Elliot Lasky was a teenager who was on tour with the Rolling Stones in the 1970s.
He once visited the Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson of blessed memory, and asked him, “Where is G-d?”
The Rebbe replied that G-d is everywhere, in every part of creation.
Elliot looked at the Rebbe and said, “I know, but where?”
The Rebbe gently replied, “G-d is in your heart.”
The Torah tells of the sanctuary that Moses and the Jewish people built in the desert. G-d commanded, “They shall make for Me a sanctuary, and I will dwell in them.” Not in it — but in them. Our sages explain: G-d tells us to create a sanctuary within each of us.
The Temple in Jerusalem was later built as a permanent sanctuary, but the original command was always personal.
The world can at times feel turbulent, ever revolving. In our personal lives we find ourselves keeping up, answering emails, scheduling appointments, worrying about the details, health, family, finances, the markets, the economy, the future.
Hashem tells us that at your core you have a G-dly soul that is one with G-d. The essence of your soul is unbridled light. A core that is never shaken. Never afraid. Always focused. An oasis of inner peace.
Our task is to reveal the essence of our soul into our conscious human experience, a source of eternal inner strength — to create that sanctuary within us. That’s how we create serenity in our lives and generate light to those around us. It starts from within.
Just as the sanctuary was a place of Torah, prayer, and blessing, so too our lives can be filled with learning, heartfelt prayer, and acts of kindness and generosity. When we open our hearts through Torah study, speak to G-d in sincere prayer, and share our blessings with others, we create a dwelling place for the Divine. Every time we do a mitzvah, we reveal more of our eternal light.
G-d is not distant. G-d is already within us and with us.
May G-d bless you and fulfill your heart’s wishes for the good!
Rabbi Berel Namdar is co-founder and executive director of Chabad of Singer Island, Juno Beach & the Beaches. He can be reached at 561.318.0979, http://www.jewishsingerisland.com.
