“Ahoy, weary traveler! Do you need sanctuary?”
“Um, yes. Can you help?”
“Yes. Draw for yourself a line or as many as you like and you shall have your sanctuary.”
“And Moses said to the L-rd, ‘The people cannot ascend to Mount Sinai, for You warned us saying, Set boundaries for the mountain and sanctify it’’” (Shemot 19:23).
One definition of sanctuary is a holy space. One way to create a holy space involves defining boundaries as indicated by the above passage from Shemot. Another definition of sanctuary is a place of refuge and safety. A few verses later in Shemot 20:2, G-d begins saying the Ten Commandments from the space made holy by the set boundaries of the mountain. G-d not only sets boundaries for physical space, but also for social and psychological spaces as well by beginning to tell us the Ten Commandments and subsequently the rest of the 613. These commandments, set boundaries, are there for our safety and refuge to make our mundane lives a space of holiness. Therefore, setting boundaries is important to creating personal sanctuaries in our lives.
