EKEV 5779
Dedication of our New Aron Kodesh
How wonderful is our spiritual home this morning with our new Aron Kodesh. 15 years ago, our own Israel Peljovich—who is a very busy custom furniture and cabinet maker—noticed a couple of ancient doors in a container from Spain at one of his suppliers. The doors were so broken upthat they were about to be discarded as firewood. The artist in him immediately realized that there was something special about them—especially the row of Jewish stars down the center of each of the doors. Israel took the doors to his shop with the thought of making an Aron Kodesh for his new shul, Shaarei Shamayim.
A year later, Israel and Lidia vacationed in Spain and noticed in St. Anna’s church in Toledo, doors with the same markings. I had done an internet search at the time and also found the same doors in a Synagogue from before the Inquisition of 1492—indicating these doors are more than 530 years old!
Over the next few years Israel worked on restoring the doors in his spare time. It was painstaking work, but an act of love. After he completed the 1stdoor, he waited for Shaarei Shamayim to have a permanent home before completing the Aron Kodesh. He got help from Jonathan Alexander, who with his golden hands and Israel’s guidance, was able to restore the 2nd door. This was an especially meaningful task for Jonathan who was fighting a serious illness at the time. Jonathan credits this holy work with helping to save his life as he is now on the path to a complete recovery—Baruch Hashem (thank Gd).There are no words to tell you all the love and effort it took to make this happen. Some thought it may never happen. Baruch Hashem, thank Gd…it is here!
There was once a Greek sculptor named Phidias who was commissioned to make a statue to be set against the wall of a temple in Athens. Phidias used only the best and most expensive materials on every inch of the statue.
A friend asked him, “I can understand why you use the best material on the front side of the statue, for that will be seen. But why must you do so on the back? It’ll be up against a wall and no one will see it.”
The artist’s answer was, “The gods see everywhere.”
It was a wise answer, for it expresses the truth that a real artist does not create in order to impress others, but to express his innermost self; and so, a work of art has to be just right—both inside and out. Israel might have taken short-cuts on the inside of the Aron Kodesh where no one sees, but he could not.
Our Torah reading tells us how Moses put the 10 Commandments and the Torah in the original Aron Kodesh—the Holy Ark of the Mishkan and Holy Temple. There are similarities between our Aron Kodesh and the original one. Of course, both contained the holy Torah. Gd instructed Moses that the originalAron Kodesh was to be made of boxes of wood and gold—just like our new Aron Kodesh. You may not be able to see the boxes behind the doors, but you can certainly see the gold—and it’s real gold!
The wood of the original Aron Kodesh was to be cedarwood, covered with pure gold, mibayit umichutz, “both inside and out” (Ex. 25:11): outside, where it can be seen, and inside, where only Gd will know. The Talmud (Yoma 72b) comments: “[From this verse we learn] that any wise scholar that is not Tocho K’varo—the same kind of person inside and out—is not a wise scholar.” He cannot be impressive and ostentatious in his piety when people are looking, and a scoundrel when no one else sees.
Do you know the origin of the word “sincere”? it comes from the Latin words, “sine” and “cera,” meaning, “without wax.” When artists were commissioned to produce a work of sculpture, those who were honest would use pure marble. Those who were fraudulent would use good material in front, where people could see, and inferior material in the back and then patch up the holes with wax. For this reason, when a work was completed, the artist would attest to the quality of his work by signing that it had been done “sincerely,” that is, without wax. And so, when we sign a letter “sincerely,” we are testifying to the truth of our words.
One of my favorite stories is that of the shopkeeper who told his friend that he had a moral dilemma. “Yesterday a regular customer mistakenly gave me a $100 bill instead of a $10 bill.”
“I understand,” said the friend, “Your moral dilemma is whether or not to keep the money.”
“No,” answered the shopkeeper, “of course I’ll keep the money. My problem is whether or not to tell my partner about it!”
For Israel Peljovich this principle of mibayit umichutz—that what is inside should be the same as what is outside—is sacred.
My friends, how often do we feel great love and pride inside, but never share it, never display it on the outside and tell how proud we are and how much we love them? How many of us hold our feelings inside until it is too late? Mibayit umichutz, the Torah teaches us that we must be the same on the outside as we are on the inside. We must tell those we care about how we feel—even, and especially, if we must stretch a bit to get it out.
When we come before our Judge at the end of our lives and show Him the work of art that we have produced—which is our life—may each of us be able to say that whatever we have made of ourselves was done “sincerely.” May we be able to say that we were the same kind of people inside and out, in public and in private, where everyone could see…and where only Gd could see. If we can say that, then like Phidias of Greece, like Betzalel who built the Aron Kodesh of old, and like Israel Peljovich who built our new Aron Kodesh, we will have produced a work of art that will be counted as truly sacred.
So, whenever you think or speak about lofty principles like compassion, honesty or truth ask yourself whether those lofty principles are really you. Whenever you think to yourself how much you love someone, ask yourself whether the love you express to yourself, is actually shared with those you love. If not, I ask you—by your words and by your deeds—to elevate yourselves!
The Torah (Num. 7:9) tells us that the original Aron Kodesh was not put in a wagon when they traveled to the Holy Land but carried upon the shoulders of 4Kohanim. But how were they able to carry it? It weighed more than a ton? The Talmud teaches (Sota 35a): Nosey aron et nosav, “The power of the Aron Kodeshwas that those who held it up were, in turn, up-held by it.”
Maya Angelou once said: “Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away!” Every time we look at thisAron Kodesh will be one of those moments that take our breath away.
Israel and Lidia, you have upheld the Aron Kodesh by making this most amazing addition to our shul. May Hashem in turn uphold you and grant you many years of life, health and happiness. Amen!
