We often envy the simple lives of previous generations. They may have had smaller apartments and less comfort and abundance, but they had peace of mind. They did not live in the intense turmoil of modern life, amidst countless storms, scandals, events, and scandals.
Do we realize how destructive this intensity is to our mental health?
It takes away our peace and quiet and disrupts the proportions of life. Every statement becomes 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.
Can you stop?
But we also have another portion - the weekly portion. Jews all over the world live the content of a portion in the Torah every week. For them, it is the current affairs of that week. On Shabbat, we read in the Torah the portion of Vayyakhel, which tells of the work of building the Tabernacle and its vessels, and we live with the things detailed in this portion.
Picture before your eyes the life of the Israelites in the wilderness. In the center of the camp stands the Tabernacle, with the Divine Presence within it. In the Holy of Holies stands the Ark of the Covenant, with the two cherubim on it, and from there the divine speech to Moses our Lord was heard.
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 clear one's head from the constant hustle and bustle of life.
Harassment and disruptions try to follow us into the synagogue, too, via our cell phones. Many have adopted a good habit of turning off their devices before entering the synagogue, or simply leaving them at home and in their cars. They discovered to their surprise that the world went on, and that no disaster 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.
Enter the 'Mishkan''
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 the frenetic pace of life today.
That hour of silence, when we stand before the One who sits on high, allows us to return to proportion. The opportunity 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 cloud of God over 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 reset time, 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 and the things that truly matter.
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