blogs/tcs

“You Shall Accept Gifts for Me From Every Person Whose Heart So Moves Him.”

by Micol Zimmerman Burkeman

In this week's Torah portion, T'rumah, God gives instructions to the Israelites concerning the building of the Tabernacle, the sanctuary in which God will dwell during their sojourn in the desert. Every element of the tabernacle is specified down to a T �" no design or material element is left with any room for interpretation. I can't help but think this would have been a tedious task for the more imaginative and creative types among them. Yet, as it concerned those who could contribute gifts to the building of this sanctuary, there was only one requirement: “you shall accept gifts for Me from every person whose heart so moves him.”

When it came to those who provided the very pieces that transformed a mere structure into a sanctuary, it was not about who had the most or finest materials; what mattered was the passion and commitment of the sanctuary's creators. The entire community was invited to play a part in the creation of this holy space, as long as their heart was in it. In the end, I believe it was the heart of the people, and not the exact materials or required dimensions, that made a dwelling place for God.

So I feel it is fitting to say that a group of community members just completed the building of our own tabernacle. No we did not build a physical sanctuary, though there were sets involved. What we built was a community �" one that was filled with heart, with passion, and of course with catchy musical numbers. The Community Synagogue Theater Company just wrapped up its final performance of its inaugural production “Bye Bye Birdie.”  And while our showtimes may have only spanned a week, this sanctuary of ours was months in the making.

It sounded odd to many at first when our Executive Producer and visionary Lori Zlotoff proposed the idea of a synagogue theater company.  Some wondered what a musical production had to do with the mission and purpose of a synagogue. As it turns out, the creation of this musical had everything to do with the mission and purpose of our synagogue. For we created so much more than a theater production; we created a sacred community.

Like the builders of the tabernacle, the only requirement of those who wished to be involved in the company was a heart that so moved them. And this was a group with heart. It was everything you search for in a spiritual community: welcoming, warm, and accepting. To witness both new members find a home in our community and veteran members see their old community with brand new eyes has been a remarkable sight to behold. Even after five years as the Rabbi's wife in this community, I have never felt more at home than I now do after this experience.

You can have all of the right materials and specs, but without the right community guided by heart and driven by commitment, the tabernacle was just a structure. It was the people and their spirit that created a dwelling place for God. And so goes the story of a band of theater lovers that brought God into this place, because their gifts were invited and their hearts accepted.