This Shabbat, reading two parashot<\/i> (Vaiakhel<\/i> y Pekud\u00e9i<\/i>, (gathered and accounts, respectively) we finished the second book of the Torah, the book of Shmot<\/i>. The book ends by detailing the construction of the Mishkan<\/i>, the Tabernacle, and the revelation of the divine presence within it. At the end of the narrative, the Torah says (Exodus 40:36): \u201cAnd when the cloud had risen from above the Mishkan<\/i>, The Israelites traveled in all their journeys.\u201d The Jewish people traveled throughout the desert guided by God. The way they knew where to camp and when to leave a place was through a cloud that rested above them. Mishkan<\/i>, or he withdrew from it.<\/p>\n
This cloud represented the divine presence in the Mishkan<\/i>. In fact, the purpose of the Tabernacle was to have God's presence in the camp of the Jewish people. It follows, then, that the Jewish people traveled when the cloud withdrew.<\/p>\n
All matters in the Torah are teachings for daily life. What do these journeys "when the cloud withdrew" teach us?<\/p>\n
We can view the odyssey of the Jewish people as a series of slides reflecting our own reality: the Exodus from Egypt, the journey through the desert, and the entry into the Land of Israel represent the birth of the Jewish people, the current exile, and the Final Redemption. We now find ourselves in the period leading up to Redemption, close to \u201centering\u201d the Land of Israel. It is precisely here, in the desert, a place devoid of inhabitants, representing the lack of divine revelation in the Diaspora exile, that we must reveal God through the observance of Torah and Mitzvot in order to \u201carrive\u201d in the \u201cLand of Israel.\u201d.<\/p>\n
It's precisely the same idea as the journeys of the Jewish people "when the cloud lifted." It's easy to be observant when God's presence is revealed in this material world. In the case of Mishkan<\/i> It would be like traveling when the cloud is over the Tabernacle. But the purpose of creation is to fill the world with holiness precisely in those places and circumstances where God is hidden.<\/p>\n
The Midrash says regarding the purpose of creation that \u201cGod desired to have a dwelling place in the lower worlds.\u201d Lower worlds signify circumstances in which God is hidden, because before Him there is no \u201chigher\u201d or \u201clower.\u201d The goal is that in the places where the divine presence is hidden, we reveal it.<\/p>\n
That is why the Jewish people traveled "when the cloud lifted," because we must grow and develop by overcoming the difficulties God presents to us. These difficulties symbolize a concealment of God's presence, and by overcoming them, we reveal the true purpose of that difficulty: personal growth and a closer relationship with God.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Este Shabat, leyendo dos parashot (Vaiakhel y Pekud\u00e9i, reuni\u00f3 y cuentas, respectivamente) terminamos el segundo libro de la Tor\u00e1, el libro de Shmot. El libro termina detallando la construcci\u00f3n del Mishk\u00e1n, el Tabern\u00e1culo, y la revelaci\u00f3n de la presencia divina en \u00e9l. Al final del relato, la Tor\u00e1 dice (Shmot 40:36): \u201cY cuando se elevaba… Read More \u00bbThe trip<\/span><\/a>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5116,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"neve_meta_sidebar":"","neve_meta_container":"","neve_meta_enable_content_width":"","neve_meta_content_width":0,"neve_meta_title_alignment":"","neve_meta_author_avatar":"","neve_post_elements_order":"","neve_meta_disable_header":"","neve_meta_disable_footer":"","neve_meta_disable_title":"","episode_type":"","audio_file":"","podmotor_file_id":"","podmotor_episode_id":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"","filesize":"","filesize_raw":"","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":"","itunes_episode_number":"","itunes_title":"","itunes_season_number":"","itunes_episode_type":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[9,58],"tags":[972],"series":[],"class_list":["post-3154","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-editoriales","category-pekudei","tag-mishkan"],"episode_featured_image":"https:\/\/tuviaserber.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/Viaje.jpg","episode_player_image":"https:\/\/tuviaserber.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/avatar1400.jpeg","download_link":"","player_link":"","audio_player":false,"episode_data":{"playerMode":"light","subscribeUrls":{"castbox":{"key":"castbox","url":"","label":"CastBox","class":"castbox","icon":"castbox.png"},"rss":{"key":"rss","url":"","label":"RSS","class":"rss","icon":"rss.png"},"spotify":{"key":"spotify","url":"","label":"Spotify","class":"spotify","icon":"spotify.png"}},"rssFeedUrl":"https:\/\/tuviaserber.com\/en\/feed\/podcast\/rabino-tuvia-serber","embedCode":"El viaje<\/a><\/blockquote>