✨ Shabbat Shalom ✨
Last week, Moses was given instructions on how to build the holy sanctuary, the mishkan. This week, God commands him to create sacred vestments for the priests—garments of dignity and beauty (kavod and tiferet).
In Kabbalah, tiferet represents the balance of chesed (loving-kindness) and gevurah (boundaries & strength)—a place of compassionate action and fierce love.
One of these vestments is the breastplate of judgment (mishpat), worn over the heart. It reminds the priest (and each of us) to seek justice with love—to stand before the Divine as Abraham did, advocating for humanity with courage and compassion.
God also commands the Israelites to light lamps every night to burn until morning (ner tamid) and to bring offerings (korban tamid) morning and evening—embodied acts of connection with the Divine.
In times of darkness, when the presence of Shechinah feels distant, we are called to step up. To build spaces for holiness.
To pursue justice with love. To connect daily with the Divine through prayer, action, and resistance.
May this Shabbat be a time to draw near, to kindle light, and to manifest Divine holiness in our world.
🕯️ Shabbat Shalom 🕯️
Rabbi Cat’s Musings on When the Palace Is Not Safe: Purim, Patriarchy, and the Cost of Proximity to Power
Rabbi Cat challenges the themes of Purim, contextualizing them within systems of power, complicity, and sexual exploitation.
