This week’s Torah portion focuses on the sacrifices that will be offered in the newly constructed mishkan, wilderness sanctuary. It is one thing to build the sanctuary, it is another thing to use it. If God is going to dwell there, the least we can do is provide the Almighty with some barbeque.
In our own lives, we often care more about getting things than using them. How can you keep something safe and pristine if it’s used? But it is only by using that we are able to truly experience its value to be able to share it with others. Just as the amazing, bedazzled mishkan was still well used, so too should our china be. So too should our favourite objects be. That’s why we have them in the first place. It isn’t possessing something that it shows its value. It is only when we use it that it truly does.