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In our Torah portion this week, Parashat Terumah, we encounter what could be considered a somewhat perplexing statement. In chapter 5, verse 8, of the book of Genesis God says, "They shall make a Sanctuary for me, so that I may dwell among them."
According to our Jewish tradition God is incorporeal, meaning that the Divine is not composed of matter and has no material existence. If this is the case - that God is purely spiritual - how could a physical Sanctuary be necessary in order for God to dwell among us? We know that, according to our Jewish philosophy and theology, God is a constant. The Divine is everywhere at all times. So, again, why are we to construct a Sanctuary?
One answer may be that "building a Sanctuary" is our human way of extending an effort to become better people. We must strive to be more ethical, more kind, more intelligent, and more holy. We must build ourselves into the type of human beings who can become worthy of welcoming God's presence into our lives. In this sense, only when we work on ourselves will God be able to dwell among us. When we strive to make the best of ourselves God will, so to speak, meet us half way and then continue to elevate us even higher. But this will not happen in a vacuum. We have to begin by searching for Godliness and creating a space where the Divine can properly dwell. The Sanctuary does not necessarily need to be a tangible place. Instead, it can be a frame of mind - an approach to life - which will elevate us to that place where we can begin to become one with the Divine.
Shabbat Shalom!
Cantor Zachary Konigsberg
cantorzkonigsberg@gmail.com
917-696-0749
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