Parashat Pekudei, Exodus 38:21-40:38; Shabbat Shekalim, Exodus 30:11-16; Rosh Chodesh Adar II

The mindset that entertains the possibility of human obsolescence demeans us all.

It appears that the long awaited conflict is over: Blu-ray disc has won the DVD battle. HD DVD will go the way of Betamax videotapes, 8 tracks, cassettes, vinyl records, floppy disks. Add to the discard pile my first portable computer –a Kaypro which was the size of a large suitcase, and also desktop PCs which are deemed obsolete the moment they are bought. To quote the late night commercial: "But wait, there's more!" How about my first cellphone –resembling a brick in shape, size and weight, old fax machines, typewriters, rotary phones, or hairdryers that don't last beyond their warranty?

The cliché is true: We live in a throw-away society in which it is cheaper to replace things rather than repair them. I can't keep track of the number of toaster ovens I have owned. Yet my dad still has the same one that my folks used when I was a kid. Hey, he even has my mom's hairdryer, which is older than I am. Nowadays, it is cheaper to buy a new watch than replace the battery in an old one. This also holds true for cellphones – if you can still find a replacement battery for one. Is it even possible to change a battery in an iPod? It seems that the latest items are built to last the shortest amount of time (and yes, the warranties covering them are getting even shorter). Planned obsolescence is a fact of modern life, albeit a frustrating one.

The very concept of "planned obsolescence" is a modern invention. According to writer Giles Slade:

Actual use of the word “obsolescence” to describe out-of-date consumer products began to show up in the early twentieth century when modern household appliances replaced older stoves and fireplaces, and steel pots replaced iron ones. But it was the electric starter in automobiles, introduced in 1913, that raised obsolescence to national prominence by rendering all previous cars obsolete.

Giles Slade, Made to Break: Technology & Obsolescence in America, p. 4

He points out that convenience has always played a role in obsolescence. First, the razor blade took over for the straight edge, now we have complete razors – metal blades with plastic handles – that are fully disposable.

In addition to the quickening pace of technological innovation that renders the item we just purchased obsolete, there is also something called "psychological obsolescence." That's that nagging feeling that you need to get new clothes every few months because the style, material, cut or color you're using is deemed to be out of date. The same holds true for cars and even personal appliances as they become fashion statements. An abundance of television shows have me convinced that my house is hopelessly out of style and the only solution is to gut it and start over.

It is one thing to deem items outdated, but we do this with people as well. We all know businesses that are constantly restructuring, workers who discover that their jobs no longer exist, or worse – the potential for work no longer exists because they have reached a particular age and are assumed to lack the abilities for what is needed. Slade looks at the wonderful, simple technological tool called the slide rule which dates back to the early 17th century. With the advent of the calculator, a technological divide took a human toll:

Thus, by the 1980s, what younger engineers perceived as a democratization of calculation had in fact sheared the engineering world along generational lines. Age, not wealth, determined which engineers had the advantage. As the hacker culture would soon demonstrate, design and engineering were no longer the exclusive activities of a carefully trained elite. The term 'obsolete' now applied both to the device that the older generation of administrators preferred and to the analog skills they used.

Giles Slade, Made to Break: Technology & Obsolescence in America, p. 203

Well, we know that things change: Sometimes it is the world that changes, sometimes we do. Businesses tell us we must adapt to changes, but this attitude often ignores what an individual might have to offer. Beyond that, the very mindset that entertains the possibility of human obsolescence demeans us all.

So let's pause our latest gizmo for just a moment and turn to that most retro item, the Torah scroll, which this week unrolls to Parashat Pekudei. Here at the very end of the book of Exodus, we find that the Tabernacle has been completed. The word pekudei refers to the account taken of all the items used for the building of the mishkan (tabernacle): everything from the gold for inside the structure to the ram skins for the outside: Each item was tallied, and each served a purpose.

The mishkan had a couple of important functions: God's presence would fill the Tabernacle and was a symbol of the divine presence in the midst of the people. In addition, the mishkan housed the ark wherein were placed the Ten Commandments: He [Moses] took the Pact and placed it in the ark; he fixed the poles to the ark, placed the cover on top of the ark, and brought the ark inside the Tabernacle. (Exodus 40:20-21) But Moses had gone up Mount Sinai twice to receive the commandments. Recall that in a fit of anger, he smashed the first two tablets when he saw the Israelites dancing around the Golden Calf. The Talmud (Bava Batra 14a-b, Menahot 99a) teaches that the ark contained both sets: The second set brought down whole, and the shards of the first set that Moses had broken. The broken pieces were not considered useless and tossed aside; these shards were as sacred as the whole.

Today we still treat sacred items and ritual items with reverence. We bury works that have the Divine Name written in them. We do the same with ritual items such as tallitot, (prayershawls). Consider then, if objects are sacred, how much more so a human being made in the image of the Divine?

Permit me a short digression: I recently overheard a group of young girls talking at a restaurant. They couldn't have been more than nine years old and looked adorable, all dressed up and on their best behavior at a friend's birthday dinner. They covered a wide range of topics in a short amount of time as only sweet young things of this age have the energy to do. As often happens in a conversation among friends, there was a difference of opinion, at which point one girl would insult the other by calling her a – well, let's just say a derogatory term for a mentally challenged individual. Ouch, out of the mouth of babes. Even at this tender age, these children, who would know better than to use racial or ethnic slurs, still managed to find a denigrating term, one that asserts human obsolescence.

This Shabbat is the first of four special Shabbatot that will occur between now and Pesach. Shabbat Shekalim, occurs on the Shabbat prior to the month of Adar or on Shabbat Rosh Chodesh (the new month) Adar. In traditionalist synagogues we read Exodus 30:11-16, describing how a census is to be taken of the Israelites, aged 20 and above. Everyone counted in the census contributes half a shekel, the rich shall not pay more and the poor shall not pay less than half a shekel… (Exodus 30:15) How interesting, rich or poor pay the same amount; everyone is treated equally in the census. No mention is made of IQ or ability. The 20 year old is not valued more than the 30 year old, the 45 year old is not obsolete.

Interestingly, the word used for tallying the people is lifkudeihem (according to their numbers), related to the word pikudei, from the root pkd, to account. This root is also found in Exodus 34:7 where we are told that God visits (poked) the iniquity of parents upon children and children's children, upon the third and fourth generations. The same root is used positively Genesis 21:1 where God took note (pakad) of Sarah as He had promised and she was blessed with Isaac, ensuring the continuity of our people and our brit (covenant).

What a mishmash of things this week! Let's see if we can simplify: A human being is not an object to be denigrated or discarded. The census we read for Shabbat Shekalim teaches us that each person is as important as the next. The weekly parasha goes even further, showing us that what appears to us as obsolete or defective is in fact quite precious. If this is true of an item, how much truer it is of a person! As always, we have a choice. If we choose to ignore the humanity of those around us, our children will learn from us, carrying this sin for generations to come. If we take note of the Divine gift implanted in each human being, we become instrumental in fulfilling the brit. Contemplate this and the words in the Rosh Chodesh Amidah will take on new meaning:

Remember us this day for well-being;
Take note of us (fokdeinu) for blessing;
Help us to a fuller life.

Shabbat shalom,
MS