Thinking Torah Blog

I’ve been thinking about the word “feeling” lately. I love that we use feeling or feel for both internal emotions and physical sensations. So often, we separate our inner state from the externality of our worlds, but the truth is worlds always play off each other. Things that we physically feel can impact us emotionally and vice versa. Maybe feelings are the only things that get us moving in this life. Over and over again, in this week’s Torah portion, we encounter the idea of the people’s hearts moving them to action.

In some cases, the Hebrew is expressed as hearts being lifted to action or compelled to action. The process of hearts moving the people enables them to create the Mishkan, God’s dwelling place among the people. What sorts of feelings get you moving? How does your creative energy express itself externally when your heart moves you to action?