Becoming A Sanctuary For Yourself — Morning Minyan

Every weekday at 8:00 am, Mishkan Chicago holds a virtual Morning Minyan. You can join in yourself, or listen to all the prayer, music, and inspiration right here on Contact Chai. Today's Morning Minyan features "Kedusha" by Amy Robinson.

https://mishkan.shulcloud.com/form/reg-morning-minyan-evergreen

Mishkan’s Purim Party is March 2nd — do you have your tickets yet? Featuring outrageous sketches and a full Megillah reading, this is shaping up to be our wildest Pruim yet. And if you’re not sure your can make it in-person, you can join via our state-of-the-art livestream.

https://www.mishkanchicago.org/event/adult-purim-2026/

Produced by Mishkan Chicago. Music composed, produced, and performed by Kalman Strauss.

Transcript

Transcript

00:00:40:08 - 00:01:06:00
Unknown
All right. Good morning. I am pulling out my chalice here. Want to invite anybody who's got one to join me in wrapping it around yourself? And if even if you don't have one to just take a moment to close your eyes and imagine being wrapped in a garment of light.

00:01:06:03 - 00:01:20:04
Unknown
And going, take a few deep breaths from inside of this garment of light, draped over your shoulders and around your head. That's breathing into that sense of protection.

00:01:20:07 - 00:01:37:08
Unknown
Like a kind of armor that comes not from, hardness, but actually from lightness and from love and from being held up by generations of ancestors.

00:01:37:10 - 00:01:42:16
Unknown
Just taking a few deep breaths.

00:01:42:19 - 00:01:55:04
Unknown
Maruja. I don't know, I mean, I had, a shared kitchen over me to to have it's eventually hit a tiff, but it's it.

00:01:55:07 - 00:02:11:19
Unknown
And while we're at it, at the ash scene, hey, how old meme I shared kitchen album. It's for a tab. It's eventually hit it. If it seats it. I mean.

00:02:11:21 - 00:02:22:04
Unknown
You guys, the Torah portion this week is about the mission. So we have so much to talk about.

00:02:22:06 - 00:02:49:24
Unknown
We have a particular the version of Moderna that if you come on a Shabbat morning, you will probably hear at Mishkan. We do to this particular tune. Oh, Lord, prepare me to be a sanctuary. And that line from the gospel song comes from this week's Torah portion, where Hashem says, where God says, build me a sanctuary and I will dwell inside of it.

00:02:49:28 - 00:03:17:12
Unknown
Or no, excuse me. Inside of them, but so harm inside of the people who create it. And it is that very line that is the inspiration for the name of our community. So we're going to do all of it this morning. We're going to do model NI gratitude for life. And then we're going to go into these words right here, which are again from this week's Torah portion, make me a sanctuary and I will dwell inside of them.

00:03:17:15 - 00:03:22:26
Unknown
And then also that classic gospel tune.

00:03:22:28 - 00:04:16:24
Unknown
Lo and ni lit by night here last night. This guy, says as I write, finish my tea. That and the, and more. Not, Now, one more time, Lord unnie. They're fine. The wife I back I, chef as I type finish my tea left. Am I right by or not? Now we're going to just go on to these next words in Hebrew.

00:04:17:01 - 00:05:48:14
Unknown
There as you leave me. It's, better to have, nice know never out here. May I to, I don't like, Oh, Lord, prepare me to be a sanctuary. Pure and holy. Tried and true. Oh, and with thanksgiving, I'll be a living sanctuary for you. I, I I'll I'll I I, I never lie, I, I, I I, I I I, I, I, I, I cannot lie, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I oh Lord, oh Lord prepare me to be a sanctuary, pure and holy, tried and true.

00:05:48:14 - 00:06:09:29
Unknown
Oh. And with thanksgiving, the, living sanctuary for you.

00:06:10:01 - 00:06:29:24
Unknown
Okay. So deep thoughts for the morning. What does it mean? I will be a living sanctuary for you. I know we're already. It's like the gospel song. Was it on the Torah? And now I'm asking you to draw on the gospel song. But what does it mean to be a sanctuary? We don't have that sanctuary in the Torah.

00:06:29:24 - 00:06:41:19
Unknown
The Mishkan. I mean, okay, you've got our Mishkan, which I think is great. But that's not exactly what they were talking about. You know, when they were talking about building the Mishkan in the Torah.

00:06:41:22 - 00:06:55:00
Unknown
We don't have the temple in Jerusalem anymore. So when the gospel song says, I'll be a sanctuary for you, and when God says, I will dwell inside of all of you.

00:06:55:02 - 00:07:15:21
Unknown
Like what? What does that mean? Experientially for you? For me, this is like also sort of as we set an intention for the day, what does it mean to move through the world imagining that I am a sanctuary? You are a sanctuary.

00:07:15:23 - 00:07:41:27
Unknown
I think it means feeling loving and accepting because not like being defensive, but being open to people. I sure would like to find that in others. Just this feeling of acceptance. And I do like to do that, but I'm often reactive and defensive instead. Thank you for saying that, Beth. What came up for me as you were speaking is the idea of sanctuary cities.

00:07:41:29 - 00:08:02:02
Unknown
You know, these places that we, you know, designate as safe places for people who have been either rejected or who aren't safe? You know, who, for good reason, don't feel safe in other places. And as a sanctuary, we say, no, you're okay here. We'll take care of you. But like, if we personalize it, what does it mean to be a sanctuary person?

00:08:02:05 - 00:08:21:09
Unknown
To be a person who takes in other people and without judgment, without saying, well, I don't know. How did you get here? I don't know if I trust you, I don't know, you know, whatever all the things that might make me think less of you or trust you less to actually suspend those things and say, I actually I can be a sanctuary for you.

00:08:21:12 - 00:08:44:03
Unknown
Is that is that is that what you were saying? That some version. Yeah. Some version. I was even more personal just to to be a space. I wasn't even thinking, but yes. Where you said as well. Definitely just I mean, that would be a God like presence to be that much love. I mean, that's to strive for.

00:08:44:06 - 00:09:02:03
Unknown
Yeah. But also what I'm struggling with today is I. It's 6:00 for me here. I know you're in L.A. I was so impressed that you were the first person or you're in California. The first person I spoke knowing how early it was out there. Good for you. But what jolted me is I was just. This is not my normal time of waking up.

00:09:02:03 - 00:09:30:27
Unknown
So I had an alarm, which I. It was jolting, but I came out of this nightmare where I was seeking sanctuary, and I was part of running and hiding. And so that is in my space right now. So I'm just thinking, wow, that is terrifying. And to, to, to to be talking about this, like, what would I, I would like to be someplace that people could feel safe.

00:09:30:27 - 00:09:51:04
Unknown
I would like to feel safe. So that's the. Yeah. What you said is captures a part of it. Yes. It's it's just so much more. It's a way of living to wish for ourselves and for everyone. And yeah, we need places of of allowing and acceptance that aren't terrorized. But that's that's a huge question. That's a huge lot.

00:09:51:04 - 00:10:18:13
Unknown
Thank you. I'm just going to read what some other folks wrote here. Julia. Mindfulness in all interactions with fellow humans and the earth, staying sober and presence and allowing the divine within me to show up for others, being a refuge for oneself as well. So not just for other people, but also, I mean, we've talked about parts, you know, all the parts of oneself, in this many, in many times, like the, you know, sort of internal family systems.

00:10:18:13 - 00:10:35:28
Unknown
But, you know, there are parts of ourselves that we don't like and that we reject and that we sort of wish weren't there. And it's actually what would it mean to be a refuge and a sanctuary for all of those parts? Showing up as a healing presence for all of those parts. Okay, Laurie, and then we can move on.

00:10:35:28 - 00:11:01:07
Unknown
This is so this is so rich. Yeah. So mine is a question. If we're talking about the inner sanctuary that we're preparing, why is God so concerned with cubits and gold rings and silver rings and bells and pomegranates and dolphin skins? If it's in us. Why? Why the pomp and circumstance? Oh my gosh. Wow. I just want to hold that question as a very good question.

00:11:01:07 - 00:11:37:19
Unknown
That you are not the first you to have asked. Okay. Yeah. Thank you. Yeah yeah yeah yeah. And as we look at text later, we'll we'll talk about it. All right. Great. All right. Well, speaking of speaking of these sanctuaries that are ourselves, encased in these bodies, we have let's let's bless this body that that woke up this morning such that you could, show up to this minion turn on the computer, and that all of the wires that connected the things turn the computer on, but all the wires inside of the body that made it so that you could open your eyes and breathe and go pee and all the things.

00:11:37:26 - 00:12:06:18
Unknown
It all worked amazing. Let's bless Baruch Atar I don't I Eleanor melihat olam a share. Yasar eta Adam the Hoffman vivo and the cavium the Cavium. Hello, hello, Liam Galloway. If I do it if necessary. Shame if I take a mayhem. Yes, I had mayhem. Yes, surely he took I am villain mode. Left for a failure. Shot at a fat barrel, right I don't, I refer the side of a flea last.

00:12:06:18 - 00:12:26:01
Unknown
So it's blessed are you are God, creator of the universe, who formed the human being with wisdom and created within us openings and hollows. It is open. It is obvious and known before you and your glorious throne that if one of them were ruptured, if one of them were blocked, it would be impossible to existence. Stand in your presence even for a short while.

00:12:26:08 - 00:12:47:13
Unknown
Blessed are you who heals all flesh and performs wonders and man, I'm gonna fast forward us way or to a joy for, hallelu. Over here. Come here. All right.

00:12:47:16 - 00:13:08:28
Unknown
You guys know this story? It's like, a Zen tale. But I've also heard it is a rabbinic tale about. We'll see. You know, it's like there's a farmer and he's gifted a horse, and the neighbors are all like, oh, you're so lucky. And he's like, yeah, we'll see you know? And then the horse, stumbles and gets like, it breaks his foot.

00:13:09:01 - 00:13:32:00
Unknown
And then the neighbors say, oh, bad luck, you bad luck you've had. And then the guy says, you know, we'll see. And then, his. And then there's a draft and his son gets conscripted into the army and they say, oh, no, this has been terrible luck for you. But then his son trips and falls and breaks his ankle, so he can't go to the army and, you know, and so the neighbors say, oh, wow, you're so lucky.

00:13:32:02 - 00:13:50:09
Unknown
He just says, we'll see, we'll see. And you know, so, I'm thinking this is a long way of saying a couple of weeks ago, I think the last time we were here, as we did gratitude together, I was, professing gratitude for the espresso maker that I got over the break. And then I also was sort of musing.

00:13:50:13 - 00:14:12:13
Unknown
But I think it's possible that because I'm now drinking espresso in the morning, I think I might be messing up my voice. And, a couple more weeks of experimenting with this. And I think I have, in fact, determined that that espresso maker that I thought was a blessing was a curse. And so, I've been a couple of weeks of no espresso in the morning and my voice has returned.

00:14:12:15 - 00:14:36:07
Unknown
So, I just I want to I want to give us all permission here to, change our minds and to know that, you know, something that might have started off as a blessing doesn't always stay that way. And something that started off as a challenge might actually become a blessing. So if that resonates for you on any level this morning, let us sing hallelu for the things that are blessings and the things that have yet to become blessings.

00:14:36:09 - 00:14:39:22
Unknown
Let's see.

00:14:39:24 - 00:15:47:20
Unknown
Hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah that I am howling. Hallelujah, Hallelujah Hallelujah hallelujah hallelujah Hallelujah, Hallelujah. Ever good shout. Hallelujah. Go be a key I was oh hallelu. Be who we are. Time. Hallelu. Carol the Lord. Hallelu. Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah. Take I shall fight. Hallelujah. But never was he. No. Hallelujah to my son. Hallelujah. That meaning that.

00:15:47:20 - 00:17:02:06
Unknown
Oh, God. Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah Hallelujah Hallelujah Hallelujah Hallelujah Hallelujah Hallelujah, Hallelujah. All the chips. Listen, man, I know that chip to let you out. Honey. Summer day. Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah. Oh, honey, shut me up today. Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah. Call him up to hallelujah. Hallelu. Hallelujah. Lujan.

00:17:02:08 - 00:17:08:11
Unknown
I am rising and facing east.

00:17:08:14 - 00:17:14:07
Unknown
Feel free to unmute and join me in the call response.

00:17:14:09 - 00:17:42:20
Unknown
Barry Hall at I don't know I I'm for Ruth, I don't I am a little, I don't I remember, playing with, and taking a seat very hard on your chair all over little shack. Ozark. Okay. Shalom. Over at a coal committee or the arts? The latter. Emily, let me move to Harlem to meet my savior.

00:17:42:20 - 00:17:56:15
Unknown
A sheet or Hadash option to air of any scarecrow that I'm a hero. Little roll barrel and on, your chair, hammy. All roads.

00:17:56:17 - 00:18:31:01
Unknown
I want to pause for a second as we go into Shama. I want to do kind of a an unusual intro to this. Shama, can you share Amy Robinson? Katz. So in that part of the, Shoprite where we do, where we talk about you know, God, creator of life. There is a whole section that is not in this cedar, that it's in, certainly most traditional Kareem that recalls the angels doing the Kaddish, Kadosh.

00:18:31:01 - 00:18:58:14
Unknown
Kadosh thing. You know, the Kaddish. Tonight's about my local arts. Give Odell, that we see again in the Amida. And it's just a totally different context in the army. It's, about holiness. That's sort of the theme of the blessing, which makes sense. Kadosh, Kadosh, Kadosh. Holy, holy, holy. You go up on your one foot, there, one angelic foot, which you imitate with your two feet by putting them together and raising up on the balls of your feet.

00:18:58:17 - 00:19:39:14
Unknown
But when it appears right after the bahu, before the prayer for love, before I have a rabbi. It's doing something else because it wouldn't need it. Wouldn't. We've already got a prayer for holiness. It's doing something else in this prayer whose theme is light? These angels, and, so the cover now, the the intention I kind of want to bring us into before going into shimmer, is about all of the all of the ways we experience light, you know, like I walked into I walked into the JCPoA office yesterday.

00:19:39:14 - 00:19:55:24
Unknown
Michigan now is, you know, sharing office space at, sketch pad on somebody one of the one of the folks who works there was wearing I think it was probably a Hanukkah shirt, but it said light and love. And somewhere in the light in love, there was a star of David. And, you know, I thought, yeah, I'd like to.

00:19:56:01 - 00:20:24:29
Unknown
That's what I want people to think about when they think of Judaism. Just light love. But how many different ways do we experience light and love? Like a lot. You know, it's not just all airy fairy rainbows and butterflies. You know, sometimes love is challenging. Sometimes love is, persistent. Sometimes. Right? Like, like I in my dining room, I have two different shades of light, like a yellow light and a white light of there.

00:20:25:05 - 00:20:54:21
Unknown
You know, there's a whole spectrum for how, you know, for how we perceive light. Like there's just there's a lot there. Anyway, what I love about this tune that, we've used, we often use it at the High Holidays for the kiddush out for the Amida when we do this. Kadosh, Kadosh, Kadosh. But, the truth is, it, you know, you could you could use it for this part before, before the Shama as well.

00:20:54:23 - 00:21:21:21
Unknown
And what I love about it is it has multiple voices. It's got, you know, part one, part two, part three. And you know what I think like that would be a, a nice sort of gentle way to go into the Shama this morning. So, give me one moment here. To find her beautiful recording to do to chant any rabbits and cats.

00:21:21:23 - 00:21:26:26
Unknown
I'll find it on YouTube.

00:21:26:28 - 00:21:38:24
Unknown
So this is what I meant when I said I have plans, but then they go off the rails. This wasn't part of the plan, but.

00:21:38:26 - 00:21:53:05
Unknown
There's something nice. All right. Okay. One moment. Two. Okay.

00:21:53:07 - 00:21:58:06
Unknown
All right, here we go.

00:21:58:09 - 00:22:04:02
Unknown
Share. Sound optimized. Okay.

00:22:04:04 - 00:22:40:25
Unknown
So go ahead and take a few deep breaths, because this is one of those ones that, like, it takes a moment to, you know, to get going here.

00:22:40:28 - 00:23:36:10
Unknown
I do watch CloudWatch CloudWatch I don't know why. It's what the whole world is filled with your glory. The whole world is filled with your glory. God does my you does what I do. I mean, what other night? I mean what the whole world is filled with. Your name is boring. The heart of the is filled with your glory.

00:23:36:13 - 00:24:33:01
Unknown
Hundreds. But it does not. Your me was. Don't you lie to me, Lord. The whole world is filled with your glory. Memorial. The whole world, this world with your glory and your life. And on my daughter. How know I climb it all. I'm all of our world is filled with your name, your real love. Unworthy. But with your diary I don't.

00:24:33:01 - 00:25:21:01
Unknown
Madonna annoy me more. I know when I find you all the out of it all the way you are I me more room above all the with all the with your dying for me I died and all that I Lord I do it right now I need to the heart of this world for your glory, the glory above us.

00:25:21:01 - 00:26:11:29
Unknown
And then with your glory to hide. I gotta have my name on. But ahead of us. I need all of us in the world. With your grimy moment of love. And your night for me. Oh my God, I cannot find my light. I don't have time at all. You know the world is filled with all your might be.

00:26:11:29 - 00:26:52:21
Unknown
For all of us is now in your mind. We have got friends all the time. Oh, I love your life, I love you but.

00:26:52:23 - 00:27:03:22
Unknown
Yeah. So much space in there that will fit. It fits in well with the theme of creating a sanctuary inside of ourselves.

00:27:03:24 - 00:27:18:03
Unknown
And just take a moment now to feel the space opened up by hearing multiple voices kind of pulling in different directions at all, harmonize beautifully. It doesn't always happen that way.

00:27:18:05 - 00:27:25:02
Unknown
But when it does, it resonates in a beautiful way inside of us.

00:27:25:04 - 00:27:51:25
Unknown
I just take a moment to feel the spaciousness opened up by voices moving in different directions, harmonizing in holiness and in light and in love. I add, I have a fear that I'm Israel, the Ahava, and we'll go together and say the shimmer.

00:27:51:27 - 00:28:17:12
Unknown
Shimmer. Yes. Right. And I don't know. I hello Angel, I don't, I yes. Hotel I had.

00:28:17:15 - 00:28:46:10
Unknown
That I have to eight I don't I, I after the hall of Amara Hall of home there have you had very my there I share I know he might have hi. I love Ivanka the Sheen and, live in bath and bam, they shift over the father Darragh over. Oops. Our time the. Oh it al-Adha the how you little Dafoe.

00:28:46:10 - 00:28:55:11
Unknown
It's been enough I will could have time. Amazo epitaph. Let me. Sorry.

00:28:55:13 - 00:29:28:24
Unknown
I'll take a moment now for healing. Sending love to everybody who's in need of a prayer, who's in need of attention, who's in need of support and care. Everybody who's on your lists, your parents, our friends, folks in our community who are struggling. I'm personally sending love to inshallah and then ever. Marina Vassar, you may know.

00:29:28:27 - 00:29:44:01
Unknown
I'm just one by one, as all of these names populate our screens and our consciousness.

00:29:44:04 - 00:29:55:23
Unknown
And.

00:29:55:26 - 00:30:03:23
Unknown
Sending love and a prayer also to and all of our minions.

00:30:03:25 - 00:30:16:13
Unknown
All right. As names continue to come in, in the saying, this may come as a healing prayer for me, some of,

00:30:16:15 - 00:30:30:16
Unknown
That any mother who 9th May they cross over to a healthy place, to an open, wide open space that I could.

00:30:30:19 - 00:30:44:21
Unknown
No writer Hilo free of suffering. Oh, say, father working toward healing, no writing, no.

00:30:44:24 - 00:30:49:07
Unknown
Oh, say, Phelan.

00:30:49:10 - 00:31:07:27
Unknown
Share. I had a child. She who get ugly there. She, I said first I,

00:31:07:29 - 00:31:21:16
Unknown
Yeah, I cool. Oh, do they only hold them in row?

00:31:21:18 - 00:31:35:08
Unknown
Them if you do I don't I him love they all van.

00:31:35:10 - 00:31:39:23
Unknown
I don't I him though.

00:31:39:25 - 00:31:58:04
Unknown
Lay on them that. By heart doing like

00:31:58:06 - 00:32:36:01
Unknown
Yes. Right now give me a refresh. Shirley. My to fish for full of complete healing of body and spirit. Mind. Everyone who's on your list here this morning. I mean, I mean, I mean. All right, looking at the time, obviously, Wow, my big plans for studying shot true, man. And, not enough time and a half an hour to pray and sing and open our hearts, and then also open the Torah.

00:32:36:04 - 00:33:04:29
Unknown
But if you want to stick around after we do Kaddish at home, Scottish, we can. And the theme of the learning will in fact be this question that, Laurie raised, which is what does all, the holy a clue trim off the gold and the silver and the copper and the blue and the purple and the crimson yarns and the linen and goat's hair, and tanned ram skins and dolphin skins, and acacia wood, and etc., etc., etc..

00:33:05:01 - 00:33:29:20
Unknown
What does that have to do with creating holy space and what is holy space, and how do we maintain it and how do we create it? Anyway, so stay tuned for that if you want. And for folks I know have places to go and cottage to say, let's turn toward Caddy Chateau, mourner's cottage. Who are we remembering this morning?

00:33:29:23 - 00:34:01:02
Unknown
Feel free to to unmute and say their name if you want. You can also put it in the chat with Alex Henry. Jacob's my wonderful husband, Miles wertheimer and Dave Sufi and and Leonard Simon. My dad, Harry Schumann, to his 10th year at Saint. Oh, wow. Danny. Okay. My dad, her blind child.

00:34:01:04 - 00:34:24:03
Unknown
Wow. I just want to say, like, between all of your fathers, it's like there's a parallel traditional orthodox minyan happening in the heavenly realms, you know, like to parallel the feminist, LGBTQ, queer egalitarian minyan happening down here in their honor. I love it, the balance in the universe. Okay. Yeah.

00:34:24:05 - 00:34:33:29
Unknown
Anybody else? I read Roy Walter, Marcia Pepper, Patrick Short and Charlie Herring.

00:34:34:01 - 00:35:08:18
Unknown
Is there anybody who would like to lead us in Kaddish this morning? I'm happy to. All right, Danny. Thank you. Jeff. He cut out the Kadesh. I mean, I'm under, okay. I'm okay. Okay, okay, okay, I will fade away. I am, okay. Yeah. Hey. Male or female or male? Hebrew.

00:35:08:20 - 00:35:21:13
Unknown
And I'll say you said, because, no, she made sure. Yeah. Okay.

00:35:21:15 - 00:36:09:11
Unknown
On the other hand, on that man. Yes, Rabbi. Yeah. And we only have a on. The social markets. Right. So clearly stated in rude and angry, man, I mean, yeah, he's economic. Libra. May their memories be blessings. Danny, you probably weren't expecting. It's a real challenge to lead on zoom when everybody's davening with you but a half a second right behind because of, you know, zoom hasn't yet figured out how to have us literally all in sync yet.

00:36:09:13 - 00:36:31:11
Unknown
But well done. And that was actually, like, one of the more robust everybody throwing in together, statuses, that we've done here. And it's really, it's nice, it's nice to be back and it's nice to be with all of you. All right, should we start? Should we study a little time? You don't want to stick around for that.

00:36:31:11 - 00:36:59:01
Unknown
Okay. All right, all right. Let me say thank you, Liz. Let me say, what I'm. What I'm reading this week is coming out of Rabbi Shai Helm's book, The Heart of Torah, which I highly recommend, highly recommend to everybody as a way of, making your waves through the Torah start to finish. He does to dress shot on every Torah portion.

00:36:59:03 - 00:37:31:27
Unknown
And this is somebody who is just he's got like an encyclopedic knowledge of, you know, Torah midrash and the he is oriented as, as his book titles suggest. You know, his other book title, Judaism, is about love. This the heart of Torah. He is oriented toward finding the compassion, the love, the, you know, the imperative to take care of, you know, our ourselves, our loved ones and the strangers in our midst.

00:37:31:29 - 00:38:01:10
Unknown
That's the stuff that he really lifts up and figures out a way in, in every single Torah portion, really, to explore. In his first, in his first, he, he talks about sort of the contradiction of, on the one hand, God being present everywhere, and on the other, the Mishkan being this defined space, where God's presence is sort of like concentrated, but also he, you know, like, how does that even work if God's presence is everywhere.

00:38:01:16 - 00:38:22:04
Unknown
So, okay, so that's that's the first stretch. But the second one, is where he talks about your question, Laurie. And so first of all, I just want to get everybody on the same page here. And I'm going to bring us to this very beginning of the Torah portion.

00:38:22:07 - 00:38:32:02
Unknown
Would anybody like to read this Hebrew for in English?

00:38:32:05 - 00:39:10:24
Unknown
You can read all can see it. Right. All right. Great. Hit us up when the Torah tell me when to stop. And since it's the answer, God spoke to Moses, saying, tell the Israelite people to bring me gifts you shall accept gifts from for me, from every person whose heart is so moved and these are the gifts that you shall accept from them gold, silver and copper, blue, purple and crimson yarns, fine linen, goat's hair, tanned ram skins, dolphin skins, and acacia wood oil for lighting, spices for the anointing oil and for the aromatic incense, lapis lazuli and other stones for setting for the ephod and for the breast piece.

00:39:11:01 - 00:39:28:27
Unknown
And let them make me a sanctuary, that I may dwell among them, exactly as I show you the pattern of the tabernacle, and the pattern of all its furnishings. So you so shall you make it. And I'm just going to let you keep going for a little while, just so people can get the feel for what this parsha sounds and feels like.

00:39:29:02 - 00:39:50:24
Unknown
Keep going. They shall make an ark of acacia wood, two and a half cubits long, a Cuban and a half wide, and a Cuban and a half high. Overlay it with pure gold overlay overlaid inside and out, and make a pan and a gold molding round about. Sounds like the Oval Office cast for gold rings for it to be attached to.

00:39:50:24 - 00:40:15:13
Unknown
It's four feet, two rings on one of its side walls and two on the other. Make poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold. Then insert the poles into the rings on the side walls of the ark. For carrying the ark, the poles shall remain in the rings of the ark. They shall not be removed from it, and deposit in the ark the part that I will give you.

00:40:15:15 - 00:40:35:04
Unknown
You shall make a cover of pure gold, two and a half cubits long, and a qubit and a half wide. Make two cherubim of gold, make them hammered. Work at the two ends of the cover. Make one share of it one end, and the other cherub at the other end of one piece, with the cover. Shall you make the cherubim at its two ends?

00:40:35:07 - 00:41:03:01
Unknown
The cherubim shall have their wings spread out above, shielding the cover with their wings. They shall confront each other, the faces of the cherubim being turned toward the cover. Place the cover on top of the ark. After depositing inside the ark the pact that I will give you. All right. There's a last sentence here that I will meet with you, and I will impart to you from above the cover from between the two cherubim that are on top of the ark, of the packed.

00:41:03:04 - 00:41:32:22
Unknown
All that I will cover, command here command you concerning the Israelite people. Great, beautiful. Thank you. And I you know, this goes on and on and on. It's. I mean, what I will say is for anybody who is an architect or a builder or, you know, it does anything that requires, you know, like Ray requires putting something beautiful, and functional together.

00:41:32:25 - 00:42:01:06
Unknown
This is not, I don't think reading this would be surprising, because you need detailed plans to make anything that requires, you know, that that you want to have a particular form and function. So, like, that doesn't surprise me. It's like, not that interesting to a fuzzy like me in college. There were like, the techies and the fuzzies and the techies were people who were into like, technology and science and the hard sciences, and the fuzzies were like humanities people.

00:42:01:06 - 00:42:26:07
Unknown
And, you know, as a humanities person, I read this and I like my eyes glaze over, but I have come to appreciate the intricacy of it because, I watch our staff pack boxes to schlep the mission, literally like our community and the things we need to lead services, you know, from place to place, like the Israelites were doing in, in the desert.

00:42:26:09 - 00:42:56:19
Unknown
And you actually need to be incredibly detail oriented and know what's in what box. And you know which cord fits into which outlet. In order to have all the things that you need, to create the spiritual experience that you are trying to create for a large number of people, which, of course, this was so that, like, I'm, I'm going to jump to the Torah's defense in the first part to just say, like there's, you know, if you want to create a holy space for people, there going to be things, there are going to be things that you need.

00:42:56:22 - 00:43:22:18
Unknown
And so I'm kind of like that. That doesn't shock me. But is there, you know, anything else? As we were reading through this that, piqued your curiosity or, you know, but Orion said, this just makes Hashem seem really picky. I mean, sure, yes. Like, all of us, I guess, have a style. You know, some of us are into mid-century modern.

00:43:22:18 - 00:44:01:01
Unknown
Some of us are into, you know, 1970s, like, you know, okay. Right. Susanna or fabulous, a fabulous decorator, I love it, I love it. Okay, Mary. Go ahead. Yeah. I was just going to say that like, so for, I have like this like very, very, very, very detailed. She, care protocols that when we go to the hospital, I hand over and I think that everybody except for a handful of people really think it's, like, super picky and crazy.

00:44:01:03 - 00:44:39:13
Unknown
But the entire purpose of it is so that I can be as a parent. While I'm at the hospital, instead of, like, getting pulled over constantly. And like, having to explain this is how we do this and this is what make us here and answering people's questions. Right. Like, so I give them that piece of paper, which is extraordinarily detailed and crazy, in order that I can spend time with her, and not be doing anything else, I love that.

00:44:39:13 - 00:45:08:26
Unknown
So. Okay. Will you make the connection between God giving these, you know, very detailed instructions? Yeah. So I don't know, it's still kind of like a fuzzy bit for me. But I think for me there, you know, I, I remember like, it's Laura, you know, like, one of the things that Bernie would talk about is like, it has to be so perfect that you almost don't notice the environment, right?

00:45:08:26 - 00:45:39:17
Unknown
Like that. You that that people can just do what they're doing right. And I know that you're also like a super environment person too, right? Like that. Like I remember like the early days of Michigan when I was I'll have you set out chairs and I would think, oh, we're just setting out chairs. And you'd be like, no, it has it go here and here and it would be like, oh, whoa, you are not wrong.

00:45:39:17 - 00:46:10:20
Unknown
And that has that has not changed. It has not changed. I stand by that. But you're absolutely right. It is a way to like, eliminate the, the the friction. Right. Like there is like a way of creating, an environment that allows people to participate without getting stuck in the details. I don't know, you know, I know what I'm you know, I do, I absolutely do.

00:46:10:20 - 00:46:32:11
Unknown
And so, first of all, thank you. I'm glad you said all that. It is true. It is true. Like one of the one of the blessings of, one of the blessings of moving around, as we do, you know, from one sanctuary to another is, it it kind of like, keeps all of us a little, like, spiritually nimble.

00:46:32:15 - 00:47:02:16
Unknown
We don't get, we don't get kind of calcified into. Well, this is always where I sit or this is always, you know, sort of like what the space feels like. There's a certain dynamism in moving. However, it is a challenge also because, like, not all spaces lend themselves necessarily to like singing in the round, you know, you go into like I just was at, a synagogue in Washington, DC where I was asked to lead, service in the afternoon for a bunch of rabbis and cantors, which I was so excited about.

00:47:02:22 - 00:47:20:29
Unknown
And I brought a bunch of, you know, it was like an, an afternoon service. I brought a bunch of tunes that we've been using at Michigan, and, and I was really excited to, like, set up all the chairs basically in the round the way that we do on a Friday night. And then they put me in the sanctuary.

00:47:21:05 - 00:47:42:03
Unknown
And the sanctuary is, you know, an 1800 seat auditorium style. There is a beam of. It's like 15ft off the ground. That's where they put the microphone. That's where they have the podium. And I mean, they had asked me to come for a soundcheck in the morning, like, I don't know, at 830, even though this service was going to be at three in the afternoon.

00:47:42:10 - 00:48:00:25
Unknown
And I was a little grumbly about it when they sent me the email, I was like, are you serious? You need me to come in like an hour before the conference starts to do a soundcheck, like, you know, and I was so glad because what it meant was I had the opportunity to talk to the engineer guy who was just kind of, you know, the janitor walking around, and I was like, excuse me.

00:48:00:28 - 00:48:34:06
Unknown
You know, in the end to work with the person from could I actually, like, get the mics on the floor? Could I actually put a seat on the floor? Do you have a music stand that I could put on the floor? And I essentially, like, made the sanctuary much smaller? By putting myself on the floor in one little section so that, our voices would all be you know, kind of smushed together over here, and there wouldn't be, like, this total kind of loss of, you know, the 100 people that were going to be there in a room that's designed for 1800 where we'd all get lost and and that's Mary, you're just you're

00:48:34:06 - 00:48:53:09
Unknown
right about the constructing of space. Space lends itself to different experiences. And it can it can undermine space, can undermine a spiritual experience if it's not used properly. And you can, you know, I mean, I'm not like the, you know, the world expert in this, but there are ways to enhance and uplift a spiritual experience, you know, by organizing people in a certain way.

00:48:53:15 - 00:49:34:19
Unknown
So even the whole theme of like the, like like, like when I talk to Grant, kids and he talks about, oh, it's a poet. Who is that? Mary. For everybody who's not in Chicago and doesn't know hot couture food. Yeah. He's like, yeah, fancy schmancy chef. And, you know, for him to ask about like room if you are doing food right, if you were doing like if, if I am doing like the preparation for every day, that means that everything goes in a way that it like removes all these barriers.

00:49:34:21 - 00:50:11:27
Unknown
Right? And I think like that's what you're saying too, about, like the preparation of space that like if, if you are doing it right, it's almost like that all all the stuff that it takes to make prayer, to make God happen, like it disappears. Right? There's yes. And so that's for me. Like for me, like what I was talking about, like when I go in because I, in the early days of, it was like constantly like, can you run me through what medication that is again?

00:50:11:27 - 00:50:37:06
Unknown
And like, how does she do this? And how did she do that and how she and and I would not get to see her like, during entire crises. Right, right. And because you were coaching, you were coaching the deliverers of medical care, and you were basically acting as a medical provider instead of as a parent. Yeah. So now because I can just walk in and be like, here's the packet, let me know if you have questions.

00:50:37:09 - 00:51:01:28
Unknown
And then I get to go hold her hand. Rather than like all of that other noise. Thank you. All right. So Lexi and then Miriam and then Julia, I saw that you were here, but maybe you had to leave. Okay, let's go ahead. Lexi. A lot of, a lot of similar points, but I've been, Serving in, sweat lodge for some years.

00:51:02:00 - 00:51:35:24
Unknown
That ritual is very, very precise. And, involves, like, very specific set of instructions, like, in order to be, you know, the, the water porer kind of the facilitator of the lodge. And this is in, like, Blackfoot and you tradition, it's like you need to know, you know, these are the this is how you build the lodge each time you build the lodge that assembled, and then it's disassembled, and this is how you build the fire, and this is how you set up the prayer flags.

00:51:35:24 - 00:51:56:14
Unknown
And this is how you set up the altar. And there are all these ritual objects. And so like the creation, it's like the creation of this space in order to, you know, connect with spirit in order to worship. And there's, you know, I've found, like in being part of, like, the team to serve, to create the structure.

00:51:56:14 - 00:52:30:12
Unknown
There's, you know, it's a it's a practice. It's that practice of like in an embodied way, bringing together the things and like creating the space that then, you know, in this case is like a, a womb, you know, like a dark place that you enter into in order to kind of step into that space of consciousness and, you know, it's like, that's what we're learning to create and it's so helpful to have operating instructions that are precise and like, we're going to sing these songs and we're going to take these steps.

00:52:30:14 - 00:52:56:24
Unknown
And, you know, I feel like so much of, like, you know, traveling through Jewish time is about the idea that, you know, all of these different, moods, emotions, our experiences are we're like, all of them are within us at all times. And then we have these ways of, like, bringing in tension in order to tune in to, something specific.

00:52:56:26 - 00:53:25:29
Unknown
And so, you know, when we're say, okay, we're coming together in order to tune into this experience of the divine and like, you know, all those who are moved from the heart to, like, bring these, you know, it's like, bring the these wonders from, you know, across the land and like, bring them together with intention into this space and, you know, and then we create it and then, you know, yeah, that allows that opening of, you know, of spirit to spirit to come through.

00:53:25:29 - 00:53:54:04
Unknown
And there's something I feel like with the, with the, the precision of the then the person who is it gives it, you know, the idea that whoever, whoever's in charge is not creating their version, it's like, here's what we do, here's how we come together and, you know, and and then we can all step into and experience this, connection with divinity, if that's our intention.

00:53:54:06 - 00:54:26:16
Unknown
I love that. I mean, because also it's like we are all reading these instructions. And the truth is, these instructions were not intended for everybody to do like it talks about the two cherubim made of hammered work. Not everybody was going to be good at hammering the precise, you know, vision of or sculptural image of these two cherubim facing each other, made out of one solid piece of gold that goes over the arc and, you know, the arc, the the gold inlay on the inside and on the outside.

00:54:26:22 - 00:54:49:02
Unknown
Laurie, the major difference between the gold in the Oval Office and the gold on this arc is that the gold on this arc represents being, like, consistent on the inside and outside. Like, don't just show me the shiny stuff on the outside. Make sure that it's consistent with the the shine and the radiance coming from the inside of you as well, like your soul and your external.

00:54:49:09 - 00:55:12:04
Unknown
Like we're striving to have that be a kind of coherence. You know, there's it's like there's a there's symbolism in all of the specificity, which is like a high that's a high bar. Not everybody can achieve that, but it's like, what it what a beautiful thing to strive for. The idea of God's voice speaking from within the two cherubs.

00:55:12:04 - 00:55:37:02
Unknown
But the point, I think, to Lexi's point, like not everybody's doing all the jobs, you know, and so most people are surrounding the beautiful space, and, you know, maybe inhabiting it at the appropriate time. But there are priests doing priestly jobs, architects doing the architect jobs, weavers doing the weavers jobs, hammered, you know, people who know how to hammer and nail doing that, you know?

00:55:37:02 - 00:56:03:21
Unknown
And so people are kind of deployed in, you know, specific ways that amplify their talents and abilities for the purpose of, creating space for the divine. I yeah, it's it's I'm really glad you brought the example of sweat lodge. Let's see, like all the specificity of that because it helps actually like the compare contrast. It's like, oh my gosh, of course, that's also what the priests are doing.

00:56:03:24 - 00:56:27:07
Unknown
And yeah, it's weird. And like the, you know, slaughtering animals and blood and you know, but this is also 3500 years old. Not that there aren't still many traditions today that do animal slaughter, because there are but okay. Lots of love. Mary. By love. Okay, Miriam. Go ahead. I think Julia is up. Oh, Julia.

00:56:27:07 - 00:57:05:23
Unknown
Julia. Thank you. Yes, I could, I can't I can't be learning what I felt. So what I was thinking about, is it. Well, I don't know. The other gifts that helped me to think that. Yeah, the other, obligation to contribute them to the the collective prize. And I was just thinking about just the other wise cast. It would occur if you gather all these creative people who are like, right now as we've gone through the humanities periods, and don't have a very specific set of tasks to accomplish to tackle that creative energy in a productive way.

00:57:05:25 - 00:57:28:26
Unknown
So thinking about how important it is that we have a, a shared goal that are working toward. Yeah, that's so beautiful. Yeah, it reminds me of, Rabbi, Adina Allen, who runs something called the Jewish Studio Project, which is a really beautiful way of experiencing and learning Torah. And she talks about her mom, who is a well known art therapist.

00:57:29:03 - 00:57:43:11
Unknown
I think Ricki has talked about how maybe they lived in Oak Park or you knew her. But like, when she would come home from school and there would be something upsetting her, you know, when she was a kid and she was, you know, just struggling with something, and her mom would say, have you made art about it?

00:57:43:13 - 00:58:22:13
Unknown
Have you made art about it? And and just, you know, as you were saying, Julia, like, these people were coming out of slavery and they were, you know, they were I'm carrying trauma in their bodies. And they had really only used their skills in the service of Pharaoh or in the service of empire. And, you know, a to be given the opportunity to use their skills to create a holy space for the creator of the universe who liberated them from, you know, slavery and who represents a liberation that they are now part of, you know, for all time, for the rest of the world, like, oh my God, what a reframe of the skills that

00:58:22:13 - 00:58:47:11
Unknown
they built in Egypt to do something else that is, you know, holy and, you know, purposeful and meaningful and community building. It's sort of like the, you know, what we talked about earlier, you know, blessing, curse, blessing, curse. And, you know, those things that maybe, felt complicated before maybe can be repurposed to be blessings. Okay. Miriam.

00:58:47:14 - 00:59:16:01
Unknown
So I am reading, there's a new edition of offerings of the Heart by Sean Zev. It how about kind of Jewish communal giving and Jewish values around money? And also last week was, parsha told on ship shekels. And in that one we talked like it talks about each person has to give a half shekel.

00:59:16:03 - 00:59:38:19
Unknown
Yes, as an expiation for their sins. And the rich and the poor get exactly the same. And it's not very much. It's like a token. Right. And so you can read that a lot of different ways, like, it's kind of a way of equalizing everyone. And to me, it's also a way of saying that everyone's, everyone's a sinner or the same amount of sinners.

00:59:38:19 - 01:00:12:17
Unknown
You know what I mean? Like, if you're rich, you don't have to pay more. Like it's not assumed you sin more. If you're poor. It's not a single thing, more or less or less. Exactly. And, and so that's this kind of very solemn way of giving that is also very equalizing. And to me, in contrast, this is another way of Jewish giving, which is praise and joy, and we give for praise and joy, and also we give as we can.

01:00:12:20 - 01:00:39:03
Unknown
Right. And this is people coming together and giving what they can as opposed to like tithing or other more strictly regulated, kinds of giving that show up in Judaism. And I think this is Lizzie, you correct me because I think this might be the only place in the Torah where there's too much is given. Oh, I mean, I think later.

01:00:39:05 - 01:00:49:15
Unknown
Yeah, Moses eventually has to say enough, enough. Thank you. We've got it. Yeah. Stop ringing stuff. Yeah. So it's also almost like, you know.

01:00:49:18 - 01:00:55:18
Unknown
Sin is limited. Joy overflows.

01:00:55:20 - 01:01:02:11
Unknown
Beautiful. Thank you. Okay, Martin.

01:01:02:14 - 01:01:25:10
Unknown
Martin. Friedman. Sorry. Yeah. No. It's fine. Lizzie, I'm just a little slow on the uptake here. Okay. So, I'm a can I just tell, like, a little monkey wrench in here? Just a little. Is there a monkey wrench? That is little. Oh, but go ahead. I'm not sure I don't know if Lexie's still on or not, but I really appreciated the.

01:01:25:12 - 01:01:58:16
Unknown
I really appreciated the comparison to a sweat. I've been very fortunate. I've been able to attend sweats before, you know, a guest in people's sweats and indigenous land and indigenous tradition. And what hit me as she was talking is that, I think that this might be where our ancestors actually, like, kind of went away from their own indigenous auntie and started to material, you know, to make more material, the, what's needed to pray.

01:01:58:21 - 01:02:22:06
Unknown
So if you think about what Leslie was talking about in terms of what you need in a sweat, those are all natural things. It's, you know, it's water, it's rocks. It's it's, you know, wood for the frame and blankets or, you know, to go over it, to create it. And it's, you know, so for me, when I heard that, it's very stark to like, bold and all of these really specific material things.

01:02:22:12 - 01:02:43:24
Unknown
So I wonder if this is where our ancestors may have started to like, you know, stray a little bit from a, an and in indigenous, more indigenous perspective into a more materialistic perspective. That's, that's just coming up for me. Well, I'm really glad you said that, Riki. So when you said, wow, it's like an acceptable and acceptable golden calf.

01:02:43:28 - 01:03:15:06
Unknown
So what you guys need to know is there is actually a debate. There's a rabbinic debate in terms of, chronology, like what happens in what order? In the Torah, because of exactly what you said. So there are all these instructions for the gold, you know, and there's a lot of gold, but also other fancy things. And then and then we sort of like, return to the narrative, that where the Israelites are waiting for Moses to come down the mountain, and Moses is delaying and delaying.

01:03:15:06 - 01:03:35:00
Unknown
And they say to Aaron, where is this man Moses, who brought us up out of Egypt? Let us, let us build a golden calf and worship the golden calf. Right. And and, Aaron, you know, there's there's debate about whether he was, you know, on their team sort of like Team Golden Calf or whether he was trying to just like, figure out how to delay them.

01:03:35:00 - 01:04:09:02
Unknown
But the point is, they were so attached to and used to a material version of divine power, you know, like all they knew was from Egypt and in Egypt, you know, Pharaohs divine ness and divine power was conveyed through might and force and material. That was what they knew. And they wanted to return to that in the absence of, alternative leadership, in the absence of, you know, Moses coming back down the mountain.

01:04:09:04 - 01:04:24:17
Unknown
And so they build the golden calf. And, of course, Moses comes down and says, what are you doing? You're not supposed to do that. He smashes the calf. He makes them all drink it. You know, 3000 of them are killed. And then, following that are a whole like is a whole nother set of chapters outlining the construction of the Mishkan.

01:04:24:20 - 01:04:51:00
Unknown
And so then the rabbis are like, so wait a second, was the Mishkan like described before and after, or was it actually just after as a response to their clear desire to have physical stuff that somehow, grounded their, you know, divine their, their, you know, their connection with God? And this was basically their, their way of weaning off of Egypt.

01:04:51:03 - 01:05:10:19
Unknown
And the Mishkan becomes this kind of like transition, you know, transition, space from the oppression of Egypt to the, you know, because think about like the way that the land of Israel is described, you know, as the promised land. It's not a land of gold and silver and jewels. It is a land of milk and honey and flowing streams.

01:05:10:21 - 01:05:31:18
Unknown
And, you know, it's it's a natural bounty and, you know, and where the seasons flow in their proper season and where, you know, grain grows at the right time and the and like the dew falls in the right season. And so I think that you're right, I think I think that you're right that there is, you know, this kind of, focus on material here.

01:05:31:20 - 01:06:03:22
Unknown
The question, I guess, is, for a people that was used to divinity being, you know, experienced in a particular way, wouldn't have been realistic to go directly from that into a completely different way of, you know, experiencing the divine that did not include any of those materials. Right? Like what? What do you think about that? I mean, I think that makes a lot of sense, you know, that that it would be challenging.

01:06:03:22 - 01:06:25:29
Unknown
And it also, again, to me like, okay, well, you're now you're essentially copying your, your oppressors. Right? So your, you know, the people that oppressed you, you're copying them as opposed to, you know, maybe what would be more traditional, like I say, indigeneity. And one of my, one of my friends who's indigenous, he says that, you know, he also calls like natural instructions.

01:06:25:29 - 01:06:53:00
Unknown
And so you use the word instruction, right? So the natural instruction would be the instructions that come from nature. And then the other thing tying it into your earlier draw around the sanctuary, inner sanctuary. Yes. I also feel like that's also the same at the same point where we go from seeing God in us. You know, we have to be reminded that God was in us because we start to see God as an outside, an outside entity that's personified as opposed to being something that is deeply in us already.

01:06:53:02 - 01:07:17:15
Unknown
So I see kind of a parallel between those two points you brought up today. Yeah, yeah. Thank you, thank you. Yeah. And it's I think the word Beto come inside of you is really important and valuable because it's like the, the God that exists in the space created when human beings build together, when human beings work together, as opposed to, you know, once the space is made, I'll go inside it.

01:07:17:17 - 01:07:45:01
Unknown
You know, that's actually it's importantly not that, it's importantly, like God's presence being felt, in, in people when they work together. Okay. Rickie. And then Lexi. Yeah. This is so great. I love Nora so much. It's so rich. Yeah. Go ahead and Lexi. There. Yeah. Okay. Can you hear me? Okay. And then. Yeah. Yeah, yeah.

01:07:45:03 - 01:08:11:15
Unknown
I'm. I'm sunny and walk the dog. Sorry. So first of all, one, I really like, Martin, use the term stop moving around. Just hold the phone in front of your face, all right? I take myself off speed on video. Okay. Sorry. I don't wanna distract. Anyways, so the monkey right off instead of as one of my rabbis says, the devil doesn't need any aptitudes that we have.

01:08:11:15 - 01:08:32:02
Unknown
Like, there's a he. Have I said that? Yeah. That's your quote. The devil doesn't need any advocates. You know, that's so funny because, yeah, you know, I it's like, thank you. It's always great when someone quotes you back and then you don't said litter. That's the most of what people tell me. I said I have no memory of saying, but great.

01:08:32:02 - 01:09:04:17
Unknown
Thank you. Go on. Yeah. Okay. So and this idea of creating this mission, you know, whether or not they were materialistic people or not, where did all of that gold and silver of it came from? The pillaging of the Egyptians before they left Egypt, which I just I want to point out, you said pillaging reparations is another word one might use to describe the, you know, taking of material objects from their oppressors.

01:09:04:19 - 01:09:25:19
Unknown
For good reason. Go on. Yeah. Reparations. But the way it's written in the Torah feels very much. It doesn't sit right for me. Okay, I don't know, you know, I mean, I'm all for reparations, I guess, but. Yeah. Anyway, yeah, that's a whole separate, separate topic. So it's just weird. It isn't. It's not, it isn't, it's not.

01:09:25:19 - 01:09:52:13
Unknown
Because if these items did, in fact come from Egypt, which I don't know where else they would have come from. Well, that's what I'm going to. Yeah. Go ahead. Is the idea that maybe what you're doing is you are taking these items that. Yeah. And transforming them into holiness. So like the altar talks about, you know, money is not evil is not good or bad.

01:09:52:15 - 01:10:17:20
Unknown
It's how it is used. That's right. Yeah. You know, modern technology in itself is not good or bad. It's how it's used. So if we utilize the internet and disseminate Safari and take all of our Holy texts and put it in a way that makes it accessible for everyone, the internet is amazing. If you're addicted to porn and it's, you know, showing up for your kids, that's bad.

01:10:17:25 - 01:10:40:14
Unknown
So, you know, putting a fence around it. But yeah, it's it's a very interesting take on that when Martin brought that up. Yeah. Well, okay. Yeah. But I think, I think, you know, I mean, I don't know, I'm just kind of like, flowing with my thought because I'm an external processor, but the and this is all just coming out as you brought it up, which is what this is about anyway.

01:10:40:14 - 01:11:29:16
Unknown
I'm wrestling. But I think for me it's, it's about more is, how we use these things. And I think I like sitting with the idea that it is transforming these objects into something holy and positive, as opposed to it being materialistic. Or we could look at it like that, you know, look at some of these synagogues we create where, you know, we've all of a sudden in reform Judaism, American Jewry often sometimes has fallen into the assimilation and trying to mimic what a church is as opposed to, you know, you go to some of these Sephardic communities and those synagogues, and it's very difficult to say of, you know, no, I

01:11:29:16 - 01:11:56:29
Unknown
mean, no, Ricky, I think that's a really interesting comparison because I think, like, you know, we are we people, you know, living living now, I think are quick to judge and judge negatively. Our Jewish ancestors who came to the United States and created those very Christian looking and feeling buildings because we're like, oh my God, you guys are like, what were you doing?

01:11:56:29 - 01:12:16:17
Unknown
Trying to be like them? You know, imagining that if you could just build a church like synagogue and have Shabbat services on Sunday and take out all the Hebrew and take out the kashrut and take out the Judaism that then the, you know, Christians would accept you and you'd be able to, you know, meld into the melting pot of America and be successful and be accepted.

01:12:16:19 - 01:12:36:06
Unknown
But like, are you kidding? How could we blame them for wanting to be, you know, to to be accepted into this great country of America? The promise of America, the Golden, a Medina? Like, how could we blame them for that? Of course. Now 2020 hindsight, we could say, you know, like you made a lot of choices you didn't have to make.

01:12:36:06 - 01:12:58:19
Unknown
You made a lot of sacrifices and compromises you did not have to make. And like, you know, and and Jewish history may have looked quite different. Many Jewish children might have grown up with so much more of a sense of Judaism's richness, the depth of tradition, if it hadn't been focused on the opulence of the building, you know, and like what you wore to.

01:12:58:19 - 01:13:25:17
Unknown
Sure. Yeah. You know, and I'm like, oh my God, how can I judge them? You know, I, I it's hard it's it's hard to put myself in their shoes because like, I'm, you know, third generation born in America. But for my grandparents, my dad's parents, who came from Germany, all they wanted was to be mistaken for Americans, which, by the way, they never would have been because they had German accents, like, thicker than, you know, the butter.

01:13:25:17 - 01:13:52:13
Unknown
They breath breaded their they butter their bread with. But like, they didn't go to synagogue, they didn't want to go to synagogue. And when they did, they wanted the most least Jewish synagogue possible, you know. So anyway, I, you know, the idea of those spaces, those opulent spaces that were imitating the surrounding culture, being like transitional spaces that helped move our people from, you know, where they were to where they were going.

01:13:52:17 - 01:14:22:06
Unknown
It's like, maybe it wasn't necessary compromise, a hard compromise. Like we look back and we're like, oh God, did you have to do that? You know, like, I wish you hadn't done that. I wish you'd just gone straight to, you know, sort of to to Martin's point, like, you know, straight to the, the natural, like what we now know to be the sustainability, the earth based wisdom, the shamanistic wisdom, the agricultural wisdom that would kind of come out a little bit later.

01:14:22:09 - 01:14:39:25
Unknown
And, and that also they had with them, you know, the Torah talks about the spring Festival and the, you know, the, the planting seasons and whatever, but like, that, that sort of agricultural focus. We have it, we have it in there. It's just all so balanced with all this focus on stuff. Wouldn't it have been great if they hadn't done the stuff?

01:14:39:28 - 01:15:18:28
Unknown
But I'm just I'm wondering if it was possible, you know? Anyway. All right. So Lexi, and then it's like, I can't believe it's 916. This is so interesting. You guys. All right. Go ahead. Cool. Yeah. You've said a lot of the the things I was thinking about about just having to and I really appreciate. Yeah. Martin and the, you know, kind of juxtaposition with the finding things from the earth versus kind of needing these objects of civilization and, yeah, thinking of like the need to change our relationship with those objects and, right, like, let go of those being the idols and transform them into being the a thing of worship.

01:15:19:01 - 01:15:41:15
Unknown
Yes. But yeah, then the question that comes up for me is, I mean, one that's kind of bizarre, like having these objects out in the wilderness and where are they coming from? And you're schlepping them along and like, what's their utility in this next place that you're going? And I think, like, one of the ways that the Holy Land is described is like having this climate basically of precarity, right?

01:15:41:15 - 01:16:09:04
Unknown
Where you're like, you have these seasons of the growing season and then this season of, you know, of drought and, you know, that or that there's, I how is it described like that? Where, essentially like not building up huge amounts of wealth, right? That the idea is that there's like, enough in just enough.

01:16:09:06 - 01:16:48:29
Unknown
I can't remember where that, you know, where where I've, where I've learned about, kind of that as a, as a practice, but it feels like there's a kind of a tension between, this idea of the way that we're moving towards living in relationship to land and then, like, holding on to the, you know, these objects as part of our, like, worship ritual and wondering about, like, that arc of transition from, you know, leaving Egypt in this particular context than being in this period of how are we taking and transforming what we've carried from Egypt?

01:16:49:01 - 01:17:00:22
Unknown
And then, you know, what do we need to let go of before entering into this, like different kind of relationship with land? Yeah, yeah.

01:17:00:24 - 01:17:23:18
Unknown
Yeah yeah yeah yeah. I mean there's so there's like so much to talk about here just in terms of like, yeah, what we imbue stuff and that includes natural stuff like what we, what we imbue it with and the kind of like divine power we kind of give over to the stuff, whether it's gold or whether it is land.

01:17:23:20 - 01:17:48:16
Unknown
And you know how much we assume responsibility for it. I mean, the precarity that you're talking about is based almost entirely on our moral behavior, right? That like the the winds will blow and the rain will fall and the seasons will be predictable and the land will yield its produce on the condition that the Israelites walk in God's ways.

01:17:48:18 - 01:18:07:12
Unknown
Right. Like that's actually like the second paragraph of the Schama that we, you know, we sometimes read quickly and we sometimes, you know, it's but the reform movement took it out altogether because they found that idea offensive, because they were like, what are you talking about? You know, I like it almost like the world has a, it has, a flow of its own, independent of morality.

01:18:07:12 - 01:18:30:26
Unknown
And it's like, guys, they put it in, they put it back in later. But that precarity you're talking about is it's like based on our behavior, which I just, you know, think. Is it? Well, first of all, it's obviously, you know, it's it's obviously true, despite what the Trump administration recently said about, you know, how we can't prove that, you know, climate change is a response to human, human, activities.

01:18:30:29 - 01:18:58:16
Unknown
But, yeah, you know, like, what is it? Yeah, yeah, there's there's an interaction between, like, the stuff that's external, whether it's gold and silver and lapis lazuli or rivers and lakes and land and fruit and the seasons and like how we are working together to create our environment that seems to me the. Yeah, that seems to be the through line either way.

01:18:58:16 - 01:19:29:05
Unknown
Right. And then it gets into like, well, at what point is there I don't worship whether that's idol worship of, oh, the material or it's the obsession that you choose to, you know, whatever it is that you're putting your attention to or anger, you know, anger is just another form of idol worship. And or like, you know, is delish.com all involved having to be careful, turning it into idol worship.

01:19:29:11 - 01:19:53:19
Unknown
So, I don't know, I'm just again. So it came up me as you talked. Yeah. And Lexis. Yeah. Rabbi Allen Lu talks about the nothingness at the center of the opulence. You know that like in the ancient temple in the Holy of Holies, you know, when the high priest would go in there, what was there like? What was the Holy of Holies to be found in that holy of Holies?

01:19:53:19 - 01:20:22:17
Unknown
And the answer is nothing like space, openness. And that that's kind of like the ultimate spiritual, that is the ultimate spiritual experience and also challenge, you know, and he talks about the nothingness of sleep, you know, or being in a coma like the necessary nothingness that heals us. But it's like we can't exist in that space all the time.

01:20:22:19 - 01:20:49:10
Unknown
There has to be something that surrounds it that kind of contains it. But we are at risk of worshiping the thing that contains it instead of the space on the inside of it. Which I think is a beautiful. And maybe that's a beautiful place to end the conversation here, you know, here at Michigan, Chicago, Michigan, which, by the way, Michigan means space for God's presence for this Shekinah that, you know, Shin, had none.

01:20:49:15 - 01:21:02:08
Unknown
The Shekinah is in the Michigan, that dwelling space for the holy. So. Okay. Wow, guys, this was an epic. This was an epic. Learning this morning. Thank you.