Home Sweet Home
There is an expression, “Money can buy a house, but not a home”. What is so unique about creating a home which engenders the feelings of warmth, love, and acceptance that may be challenging to replicate elsewhere?
The structure of a house along with its design, furniture and amenities obviously serves an important role, however, they do not define the ultimate nature of one’s home. For one can find shelter or even enjoy quality hospitality elsewhere but, of course, it's still not quite the same as one's home.
A home is a place where our essence and inner core is revealed. A home is where we feel most comfortable to express our inner feelings and desires. It is a place where we feel we truly belong.
In Yiddish we sometimes refer to that sentiment as Heimish (i.e. homey). A Heimishe person is often someone with whom we are familiar and feel comfortable hanging out with. You may have been to Heimishe bakeries or cafés which sell home-made style Challahs, babka or chicken soup and where the store owner is on a first-name basis with all their customers.
While that “Heimish” feeling is most easily sensed in our actual homes, we are empowered to create that atmosphere in other environments as well such as in our workplace, in communal spaces, and even while we travel.
This coming week, we usher in the holiday of Shavuot, when we commemorate and relive the very moments when we stood at Mount Sinai to receive the Torah over three thousand years ago. It is a Mitzvah to listen to the reading of the Ten Commandments in Synagogue on the first day of Shavuot and eat dairy foods (see here for more on these traditions).
To appreciate what this holiday represents, we must first understand the nature of Torah; the mission statement of Judaism and the purpose of creation in general. This is summed up in a succinct statement from the Midrash: “G‑d desired to have a home in this physical world (i.e. among mortals)”.
G-d could have easily created a perfect world inhabited by angelic humans without the challenges and evil which exists in society. However, without free choice, our actions would become meaningless and predictable. There would be no purpose to life.
Instead, G-d created physical human beings, along with our frailties and imperfections, and gave us the Torah as a guide to lead purposeful lives and develop meaningful relationships with our Creator and the people around us.
While G-d and His energy exists everywhere and is intimately involved in every aspect of the world, His presence is mostly hidden within creation and is not perceived by ordinary people.
G‑d, is by definition, infinite and unbounded, and thus above our comprehension. So how can a limited mortal relate to an unlimited G‑d, let alone create a “home” for Him?
The Midrash states that before the giving of the Torah, the heavens, the spiritual realms, were self-contained; they had no influence on the material realm. And human beings, living as we do in the earthly realm, had no way of tapping into the spiritual. At the Giving of the Torah, this changed. G‑d allowed for communication between the two realms. Thus it is written: “And G‑d descended on Mt. Sinai.” G‑d made Himself manifest and accessible to humans.
We are given the opportunity to elevate ourselves and our surrounding environment and endow it with spiritual content thereby creating a “home” for G-d on earth. At Sinai, G‑d gave us the Torah to immortalize this experience. Sinai thus became not a one-time event, but rather the establishment of a channel that continues to enable human beings and G‑d to relate to each other. When a person studies Torah or performs a Mitzvah, one connects with G-d’s essence thereby elevating the mind and infusing the physical object with which the Mitzvah was performed with holiness.
This concept is expressed in the Talmud (Shabbat 88b) which describes how when Moses went up to heaven to receive the Torah from G-d, the angels complained that the Torah, being a precious treasure, should remain in their domain and not be given to lowly people. In response, Moses demonstrated how each of the Ten Commandments, such as belief in G-d, observing Shabbat, honoring one’s parents, prohibitions of murder, stealing, and adultery etc. are only relevant to physical people who deal with the challenges of daily life. Eventually, the angels acquiesce that the Torah should be gifted to the Jewish people.
Practically speaking, when we pause in the middle of our workday to learn Torah, give Tzedakah or perform any other Mitzvah, we are inviting G-d into our workplace and professional life. When we use technology or social media to make a positive difference in someone's day, we are fulfilling the true purpose for which it was created. When we host a Shabbat or holiday dinner, we are elevating an otherwise mundane experience into something special and meaningful.
Our Sages explain that the ultimate goal of creating a “home” for G-d will be fully realized in the Era of the Redemption (Moshiach). However, G‑d desired that mortals themselves should fashion this dwelling, for people have a natural tendency to appreciate the fruit of their own labors. For thousands of years, human beings have been consciously or unconsciously constructing G‑d’s dwelling, and now it is emerging before our very eyes.
