They shall make for Me a Sanctuary and I will dwell within them’. The Rabbis already famously noted that G-d does not say that he will dwell within the Tabernacle but within the people. The Tabernacle is merely the instrument by which G-d’s presence can dwell among the people, as individuals and a nation. Using this idea, it is useful to examine the idea and structure of the Sanctuary and to see how this can enlighten us in how bring G-d’s presence into our own lives. G-d, of course, dwells everywhere and beyond: ‘He is the place of the world but the world is not His place’, state the sages. Yet we are commanded to make a place for G-d. This space for the Divine to dwell is created by erecting boundaries. There is a courtyard, inside of which is the main Sanctuary, inside of which is the Holy of Holies. Each of these spaces is separated from one an other by a partition, as is the whole structure from the outside world. Each of these spaces has its own rules pertaining to it, according to the level of the Divine presence within it. Thus the dwelling of G-d in the Tabernacle appears in stages of various levels of intensity. Being that the purpose of the Tabernacle is for G-d to dwell among us, we can learn from this structure for our own lives. Just as, although G-d is everywhere, it was necessary to create space for Him to dwell, so too, we need to make space in our lives for G-d. While G-d should be present in everything we do, in practice that is quite difficult. If we do not partition off space and time for the Divine, we are likely to ignore it for long periods of time. And as we have varying moods and emotions, these periods of spiritual endeavour will vary in length and intensity, like the various sections of the Tabernacle. These spaces for G-d in our lives, Judaism creates in time. The most important of course is Shabbat, a sanctuary in time partitioned off from the rest of the week. Another important time for G-d are the three daily prayers, short intervals of intense contact with the Divine. But we should also partition off parts of our daily lives for study or meditation. Like the boundaries that set the structure of the Tabernacle, theses spaces in time need to be fixed and regular, creating a permanent space for the Divine in our lives. If we learn from the structure of the Tabernacle and apply its lessons to our daily lives, we can see how just as the Sanctuary caused G-d to dwell among the people, so our spiritual sanctuaries can cause G-d to dwell among us.

ALIYAH BY ALIYAH SYNOPSIS

Rishon	G-d commands the people to build a Tabernacle for His Presence to dwell among them. The Ark.
Sheni	The Ark cover, Cherubim, the Table and the Menorah.
Shelishi	The outer covering of the Tabernacle.
Revi’i	The wooden structure of the Tabernacle.
Chamishi	The Veil separating off the Holy of Holies.
Shishi	The Altar of Offering.
Shevi’i	The Courtyard of the Tabernacle.
Haftorah	I Kings: 5;26-6;13: Solomon builds the Temple.

 Sidra Statistics

Parshat Terumah

·         has 96 verses ;

·         is the 7th in Exodus, 19th in the Torah

·         10th longest in Exodus, 38th longest in the Torah

·         has 2 pos + 1 neg = 3 mitzvot.