At The Core, We Are One

In this weeks parsha, Teruma, we read how Hashem commands the Jewish people, to build the Mishkan.

While most of the vessels in the Mishkan were constructed from a combination of materials, two, the Menorah and the Kaporess were made from solid gold. Welding was forbidden, they were only to be hammered from solid chunks of gold.

What significance do these two hold? Why did they have to be made of one solid piece?

The Kaporess covered the Aron, the ark. It was a rectangular plate that had two cherubim protruding from the top, one had the face of a girl, the other a boy. It symbolized the relationship between Hashem and the Jewish people. It is one solid piece because though at times our relationship seems rocky, we are in essence one and therefore symbolized by one solid piece.

The Menorah symbolized the relationship of the Jewish people to one another. The Menorah had seven branches, this suggests that we have differences. Again, it was from one solid piece, because at the core we are one. This core is the Neshama, the soul, which is truly a part of Hashem. The more we are in tune with our Neshama, the more love you feel towards other Jewish people, because he and you share a single essential core. Loving him is loving yourself.

Both were made of pure gold to show how important these ideas are, to accomplish our mission, to change the world into a Mishkan, a place where Hashem´s presence can dwell openly.

First, being one with Hashem, we can accomplish extraordinary things, we "can" change the world.

Second, each of us has a unique mission, however we are all in this together. Being there for each other is necessary to accomplish our common goal. Loving each other is the catalist for change.