Waiting for the residents – T’rumah
The most famous verse in the weekly sidra is God’s command, “Let them build Me a sanctuary and I will dwell in their midst” (Ex. 25:18).
The wording is strange. We expect God to say, “Build Me a sanctuary and I will dwell in it”, but the text says “them”, not “it”. God’s dwelling-place is not in an edifice but in the hearts and minds of the people who erect the building.
Where is God? There are two answers: first, He is everywhere and cannot be limited, as pointed out in the final chapter of the Book of Isaiah; second, He is an inspiration within the being of each of His creatures.
Each of us is like a house that is waiting for people to move in. Each of us is also in waiting, for God to move in and within and to enable us to become the very best kind of human being.
