{"id":75388,"date":"2020-05-31T10:14:26","date_gmt":"2020-05-31T07:14:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/?p=75388"},"modified":"2020-05-31T10:14:26","modified_gmt":"2020-05-31T07:14:26","slug":"a-tape-measure-is-essential-for-any-building-project","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/a-tape-measure-is-essential-for-any-building-project\/","title":{"rendered":"A Tape Measure Is Essential for Any Building Project"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[281],"tags":[],"acf":{"old_id":"75388","type":"no","iframe":"","writer":66417,"related_cahpter":"492","type_929":"2","show_author_image":false,"old_create_date":"","old_url":"","post_main_content":{"description":"Especially one to measure our hearts\r\n\r\n","content":"

Growing up I often watched my father as he did various small building projects around the house. I would watch him use tools such as hammers, saws, sanders, and other fascinating devices. I learned from him that the most essential tool in home building is the tape measure. You cannot build anything if you do not have the correct dimensions.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In Ezekiel 40, God seems to agree that tape measures are essential. As Ezekiel is transported to Jerusalem in a vision, he meets an angelic figure who instructs him about the correct dimensions of the future Temple. What is this figure holding in his hand? A linen cord and a measuring rod.<\/span><\/p>\n

The angelic figure will spend the next several chapters explicitly using the measuring rod to show to Ezekiel the exact dimensions of the Temple and its contents. God, by way of this angelic figure meticulously measuring out dimensions, lays out a clear plan about what this new Temple should look like.<\/span><\/p>\n

The linen cord is not mentioned again, but Rashi helpfully explains that this cord was used for measuring out the ground, while the measuring rod is useful for structures such as walls and gates. Both are essential for good building planning. The modern tape measure is essentially a combination of a measuring cord and a measuring rod.<\/span><\/p>\n

Based on this account from Ezekiel, it would appear that God and my father are in agreement about the importance of a tape measure. Indeed, if a tape measure is essential for precision even in small building projects, then how much more so is it necessary for God\u2019s future home!<\/span><\/p>\n

Two millennia ago, the Second Temple built according to many of these precise measurements, was destroyed. Since then, many Jews have understood God as dwelling within the community of Israel and within our hearts.<\/span><\/p>\n

In Ezekiel, the angelic figure has no difficulty measuring out the physical dimensions of the Temple. Our task is much harder \u2013 we must find ways to measure our hearts.<\/span><\/p>\n

There is a long tradition in Judaism of <\/span>tikkun middot<\/span><\/em>. Often this term is translated as the repairing (<\/span>tikkun<\/span><\/em>)<\/span><\/i> of our characters (<\/span>middot<\/span><\/em>). However, the term <\/span>middot<\/span><\/em> literally means measures. By engaging in <\/span>tikkun middot<\/span><\/em>,<\/span> we are measuring and correcting the dimensions of our hearts.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

How well do we embody qualities of character such such as compassion, patience, humility, and righteousness? If we wish for God to dwell in our hearts more fully, we must measure our own <\/span>middot<\/span><\/i> with the same care and precision of the angelic figure instructing Ezekiel. We must use our own internal tape measures to repair our hearts and the world.<\/span><\/p>\n","image":{"ID":75391,"id":75391,"title":"ez40-tape measure","filename":"ez40-tape-measure.jpg","filesize":0,"url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/ez40-tape-measure.jpg","link":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/a-tape-measure-is-essential-for-any-building-project\/ez40-tape-measure\/","alt":"","author":"7","description":"","caption":"","name":"ez40-tape-measure","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":75388,"date":"2020-05-31 07:13:53","modified":"2020-05-31 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