TERUMAH: MAKE FOR ME A SANCTUARY
(How does this apply today)
At the beginning of Parashat Teruma, starting at Shemot (Exodus) Chapter 25, God tell Moses to tell the Israelite people to bring God gifts as their hearts move them. These gifts of various valuables whether precious metals, cloths, fragrant oils and the such are to be used in the construction of a portable sanctuary in the wilderness. God say “And let them make Me a sanctuary that I may dwell among them.”
A couple of things are noteworthy here. First, the size and quantity, or even the value of the gifts is not specified, it is simply from those whose heart moves them, in any quantity. Second, and even more importantly, God does not say that they should build a sanctuary and God will live in it.; God says I will live in (or among) them.
I think what God is saying here is that if Isael is move to present gifts and to make a sanctuary then God will allow the Shechinah, God’s presence, and also, to some commentators, God’s nurturing female side to dwell with the people. To me, this means that the important part is that a sanctuary of some sort, and the text that follows is very specific about materials, dimensions, and construction methods, is to be created and the gifts for this project are to come from the heart.
Much of the rest of the book deals with the actual construction of the sanctuary or tabernacle. In fact, the Israelites were so moved by their hearts that the building fund was oversubscribed ad Moshe had to tell them to stop. This is great narrative but I want to look a little deeper, maybe create my own midrash.
That the gifts, the Teruma must come from the heart suggests that there must be a spiritual element to the endeavor. The people are moved by some emotion or felling, whether love, gratitude, awe, respect, or something else from within them to make these very generous gifts to God. It not simple the mechanical “paying their shul dues.” They are to be people who want to be part of the project, who feel a need to be part of the communal activity.
And, what exactly is this sanctuary. I know the text makes it this interesting and complex collapsable structure, But, remember, God is not dwelling in it; God will dwell in them, the people. One can make a case that the real building of a sanctuary that God wants in not just the physical structure. The verb used is make, not build. Perhaps, what God really wants, the Mikdash (the word the text uses for sanctuary) God really desires from us, is that we make ourselves that we dedicate our bodies and souls to being a repository where God’s presence came comfortably dwell. God brought us out of slavery in Egypt and now expects us to be God’s people, a people dedicated to Godliness in return. This thought is stated even more clearly in Vayikra (Leviticus) chapter 19 where we are instructed “You shall be holy (Kodesh, from the same root as Mikdash), because I, the Lord your God am holy”.
Holiness can come in many forms. It is a function of the individual. There is holiness in observance of the laws of kashrut, shabbat and family purity. There is kedusha in participation in ritual and Torah study. There is sanctity in the kind of menschlikeit stressed by much of chapters 19 and 20 of Leviticus. It is sacred to personify any, any combination of, or all of the above. To me, the true heart-inspired gift to God is if we, who are created in the image of God live our lives, and comport ourselves in a way that reflects the holy spark by which we are created. This is giving to God from the heart and allowing God to dwell within and among us.
