Today, as he has done for many years, my husband met with a Bar Mitzvah student and his family to engage them in the study of the student’s Torah Portion, which happens to be Terumah. (Terumah deals with God’s detailed instructions for building the Mishkan, the portable sanctuary for worship.) This family meeting was one of several which will take place as my husband guides the student in writing a D’var Torah to share the teachings of his Portion with the congregation. In preparation for their next meeting, my husband reflected on a theme of Terumah, and asked the student and his family to consider the question, “What are you building in your life?”
A question worth pursuing! A soul-searching question. As often occurs in Torah study, the questions reveal themselves far more readily than the answers (as the Bar Mitzvah family will discover!) But in the realm of life long learning, asking the questions is a vital first step, so I ask…
What am I building in my life? Before an answer can evolve, more questions arise.
Am I building knowledge and understanding that are enduring, but “portable” (like the Mishkan) – that can be carried forward and applied to a variety of life experiences?
Am I building space in my life, sacred space for contemplation, for gratitude, for compassion?
Am I crafting “connections” as fine and beautiful as those which joined the parts of the Mishkan – connections to family, friends, colleagues, even strangers in need?
Am I fashioning opportunities to perform mitzvot?
As Terumah inspired questions, so answers may begin with the teachings of this Portion.
Our ancestors, the Israelites, followed God’s very explicit commandments in building the Mishkan. Today, amidst the din of worldly distractions, we have to make a very concerted effort to hear, to comprehend, and to act upon God’s “instructions.”
We need to vigilantly guard the life structures that we build. These structures are fragile. They are easily toppled by greed, corroded by envy, weakened at their very foundations by fear, hatred, anger, arrogance, and a host of other thoroughly human traits and emotions.
Terumah reminds us that the spiritual raw material from which we construct our lives is precious and must be used well and not wasted.
This is the beginning of my personal search. The Bar Mitzvah family will bring their own responses to my husband’s question to their next meeting, where new questions will arise…and so the “building” process continues.
Answers may take a lifetime to discover, but the search, itself, propels us on our journey.
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