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From the Rabbi’s Study
Creating a Sacred Space in Our New Sanctuary
Dear Friends,
And let them make Me a sanctuary, that I may dwell among them. Exodus 25:8
The renovation of our TCS sanctuary has meant that we have worshipped in temporary space for over a year. We have prayed outside on the grass, in the parking lot, inside a tent, at the beach, in a church social hall, in a classroom, and in the TCS Social Hall. We have literally been wandering Jews, but soon the wandering will come to an end as we move into our beautiful new sanctuary.
As we spoke to members of our TCS family at the beginning of our Koach campaign, many expressed the desire for a more “spiritual” or sacred space. I have always found it difficult to define “spiritual,” because what feels spiritual for one person may not feel spiritual for others. Nonetheless, we have attempted to provide a sense of greater spirituality in our renovated sanctuary by adding impressive windows that will provide a spectacular view of our outdoor surroundings. We will have a brand new reading table, Ark, and Ner Tamid (Eternal Light) that will be focal points of our sanctuary. You will also notice that we no longer have low soffits and instead have higher ceilings to provide more open, sacred space. We have added acoustical panels so that the music and the melodies of our prayers will be heard clearly, and most importantly, the sounds of the collective voices of our community will ring throughout the sanctuary. We always want the room to feel intimate and inviting, while allowing us the flexibility for a variety of seating arrangements. I believe we now have the unique opportunity to create an authentic sacred space if we collectively commit to this mission. What does that mean? It’s more than just providing high ceilings and gorgeous windows. To become a sacred space, it will require us to be more cognizant of what we say and how we act when entering the room. The sanctuary should feel different than the other rooms in the synagogue. Some conversations and tones of voice that are appropriate outside the sanctuary, perhaps should not be the way in which we speak inside the sanctuary. If we are truly entering “holy” space, let us remember to put on our kippot before entering the room so that our heads are covered as we enter, out of respect for God and our sacred sanctuary. If we are eating or drinking outside the sanctuary, let us put those items aside and not bring them with us as we cross the threshold into our makom kadosh, holy space. Together, let us create a true makom kadosh where we can be fully present and allow God to dwell among us.
B’shalom Rav, Rabbi Jeremy Wiederhorn
Rabbi Jeremy Wiederhorn
