By By Cantor Cheri Weiss
Faith is not clinging to a shrine but an endless pilgrimage of the heart.
– Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel
Where is your personal sanctuary?
Perhaps it is your home that provides you with a refuge from the outside world and all the mishigas surrounding us. Maybe you find sanctuary in nature: a hike through a beautiful botanical garden or trail through majestic green mountains, flowing waterfalls and trees so tall that you can just barely see their tops as your eyes glint in the intense sun. Or is it sitting with your best friends or other loved ones on the beach, sharing your hopes and dreams for the future as you stare out into the seemingly infinite ocean?
Most synagogues are constructed with a designated worship space we refer to as a sanctuary. They range from the modestly decorated to the extremely ornate. Typically, they have a raised platform (“bimah”) on which sits the Ark containing the Torahs, a dais or two, a Torah table (“shtender”), and perhaps a few chairs. The congregants sit in rows of seats affixed to the ground facing the bimah. This is the space where Shabbat and holiday services are held. You have probably been in a few synagogue sanctuaries over the years.
Yet is this where God truly resides? Perhaps instead of looking for God solely in the synagogue sanctuary on a Friday night or Saturday morning, we should also be looking inside or around ourselves for the Divine. Judaism offers us many opportunities to welcome God into our lives, to find sanctuary in the Divine presence – known as the Shechina. As we welcome and celebrate Shabbat, our candle blessings, prayers such as Shalom Aleichem, L’cha Dodi and our Mourner’s Kaddish may help us welcome the Shechinah into our hearts, our lives, and our communities. Life cycle rituals such B’nei Mitzvah, Shiva minyans, funerals, weddings, and baby namings allow each of us to welcome the Shechinah individually as well as collectively in community.
Committing to acts of lovingkindness for those in need invites the Shechinah into our hearts. Preparing and delivering meals for those who lack enough food, visiting a lonely senior, asking a friend going through a difficult time out to lunch… There are so many ways we can invite the Divine to partner with us in improving the lives of those around us and as a result, our own lives as well.
In the Book of Exodus God instructs the Israelites to construct a holy place (“Mikdash”) so that “I may dwell among them.” (Ex. 25:8) God did not say, “So that I may dwell in it” or “there.” God resides in our internal sanctuary, wherever our hearts are open to receiving the Shechinah. When we each open ourselves to living a compassionate and holy life, we invite God’s holy spirit within.
According to Jewish tradition, angels noted in Torah and other sacred texts are considered to be manifestations of God’s presence, appearing on Earth to carry out Divine will. May each of us be inspired every day to somehow serve as an angel for others. And when we ourselves are in need, may we all be blessed and comforted by the Divine presence – the Shechinah – and the angels who walk among us.
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