This guide for connection and discussion is provided through a collaborative relationship with www.ValuesandEthics.org. Intended for parents, they can be utilized by educators in formal and informal environments to connect Torah topics to children's lives in meaningful ways.

The old adage says there’s no place like home. And it’s true, that there’s no place like home to come to at an end of a tiring work day, a business trip, or a vacation. When children have had strange and sometimes frightening experiences or an exhausting day, it’s so comforting to come home to mom and dad and snuggle up in one’s very own bed.

This week’s parsha is about building a sanctuary, a home for God. A sanctuary is a holy place where God will meet with human beings. God’s home is a beautiful place, made with precious materials of gold, precious stones and wood. There is a certain place within this beautiful home, between two cherubim specifically, that God says will be a meeting point between the divine and the human.

As we design our homes for ourselves and our children, it is important to think about how our meeting places are organized. Are they organized around a computer or a television, or are they set up so that family members will have eye contact and conversation is facilitated? An interesting exercise would be to scan one’s home in one’s mind eye to note how many places are focused around isolated activities and how many around simply being together with family and/or visitors.

TALK TO YOUR KIDS about organizing your home to improve the quality and quantity of family time spent together.

CONNECT TO THEIR LIVES:

• What do you like best about being home?

• What is your favorite part of your home?

• What is your least favorite part of your home?

By Rabbi Dianne Cohler-Esses

Values & Ethics—Through a Jewish Lens is created by Fred and Joyce Claar to bring the wisdom of Judaism into family discussions.