Have you ever stopped to wonder what it was like when the Children of Israel were faced with the challenge of giving a gift of themselves for the purpose of building the Mishkan in the desert? It appears from this week's parasha that "Every man whose heart inspired him came; and everyone whose spirit moved him brought the portion of HaShem for the work of the Tent of Meeting, for all its labor and for the the garments of the holy. The wise hearted men and wise hearted women brought free-will offerings to G-d. In fact, it appears that the gifts were so abundant that the "people exceeded in bringing more than the labor of the work that G-d had commanded them to perform." Moses then commanded the camp saying, "Man and woman shall not do more work toward the portion of the sanctuary! and the nation was held back from bringing."
Can you imagine that same scene today? Personally I find it difficult! I can't imagine huge throngs of Jews in Lincoln rallying around a project related to a building with so much support that the call would need to go out asking individuals to stop bringing their donations. Often I hear people say, "It's only a building...we can pray anywhere!" "I'm not attached to the mortar and bricks, just to the people who frequent the building." The concept of the mishkan was far removed from the concept of the modern-day synagogue. We tend to think of our synagogue as a place of gathering. The ancient Israelites thought of the mishkan as the place in which G-d's presence would dwell while in their midst. They gathered to provide their individual gifts because they wanted to insure that G-d's presence would reside within their community.
We modern day Jews tend to think more in terms of sacred time rather than sacred space. We see Shabbat and the holidays, as reminders of our special relationship with G-d. Rabbi Shmuley Boteach wrote in his book, Judaism for Everyone, that in Judaism it is the "special moments and supernatural events that have come to pass in a certain place that lend that location its solemnity and sanctity. In other words, time sanctifies space."
I don't think one could ever have a true feeling of the sacred nature of a building, if one never entered into it to spend time reflecting about one's past actions and future goals. I don't think a building could have a sacred nature if it were only used by an individual once in a while. Having a regular time when daily occupations are put aside and when people gather to express their deepest hopes for humanity, gives this place of assembly a sacred nature. I know that a few years ago, I saw teenagers preparing for Purim on our bimah, rolling around on the floor and acting like that might have acted had they been in the hallway of a local public school without adult supervision. Frankly it made me quite upset. The mere thought of children behaving that way in front of the ark led me to believe that they had never been taught about sacred space nor about sacred time. To those children the bimah was just like any other stage, a place to act. To those who spend time in this building for the purpose of sanctifying time, the space also takes on a sacred nature. It is a complex relationship. Yet, it is a relationship that can also take place in one's own home. We have the capability to turn our home into a mikdash ma'at...a little sanctuary. We can do that by creating a space that is known for its ability to add meaning to life, that opens its doors to others and offers rest and safety for its inhabitants.
In itself, no building is sacred because of its bricks and mortar. Yet, we have worked very hard to make this building a sacred space where we can sanctify time each week, where our families can celebrate and mourn together, and where we can try to pursue words of Torah and take care of one another. That's what makes this space sacred...not the art on the walls, not the size of the sanctuary, all of those things are merely material possessions. It is a sacred space because it helps us pursue actions that we believe show the presence of G-d in this world. I hope that we will continue to live up to the challenge to make sure that this space we inhabit provides us with the means by which we can sanctify time in a communal way! Then sacred space and sacred time will combine to help recreate our sacred community.
Shabbat Shalom!
No comments:
Post a Comment