The weekly Torah reading and the Jewish calendar are closely intertwined, with the weekly Parshah often connecting to an upcoming date in the Jewish year. This phenomenon is particularly evident this Shabbat which precedes the 1^st of Nisan. The additional reading, specially chosen for this Shabbat, clearly reflects the themes of the ‘first of the months’ and the preparations for Pesach. Yet the weekly Parshah also connects to this date with the description of the erection of the Tabernacle which took place on the 1^st of Nisan. Even in a leap year, the Parshah most commonly read on the Shabbat before Nisan, Shemini, narrates the final day of the priestly inauguration which also took place on this date.

If we examine this conjunction more closely, we can see that the month of the redemption from Egypt is also the month of the inauguration of the Tabernacle and the beginning of the ritual year. It is also, as described in the Bible and stated by the Talmud, the new year for monarchs. We thus see that while for agriculture and counting years the 1^st of Tishrei is the beginning of the year, for matters of national and religious importance it is Nisan. In particular, the Torah specifically connects the inauguration of the Tabernacle to the redemption from Egypt, which happened almost exactly a year earlier. This link between the Sanctuary and the Exodus is found again in the description of the building of Solomon’s Temple which is specifically dated according to the number of years since the Exodus, the only event in the Bible to be linked in this way.

It would seem that the service of the Tabernacle or Temple is intimately linked to the Exodus. In fact if we examine this connection as described in the text, we can see that construction of initially the Tabernacle and ultimately the Temple, is regarded as the culmination and supreme purpose of the Exodus. This can be clearly seen in the climax of the Song of the Sea where praise for the defeat of the Egyptians is followed by the anticipation of the conquest of the Land and the establishment of the ‘Sanctuary of G-d’. The Exodus, freeing the Jews from Egypt, or even Jewish sovereignty in the Land, is not the ultimate purpose. That is the establishment of a holy people centred on the Divine Presence in the Temple and serving as an example to humanity, leading to the establishment of G-d’s kingdom on earth.

As we live through truly historic days, where the fate not only of Jews but maybe of humanity itself hangs in the balance, we should keep this in mind. Jewish victory or success, however that might look, is not an end in itself but rather merely a stepping stone towards the redemption of all of humanity under the sovereignty of G-d.