Dear friends,
Cleaning for Pesach in many Jewish homes becomes an organization campaign. Going through the house collections can include some nostalgic moments, adding some color and excitement to a task that could be tiresome at times. We had one such moment this week.
After last Chanukah, when our son Leibel was "rich" with the Chanukah Gelt we gave him (not the chocolate kind...) he knew what his money would go for. He wanted to buy himself an assembly kit so he can build a model of the Mishkan (the Tabernacle – the ancient temple in the dessert). Leibel was very excited when the box arrived in the mail and a few days later (with some help) the masterpiece was standing in full glory.
Shortly after the model was completed it was left unattended on the couch. As you can imagine, putting human weight on this little temple was not the best idea... The result was pretty devastating. Many of the little puzzle pieces were broken, Leibel wasn't happy at all, but throwing it out wasn't an option. We put it aside.
On Monday, when we came across the broken model while cleaning for Pesach - I decided to make an effort to fix it. I called Leibel and together we put glue on the tiny pieces and after a few hours the Mishkan was ready, again. I took a step back to admire our work, then I realized - tonight is the first of Nissan, the same date that the Mishkan was completed in the Sinai dessert, as describes in the book of Exodus. When I looked at Leibel's eyes, I felt more than ever before the joyous celebration that took place that day, 3,324 years ago.
lindy shortt wrote...
Regards from Palm Desert,
Meshpachat Shortt
Sheila Tompson wrote...
Elisabeth Gelb wrote...
Morah Faiga wrote...
Your story brought back memories for me of my father and the model zoo he made for me and my sisters. He lovingly designed and crafted enclosures appropriate for each type of animal. He searched for miniature animals...elephants, giraffes, gazelles, ostriches, lions...and like Noah's Ark, we had two of each, male and female, and if we were lucky, a calf, cub or chick.
The zoo is long, gone...the animals given away or sold in the early nineties when my parents moved out of the home where I grew up. When I'm with my family for Pesach, I will ask if any of them have any pictures of our zoo.
When Leibel is grown, I'm sure he'll remember the day his Tate helped him rebuild his Mishkan.