What Can a Tent in the Dessert Teach Me about My Relationships?

Today I watched www.g-dcast.com with my kids.  They do a great job on the Torah portion, using animation along with a story teller.  The cartoon lasts about 3 minutes or so and gets the point across.  My kids always seem to remember something from each lesson.   I admit I look forward to them as well.

When we finished watching this I asked them a couple of key questions and then we opened our Chumash (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy).  I had each child read a few sentences from this weeks portion (Exodus 25:1-27:19) and then had them tell me what they read. 

Parsha T'rumah (parsha means portion) is about the mishkan.   Points we focused on were:

-The mishkan is a portable tabernacle-you take it with you.

-The mishkan is made of many different materials from many different people.

-G-d made a request and let us decide how to answer.

The Parsha opens with G-d telling Moses to tell the Israelite People to bring Him gifts.  "...you shall accept gifts for Me from every person whose heart so moves him."  

The mishkan contained the tablets and also the divine presence of G-d,  by being portable He is telling us He will dwell with us where ever we are, and the commandments are ours no matter where we live.

The mishkan involved everyone, when everyone is part of a project they all feel connected.  The gold was not more important than the goat hair or the oil.  It was all necessary, as all people are necessary.  What we own does not define us, it is how we take care of what we do have and if we can part with it when it becomes more necessary for someone else to have it.  

G-d made a request of us, this is how the parsha opens, to give as we are moved to.  This is tzedakah.  Tzedakah is very important, as the term really means justice or to do what is right and just.

By being involved and giving as our heart moves us, we are given the opportunity to be part of the bigger picture, to have a deeper connection with G-d and each other.

Below is a picture of a tzedakah box I found in our dining room with the cute note attached.   One of my sons placed it there hoping we'd help him out.