March 30, 2025 at Little House in Baka, Honoring Frances and Neil Kummer
Organized by Richard Corman and Devorah Rennert and committee members Mindy, Ala, Diana, Drew, Jean, Michael, Ruth, Shoshana, Tzippi, Yitzchak, Terry
Mizmor LeDavid at 20 Dvar Torah by Devorah Rennert
An oft quoted line from the 1989 film “A Field of Dreams” was “If you build it, they (or He) will come.” This film about a a farmer who envisions and builds a baseball field in Iowa could easily apply to our recent series of parshiot regarding the building of the Mishkan as well as to Neil and Frances building our “Field of Dreams”—Mizmor LeDavid.
The Torah devotes several parshiot in Shemot to the creation of the MIshkan.
One may easily ask: Why so much detail and so much apparent repetition in the different parshiot?
Furthermore, was the Mishkan a spiritual ideal or was it really a concession to human needs for physicality as learned from the episode in כי תשא of the עגל זהב.
After all as it says in Tehillim 24:1 לה“ הארץ ומלואה “The earth and its fullness is HaShem’s”.
However it states in Parshat Teruma: ועשו לי מקדש ושכנתי בתוכם “They will make for Me a Sanctuary so that I may dwell among them” And the Torah stipulated an abundance of details to fulfill HKBH’s Will for his physical dwelling place.
Also, it states in Parshat Tetzaveh: ושכנתי בתוך בני ישראל והייתי להם לאלוקים “And then I shall dwell amongst B’nai Yisrael and I shall be their G-d”.
So it seems, that even if on one level a physical home for G-d might seem like a concession, the pesukim suggest that HaShem’s will is that He have a physical dwelling place in this physical world or at least that the coming together of B’nei Yisrael to create a sacred community and a sacred place in consonance with HKBH’s prescriptions facilitates the indwelling of His Presence in this world of ours in consonance with His Will.
And sanctifying this physical world—engaging in —מלאכת הקודשholy creative work, creating בגדי הקודש—sacred garments for Aharon the Cohen Gadol and other kohanim and
utilizing the שקל הקודש for Mishkan maintenance and engaging in acts of sanctification of person, place and time are precisely the way that HKBH wants us—B’nei Yisrael—to act as His partners in actualizing His Presence in this world. And this is still after his understanding that we fail and we fix; HKBH wants human agency—His initial job was בריאה Now our job is לעשות.
In fact, interestingly, at the end of Parshat Bereshit, the Torah states ויכולו השמים והאררץ וכל צבאם “On the 7th day G-d completed the heavens and the earth and all their hosts”.
And in Parshat Pekudei it states
“ותכל כל–עבודת משכן אוהל מועד ויעשו בני ישראל ככל אשר צוה היי את–משה כן עשו”
“All the work of the Mishkan, the Tent of Meeting, was completed, and the Children of Israel had done everything that HaShem commanded Moshe, so did they do”.
And finally it states —ויכל משה את–המלאכהAnd Moshe completed the work of the Mishkan.
So it seems clear—Creating Kedusha in this world is a joint effort of HKBH and His partners, the Jewish People.
Neil and Frances, today on Rosh Chodesh Nissan, we pay tribute not only to the final assembly by Moshe of our Mishkan in the Midbar and our birth as a free nation; but, we thank you and pay tribute to this amazing holy community you initiated and worked on these 20 years.
Neil, you are known for not only start-up shuls but also for your commitment with Kef International to bringing so many people to Israel for 46 years!
Frances, as a licensed realtor and with your Home and Lifestyle Facilitator Company you helped people find and create their dream homes in Israel and you have offered an abundance of home hospitality over the years.
We are deeply grateful to the two of you as well as to all of you who have since Mizmor’s inception engaged in this holy endeavor and continue to do so every day, every week.
Thank-you Neil and Frances for your vision, leadership, and ongoing commitment to Eretz Yisrael and Mizmor LeDavid.
Mazal Tov to you!
Thank-you to Richard, my co-chair, and thank-you to our humble committee and special presenters.
Frances and Neil, we love you and wish you Mazal Tov and brachot.
Chodesh Nissan Tov to all of you!