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Terumah 2— Dwelling Among Us
ועשו לי מקדש ושכנתי בתוכם
They shall make Me a Sanctuary — so that I may dwell among them (Shemos 25:8).
To explain this pasuk, the Midrash (Shemos Rabbah 33:1) brings a parable of a king who had an only daughter. When a young king from a foreign land asked for her hand in marriage, the older king was in a quandary. Though he wanted to see his daughter happily married and he approved of the match, he could not bear to part from his beloved only child. So he asked his new son-in-law for a favor: “Wherever you and your new wife live, please designate a bedroom for me. This way, I will not have to separate from my darling daughter.”
Similarly, explains the Midrash, Hashem said to Bnei Yisrael, “I gave you the Torah, My daughter. I cannot bear to separate from her, but I can’t tell you not to take her. Rather, wherever you go, please set aside a place for Me, where I can stay.” And that is the Mishkan.
Yet something between the mashal and nimshal does not match up. Though a human king cannot be in two locations at the same time, HaKadosh Baruch Hu has no such constraints. This is as it says in Yeshayahu (6:3), “Melo chol ha’aretz kvodo — The whole world is filled with His glory.” So while we understand the earthly father asking for a private guestroom in his daughter and son-in-law’s home, how does this relate to our understanding of the Mishkan? Does our Heavenly Father need His own room in our house in order to be close to His Torah?
In Pri Chaim (ad loc.), Rav Chaim Knoller explains that the king is not so much concerned with having a place to rest his head as with making sure his daughter is happy and well cared for. Even the wicked Lavan was worried that if he wasn’t around, Yaakov may mistreat his daughters (Bereishis 31:50). Likewise, in his interest to ensure that his daughter will always be loved and respected, the older king asks that a room be designated for him. Knowing that his father-in-law may come at any moment, the young king is more likely to treat his new wife well at all times. The older king’s spare room serves as a way to guarantee the best possible treatment of his beloved daughter.
This explains the connection between the mashal and nimshal. While Hashem kindly gave us His unique and precious daughter, the holy Torah, He wants us to give it the utmost regard and respect. With Hashem residing in the Mishkan we build, we are guaranteed a constant reminder that He is there, which will ensure that we give the Torah the respect it is due.
This is the awareness of “Shivisi Hashem le’negdi samid — I have set Hashem before me always” (Tehillim 16:8). Indeed, whenever a person finds himself on the verge of sin, he should stop and ask himself, “How can I violate the Torah and sin when its Giver is right here?”
If we live with a constant awareness that the King is everywhere, we will be more vigilant in our commitment to His beloved daughter, the Torah.abukspan, according to your explanation, Hashem will still dwell with us even if we don’t learn and keep the Torah in order to encourage us to do so.
The midrash says, ושכנתי בתוכם I will dwell aming them, בתוכו לא נאמר, אלא בתוכם to dwell in the mishkan does not say but to dwell among us. The holy Shlah says that Hashem should dwell in every one’s heart. ושכנתי implies the years that the first and second Beis Hamikdash will stand ושכן תי the first mikdash stood 410 years whereas the second 420 ושני תכ.
If we want Hashem to dwell in the midst among us klal yisroel his holy loving nation then we need to live up to the means of living on the level of ruchnius and frumkeit to be deserving and to be holy enough to have Hashem dwell in our midst.
I.e. how can a person expect a person to dwell in his home filled with non tznuis magazines and an atmosphere of a non jewish home of sports and TVs etc… With not kosher things to see?
How can a loving nation klal yisroel expect Hashem to dwell in our midst when we are filled with running after every desire and pleasure non stop and using non kosher smartphones with tons of tumah posted on it etc….
These are just a few examples but each person privately should be blessed to know exactly what they need to remove from themselves to be blessed to have Hashem dwell in his midst of his physical home where he lives and his spiritual home and life w4-7
השוכן איתם בתוך טומאותם”
The Satmar Rav ztz’l explains with the above the midrash in the beginning of Parashas Kedoshim קדשים תהיו יכול כמוני ת’ל כי קדוש אמי holy wifh a ‘vov’. Our holiness does not come close to Hashem’s as He rests with us at our impurity and keep His holiness intact which we cannot do.
Should be above אני and keeps His holiness.
Member that
Hashem cannot live and rest his holy presence in the midst of tumah like you wrote.
So when klal yisroel changes over and removes from themselves the state of tumah that we are currently in then Hashem the king of kings ruler of the world can rest his holy shechinah in our midst.
May we all wake up very soon together so it happens very soon with the coming of Mashiach
Hashem reconizes that sometimes we become impure but cannot rest with gaaiva, people who think that they are holier than thou.
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