Facebook Post by Rabbi Perlin in the Time of Coronavirus (3/21/2020)
Shabbat Morning Post (March 21st, 2020): Home as Sanctuary
by Rabbi Amy R. Perlin, D.D.
As we conclude the book of Exodus this Shabbat, the Torah goes into great detail about the building of the Tabernacle, a place for God to dwell and for the people to gather. The Tabernacle (the Mishkan, in Hebrew) and the Temple (the Beit haMikdash), that came later in Jerusalem, remind us of the importance of having a gathering place as a people of faith. But, what strikes me this Shabbat, as Gary and I sat at my computer last night attending TBS’s Shabbat services for comfort and connection, is that Jewish tradition teaches us that there is one more dwelling place that we must establish for God. The Jewish home is called a “mikdash me’at”/a small sanctuary. It, too, is a place to share joys and sorrows, celebrations and heartache, health and sickness. We are called upon to make our home a “mikdash me’at,” a place where God can dwell, Jewish values can be realized, and faith continues, especially in times of crisis.
When our people were challenged by historical plagues of anti-Semitism, discrimination, and the scourges of illness and persecution, the Jewish home was the designated place of Jewish continuity and survival. In our homes, we kept our traditions, observed Shabbat and holidays, transmitted our values, studied our Torah, and prayed each day. In good times and bad, creating a Jewish home has been the obligation of every Jew. We place a mezuzah on our front door to designate that this space is holy, a “mikdash” (coming from the Hebrew root KD’SH’ meaning “holiness”). For years, I would remind couples before marriage that creating this “mikdash me’at” + belonging to a synagogue = complete fulfillment of what the Torah teaches this morning. Only when our personal and communal lives reflect God’s holiness can we hope to survive and thrive.
As we move the location of our prayer and study to our homes, we need feel no less connected to our community. I will begin teaching from my home for our Fairfax Station congregation on Thursday. As Gary and I continue to pack for our delayed move, we keep some of the ritual items that enable us to continue to live our faith each day, even as we unpack others in an attempt to make the new condo our new home. We will move eventually, but for now, wherever we set up our “mikdash me’at” is home.
This small sanctuary we create should be filled with kind words and loving deeds. Under one roof, families need to ‘congregate’ together, Shabbat needs to happen, and Torah needs to be lived. In our small sanctuaries, we not only continue our traditions, we have the opportunity to create new ones. If you haven’t said a blessing before your meal before, perhaps in this time of crisis and food shortages, you might start saying the Motzi now. If you have never read the Torah, maybe now is good time to read the weekly portion. And if you are getting testy with kids or spouse because you are cooped up in small quarters, now is the time, as I told my granddaughters via Facetime yesterday, to put on our thinking caps and remember to bring God into our lives – beginning with how we speak to one another. Imagine God, not Alexa, listening to your conversation. Are you modeling caring communication? Are the words of your mouth and the meditations of your heart acceptable?
So many writers and rabbis have reflected on the words we use at the end of a book of the Torah, as we conclude the book of Exodus this week – “Chazak, Chazak, v’nitchzayk – Be strong, be strong, and let us strengthen one another.” The greatest strength and support we have is what occurs in our own little world, the one we create and maintain. May you continue to make your shelter a place of blessing this Shabbat and in the challenging weeks ahead. Shabbat Shalom.