Parshat T’rumah/Shabbat Zakhor

In this week’s parashah, T’rumah, God explains to Moshe how to build the mishkan, the sacred structure that will capture God’s presence, and place it at the center of the life of the community. The first step is for the people to come forward with free-will offerings of the materials that the mishkan will be made of:  gold, silver, precious stones, wood and fine cloth.

Rabbi Nahman of Bratslav taught that those gifts symbolize our best internal qualities, the unique points of goodness that exist within each person. In other words, the true mishkan is not a physical structure, but a structure made of souls, which we create from our most precious inner gifts. By offering up the best qualities that each of us possess, and sharing them with each other, we make community itself a sacred vessel.

Together, we have the power to bring God into the world in a way that none of us can alone. We do so by drawing out the best in others, allowing others to draw out the best in us, and weaving all of those qualities together into a larger whole. May the mishkan that we build out of our love for one another help to heal this broken world.

• Due to the Covid pandemic, The New Shul’s Shabbat morning service now takes place outdoors and off-site (rain or shine), on the grounds of the Sandpiper School, 6724 E. Hearn Rd, from 9:30 to 11:30 am on Saturday mornings. Please use the west parking lot and come around the back of the school. Everyone is welcome (for social-distancing purposes, you might want to bring your own chair). Please dress for warmth and comfort. Informal attire is fine.
• Purim begins on Thursday evening February 25. Join us in The New Shul parking lot, at 7825 E. Paradise Lane, for the reading of the megillah at 6:30 pm. Masks and social distancing are required. Our shpiel, directed by Marni Anbar, will be on Zoom at 7:30 pm. Please contact us for the link.
• All other New Shul events continue online. They include: Kabbalat Shabbat on Friday afternoons (4:45 pm this Friday), Havdalah (7:00 pm this Saturday night), daily text study, and weekly classes. Please contact us for the Zoom link.