When we truly understand that the G-d who created the universe is the same G-d within us, what room is left for our ego? The self doesn’t disappear; it becomes something greater. Like an engraved letter of the tablets, it becomes one with something infinite.
When we act from a place of genuine selflessness and oneness with Hashem (A.K.A. bitul) our impact on the world grows immeasurably. The ego steps aside and makes room for something much larger.
Placement in Torah is never accidental. In last week's Torah portion, Terumah, the Torah describes the construction of the Sanctuary’s vessels. In this week’s portion, Tetzaveh, it details the priestly garments. The Golden Altar, where the incense was offered, appears only at the very end of this portion, not together with the other vessels, and almost as an afterthought.
Why? The incense offering was unique. The Torah says that when the Kohen entered to offer it, no one else, not even the angels, were permitted to be present. It was a moment of pure, private communion between a single soul and G-d.
The Golden Altar’s placement at the end of the building of the Mishkan’s narrative is a message to us. This is the ultimate purpose of everything that came before it. All the vessels, all the garments, all the public ceremony, they lead, finally, to the moment where it counts. To the private moment when no one is watching except G-d.
In our age of social media and constant connectivity, we've inadvertently turned even our most sacred moments into content. The meaningful experiences that used to happen quietly, now get filtered, framed, and shared with hundreds of people. And somehow, in the telling, the experience itself changes. It becomes less about what actually happened and more about how it appears.
But here's what the Torah is really saying to us: the moment that matters most is the one no one else will ever know about. It's not about the identity you curate online or the person you become in public. It's about who you are when it's just you and G-d, because that's the person you really are. That's the person whose soul is shining, whose positive actions ripple through the world in ways you may never see. And that's the person whose connection to something infinitely greater than ego is the truest source of our meaning and impact.
Join us this Shabbos in shul, don’t worry it won’t be posted on social media :),
Rabbi Kushi Schusterman