Modern life is characterized by its intensity. There is no dull moment. The best minds, who operate the media, advertising, culture and politics industries, are constantly creating storms, scandals, events and affairs.
The average person is sucked into this vortex, and that's how their life goes – from storm to storm and scandal to scandal.
It is doubtful whether we understand how destructive this reality is to our mental health. It robs us of peace and tranquility and disrupts the proportions of life.
Every statement is a 'storm,' every event a 'shaking,' every entanglement a 'scandal,' and a day or two later everything is forgotten in the wake of a new affair.
A chapter every week
But we also have another parasha, which changes over time – the Parasha of the Week.
Jews all over the world live the content of a Torah portion each week, and see it as the current events of that week. On Shabbat, we conclude the Book of Exodus by reading Parashat Pekudi, which tells of the completion of the work to build the Tabernacle and its actual erection by Moses our Lord.
Picture the life of the Israelites in the wilderness. In the center of the camp stood the Tabernacle, and the cloud of the Lord dwelt upon it. From it came the word of the Lord to the people of Israel. The divine cloud guided the people in their wanderings, as the parsha concludes: "For the cloud of the Lord was upon the Tabernacle by day, and fire was in it by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel, throughout all their journeys.".
The traveling tabernacle was replaced by the permanent temple – the Temple in Jerusalem. After its destruction, we were left with prayer and anticipation for its reconstruction, and with the synagogues and study halls, known as the 'small temple'.
But this is the place where one can calibrate the clocks, and cleanse oneself from the constant hustle and bustle of life.
Unfortunately, harassment and disruptions try to haunt us even when we are in synagogue, as they chirp from cell phones.
Many have adopted a good habit of turning off their devices before entering synagogue, or simply leaving them at home and in their cars. They have discovered to their surprise that the world has continued on its course, and that no disaster has occurred due to their unavailability during prayer and Torah study.
Yes, it turns out that not every one of us is an emergency room manager or a chief of staff.
Reset time
The ability to detach from the hustle and bustle of life and devote ourselves to the inner essence of our existence – praying to the Creator of the world and setting aside times to study Torah – is the key to survival in today's crazy world.
That hour of silence, when we stand before the One who sits on high, allows us to return to proportion. The ability to forget all the worries of the world during Torah study restores our sanity.
This is the time when we enter the "Mishkan" and connect with the Creator and Leader of the world. This connection also allows us to see clearly the course of our lives and the right path to take at life's crossroads, just as the Mishkan guided the people of Israel through the Sinai Desert.
The daily entry into the 'Mishkan' is even more essential in the modern pace of life. Without this moment of reset, we risk being shaken like a leaf in the wind by the powerful forces that govern the public agenda. It is precisely in this reality that it is important to enter the 'Mishkan' and connect with ourselves.
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