One Time, One Chance

By Wendy J. Glasser, WLCJ Convention Logistics Chair and North by Northwest Region Past President

This week’s parashah begins with God telling Moses to tell the Israelites to make olive oil for a lamp in front of the ark that will burn eternally. Then it transitions to appointing Aaron and his sons to be the priests responsible for maintaining the light above the ark and to be the representatives of the Israelites in Temple matters. Moses is now the municipal leader, God’s representative via the courts, water, food, routes through the desert, etc. But Aaron and his sons are now the spiritual leaders, representing the people to God. 

Immediately following this appointment, God tells Moses how the priests must be clothed. It then goes on for pages of the Chumash describing the clothes that must be made for and worn by the priests. A simple explanation for this would be that the clothes are to elevate the priests in the eyes of the people and set them apart. However, these clothes are only worn while the priests are acting in their role of priests. All other times they dress like all the other Israelites, so if the priestly garments are not to elevate and create a class of priests that are above the general populous at all times, why have such elaborate clothing while serving in the Mishkan and later the Temple service?

I have been studying the Japanese Tea Ceremony for 25 years. The Tea Ceremony was developed by Buddhist monks; even so, it is not a religious ceremony but a spiritual practice. When doing Tea, I put on a kimono. Putting on a kimono correctly is an intricate process that takes time and focus; I then bring that focus with me into the Tea Room to practice my Tea Ceremony. It is the focus and intention given to the actions of the Tea Ceremony that helps find the inner balance of the spiritual moment. I believe that one of the reasons for the priests dressing in the extremely complex robes before going into the Mishkan was to focus their attention and their intent on the service they were to perform. 

In Zen there is a saying: “One Time, One Chance.” It means that you need to be in the moment to experience it. Even if you have done something a million times, this time will always be different. You are different. Is this why Jacob had the moment when he said, “God was in this place and I did not know it”? Was he finally in the moment and experiencing God’s presence in the world?

This phrase applies to everything we do. Do we focus on the prayers we say in synagogue and at home or do we just recite the prayers in the siddur and complain that there is no spirituality in the service? When we are with our family and friends, are we there with intent and attention or are we thinking about what we are going to say, or what else there is to do? How many times did we miss our “God was in this place and we did not know it” moment? And how do we gain the focus that the light in the Mishkan and the priestly garments are trying to show us? The rabbis  tell us to say a blessing for every event in our life. I believe that is the rabbis showing us “One Time, One Chance.”  

Shabbat Shalom

Wendy J. Glasser
WLCJ Convention Logistics Chair and North by Northwest Region Past President
wglasser@wlcj.org