Sanctuary: a place of holiness, a spiritual oasis, or a physical space dedicated to communion with G-d.
G-d told Moses that the Jews “build Me a Tabernacle” – a physical Sanctuary - “and I will dwell within them.” (Exodus 25:8)
The language is curious: The Tabernacle is a singular structure, so why the plural “within them,” and not “within it?”
Our rabbis derive from this language that – in addition to the literal Sanctuary – G-d was asking each individual to create a Sanctuary within. To transform our lives into vehicles for G-ds presence in the world.
Let’s outline how we build a physical structure and then apply it to our inner Sanctuary.
A: We start off with a clearly-articulated goal (to create a space dedicated to sanctity). B: We build the Sanctuary. C: Finally, we live in ways that are compatible with the Holiness we are seeking to draw into this Sanctuary.
Using this model, we have a plan for building a Sanctuary “within.”
A: Each new day, we set our goal: to designate this as a Day of Meaning, a day that will be a Sanctuary for the Divine. We don’t just surrender to the moment's prevailing winds, which buffett us from hour to hour.
B. We consider the day‘s basic structure: Are the building blocks of the day ahead consistent with my purpose in life? Is there anything I can foresee that would contradict my reason for existence?
C. We do Mitzvos…both by actively doing good things, and by refraining from doing negative things.
Actively performing Mitzvah creates a lightning rod for Holiness in your life. And sometimes the beauty is in sitting still, refraining from an action which would impede the flow of Holiness in the world. In both cases, we are bypassing our self-centric needs for the sake of something higher, creating Holy space in our lives, and fashioning a magnet for transcendent Divinity.
Make today a Sanctuary day.