Torah Tidbits

Building Together!   

Shabbat Parashat Terumah

February 21, 2015 – 2 Adar 5775

Dear Friends,

Adar is a month of heightened joy in the Jewish calendar!  It is the month in which we look forward to the joys of Purim as well as to the beginning of Spring.  It is a time of coming together in community to celebrate successes and miracles!

Having experienced the snow and freezing weather of this past week, I imagine many of us who are used to moving about unrestricted, realize just how much we miss when we are housebound!  While we may enjoy a few snow days, we may miss being able to move about easily and safely.  We may miss some of what we normally enjoy as a sense of community and of shared goals, celebrations and projects.

In our weekly Torah portion, Terumah [contribution], we read that all the people joined in enthusiastically with voluntary donations dedicated toward the communal project of building the Sanctuary in the desert.  Everyone wanted to be a part of building that building.  Everyone recognized that the Sanctuary would potentially become a powerful reminder of God’s presence in our midst.   Everyone sensed that a physical structure, centrally located, could help center our spiritual lives.   Everyone understood that the building of the Sanctuary, together, was a powerful statement that our lives are holy and that we are all part of something greater than ourselves.  That communal sense of excitement is extremely palpable as we read Parashat Terumah.

Our Parasha reminds us that, since ancient times, our people have excelled at building together!  We have a rich history of building new synagogue buildings with great joy.

As a people, we have learned the value of crafting a space for our future, of cementing our ties to one another, and of opening our doors to new people who might want to join our congregation and community.

As we move forward through the month of Adar, may we connect to the joy of building together and may we take advantage of all the opportunities to come together to support one another and to celebrate many individual and communal successes and joys in the days to come!

Shabbat Shalom!

Rabbi Gilah Dror