The Blessings of a Moved Heart
This week’s parsha, T’rumah, seems to crop up in my life often—from my earliest days in the seminary to my yearly experience in our community. And so, it has taken on an outsized meaning for me. Though much of it feels like an extreme version of an HGTV show on remodeling—with the portion’s attention to the excruciating detail of the construction of the Mishkan/Tabernacle—the first few passages provide inspiring insight on our relationship with God and the transcendent more broadly.
In requesting the materials and the skills to build the Tabernacle, the portion offers: “…you shall accept gifts for Me from every person whose heart so moves him…” Thus, this was a far more intimate, authentic, and voluntary act on the part of the Israelites than the kinds of commandments in the previous portion or the obligatory demands of most Near Eastern deities. In building this sacred structure, only those who truly desire to honor God are asked to make this free will offering. And in doing so, the portion continues: “…that I may dwell within/amongst them…” The manner, process, and eventually, the final product are not merely a home for God, but rather a demonstration of the open and willing spirit of the people in inviting God to dwell in their hearts and in their midst.