V’asu
li Mikdash v’shakhanti b’tokham.
Make for me a sanctuary, and I shall dwell among them. (Shemot 25:8)
On Monday, a
great luminary died. The great American folk singer, Pete Seeger passed away at
the age of 94. Pete Seeger was not highly educated. He didn’t win a lot of
awards. What he did do was work to create a world where the Divine could dwell.
Pete Seeger believed God was everywhere. When God is everywhere, it’s easy to
look past and miss the Divine spark. Pete Seeger could see God. He used to say,
“I was an atheist. Now I say, it’s all according to your definition of God.
According to my definition of God, I’m not an atheist. Because I think God is
everything. Whenever I open my eyes.”
The section of
Torah we begin this Shabbat instructs us to build a sanctuary. However, God
does not dwell in the sanctuary. It is more a divining rod to lead us to God’s
presence. Coming from a culture in Egypt that filled space with images of the
Egyptian gods, we became numb to the true presence of the Divine around us. If
we can but focus our thoughts and our hearts we will be able to perceive God
around us.
Mikdash,
sanctuary, comes from the word holy or sacred. It is not the place that makes
it sacred, but the love and the feelings of the people who come to serve and to
worship within it. In turn, that service and those feelings provide strength to
the people who come to participate. Judaism has always been a religion of
acceptance and openness. This is the same message Pete Seeger stove to share
with the world. Songs like “We Shall Overcome,” If I Had a Hammer,” and “Turn,
Turn, Turn” share this message. Together we have strength. Together we have
courage. Together we can be free. It’s the message of the people newly free
from slavery, and a message that still resonates in the world today. If we can
work together to create the holy in the world, God will dwell among us.
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