"And make for Me a sanctuary, and I will dwell within you" - the question is, do I WANT Hashem to dwell within me? The more realistic question is, do I have any choice in the matter? Rashi comments on the aforementioned verse, "Make for My NAME a sanctuary." We say Hashem's Name in one form or another two- or three hundred times a day. Like most words, we do not invent Hashem's Name - it already exists; we simply carry it. Apparently Hashem wants us to carry His Name - humbly. He Who Knows How He Wants His Name To Be Carried gives us guidelines and specifications by which we might do honor to this amazing task. If we are successful, He might act through us and enlighten us in the process. Hashem's name seems to have a metaphysical reality that can be "placed." We might "put" His Name on various people, places, and moments like Aharon and the Kohanim do, as it says "And place My Name upon Israel and I will bless them." In davening, we carry Hashem's name and place it where it must be put: with the sick, into the materials that must be united in order to build Jerusalem, into the exiled Israelites that must be united. We say blessings on Shabbos candles that their fire become holy, into fruit that we may access its nourishing and healing power. We, bearers of His Name, if we follow the guidelines, hints, and secrets contained in the furnishings of the mishkan can bear His Name in the way that He wants us to, and bring about the necessary repairs (cont'd)
to ourselves and to the world. What can I give to the community mishkan? According to Rashi, only one donation was mandatory - the half-silver shekel per person. This silver was used to make the stakes to hold the Mishkan to the ground. To bear the Name is a community affair - everyone who is a part of the community must participate. To say Hashem's Name frivolously or mockingly is a violation of the community agreement to give honor to the task. The rest is voluntary. Precious stones are needed - and the Ohr HaChayim wants to know why they are mentioned last in the list of voluntary offerings. Shouldn't they be even before gold and silver, being more valuable? He answers that the princes of the tribes brought the precious stones. The princes had been thinking they would see what B'nei Yisrael brought for the mishkan and would fill in what was still needed afterwards. When Yisrael brought all the materials that were needed plus some, to the princes' surprise,
all that was left to bring was the stones. They are mentioned last because they held on to the special unique piece that they should have volunteered first. We learn from this that we need to offer our unique point first, as a foundation, rather than thinking to give it only if it is needed.
Help each other to give- "Speak to Israel, and they will take for me a voluntary offering from every man." It is not only upon Israel to give - it is upon them to collect from every man as well. Tell each other what we have to give. You have to tell me what's in my (cont'd)
heart to give, because I may not know what's in my heart to give. Nechama Nadborny in her book The Twelve Dimensions of Israel writes that this is the month of Naftali, the messenger. "There are times when we need to receive guidance from another who has a clearer, more objective perspective on our lives." She continues, "While the ability to receive wisdom from another is the strength of this dimension, again we must be cautioned against another shortcoming. This is the human tendency to deify a guide, i.e. idol-worship." The guide can be a teacher, spouse, friend, or a certain author (besides The Author). Any time we are dependent upon another, even a tsadik, for our self-identity, we are bordering on idol-worship. The mishkan is a physical reality that had to be perfect in order to receive the Divine Presence. Nadborny notes that the letter of this month, koof, is the only non-final letter that dips below the line. She writes, "It thus reflects the process of spirituality penetrating the details of physical reality… in every moment and in every detail
there is a correct way to relate to all levels of our reality." Another interesting point is raised: There is a parallel (or more than a parallel) between the Divine Presence resting in the mishkan and the soul's presence in the body. Nadborny writes, "Becoming a conduit between the spiritual and physical worlds by its very nature poses conflict. The soul wants to remain pure, to not touch this world. Yet we must live here. Once we have defined our stance (self-understanding of purpose?) the struggle with who we are in relation to the circumstantial details of our lives begins." (cont'd)
Just as the Divine Presence has certain items which must be in the mishkan and some things which must not be there, so too the soul requires that certain sensory inputs not be allowed into the sanctuary (see R' Nachman Torah 21). The altar, menorah, ark, and table must be present. These represent, among myriad other things, Torah, Priesthood, Hashem's Kingship, Prayer, lovingkindness, etc. (end)
Purification is only the beginning- The Zohar writes, to paraphrase, on "They shall take Me a heave-offering (terumah): on the part of every man whose heart is willing…" that "take" is not the same as "give" - it implies real effort. Doing good works for the sake of heaven requires sacrifice and must be "paid for" with full price; otherwise the doer is not worthy to draw down unto himself the spirit of holiness from above. It requires strenuous effort, purification of one's self and one's dwelling, and devotion of heart and soul. Where is this offering to be found, once self purification has occurred and is maintained? The verse says, "let them take for Me from every man." This means we may take from "every man" the merit of the presence of the spirit of holiness from above. But "man" does not mean biped - rather "from everyone deserving of the name 'man', that is everyone who prevails over his evil inclination." The verse continues, "He, whose heart gives willingly"- namely "he with whom the Holy One
is well-pleased", for He, Hashem, is Himself the Heart, as it says in Psalms "My heart said unto Thee" and "Rock of my heart." So too here, "You shall take for me a heave-offering (terumah) from him with whom I am well-pleased," for there alone can the acceptable offering be found, and in no other place. And how may one recognize a person with whom the Holy One has His Abode? When we observe that a man endeavors to serve Hashem in joy, with his heart, soul and will, then we can be quite sure that that the Divine Presence has Her Abode in him. Such a man is worthy to be well paid for his teaching and companionship. (end)
Face to Face: The Ba'al Hatanya writes about the kruvim, the angel-like man-like figures atop the ark, that the phrase for facing each other is "ish el achiv - a man to his brother." One is small-faced and one is large-faced. About Hashem it was written, "And upon the image of a chair, the likeness of a man." The Torah, he writes, is called "Man" as its says "This is the Torah of man." Further, wisdom is called "Man," and is the beginning and essence of an individual, seeing as wisdom penetrates the mind of an individual and from there spreads out into the whole being. We therefore see that a man faces a "Man" on the top of the ark.
They are formed from the same piece of gold. Hashem puts us here facing the wisdom we need, this wisdom which is the personalized Torah, which is the personalized miniaturized Wisdom of Hashem, just as we need it where we need it. (end)
An idea in davening: Instead of reading from a script, saying, "what Hashem wants us to say," we might try saying those words as if we would have written them ourselves. Another idea in davening - the Shulchan Aruch writes that the Shema should be read every time like it is a letter from the King newly received, with a desire to know and fulfill every detail.
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