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When the Jewish People were about to build their first synagogue the sanctuary in the desert the architects were told by God to design a sculpture to sit above the holy ark. “Two cherubim, two angel-like figures shall be chiseled on each end of the cover. And the cherubim shall have their wings spread upwards toward heaven with their faces turned toward one another.” (Exodus 25:18-20)
Here, in just two sentences, we have a blueprint for the purpose of the desert Sanctuary built by Moses, in Parashah Vayakhel, long ago and the shul built by the Jew today.
And the cherubim shall have their wings spread upwards as if flying toward the heavens. The function of a synagogue is primarily to lift us heavenward, to lift us out of the everyday earthliness and to lead us to higher ideals. We enter the synagogue to soar and take flight.
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For thousands of years, Jews have relied on the Torah, The Written Law, and subsequently on the Talmud, the Oral Law, as a guide to the practice of Judaism. One generation has followed another seeking to understand this voluminous literature that Rabbi Chaim of Volozhin (18
th century) characterized as the blueprint of the world.
Jewish Ledger
The Multifaceted Act of Giving
In this season of COVID, the act of giving tzedakah has taken on an elevated sense of urgency. Simply put, out of jobs and low on hope, many people are now relying on the help and good will of those more fortunate to survive. Literally.
Everyone has something to give. Cash is good. But so is giving of oneself; giving of one’s time and energy, efforts and expertise like cooking a meal for an elderly neighbor, visiting someone who is ill, volunteering at a food bank or shelter…and so on.
In the Jewish tradition we are taught that even a poor person who subsists on the charity of others is compelled to perform acts of charity. Because regardless of who we are, how we live or what we do, each of us has something to contribute to insure the welfare of others.