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Our Personal
‘Holy Of Holies’

Parshat Acharei
Mot/Shabbat Machar
Chodesh: Leviticus 16:1-18:30;
I Samuel 20:18-20:42.

I

t may seem odd to think about
personal, private places of holiness:
Yom Kippur in the middle of
places where we go to be alone, as
spring, but each year at this time,
Aaron was, with our loftiest thoughts
the annual cycle of the reading of the
and our deepest hopes. Some of those
Torah brings us a “preview” of the Day places are physically accessible to us
of Atonement. We read of the ritual of
each day and some are places we can
atonement performed by Aaron in the
reach mainly through memory. Often
Holy of Holies, the innermost place in
the latter types of places resonate most
the Tabernacle.
deeply with us.
This holy space in the
For many years, I
Tabernacle, and the simi-
worked at Camp Ramah in
lar space in the Temples in
New England, one of the
Jerusalem, were entered only
Conservative movement’s
on Yom Kippur and only by
summer camps. Even though
the Kohen Gadol, the High
it has been many years since
Priest. Entering that space
I spent summers there —
alone surely was the most
through all the places I’ve
sacred moment of the year for Rabbi Robert been and all the precious
Dobrusin
the High Priest.
memories I have created with
Since the destruction of the
my family and friends since
Temple, the Holy of Holies is only a
then — I still remember how much
memory. In many ways, “time” has sig- that place meant to me and how much
nificantly replaced “place” as we search I learned there.
for holiness in our lives, and when we
And, quite often, I find myself
read this reading on Yom Kippur, we
thinking of standing by the lake in my
realize that our Holy of Holies is in fact favorite spot very early on Shabbat
Yom Kippur itself. Rather than seek-
morning when everyone else was
ing a holy place, we find ourselves in a asleep and the simple quiet reflected
holy time standing alone before God.
the peace of Shabbat. It is a holy place
But, holiness is not only about time. for me, a sacred place of memory.
We can still conceive of places being
Whether it is a sacred space that
holy, even if not in quite the same way we visit physically or one that we visit
as the inner sanctum of the Tabernacle only through our memories, we should
or Temple.
all keep in mind the significance of the
Some think of religious sites such
places that are our “Holy of Holies.” We
as the Kotel, the Western Wall, where
should all recognize and celebrate our
they feel their thoughts and prayers
need to find places of meaning in our
are elevated.
lives.
We can also think of the cemeter-
Robert Dobrusin is a rabbi at Beth Israel
ies where loved ones are buried or the
synagogues we grew up in, so often the Congregation in Ann Arbor.
destinations of pilgrimages throughout
our lives.
And, we can surely and primarily
Conversations
think of our homes, the holy sanctu-
• Where is your “Holy of Holies”?
aries in which our families can find
• What place, past or present, ele-
peace and serenity in a chaotic world.
vates you?
In addition, each of us should have

*

30 Y E A

RS

Institute for Retired Professionals

The Jewish Community Center
of Metropolitan Detroit

YOU’RE INVITED TO THE IRP

30th Anniversary
Celebration

Wednesday, May 25, 2016

Appetizers: 5 p.m.

Dinner and entertainment:
5:45-9 p.m.

F E AT U R I N G

The Dave Bennett Quartet in
“A Tribute to Benny Goodman”

Congregation Beth Ahm

:0DSOH5RDG:HVW%ORRPƬHOG

(Shuttles for $5 per person, round-trip, will be available from
Congregation Beth Shalom and from the JCC at 4:15 p.m.)

IRP members: $36
Non-members: $45

Reservations and payment required by

Wednesday, May 18

(No reservations accepted or refunds given
after this date)

For reservations or more information:
Sharon Levine, IRP director:
slevine@jccdet.org or 248.432.5406

Jewish Community Center of Metropolitan Detroit
D. Dan & Betty Kahn Building
Eugene & Marcia Applebaum Jewish Community Campus
:0DSOH5RDG:HVW%ORRPƬHOG0,

www.jccdet.org

2093290

May 5 • 2016

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