Holy Tent Pegs

Holy Tent Pegs

Rabbi Angela Buchdahl

It is said that every word of Torah is holy.

But some passages make you work a little harder to believe it.

Take the opening of Pekudei, in our double portion this Shabbat.

After the beauty and inspiration of the Mishkan’s construction in Vayakhel, Pekudei opens with… an audit.

Not poetry.
Not revelation.
A spreadsheet.

“These are the records of the Tabernacle…under the direction of Itamar:”

Gold: 29 talents and 730 shekels.

Silver: 100 talents and 1,775 shekels.

Copper: 70 talents and 2,400 shekels.

Every word is holy… even, apparently, bookkeeping.

And yet, a midrash suggests this may be one of the Torah’s most important teachings about leadership.

Moses—our greatest leader, the one who spoke panim el panim - “face to face” with God—is still careful to provide a full accounting of every contribution collected from the Israelites.

Why? Because trust is not sustained by charisma alone.

Trust requires transparency.

Even Moses understood that if you want people to bring their gifts to a sacred enterprise, they need to know those gifts are being stewarded with integrity.

Another rabbinic teaching says that no office handling financial matters should be governed by fewer than two people.

And though Moses often led alone, here he brings in Itamar to audit.

Moses wanted to be beyond reproach.

That is the lesson of Pekudei: the foundation of all sacred leadership is trust.

Without trust, you cannot build.
You cannot fundraise.
You cannot recruit and retain the best people.
You cannot keep the lights on in the Tabernacle—or, for that matter, the boilers running at Central.

It has been one of the great privileges of my rabbinate to work for the past decade with our Executive Director, Marcia Caban, who leads with exactly that kind of trustworthiness: integrity, intelligence, transparency, devotion, and deep care.

Most people have no idea of the breathtaking range of things Marcia is entrusted to manage.

Yes, budgets and investments.

But also contracts, capital projects, negotiations, security, technology, political crises, burst pipes.

If something is broken, underfunded, overcomplicated, or potentially on fire—Marcia either already knows about it, or has a plan.

She has become fluent in more disciplines than seems humanly fair, and she knows when to call upon experts—including so many talented members of this congregation—when their wisdom is needed.

Marcia has earned our board’s trust not only because she has the expertise and credentials, but because she understands that a budget is never just numbers.

A budget is a moral document. It is a reflection of what we value.

When she negotiates healthcare, she is not only containing costs; she is fighting for the wellbeing of our staff.

When she makes financial decisions, she is always asking not just, “Can we do this?” but “Does this reflect who we are?”

She is fiercely loyal to this institution and to the people who serve it.

She champions her team, supports our clergy, invests in staff growth, celebrates others’ success, and, when necessary, lovingly saves us from our own enthusiasm.

And believe me, that is no small task.

Over the years, the clergy have brought Marcia some truly ambitious visions: a full-scale musical history of Central at Carnegie Hall, one of the largest conversion programs in the country, a re-entry theater initiative for formerly incarcerated people.

While others might smile politely and slowly back away, Marcia leans in. She helps us discern what is possible, what is responsible, and how to turn aspiration into execution. She is not just an administrator; she is a strategic partner in sacred work. And she cares for this congregation with the protectiveness of family and the strength of a lioness.

At first glance, the opening of Pekudei can feel dry and technical. But Marcia has taught us that finances, audits, HR, operations, maintenance, contracts—all the unglamorous tent pegs of institutional life—are themselves holy. Because they are what allow a community to stand, and flourish.

For ten years, Marcia, you have anchored this sacred tent with wisdom, steadiness, and heart. And through your leadership, you have reminded us that in every generation, what makes holy work possible is not only vision, but trust.

We love you and thank you.