{"id":42694,"date":"2018-10-24T11:22:49","date_gmt":"2018-10-24T08:22:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/?p=42694"},"modified":"2022-05-18T22:40:12","modified_gmt":"2022-05-18T19:40:12","slug":"if-they-build-it-i-will-come","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/if-they-build-it-i-will-come\/","title":{"rendered":"If They Build It, I Will Come"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\u201cIf you build it, he will come.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

It is these now famous words that Ray Kinsella hears in his Iowa cornfield at the beginning of the 1989 film, \u201cField of Dreams,\u201d initiating his journey of faith, effort, and sacrifice, first building a magnificent baseball field on his farm, and later travelling both across America and across time. They are also evocative of what God says at the beginning of his instructions to construct the Mishkan, the tabernacle (Ex. 25:8): \u201cV\u2019asu li mikdash, v\u2019shachanti b\u2019tocham\u201d – \u201cthey should make Me a sanctuary, and I will dwell among them.\u201d In other words, if <\/span>they<\/i><\/b> build it, <\/span>I<\/i><\/b> will come.<\/span><\/p>\n

According to Rashi\u2019s interpretation, this command was given immediately after God forgives the Jewish people for the sin of the Golden Calf, suggesting that the reason for God commanding its instruction is for the people to atone for this grievous error. There are indeed several parallels between the two incidents, such as the nation freely donating valuables to the \u201cMishkan fund\u201d (much like was done for the Golden Calf).<\/span><\/p>\n

Following the Exodus from Egypt, the Jewish People experienced unprecedented closeness with God, their \u201cFather in Heaven,\u201d which reached its pinnacle at the revelation at Sinai. But after the Golden Calf, this relationship seemed headed toward irreversible estrangement. However, once the Mishkan is completed and all of its vessels are in place, God\u2019s Presence fills the Mishkan, and a new opportunity for closeness emerges.<\/span><\/p>\n

Similarly, Ray believes that his journey is as penance for a rift in the relationship with his father John, a former minor league catcher, which lasted from the time Ray was young until his father died. One of Ray\u2019s greatest regrets is that, so turned off by John pushing baseball on him, that at age 14, he began refusing to play catch with him, denying John one of the pleasures of the father-son relationship.<\/span><\/p>\n

At the end of the movie, Ray discovers what his entire journey was really about. Ray originally believed that the \u2018he\u2019 the voice was referring to was his father\u2019s favorite player, Shoeless Joe Jackson, who does indeed wander out of the cornfield, and later brings the spirits of other former ball players with him to enjoy Ray\u2019s field. However, in the final scene, as the catcher removes his mask, he is revealed to be a young version of John. After years of distance, Ray finally gets a chance to reconnect, and in a simple but beautiful moment of redemption, he invites John to play catch together. Ray’s complex journey had the ultimate goal of bringing him back to that long-missed game of catch with his father.<\/span><\/p>\n

By the same token, the people\u2019s generosity and efforts regarding the Mishkan are fueled by that same desire to rebuild that bond with our own Father. The message for us to learn both from the Mishkan and from Ray\u2019s Field of Dreams is that even though our actions may lead God to sometimes hide His face or temporarily distance Himself from that relationship, through it all, just like any father, He always wants to be close to us.<\/span><\/p>\n","image":{"ID":104958,"id":104958,"title":"-62854b8bb2faa--62854b8bb2facex25-baseball home plate.jpg","filename":"62854b8bb2faa-62854b8bb2facex25-baseball-home-plate.jpg.jpg","filesize":0,"url":"https:\/\/cetwpuploads.blob.core.windows.net\/wp929\/uploads\/2018\/10\/62854b8bb2faa-62854b8bb2facex25-baseball-home-plate.jpg.jpg","link":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/if-they-build-it-i-will-come\/62854b8bb2faa-62854b8bb2facex25-baseball-home-plate-jpg\/","alt":"","author":"7","description":"","caption":"","name":"62854b8bb2faa-62854b8bb2facex25-baseball-home-plate-jpg","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":42694,"date":"2022-05-18 19:39:55","modified":"2022-05-18 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