twisted linen, worked into designs. It shall have two shoulder pieces attached; they shall be attached at its two ends. And the decorated band that is upon it shall be made like it, of one piece with it: of gold, of blue, purple, and crimson yarns, and of fine twisted linen.
It then tells us,
You shall make the fringed tunic of fine linen. You shall make the headdress of fine linen. You shall make the sash of embroidered work. And for Aaron’s sons also you shall make tunics, and make sashes for them, and make turbans for them, for dignity and adornment. Put these on your brother Aaron and on his sons as well; anoint them, and ordain them and consecrate them to serve Me as priests.
But then, the portion takes a rather unusual turn. It states,
Inside the breast piece, you shall place the Urim and Thummim so that they are over Aaron’s heart when he comes before יהוה. Thus Aaron shall carry the instrument of decision for the Israelites over his heart before יהוה at all times.
The Urim and Thummim were tools for divination. Connected with cleromancy (divination by casting lots), scholars suspect they refer to two objects that, when the High Priest was unsure of the proper path or decision, would reveal the will of God. (Think of them like a Magic 8-Ball. When in doubt, the High Priest would toss them, and the answer revealed would be deemed controlled and determined by God.)
The Talmud suggests the word Urim comes from the Hebrew for “light” while the word Thummim comes from the word for “complete.” Through these devices, the priest believed he could ask a question of God and then “know” that whatever the answer, it was God’s will.
It must have been comforting to resolve issues with such certainty. As one scholar puts it,
Imagine the security of knowing that you and your community were doing exactly what God wanted! No doubts, no reason to compromise or entertain any other viewpoints but the received one; life would be simple, clear, and a bit rigid.
Like prophecy, in which specific individuals heard the will of God directly from the “Source,” the Urim and Thummim let the people know exactly what God wanted of them. The Talmud tells us that by the time of the Second Temple, however, prophesy ended, and the Urim and Thummim had lost their power and could no longer reveal God’s will. Thus both methods of “knowing God’s will” ended, and the people were left to make their own decisions. God would no longer intervene and make decisions on their behalf.
The implications of this are rather profound.
The people had a comforting degree of certainty when prophecy and this divination tool existed. They knew what was right because God “told” them. There was no need to debate, compromise, or seek to understand opposing views. Once prophesy ended, and the Urim and Thummim lost their power to reveal God’s will; however, the people were left to chart their own path. More than that, the demise of these tools introduced a level of uncertainty. They might have believed their perspective was correct, but no matter how strongly they might have hold a belief, whether from a religious, social, or political perspective, they couldn’t know for sure. Perhaps those who held an equally strong but opposing view might actually be correct. Or, maybe the truth might lay somewhere between the extremes.
And that is where we find ourselves today.
There are those at both ends of the spectrum who arrogantly hold on to their positions. They know. They dig in. They hold their positions without compromise. They see differing views as wrong and as a result, sit in judgment of those who hold opposing views or perspectives. But that leaves little room for compromise, understanding, and growth. That leaves little room for relationships and community.
Perhaps the most profound lesson of the Urim and Thummim in our day is the value of humility. We can feel strongly about our position, but without the certainty of God’s intervention, we can never know for sure. So perhaps the best course of action is to make room for the possibility that we may not be as correct as we believe, listen to those who might disagree, and be prepared to modify our approach.
Because while God may be infallible, human beings aren’t. And God knows none of us are God.
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Daniel Cohen