Seams and edges are the picture frames of our lives. We build them to help us locate our center through measuring from the circumference. It’s the seams that border our vision and delineate all that is directly connecting us to our core. As they don’t say in Hebrew, but probably should: השלווה בשוליים (ha-shalvah ba-shulayim) — tranquillity lies in the margins, in recognizing and welcoming the edges of our being, where our boundaries are. That’s where Tetzaveh takes us.
In Parshat Tetzaveh, the edges of substance play an integral part in building a mishkan (tabernacle) and a human central unit for the focussing of Gd’s presence in our world. Divided into three main parts, and bookended by the boundary-less light of the menora and fragrance of the incense, Tetzaveh tangibly examines what folds and creases we lay close to our hearts, and what it means to live on the edge of holiness.
