The Mishkan -  the Sanctuary that the Israelites built in the desert - and the Temples that followed it, symbolize the Jewish Home.

In the innermost sanctum of the Sanctuary - the Holy Ark. Upon the Ark the image of an angelic baby boy facing the image of an angelic baby girl - a symbol of G-d's love for His People Israel and of their love for Him.

And within the Jewish home, a man and woman, whose love for each other demonstrates the mutual bond of love between G-d and Israel.

The purpose of the Sanctuary - "I will dwell amongst them".
 
And the purpose of the Jewish home - "I will dwell amongst them".
 
Let us therefore examine the Sanctuary for lessons that may apply to the Jewish home.

The outer wall of the Sanctuary was made of cedar wood.

"Cedar wood in the desert?" you ask.

Abraham, seeing through prophetic vision the Sanctuary that the Jewish people would build a Sanctuary in the desert, sowed a cedar plantation. Over 150 years later, when his grandson Jacob prepared for the descent into Egypt, he remembered the tradition of the cedars. He commanded his sons to carefully remove them from the ground and load them onto wagons. Upon reaching Egypt,  Jacob instructed his sons to replant the cedars, inspiring the Israelites with a vision and symbol of their future Redemption. Finally when the Israelites left Egypt, the cedars went with them, to fulfil their destiny as walls of the Holy Sanctuary.
 
Yes, when those who precede us have a clear vision of the future, a Sanctuary of cedar wood can even be built in a desert.

And so too with the Jewish home: it is with the seeds - the prayers, the learning, the sense of Jewish commitment - planted by their parents, grandparents and great-grandparents, that children can transform what would otherwise be no more than a house into a Jewish home - a Holy Sanctuary.

From the outer wall to the inner sanctum - the place of the Cherubs.
 
The Ark and its Cherubs were features not only of the desert Sanctuary but also of the Holy Temple built by King Solomon. As with many other aspects of the Temple, King Solomon added to and embellished the Holy of Holies by building a second set of Cherubs. These he placed on the floor of the Holy of Holies before the Ark - not instead of the original Cherubs, but in addition to them.

There were, however, differences between the two.

Unlike the Cherubs on the floor, those on the Ark were an integral part of the Ark, carved out of its gold covering.

The Cherubs on the Ark were of pure gold while those on the floor were of olive-wood covered in gold.

Finally, the Cherubs on the Ark faced each other whereas those on the floor - "their faces were towards the House (Temple)".

What was King Solomon telling us?

When a man and woman marry and establish a Jewish home they take the place of the Cherubs in the Holy Temple. Our newly weds, however, have a choice as to which form of Cherubs to adopt. They can be forged from the Ark of the Tablets or they can stand on the floor with their backs to the Ark.

If they choose the latter - they may make a golden impression on outsiders - as many couples do - but will remain hollow inside.

If they choose the former - the path in which their lives and love are moulded from the gold of the Torah - then they too become pure gold. The outer glitter is complimented by inner lustre.

Should they choose the former - their faces will be to the house. They may remain together in the marriage home - taking care of the needs of home and hearth. But building an everlasting edifice in which they face each other - in which their love for each other grows and becomes stronger with each passing year - will elude them.

It is only a love based on G-d and His Torah that guarantees a deep inner bond between husband and wife - one that not only withstands, but develops, with the passage of time.

And it is only such love that ensures that, as the Temple, their home too, will be a sanctuary in which "I will dwell within them".  

                                    Rabbi Benzion Milecki OAM

No Reason to be Discouraged
Professor Avraham Teitelbaum

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"The Rebbe  impressed upon me that everything that Hashem does is for the good even if we don’t always see the reason for it. And most of all, I am grateful for the Rebbe’s  perceptiveness in recognizing the type of person that I am and the direction I needed to follow, and especially in giving me encouragement when I needed it most." Click here to read the whole story.

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Follow Your Heart
After Kiddush Shiur in the Herbert Hall

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Millennia ago the Sanctuary (Mishkan) and its successor, The Temple, were the undisputed focal point of our Jewishness and therefore serve as a paradigm for all future Jewish strivings for a relationship with G-d.

By identifying what was most valuable in the Sanctuary, we can estimate what today is the ideal model of a Jewish practice and philosophy. Join us Shabbos day after the Kiddush in the Herbert Hall.

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Brookie Reports
Welcome Back!!

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We are so excited to be back with our full range of Childrens' Services from this evening at 6.30pm and Shabbos morning at 10.30am

Whatever age you are we have the right programs for you - from tiny tots to teenagers, we've got you covered. Can't wait to see you all this Shabbos.

Also very excited to get back into our Mummy & Me classes this week! Join us on Thursdays mornings 10-11.30am for  fun and socialising; play, dance and so much more, all in a warm and gentle class designed for our littlest learners.

Register online  or phone me on 9371 7300 ext 3 or email youth@southhead.org

On behalf of the Youth Crew, wishing you a Good Shabbos and looking forward to seeing you in Shul.

Brookie Milecki

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Parasha Sheet
Terumah

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In this week’s Parasha we read about the building of the Mishkan and all the different materials that were used to make it. However, the Beit Hamikdash was built only from stone. Why is that?

The Mishkan was meant as a temporary dwelling place for Hashem. The roof was made from animal hides and the walls from cedar wood. Even the mirrors that women used to beautify themselves with were used for the building of the Mishkan. The Mishkan was made from items that encompassed everything to do with human life. By using elements which make up the world, Hashem’s holiness comes down and is revealed in this world. While the Mishkan stood, the place on which it stood was considered holy. Once the Mishkan was packed up and removed, the place was no longer considered to be holy. This is because the Mishkan was not meant to be a permanent dwelling because the holiness of the Mishkan was revealed from above, and did not come about as a result of the Jews’ service to Hashem. 

In contrast, the Beit Hamikdash was a permanent structure. Even though the actual Beit Hamikdash is no longer standing, the ground on which it stood is still holy. In the Beit Hamikdash, Hashem’s presence was revealed in a way that made the mountain itself holy. Once that holiness was revealed it would never depart. (This is the reason why many Jews do not climb the Temple Mount. Nowadays, we are considered to be Tameh, and we cannot step on the holy ground of the Beit Hamikdash until we purify ourselves with the ashes of the Parah Adumah, the Red Heifer). 

This is the reason why different materials were used when building the Mishkan and Beit Hamikdash. The Mishkan teaches us how Hashem brings His holiness down into this world. The roof of the Mishkan was made from animal hides, the walls from wood, and the sockets from metal, teaching us how Hashem’s holiness comes down, first to the level of animals, then lower to the level of plants, and finally to the lowest level, to things which have no life. The Beit Hamikdash, however, shows us the power of man’s G-dly service. Man is able to take a stone, an inanimate object, an object with no life at all, and make it part of Hashem’s dwelling. The entire Beit Hamikdash was made of stone, because its holiness did not come from above, but was brought about through man’s G-dly service. This teaches us that man has the power to take any object and make it holy by using it to do good deeds. 

The above lesson is based on the teachings of the Lubavitcher Rebbe and adapted by Brookie Milecki

To learn all about the Parasha, download our Parasha sheet!

 

Please share our Parasha sheet around your Shabbat table and let your family and friends explore the Parasha of the week together with you.