Reply To: Short & Sweet

Terumah: Actualizing the Ephemeral

There is an interesting tension in the collection of materials collecting for the Mishkan. On the one hand, there is a strong emphasis on the נדבת לב, the giving of the heart. On the other hand, there is no mitzva that the Torah that the Torah gives as specific instructions for as building of the Mishkan. How are we to understand the relationship between doing the mitzva because we want to, while doing it exactly the way that Hashem wants it done?

R’ Lopiansky answers that the Mishkan has to start with what’s in our hearts. We need to feel that yearning to connect with Hashem.

But a feeling that is never put into practice will never amount to anything. If a feeling is not acted on, it will wither away and die.

The Mishkan is where we pour our feelings into to make sure they stay with us. All the precise details of the Mishkan are meant to be applications of what we feel in our hearts. By making them real to ourselves, we will be able to incorporate these feelings into the way we live our lives.

לע״נ דוד חיים בן ישראל דוב הכהן
לע״נ ר׳ חיים דוב בן ר׳ בןציון שלום