Torah Portion: Terumah
They shall make a Sanctuary for Me (Shemos 25:8).
It is a positive commandment to construct a House dedicated to Hashem; that is, a place where our offerings to Him are brought and where the pilgrimages of all Israel gather during the year. It is thus written, They shall make a Sanctuary for Me (Shemos 25:8). This commandment also includes the making of all the utensils that are needed in the House for the sake of the service, such as the Menorah, the Table and the Altar, as well as all the other holy utensils.
Among the roots of this mitzvah is the idea that Hashem’s entire desire for the mitzvos that He gave us was in order to bestow good upon us. When Man becomes ready and worthy — through those commandments — of receiving the good, then Hashem gives us the good. Constructing the House dedicated to Hashem, praying to Him and bringing all our offerings there, are all for the sake of preparing our hearts for serving Him, may He be exalted. This is not because He needs a house among people, for “the heavens and the heavens above the heavens cannot contain Him,” and they all stand only by His will. Rather, the reason is that since people develop themselves by doing actions, and the more good actions they do, and the more frequently they are performed, the more their hearts are purified, therefore Hashem commended us to set a permanent place that should be pure and clean to the greatest extent possible in order to purify the thoughts of mortals and set their hearts in dedication to Him.
This commandment applies when the majority of Israelites dwell in their Land. This is one of the mitzvos that is not binding upon individuals but on the entire community as a whole. When the House will be built — may it be speedily and in our days — this mitzvah will be fulfilled.
