Parasha of the Week

Do people need a place to worship? After all, God may be everywhere but they want to find holiness in a single place. That is why they want to build a Mishkan. The root of the word Mishkan, literally “dwelling place,” has to do with the place where God can be found. We build Synagogues for the same reason, it is a place to assemble and find God. In fact, we even have a name for the Lord comes from the same Hebrew root as Mishkan, Shechinah.   Shechinah is the name we use for God when we feel him most closely. Every name that we for HaKadosh Baruch Hu means something different. And this word comes closest to the aspect that is most proximate to us. This Sidra is preceded by the laws of Shabbat.  The sages therefore indicate that we are to learn that even labors for God do not outweigh the holy Shabbat. While we may be involved in many activities that seem to be very important to us, even making a Mishkan, this one aspect of living the life of a Jew is critical to...

Tzedaka is collected, One half shekel from each person.  Everyone could afford it so that all Israel contributed the same amount for the creation and dedication of the Mishkan, the sanctuary. There is a small but meaningful lesson in this: all we have do is our part.  We are not asked to move mountains, make miracle, and change the universe: all we need do what we can.  And when we play our small but significant role everything in nature and the universe works.  Just like the poem attributed to Benjamin Franklin, “For the want of a nail the shoe was lost, For the want of a shoe the horse was lost, For the want of a horse the rider was lost, For the want of a rider the battle was lost, For the want of a battle the kingdom was lost, And all for the want of a horseshoe-nail.” Everything matters.  Everyone matters. We are not tasked to do the impossible just our part in making the world a little more perfect.   Then we come to the story...