Menachem Bluming considers, do Jews think unicorns are real?

Well here’s a thought...

The Torah speak about when the Israelites made a Mishkan, a moveable Temple in the desert. G-d instructed them to make the outer walls out of the hide of a mysterious animal called a Tachash.

Our sages described the Tachash as an animal who lived in the desert with a splendid multi-coloured hide and one horn in the middle of its head. The Tachash appeared only when the Mishkan was being built, then vanished without a trace, never to be seen again.

There is a powerful message to be learned from this enchanting little episode. The building of the Temple is a symbol of our life mission, to create a place for G-d in this world, to work our lives into a sanctuary where holiness can dwell.

Life is built up of many fleeting moments. The years fly by, the days pass us, and opportunities appear and disappear. Like the Tachash, here today and gone the next.

Every moment is multi-coloured, multi-faceted and multi-layered. We are Blessed with good days and not such good days. However, even on a good day we can face some challenges too, and on a not such good day there can be blessings as well.

As many as the hues of the day are, there is only one horn pointing straight before us. Everything we face, each day of our lives, all point in a single direction. We are all here for a short time, to fulfil our mission to make our world more G-dly and compassionate. Every interaction we have, every experience we live through, every person we encounter and every place we end up in, they all come to one point – so lift up this moment and make it a holy moment.

So you have encountered the mysterious Tachash. It is the beautiful minute you are living right now. It will soon disappear. Grab it by the horn!

Sources: Exodus 25:5 Midrash Tanchuma 6 Talmud Yerushalmi Shabbos 2:3 Talmud Bavli Shabbos 28a


Menachem Mendel Bluming Rabbi Moss and sources cited above

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