The Power of Loss (Terumah)

A parent’s job description is to nurture and guide a child into responsible, self-confident adulthood.

A crucial part of this is helping him process failure and loss. We step back from trying to save and rescue and stand by his side as he processes his feelings, learns from what happened and blazes a new path forward. The building of the mishkan (tabernacle) in the desert, was the path the Jewish nation was able to blaze forward following the failure of the Golden Calf. It was an opportunity to use their gold for something holy and make a dwelling place for the divine presence. It is no accident that the donations for the mishkan project were given with so much gusto that Moses eventually had to say: “Stop, no more donations, we have what we need!”

Similarly, helping a child to grow from his mistakes moves him toward his goals with renewed vigor and energy.