This week Parsha, Parshat Terumah, discusses in great detail and length of the building of the Mishkan. God goes into such detail and tells Moshe everything that is needed in order to build the Mishkan, from crimson yarn to dolphin skin, in addition to building instructions and exact measurements. Although all of this detail seems greatly unnecessary now that we no longer have a Mishkan, it teaches us the great importance of having a holy place.

In Shemot 25;8 God tells Moshe “And let them make Me a sanctuary that I may dwell among them.” Because the Mishkan was built with the sole purpose for a place God, Gods presence is the most noticeable there. However God does not dwell only in the Mishkan- god dwells with his people. Today our Mishkan is our synagogues. Although God is present in a beautiful synagogue He is just as present in a small house where a local minyan meets. The community inside the building, not the building itself, is where God dwells.

Shabbat Shalom.

Simcha Peretz