It’s just too horrific to bear.
Hearing my classmate, Rabbi Mendy Gutnick of Chabad of Parkland, Florida tell of the tragedies in his community (four of the victims were regulars at Chabad), is simply heartbreaking.
As Ahron, the High Priest responded to the death of his two children, and as is the custom at a Jewish house of mourning, the only thing we can do is be silent. Quietly, paying our respect and showing our sympathy, empathy and support is the Jewish way in bereavement.
But, how do we then move forward?
As difficult as it is to think about that when the wounds are so fresh, we need to look for guidance. We need to find the strength to persevere, to transform pain and anguish into growth and forces for good.
***
In this week’s parsha of Terumah we learn about the construction of the Mishkan, the Tabernacle. It was a precursor to the Holy Temple, the Beit Hamikdash in Jerusalem. In it were housed many holy artifacts, including the menorah, the table, the altars and the Aron, Holy Ark. The ark, which housed the Tablets with the Ten Commandments, was the most sacred article and it was kept in its own room called the Holy of Holies.
When Shlomo (Solomon) built the Beit Hamikdash he knew that someday it would be destroyed. So, he built underground tunnels beneath it. According to one opinion in the Talmud, King Yoshiyahu (Josiah) hid the ark in these tunnels inside the Temple Mount decades before the destruction of the first Temple. In fact, during the Second Temple era, there was no ark in the Holy of Holies. It was simply an empty chamber.
Interestingly, according to Maimonides, the Temple rites may not be conducted without the Holy Ark. In other words, the Temple loses it sanctity if the Holy Ark is not there. Nonetheless, we consider the Second Temple to be a holy space and the Jewish people did in fact conduct the holy services, such as kindling the menorah.
How could they do that if it was no longer the hallowed House of G-d?
***
Those of you that have ever dealt with city building departments know that the rules and regulations can be very complex and cumbersome. That’s why many people looking to tear down a building and build a new one in its place refrain from doing so. Instead, they leave at least one wall up or leave the basement intact. Then, they can just apply for a remodeling permit, which has less burdensome requirements.
So long as you leave one part of the structure, it’s not new construction. It’s renovations.
***
According to a fascinating talk of the Rebbe in 1981, the Holy Ark was not placed in the tunnel beneath the Temple Mount merely to save it from calamity. Rather, Shlomo built a secondary home for the Holy Ark, so that it would never be missing from the Holy of Holies. It was like building a basement to the Holy of Holies. Sometimes the ark was housed in the first floor Holy of Holies. But, at other times (such as the second Temple and now) it is housed in the subterranean Holy of Holies. Thus, the Temple retains it holiness.
Taken from this perspective, when Moshiach comes and the Third Temple is built on the same spot, we won’t be building from scratch. The basement is still intact. We will simply be renovating.
It’s much easier to renovate than to start from nothing.
***
As we search for a path forward, perhaps we can gain some strength from our Holy Ark.
These 17 sacred souls lived beautiful lives. Their lives on earth were cut short, way too short.
Their bodies are no longer with us. But, their “ark,” each of their souls, are certainly shining brightly. We just don’t see them. But, like the subterranean ark, they are the source of holiness.
Instead of looking for new projects and new meaning, let’s look at continuing their lives. Let’s not build a new edifice in their memory. Rather, let’s live our lives in a way that keeps them alive, in our hearts and in our world. Every mitzvah we do in their honor is a continuum of their lives.
We live in a beautiful world, with too many dark spots. Let’s renovate this beautiful world by keeping them with us forever.