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I spent this last weekend at Family Camp hosted by the amazing organization PJ Library. Leading up to this weekend, however, anxiety plagued me. What were the sleeping arrangements for four families sharing a cabin? Would the kids even be able to sleep? How could we function without our normal routine? How are we going to survive two nights in a cabin with 8 kids under 6 years old? Reading this, you are probably sensing the mayhem…

I found myself making up stories in my head to figure out how I could get out of this weekend in the woods. I was scared of the messiness of it all. I feared the lack of order that might ensue. But…at a certain point, all the thinking exhausted me. So I just stopped and decided to take a leap of faith. I got in the car, and we made it to camp. 

The weekend away happened to be magical. The kids roamed free, frolicking and face-planting in the mud. There were no showers for the children, and no strict schedules like at home. But there were hikes to the waterfall, and lots of singing, dancing and climbing. 

No one rushed to anything. And no one was on a schedule, an experience I have not had in the past 5 years since Rafi was born. And you know what? The world did not implode. In fact, the world expanded. 

As I think about those three days in the woods of the North Georgia mountains, and as I think about this week’s Torah portion, we were able to create a portable mishkan, a dwelling place for God and the Jewish People.

 In this week’s parsha Pekudei, God instructs the Israelites to build the Mishkan in which God’s presence can dwell among the people. God provides an intricate blueprint and asks the people to bring all of the materials to build the sanctuary.  Like my kids and my need for schedules, God was trying to plan out each detail for the Israelites as they fulfilled their duties and missions. 

But ultimately, the Israelites realized that they did not have to go far to find what they needed to build the mishkan. And they really did not need all the “stuff.”  Nothing had to be purchased or traded or created. It turns out that all along, they had everything they needed in their hearts and in their lives. We, too, hold many more tools than we realize, just waiting to be needed and used, ready to engage in the work of just existing and enjoying.

Metaphorically, the building of the Mishkan reminds us that we are able to translate heavenly visions for our life into reality. As one of my favorite authors, Ilana Kurshan, writes:  “We do not just craft works of magnificent beauty – we also create a space that points to God’s presence in our midst.” 

She teaches that the challenge of building the Mishkan was the challenge of taking a heavenly vision and transforming it into human terms. This is a challenge familiar to us. When given a moment of inspiration in which we glimpse a vision of how we want our lives to be, we can remind ourselves that we have all the tools necessary to translate it into reality.

Sometimes, when we let go of our plan, of the details and the organization, this is when the most magic can enter. This is when the beauty and the gifts of our world shine through.  

I am grateful for the gift of last Shabbat--For the opportunity to run free and spend quality time with the greatest of friends.  And so, I ask the question: What changes can we make in our own lives to let the magic shine through? For some of us it might be taking on more challenges, trying new experiences and pushing ourselves. For others, it might be focusing on the gifts and relationships we currently have and strengthening them. And well, for others, it might be eliminating certain pressures, stresses, and relationships from our lives. 

With an eye towards this coming Shabbat, we think about what Abraham Joshua Heschel termed “radical amazement.” In order to let the majestic in…in order to live our most beautiful and meaningful lives, we need to open our eyes to the wonder of existence and the countless miracles that surround us at all times. In so doing, we create the mishkan and enable God’s presence to bless us all.   

Shabbat Shalom