This is Shabbat Parah, the Shabbat of the “red heifer”, which prepares us for Passover. The special additional readings remind us of the ancient purification rituals required to get ready for Passover during the times of the Temple in Jerusalem.
Exodus 35 places two ideas of holiness – Shabbat as a time of not doing, and the instructions for the building of our temporary worship tent in the desert, the Mishkan – right next to each other.
From this juxtaposition, Jewish sages have taught that the activities of building the Mishkan, though holy, are prohibited during the holy time of Shabbat.
Drawing distinctions creates the sacred in Judaism and asks us to think. The work of the week includes all sorts of building, no matter how important. Such “doing” is distinct from the “ceasing” we do on Shabbat which helps us reflect and find greater meaning for the next week’s “doing”. This is a rhythm of holiness.
Instead of “holy” and “not holy”, we have different sorts of holiness.
A main Jewish principle is that fine lines, shades of close distinction, help us create holy spaces and times, and so build caring and holy communities.
What important work are we doing this week to bring people together to accomplish something important for one another?
How can we best stop that work, for a moment, think about it, and then pursue it better after a pause?
Wishing all of you a holy week, and a differently holy Shabbat,
Jonathan