"Tomorrow at 11:00?"
"Yes, G-d willing, I'll be there," was my response.
I was to meet Rabbi M. at his office/Shul.
The place is Downtown Los Angeles.
All the way downtown.
Past the hub. At the very end.
"And the Shul is in a warehouse," he alerted me.
I pictured a large cold room, hard slab of concrete for a floor. Lots of dust and some cobwebs.
Okay, a couple of chairs, prayer books and for sure a Torah Scroll somewhere behind a makeshift Ark.
I was thinking - gloomy.
Boy was I wrong.
Pleasantly surprised at the transformation of a warehouse room,
I entered a place that was colorful.
Brightly painted walls.
Warm.
Clean.
Moroccan couches with pillows alongside the walls.
In the center, black wooden rectangular tables with matching chairs.
Carved bookcases covering the back wall.
Intricately designed Ark hiding the Torah Scrolls.
And an exquisite little chandelier glistened above the lectern.
Every detail of the decor so significant.
Every artifact unique and special -
The mirror-tiled Menorah on a rectangular piece of marble,
The huge wooden Charity box,
And the twisted silver Shofar.
Every inch of the 900 sq. foot space so wisely used.
Infused with spirit.
Holy.
I dubbed the place; "Marrakesh".
I don't know why. I have never been to Morocco. Have no Moroccan blood in me. But somehow this title name seemed to fit the style, the character, of this Shul.
I came home and googled, "Marrakesh".
The probable origin of it's name is from the words mur (n) akush, which means "Land of G-d" .
When I complimented the fellow who designed the Shul, he took pride in saying that he aimed to make this a place conducive to Prayer. To serving G-d. Which is what a Shul is all about. Wow.
Later that night, frustrated after feeding and bathing my special needs child, I gave in to self-pity. I looked at her and thought; "This is too difficult for me."
I started to feel down. Downtown, cold, dusty, gloomy.
Suddenly I looked at her again and thought - What if I transform my gloomy attitude, like the warehouse, to -"Marrakesh".
Why should I view her with negativity?
Did not the The Designer of all designers put significance into every detail of His creations? Did he not infuse her with spirit?
Is she not holy? She most definitely is.
She is colorful.
She is unique.
She is intricately designed, within her is a soul.
She is special.
G-d can take pride in His work. No doubt He aimed to place me in a situation conducive to better serving Him. Wow.
This morning I woke up and it was raining.
It was miserable outside. Dark. Lousy. Gloomy.
It started to drag me down.
Then I remembered -
"Marrakesh".
We need rain.
Flowering. Blossoming. Freshness. Greenery.
Blessings.
But most of all - Growth.
"Marrakesh".