Do you spend time studying? One of the most rewarding activities one can engage in is to enrich oneself with knowledge. All the more so when one studies the Torah. Do you view Torah study as a personally enriching experience? Unfortunately, too often the limited Jewish education people received was woefully inadequate – not so much with regard to the information, more so with regards to the attitude.
Often an underlying message is communicated by parents and educators: “Judaism is a somewhat interesting and quaint belief system and group of observances that your ancestors followed… but it’s not entirely relevant to our life today." The result? When a Jewish adult is looking for enrichment, they search elsewhere.
Many religions preach self-denial; refrain from living a normal life. At the very least the religious leaders must fast and be secluded, unmarried and disconnected from the world. The Torah portion this week communicates an important message regarding Judaism’s attitude toward this world.
If you look closely at this week’s Torah reading you will notice that it is very familiar. That’s right! It’s virtually the same as what we already read a few weeks ago (the portions of Terumah and Tetzaveh). The only substantial difference between the two sections is that the first is the command to build the Tabernacle and this week’s portion tells us that the Jewish people fulfilled the command. The Torah is generally so careful not to use superfluous words or even letters. Couldn’t a few simple sentences communicate this fact? Why the need to repeat everything?
This teaches us an important lesson, the importance of the physical world and our relationship with it. It’s not enough to create a spiritual “home” for G-d; we must create this environment here in this physical world. As our ancestors of old did in the desert by creating the Tabernacle, we must use our physical possessions and talents to create a life and an environment that is fitting for G-d’s presence to dwell.