The Movement for Reform Judaism

Shabbat Ha-Chodesh, March 17th 2007 North Western Reform Synagogue
An unbroken line runs from the tabernacle of the Israelites - the mishkan - to this day.  It is a line of law that ran through the Sinai desert and the mishkan that Natasha described so beautifully in a traceable line to today.

The line of the law represents an unbroken Jewish autonomous authority - developing, dynamic and challenging through the Middle Ages and into the modern era. In 1948, with the establishment of the State of Israel, the line of legal authority could once again return to an institution in the place where it rightly belongs - the Supreme Court in Jerusalem, in the State of Israel.

Israel, I am proud to say, is not a theocracy, not ruled by Torah law and it does not have the aspiration to be so. Instead, Israeli law is a mixture of Turkish, British and  modern Israeli law with, of course, some Jewish law, halakha is often referred to as a guide, as wisdom but in no way as a veto on Israeli law. This is the law for a modern, democratic state where Jews and Arabs both rely on a legal system that can be traced back to the mishkan but reflects modern democratic values.

Last week, 20 Alyth Talmudists retraced this line - a line in both time and space -  following the work of the Talmudic sages from the North of Israel, onwards to Jerusalem and forward in time to the Supreme Court building.

The design of the Supreme Court's building - its Mishcan - is highly symbolic and the lines of the design are very important. There is the line of sight from the building: On one side lies the Knesset where law are made on the other, lies one of the most prosaic sites in Israel - the Central Bus Station! The Supreme Court has a highly controversial role, it can overturn Knesset rule in order to place justice over law - "tzedek, tzedek, tirdof", You must pursue justice. So in one direction the Knesset and in the other direction, the Bus Station. This reminds the judges that their role is to be accountable to the average person, rather than the upper class areas of Jerusalem.

Our superb guide, Julian Resnick, explained how the architecture of the Supreme Court used the idea of lines and circles to represent law and justice, rendering in the building some of the most poignant metaphors of law and justice from the Tanach.

The many geometric lines in the floors and the lines throughout the building represent law. Law is straight, aspires to be clear. The architects were guided by the words of the Psalm[1], "You are righteous, and Your laws are straight."

 צַדִּיק אַתָּה יְהֹוָה וְיָשָׁר מִשְׁפָּטֶֽיךָ

The lines are there as the law, but matters of human conduct do not rest with law alone. There also an abundance of circles in the Supreme Court that represent justice, harder to attain than it is to make laws. Justice often takes the complicated route. The architects referred to the Psalmist, [2] "He leads me in the circles of justice."  

ֵ יַנְחֵנִי בְמַעְגְּלֵי־צֶדֶק לְמַעַן שְׁמֽוֹ

The Supreme Court's central courtyard is a place of reflections. It is bisected by a narrow water channel running its full length. This straight channel of  flowing water ends in a small circle, a small, low bubble of water representing the fountains of justice, inspired by the verse[3], "Truth will spring up from the earth and justice will be reflected from the heavens."

 אֱמֶת מֵאֶרֶץ תִּצְמָח וְצֶדֶק מִשָּׁמַיִם נִשְׁקָֽף

A building represents aspirations for the people and functions that frequent it. Our building, our synagogue, - more humble than the Supreme Court - is no different. Recently, we have restored our synagogue through the Tekiyah project. Now we are turning to the next phase, focussing on our bimah, and our aron kodesh, our ark. How will this area reflect our community, our relationship to prayer and to god and remind us of our ideals and aspirations?

After Pesach we will be holding study sessions to explore these questions and reflect on the connection between form, function and spirit at the heart of our own strand of that great Jewish line, our home, our mishkan, Alyth Gardens.

Shabbat shalom

[1] Psalm 119:137

[2] Psalms 23:3

[3] Psalm 85:12

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