Weekly Newsletter: Temple Home

​When the Jewish temple was destroyed, the nation of Israel went into exile without their sacred place of worship for two thousand years. During that time the rabbis devised a plan to make each home a temple by ritualizing the Sabbath. Candles were used in the ceremony, and the meal became an offering. Bread and wine were served as a type of communion.
 
The notion that the path to The Divine goes only through a religious structure is wrong — whether that structure is a building or a regulated set of beliefs doesn’t matter. Most people understand this fact, but at times we forget, or we allow the subtle influences of religion to convince us that home worship or having a home church/temple is not good enough. For more than two thousand years it served the Jewish nation. Home worship continues to work today and will always be a legitimate path Home.
 
When we struggle to find a religious system that meets our needs, we can always choose to worship at home. We can ritualize the practice, but even that is optional. Most things fall into a pattern, and by doing the same things in the same way during our home practice, we could unknowingly be creating a new ritual. But, we can always vary the pattern anytime we feel a need for change.