As told to Barbara Bensoussan by Yehoshua Parker
It was the summer of 2002, and I’d been learning for a month in the beginners’ program of a kiruv yeshivah in Jerusalem. The content was interesting, but I wasn’t yet sold on Torah Judaism. Then I found myself at the Kosel Plaza at the close of Tishah B’Av, wedged among thousands of Jews praying and singing. Suddenly, I felt overwhelmed by a profound sense of clarity and connection. All the classes I’d attended came alive for me Torah is emes, I realized. I had the same reaction Napoleon did when he saw Jews crying on Tishah B’Av: If the Jews were still mourning their Temple after 2,000 years, they would surely live eternally as a people.
Our synagogues must be places where our children learn to appreciate religion
“Like all that I show you, the form of the Mishkan and the form of all its vessels, and so shall you do.”
(Shemos 25:9)
The
words “so shall you do” refer to the future. When we build our Batei Knessiot now, we must ensure we have the same blueprint and priorities as the original Mishkan and its vessels.
When commanding Bnei Yisrael to build the rest of the keilim, Hashem words the commandment in the singular. However, for the Aron, it’s in plural directed to multiple people because the Aron represents Torah and everyone must participate in Torah learning.