Blog
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A Tent of Days Gone By
Monday, October 15, 2007 - Post/View Comments: View Comments
Rabbi Ted Feldman
B'nai Israel Jewish Center
Petaluma, CA
In English it is called the "Tent of Meeting." In Hebrew it is referred to as "Ohel Moed." For the ancient Israelites wandering on their way from Egyptian bondage to their Promised Land, it was their tent of hope. This tent, according to the Biblical description, was the place where the spiritual presence of God resided as the journey proceeded. When this tent moved, the Israelites moved forward in their quest to get to Israel.
From this tent emerged the vision from which the people gathered the strength to overcome the obstacles of the wilderness—heat, hunger, isolation, enemies lurking and fear. As the camp of the Israelites looked to this "Ohel Moed" to render purpose to their longings and their sufferings, they passed their days of wandering. Can we imagine what it must have felt like? We know they struggled with longing for the security of the slavery that had previously ordered their lives. Now they confronted the unknown with the presence of this unseen God leading them to an unknown land.
I can't help but think that the tents of Darfur are also leading us in this segment of our moral journey in the world. War ravaged, displaced, hungry and fearful, these children of God call us from their tents to move forward and bear them to a better place in our world. In a sense, then, they are our leaders. In their tents resides the spirit of human life and dignity that we are called upon to affirm in our efforts to bring them aid. So many people, not enough, yet, have changed their world to follow the plight of the people in Darfur. What happens in those faraway tents now leads us as we yearn to repair a broken world.
The Tents of Hope project is an opportunity to let tents and the tented become our moral leaders. This is not about the canvas that encircles human lives, but about the moral imperative we bear to lovingly protect and preserve human life. In Hebrew, the word "ohel" means something deeper than tent. In the history of Hebrew, certain letter combinations carry a much broader meaning. Thus, the word for tent and the word for love derive from the same root. That root means to encompass, embrace, protect—isn't that about love and isn't that about a tent and what it does?
The people of Darfur dwell in tents. Our tents of hope are to arouse us to action; to let them know we care. The ancient Israelites looked to the Tent for strength, leadership, direction. From the tents of Darfur we are being beckoned to follow with acts of compassion, advocacy, and moral outrage. Genocide has reduced the holiness of our world. Only through our acts can we restore the dignity of the human spirit and affirm the sacredness of human life.
