This article was originally published in 2018.
We are all familiar with the way most fairytales end. And they lived happily ever after. At the end of countless tales and stories, we find everyone ending up happy and, most importantly, in love. Why is it that so many fairytales end this way? I think it’s because we all know in our hearts that love is all there truly is. We know love is the answer to all our problems. Love is the final word. It is the reason we came to this Earth, and it is all that we leave behind when we leave.
Our Torah hints to us this secret. The Torah ends with the letter Lamed and begins with the letter Beit, spelling the word “lev”. “Lev” in Hebrew means heart. When a student was once asked to describe the entire Bible in the time it takes to stand on one foot, the teacher said, “Love your neighbor as yourself. The rest is commentary.”
"Our purpose in life is very simple, but not so easy."
Our purpose in life is very simple, but not so easy. All we are meant to do is to love one another.
This is the kind of energy the world needs now more than ever. This is the type of energy that brings about the peace, joy, and fulfillment we so desperately need and desire.
This week, we come to the final portions for the month of Pisces, Vayakhel and Pekudei. They are also the final portions in the book of Exodus. We have come to the end of a story. With no surprise, what we find here too is love. In Vayakhel and Pekudei, we read of the completion and building of the Tabernacle, the house where the Creator will dwell. After several portions of preparations where the Israelites have contributed to its building, at the end of the chapter of Pekudei it reads, “Then the cloud covered the Tent of Meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the Tabernacle.” Once the Vessel — the Tabernacle itself — was prepared, the Light of the Creator was able to enter and fill it. This was the first time such a place existed in the physical world. The full total awesome love of the Creator was finally able to manifest at its peak on the physical plane. Every time we create a space for the Creator to enter our life, we rebuild the Tabernacle in our own lives. When the Creator dwells with us, what we find is the beautiful energy of love. We become engulfed in love.
When we read about the work of building the Tabernacle, what we are actually reading about is the work of learning how to love each other and remove the apathy and coldness from our hearts. It is then the Creator and His love can dwell with us, and we can be at one with Him.
Incredibly, in addition to this great finality, we also read about the Red Heifer. The Red Heifer purified the negativity of the Golden Calf. The Golden Calf was the idol the Israelites created to replace Moses in the previous chapter. The reading of the Red Heifer purifies us of all negativity, hatred, and fears. For where there is love, fear and hatred cannot coexist.
"All we are meant to do is to love one another."
We are blessed this week to be supported by the Universe in that we have the energy of the completed Vessel of the Tabernacle and the purification of the Red Heifer. Both energies create a divine space for the holy love of the Creator to enter our lives, and for us to share that love with others.
When we think about the story of our own lives, it seems the sum total of our lives has been mostly about love. When we are little children, we seek the love of our parents. As we grow up, we start to search for whom we can love. Oftentimes, we get hurt and our heart closes down to protect ourselves from future pain. Then with the passing of time, we learn to love again. We give love a second, and even third chance. If we find our hearts have closed, we try again to reveal that spark of the Creator inside of us; a spark that longs to impart love and care for others. Even if we find that we may get hurt, in time the love that makes up our cells, bones, and every fiber of our being, eventually breaks through the cracks and the wounds to shine through once again. Our story, like many, is one of trials and challenges. But all our life experiences are designed to bring us to the end point of awakening that spark of divinity inside of each and every one of us. That spark of divinity is pure love.
Like a diamond buried in the rock of the Earth, the love within must be cultivated, explored, and redeemed. It is then we discover that most precious of all jewels: a heart shining with the brilliance of love.
This week in your meditations, sit quietly and place your hand over your chest. Breathe. Feel your beating heart. Begin to see your life for the beautiful story it is. Respect each moment. Appreciate each event. For all the characters and experiences in your life have been there to teach you what love is and how to love. Your life experiences have been solely there to awaken the Creator within you. See your life as a beautiful journey that will culminate one day in peace and love.
It is the whole purpose of the human experience, I believe, to learn how to love. Achieving that simple and yet great task of loving our neighbor as ourselves is the key to activating peace on Earth and removing all the pain and chaos from it.
I know, if we are open to it and are willing to do the work, each one of us can achieve a space where we will know true joy, peace, and fulfillment. We all can earn our place in the world to come, and a place in this world. We can live a life happily ever after. A life we were always destined to live.
This week, the story continues my friends. Let it continue with Love.
