Midreshet Amit

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Parshat Terumah

By: Rabbi Jason Knapel

Hashem tells the Jewish people that they should make a Mikdash and He will dwell within it and the Mikdash that the Jews make should be according to what He showed them…”And so shall you do” The mephorshim are bothered by the future tense of “you shall do”

Rashi comments that the Pasuk means “Ledorot” for all generations. The simplest meaning of this for all generations -  is that if you need to build the Mikdash in the future make sure to build it exactly according to the Divine plan revealed to you at Har Sinai – do not create your own style Mikdash. In fact Rashi explains that if one of the vessels of the Mikdash were lost or destroyed – make sure to make it exactly the same as you do.

The Sfat Emet sees something deeper in the phrase “LeDorot”. He explains that in every generation we have the ability to build the Mikdash – it is not a Mitzvah for just now in the Midbar, or even when we are on the right spiritual level – it is a possibility in every generation and at every time – all we need according to the Sfat Emet to build the Mikdash is “Teshuhkah” -  is a true desire to have the shechinah dwell with us (Sadly he explains that if we see the Mikdash not build in our generation it means we did not desire it enough…)

We know that the Shechinah does not only reside within the “building” of the Mikdash but also within us – VeShachanti BeTocham – Hashem resides within each and every Jew – He is always with us and yet sometimes we do not feel this way – maybe we can apply the lesson of the Sfat Emet – that if we really desire the Shechinah to be with us – it will be with us – if we really open our eyes we will see that Hashem is really there at our side helping us and guiding us through life.

May we be zocheh to have a true desire for the Mikdash to be built, for Hashem to reside within our nation and that we should open our eyes and see Hashem within each and every one of us.