After the destruction of the Jerusalem temple in 70 CE, the Rabbis must have agonized over the loss of their holy place. Sacred space, evoking the transcendent, enables us to center our lives on something permanent. So, how did the Rabbis respond to the loss of their temple? They came to view the Torah scroll (the five books of Moses) as a “portable temple.” Meditation upon the Torah became a portal to sacred space.
