It all started for me with parshat Vayetzei. In this parsha, Yaakov sleeps in the place that will become the Beit haMikdash, and upon waking, exclaims,
“…surely God is in this place and I did not know it…. How awesome is this place. This is none other than God’s House, and this is the Gateway to Heaven.” (Beresheit/Genesis 28:16-17)
Our homes are SO important. Not the house itself, although I believe that can affect the mood and serve important functions. But the home. The mental picture we all hold that is our place of comfort, the place where we belong, the place from which we draw inspiration, the place we come back to. Women are a big part of our family’s home –the akeret habayit, or foundation of the home. We can make this safe, inspiring, and Torah-true home for our families. I have been thinking about this a lot after I read this article on Vayeitzei.
Here is the quote that inspires me (emphasis mine):
In exile the concept of “God’s House” would be embodied in the House of Prayer, House of Study, and the Jewish Home. These three would preserve the Jewish people in exile and enable them to return to Israel and receive the ultimate House of God, the third Temple.
What an awesome group to be in!
How can we create the kind of home we’d like to? Part of this is organization, part inspiration, and part comes from Hashem. We need to be sure to use our families’ resources (time, energy, and money) wisely and purposefully to create the kind of home environment we need: Torah-true, joyful, peaceful, engaged, inspiring, and loving. That’s my goal. Of course, there is always more work to do. But bit by bit, we’re doing the work.
And with God’s help, we are powerful. So do something deliberate toward what you want to create, and watch the ripples.
