In Exodus chapter 25 verse 8, God said to Moses “And let them make Me a sanctuary that I may dwell among them.” While the context of this exhortation was very clearly the building of the Tabernacle, I think in many ways it describes the entire Jewish communal exercise. We must build a space, institutions, places, programs so that God may dwell among us.
And yet, what does that mean, really? I do not think many of us are actually expecting that we will build the right location and, as the Torah says happened in the Tabernacle, the spirit of God will physically descend. It is more likely, at least in my mind, that we, human beings created in the image of God with a spark of the divine, will carry that image and that spark in with our presence and our openness to express our unique reflection of it.
This leads directly to the age-old question, what does it mean to be created in the image of God, if we are all so very different?
I feel like there is often an immediate push to jump to shared values, our compassion, our inclination to good, our ability to love and feel joy. There is nothing wrong with this idea, and indeed I am sure that these are part of the image of God, and yet, I believe that there is more.
I believe that the image of God is vast, and that the integrity of each of us, from those things which are most similar to each other to those which are most unique, represent a facet, a passion of that total image.
What does that mean? That means that there are human beings who are blind and deaf and experience mobility disabilities because there is a part of God that shares those same characteristics. It means that there are human beings who have ADHD, autism or learning disabilities because some parts of God have ADHD, or autistic, or learn that way. Every disability, every difference, every race, every gender, every sexual orientation, all reflect some aspect of the massive, beautiful complexity that is God. We are all different because none of us alone reflect that enormity.
Within that context, what do we need to do to build a sanctuary so that God can truly dwell among us?
It seems that that sanctuary must be physically accessible, and designed to fully share information with those who are blind and deaf. It seems that that sanctuary must be a safe space for those who are neuro-diverse, and for all types of communication. It seems like that sanctuary must reach and embrace those experiencing mental illness, and must accommodate those with chemical and fragrance sensitivity, or allergies. It must be a sanctuary for Jews of all races, genders, sexual orientations and disabilities. Every barrier-every exclusion means an aspect of the Divine that we are not letting in.
So I ask all those involved in the Jewish communal enterprise, clergy and professionals, lay leaders and volunteers, and of course funders, let us work together to truly build a sanctuary of the fullness of God, as represented by the humans whom God created in God’s own image, can dwell among us.
