This meditation explores the relationship between the mishkan (Tabernacle), work and Shabbat. We start by noticing the multiplicity of vessels and labors and creations in the mishkan, noting that multiplicity inside ourselves as well, and feeling into the sense of overwhelm and fragmentation we sometimes experiece as a result. And then we consider what makes the mishkan “one,” a word used frequently in these parshiyot, the divine presence that lies at its center, lending the many parts an integrity and wholeness. Reflecting this inside, we find our own core singular yearning for the divine and use that essential drive to begin to join and unite our separate parts into some integrated whole. We find in this unity some deep rest, the rest of Shabbat, and consider how this peacefulness could infuse our work, noticing also that in this whole scheme, we are more important than the work, that what lies at the heart of it all is God and us resting and dwelling together.
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