Master of the house
This week is the final instalment of the Mishkan saga. We have heard and studied every detail of the House of God for weeks and as the presence of God descends this week, we can take a moment to think about what a home should be.
In a recent study husbands and wives are eventually learning how to share the TV remote control. No longer does the man hog the remote as if it is his alone and no longer is the home the dominion of the man. In our ever growing egalitarian society it behoves both men and women to better understand how to create the ideal home. Our homes, are our own sacred spaces. We cannot always control our work environment but our homes are ours.
The Rabbis teach that it is not sufficient to study from Torah scholars, but one must ensure that scholars congregate in his home.
Do we really want Rabbis hanging out in our homes? Are we going to feel good about ourselves by inviting people who know more than us into our homes?
It’s becoming more acceptable to be clever these days. Hollywood films are featuring intelligent heroes, ones that know that underwear goes under the clothes, I never understood Superman’s dress sense, surely with x-ray eyes he could have figured out underwear! TV shows try to shame people who are dumber than a child of ten. It’s cool to be clever, and many people are making an effort at appearing intelligent.
The one place we should be ourselves is in our homes. This often requires that we overcome a major psychological barrier. First, we must make our homes a place worthy of scholars and scholarship, a home in which people who value wisdom will feel comfortable, regardless of the intellectual capacity of the home owner himself.
Second, we must not serve G-d on the outside alone, while maintaining our own “space” within our homes. G-d must permeate every aspect of our lives. We are judged not according to how we interact with our co workers or with strangers on the street, but by our behaviour towards our own family members and in the privacy of our own homes. Inside must be a house in which scholar and layman feel comfortable and a place where we can welcome the aura of the Divine Presence. God’s house is supposed to dwell inside of each of us. If so, how ready are we to experience intelligent conversation and the presence of God into our daily lives?
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