In Parshat Terumah, God reveals to Moshe the instruction manual for building the Mishkan.
The manual contains details…lots of them. Size, shape, and colour of materials. Design templates for each component. Directions for connecting the parts. It’s a bit dry, to put it politely.
And still, many people manage to find deep meaning in it. Some readers are fascinated by numbers, seeing them as keys to reality’s hidden structure. Other readers find spiritual expression in the work of their hands. Still others take comfort in the idea of a plan, sensing that the universe, too, has purpose and direction.
At Or Shalom today, we explored those meanings in three themed aliyot. People chose to come up for the aliyah most resonant for them, and received words of blessing consistent with the theme.
First blessing: Mathematicians. May the ONE who blessed our ancestors, as they traveled to precise locations and lived precise numbers of years, bless all of you. Torah loves numbers, telling us exactly how many adult men left Egypt and even how many sheep; telling us the exact size, shape and weight of every detail of the mishkan’s practice; reminding us that perfection is achieved when the numbers work out. May your insight into mathematical structure help bring understanding of your projects and tasks. May the numbers in your lives add up to elegant solutions. May you occasionally find that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. May you be blessed with health, success, happiness and long life! And let’s say, AMEN.
Second blessing: Artisans, builders, gardeners, and cooks. May the ONE who blessed our ancestors as they pitched their tents, built their huts and wove clothing out of the wool of their sheep, bless all of you. Torah suggests that God created human beings through sculpture — a loving project of the Divine hands — and then breathed spirit into the figures. You express Divine spirit as you create with your hands, and fill your work with intention and meaning. May you have many opportunities for creative work. May your work help you learn about yourselves. May you share it with others in joy, as they receive the messages you embed within it. May you be blessed with health, success, happiness and long life, and let’s say AMEN.
Third blessing: Discerners of a Divine Plan. May the ONE who blessed our ancestors as they arose with faith when God said “Go! You shall be blessing,” bless all of you. Midrash teaches that God is revealed in history, and that we come to know God’s Presence as we recognize the unfolding plan. As we notice the signs placed in our path, we feel held and guided. May you recognize the signs placed along your path. May you know you are escorted on your way. May you find your own individual calling in the greater web of the world. May you be blessed with health, success, happiness and long life, and let’s say AMEN.
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