The offering of the princes – Naso
When the Tabernacle altar was dedicated, every tribal prince brought a distinctive offering.
Though the offerings were separate and independent, they metaphorically came together to form one overall manifestation of sanctity. Though every component needed the others, each one had its own quality.
In his introduction to Zera’im, the Rambam spoke of a man who built a large mansion which provided overall shade on a hot day but at the same time everyone had his own favourite wall or nook whose shade gave him protection from the sun.
In its own way, this idea tells us something crucial about human beings: it assures us that everyone has his or her own blessing to bring to the community, but the community is strong because it has an overall identity and ethos.
