Mirror, mirror on the wall

How would you define the word “holy?” It’s not “religious,” nor is it “spiritual.”

I actually prefer the word “distinctive.” You see, one doesn’t have to be

otherworldly to be holy.

Take money, for example. It’s greasy, often corrupt, the ultimate expression of materialism. But give it to a pauper, and you’ve sanctified it.

Last week in Vayakhel—the first of two portions read last Shabbat—the Mishkan, or sanctuary built in the wilderness, was finished. The people had contributed all the various materials necessary, and the sanctuary was complete. It wasn’t only a House of God, a House of Worsh...