In Exodus 40, as Moses receives the divine instruction to set up the tabernacle and place each item in its assigned place, to anoint every item with the sacred anointing oils, I am prompted to reflect upon my own foray into design and construction, and the challenging yet rewarding work that comes with the deliberate planning of space. That space may be physical space, or non-physical space, as we have constructed here on 929.
A few years ago, my family purchased a new home. A lovely house with an abundance of light, the inside had not been touched in many decades. I found myself serving as my own architect-designer, spending early mornings and late evenings with a contractor drawing lines on floorboards, measuring beams, and imagining the possibilities.
Being pregnant with my third child at the time, I already had a sense of what I wanted life in this home to look like. Each decision – Which wall should be knocked down? What should the ratio of windows to bookcases be? Is open, flowing space better than closed areas for quiet and solitude? – felt critically important, as I understood that physical space would be much more than just a place within which to live; it was to be a place where experiences would be crafted, education animated, and values embodied.
Similarly, questions of intentionally designed space have animated my educational thinking as I have experimented in different learning environments. Over the course of my teaching, I have taught in formal classrooms and open-floor-plan learning spaces, around conference tables and in outdoor gazebos, on the grass in Central Park, and in rooms with no windows, and others that are wide open to the sounds and influences of the surrounding environment.
Now, writing and teaching for 929 in a “space” that is quite different from those rooms, enables me to think deliberately about the construction of space and how it impacts the way we teach, learn and think. By intentionally planning space and environment, learning experiences result in a broader and deeper educational impact and learner engagement. I am led to ask questions such as: Do the experiences that penetrate both our physical and non-physical learning spaces reinforce the truths that we deeply hold? Are we deliberate and intentional in our design and use of space so that those values are elevated to the fore?
How we create and intentionally use space – physical and not – is a way to elevate the practice of education and of Torah study. It requires research of the craft, patience, deliberate design, and creative exploration and experimentation. When we integrate design and educational content, we place before ourselves demanding and challenging work, which is ultimately rewarding to us, and to our learners. This is our project. This is our craft.
Now that it has been set up and everything put in its place, it is time to do the work.

Shira Hecht-Koller is the Director of Education for 929 English.

929 is the number of chapters in the Tanakh, the Hebrew Bible, the formative text of the Jewish heritage. It is also the name of a cutting-edge project dedicated to creating a global Jewish conversation anchored in the Hebrew Bible. 929 English invites Jews everywhere to read and study Tanakh, one chapter a day, Sunday through Thursday together with a website with creative readings and pluralistic interpretations, including audio and video, by a wide range of writers, artists, rabbis, educators, scholars, students and more. As an outgrowth of the web-based platform, 929 English also offers classes, pop-up lectures, events and across North America. We invite you to learn along with us and be part of our dynamic community.
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