Parasha of the Week

A pivotal phrase in this week’s parasha is when the Torah describes the building of the Mishkan (Tabernacle).  God makes no demands of the people to bring forward items to be used in its construction.  Rather, He says, “those whose hearts move them.”   When is your heart moved?  What things cause you to feel the rush of meaning and purpose? In  Orchot Tzaddkim , a book on learning to become more spiritual, we are taught that whenever you do something purposeful, not for self-interest but for the sake of the other, we approach this sense of fulfillment.  Further, when we reach even more deeply inward and act knowing we are doing what God wants us to do, we become spiritually expansive.  Our soul soars and we know what it means to be whole. We often look for spiritual highs by gratifying our self - gorging, drinking buying, scouting for new technologies to purchase - but these “highs” are ephemeral.  What g...

Moses ascends Mt. Sinai for the second time to receive the Torah from God.  The first tablets were smashed when Moses came down from the mountain to find that the Jewish people had crafted a golden calf. According to Talmud sage Reish Lakish congratulates Moses on the destruction of the first tablets of stone while receiving the second.  Why would Reish Lakish say such a thing?  Can you image someone saying that the breaking of the stones inscribed by the finger of God was a good thing? Perhaps what Reish Lakish meant was that for anything to be truly appreciated we must first earn it.  We need to become worthy of the gift received.  We need to feel like we deserve it.  The Jewish nation regretted its actions, did  teshuvah , and only then did Moses climb Sinai to meet God again and claim the Torah. Every day we are confronted with the question of self-worth, which is affirmed or denied by our actions.  E...

In this week’s parasha the Israelites are asked by God to bring their precious possessions for the creation of the Mishkan (Tabernacle).    Every person was asked to bring what they thought was appropriate and best.    And what did the Israelites do?    The showered the leaders with their most precious possessions. Two ideas underlay this generosity of spirit: 1.      The Jewish people were being given an opportunity to fix, do teshuva, for the sin of the golden calf.    In their exuberance to craft an idol they brought gold and silver.    Should they do less for the Holy One, blessed be He?    Still, they are not commanded; it was up to them to donate what their heart determined was best. 2.      Sometimes we get excited over novelties (think of new computers, clothes, cars, technologies, etc.) when we really ought o to be stirred by the Rock of our lives, the steadfast Presence t...