By Jesse Schaffer

Good news. The parasha this week is Terumah. In it god instructs the people of Israel to build god a mishkan or “intentional dwelling.” The description of this mishkan is incredibly in-depth and vivid. It is clearly made with much intention and dedication. Extensive effort is put into creating this dwelling. This focus on the kavana of a place to dwell, to be, in itself connected with me this week on a profound level. This idea of setting aside intention towards creating a space is wonderful and reminds of Shabbat. It is the time in the week in which we make a different space for ourselves to dwell within spiritually. We all have the opportunity to dwell in the midst of Shabbat, weekly. Shabbat, for me, is a time to disconnect, detach from the week, and focus in. I try to let go from the past week. A time for me to simply exist and experience peace. Once a week I get to create this shabbat dwelling in my life. I turn off my cell phone and laptop and disconnect from all the stress. I get to relax and finally breathe out. Our lives get busy at times and we often get caught up without noticing it. Taking the time to stop what we're doing and refocus ourselves is important. For me, this is my weekly mishkan, a meditation, a dwelling of intention for Shabbat. This parasha serves as an intention for Shabbat, a chance for us all to have this mishkan, this dwelling, in our lives.