Building for Eternity

Spending time in the Holy Land of Israel is always special. Spending it with members of our community is extra special. And, spending it with over 700 fellow Jews from sister Chabad centers is simply amazing.

As we walk the streets of Jerusalem I am struck at the history that these stones speak. Every step is laden with meaning. Generations have come and gone and each of them have left a message. That message is expressed in the structures, the burial places, and the trees.

Eight-hundred-year-old olive trees tell the tales of communities that invested in the earth to feed themselves and many generations to come.  Structures from medieval times tell of the constant conquest of Jerusalem, trading hands again and again. The burial sites of our great Sages and grandmothers tell of a faith transmitted teacher to disciple and mother to daughter.

And, beneath each structure or stone, lies yet another structure or stone, telling an even older story. In these parts, structures aged 1000 years are considered young. Some archeological finds are three thousand years old.

As I read this week’s double-Parsha of Vayakhel-Pekudei, I am reminded of the relevance. The theme this week is the construction of the Mishkan, the Tabernacle. (I had the fortune of visiting Shiloh, the site at which the Tabernacles stood for hundreds of years).

The Mishkan was a temporary structure. It was the center of Jewish ritual life. But, its location varied. Initially, it wandered with the Jewish people in the wilderness. After the Jews entered the Jewish land, it was stationed in several locations, with Shiloh being the longest tenure.

And, yet, despite its temporary status, it had an enduring effect. The symbols and ideals of the Mishkan live on in the people that follow its traditions. The edifices in Israel only tell half the story. The real story is the story of the people that kept coming back to this land, back to this city. After being expelled again and again, the Jews kept coming back. They came under Mamluk rule and under Roman rule. They came under Ottoman rule and under British rule. They came under pagan rulers and under Christian rulers; under Muslim rulers and under secular leaders.

They came not for the temporary structures that were engulfed in flames again and again. They came for the spirit and holiness that endures throughout millennia.

In life as well, we have two types of structures. Structures of matter are the things we build for ourselves. Sometimes they are bank accounts, positions of power, or physical accomplishments.

Regardless, they are temporary by nature.

The spiritual edifices we build will last from generation to generation. Let’s invest in more mitzvot and lovingkindness. That will last forever!