What Are You Doing?

Rabbi Melanie Aron

Saturday, March 5, 2005

I’ve mentioned already the Torah portion about the building of the Mishkan and the Haftarah about the building of the Temple. I’d like to talk for a minute about King Solomon and the construction of the Temple.

You may recall that King Solomon was reknowned for his wisdom.

As a young man, he was offered a choice: power, wealth or wisdom. He chose wisdom and as a result also gained wealth and power.

He gained the wisdom to make good decisions and also the ability to speak all languages, including those of every creature.

This came in handy on more than one occasion.

Once, the Queen of Sheba came to test Solomon. She presented him bouquet of flowers, one was real, and the rest were fake. By talking to the bees Solomon was able to distinguish the living flower.

This also came in handy building Temple. God told Solomon that they were not allowed to use any metal in the construction of the Temple, not even in tools, as metal was used in weapons of war.

Solomon searched the animal world and found a snail that left a trail of slime which cut through rock.

King Solomon liked to dress up like a common person & go out to see what was happening in his kingdom. He didn’t totally trust his court officials to be fair to the poor, widow & orphan.

Solomon also liked to know what was going on during the construction of the Temple. In fact, he decided he would give a special gift to the best worker.

Now, how would you decide who the best worker was for the construction of the Temple?

Would it be the person who measured especially accurately to make sure walls stood straight and everything was properly aligned?

Or would it be the person who was careful in using materials so that nothing was wasted? Who cut the stone in just the right place so both pieces could be used?

Or would it be the person who was very conscious of safety in moving the big stones that were used in building the Temple. The person who made sure every worker was safe and treated fairly and that no one stepped on the snails, who were helping out?

Solomon got up in the morning and dressed up like a construction worker, snuck out of his palace and went to see the building of the Temple.

He noticed one worker measuring carefully and prudently taking care not to waste anything. He seemed highly skilled at his craft.

What are you doing, he asked? I am cutting stones, the man answered.

He noticed another worker organizing a team to bring sand and water, watching out for each person carefully. Man was big and strong and when one of the workers struggling to carry a bag of sand, he went over to help.

What are you doing, he asked? We are mixing the mortar to hold the great stones in place, he answered.

Solomon was having a hard time deciding who was the best worker. As Solomon was getting ready to leave the Temple he noticed another man working. He seemed to have some kind of lowly job, cleaning up after the skilled craftsman and the strong builders, yet he looked so pleased and excited about his work.

Solomon couldn’t quite figure out exactly what the man was doing and so he called out.

What are you doing, Solomon asked?

What am I doing? The man responded, I am building the Holy Temple where people will come to receive God’s blessing.

I like that story because I think sometimes it reminds us to step back from the details of our lives and to think about what we are really doing.

The Gimmel students are not just sounding out the difficult Aramaic of the Kaddish – they are preparing to take their place in a chain of tradition going back 3,000 years. In difficult times, we hope these very words will open a path to finding meaning and support.

The teachers are not just drilling vocabulary with tired, hungry students at 5:50 on a dark and rainy afternoon, they are passing on a sacred heritage and opening doors that will allow these kids to find a connection with their people and with the sacred.

It’s the same thing for parents. We are not just schlepping our kids for the 14th time this week, from here to there and there to here. We are fulfilling the commandment of the Torah, veshinnantam levanechah, you shall teach them to your children. We are creating another generation of Jews.

If we can see the bigger picture, we can appreciate the full meaning of all we do.