Dear Friends,

In this week’s Torah portion, G-d commanded the Jewish people to build Him a Mishkan – a sanctuary- in the desert. “Make me a sanctuary, and I shall dwell within them.” The wording of the command is confusing. It would make sense to write, ..,and I shall dwell within it… not them. From this we understand that G-d dwells within every Jew, and that our physical bodies are dwelling places, sanctuaries, for Divine light.

The Torah goes on to give us the specific blueprints for the construction of the Mishkan and the vessels within. G-d has given us clear direction for our mission in this world as Jews. As we study the blueprints for the Mishkan, we study the blueprint of our souls.

The Menorah, the candelabra in the Mishkan, was beautifully designed. One of the elements of the Menorah was its goblets. The goblets were formed to be wide at the lip and narrow at the base. The goblets were upside down on the Menorah, with the lip facing downward and the base facing upward. The message there is that we as Jews contain infinite Divine light within us, therefore, we must share our light with those around us and the world at large.

The Ark, which contained the Tablets Moses brought down from Sinai, was constructed of three layers. The inner and outer layers were made of gold, and the middle layer was made of wood. The inner layer, which was clearly not visible to a person observing the Ark, could have easily been constructed of wood. From this we understand that we as Jews must be authentic, and our words and deeds must reflect our Divine soul. When we encounter parts of ourselves that feel inauthentic, we are presented with an opportunity to look inwards and reassess that which we are encountering. The Divine truth is there within us for us to access, if we take a moment of introspection, G-d’s infinite truth will shine forth into our lives and the world around us.

This week, our hearts are heavy as we lay to rest Shiri, Ariel, and Kfir Bibas, who were so brutally taken from us. Their loss is a painful reminder of the sacrifices we continue to make as a people, but also of our unwavering strength and resilience. May their souls be bound in the bond of eternal life, and may their memory be a blessing that fuels our commitment to spreading light in this world.

At the same time, we are inspired by the incredible Jewish pride of our youth. Over 25 teens from the Palisades are in New York this weekend joining the CTeen International Shabbaton, where they will stand together with 4,000 other Jewish teens from around the world. In a time when the Jewish people are facing challenges, their participation in this global gathering is a testament to the eternal strength of Am Yisrael and the power of Jewish unity.

Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Zushe Cunin