Tetzaveh: The Gates and the Heart
Tetzaveh: The Gates and the Heart
Welcome to Shabbat Moment, a text study series with Yael Shy, from our friends at the Institute for Jewish Spirituality. Every week we share Yael’s Torah text study, mindfulness practice tips, and discussion questions for you to reflect + share with others at your Shabbat table. Subscribe here to get the Shabbat Moment delivered straight to your inbox!
This week’s Torah portion is Tetzaveh: The Gates and the Heart.
Parshat Tetzaveh, describes in intricate detail the glorious robes and clothing that the high priests were instructed to wear.
The ornate clothing for the priests are not about the clothing themselves, but about the sanctification process through the wearing of them.
The Israelites at this moment are less than one generation removed from slavery. To dress their priests, members of their tribe, in these lavish garments usually reserved for kings and queens is to insist on the value and worth of their own people.
So how do we connect to the holiness at the center of beauty? How do we relate to the grandeur all around us and within us without mistaking the vehicle (the beautiful things) for the cargo (the meaning)?
About the Author
Special thanks to Yael Shy and our friends at the Institute for Jewish Spirituality for joining us in creating weekly Shabbat moments for your Friday nights.
Yael Shy is the CEO of Mindfulness Consulting, LLC, where she teaches and consults on mindfulness for universities, corporations, and private clients around the world. She is the author of the award-winning book, What Now? Meditation for Your Twenties and Beyond (Parallax, 2017), and the founder of Mindful NYU, the largest campus-based mindfulness initiative in the US. Yael is a graduate of the IJS Jewish Mindfulness Teacher Training Certification.
