Every person whose heart inspires him

(Exodus 25:2)
Adar I 3, 5776/February 12, 2016

"HaShem spoke to Moshe saying: 'Speak to the children of Israel, and have them take for Me an offering; from every person whose heart inspires him to generosity, you shall take My offering.'" (Exodus 25:1-2)

Torah, (literally, as the final verse of Exodus 24 describes Moshe's ascent), presents these words as the first words spoken by G-d to Moshe immediately after Mosheascended Mount Sinai and entered into the cloud of glory that covered the Mount, leaving the children of Israel far below. Clearly, if Torah emphasizes these words as G-d's first words, we must assume that the matter was of the utmost importance to G-d . But if so, why is G-d taking Moshe aside, as it were, and privately asking him to relay a message to Israel, when just moments earlier G-d commanded the attention of the entire nation as He revealed His glory and transmitted, with great and awe inspiring fanfare, ten Divine utterances, or, what would come to be known as, the Ten Commandments? Couldn't G-d have relayed this important message directly to Israel?

G-d didn't include "from every person whose heart inspires him to generosity, you shall take My offering" in the ten commandments, because this commandment contained a whole other element, making it unique. G-d discussed it with Moshe and asked Moshe to address Israel on His behalf so that "every person" of Israel could truly search his own heart and seek his own inspiration without G-d's presence bearing down them, as it were, compelling them, or overwhelming them, to make a decision that wasn't truly born of an inspiration of generosity. If G-d commands us to make an offering, there is no question that we will do it. But here G-d is not commanding, in the accepted sense. He is inquiring. If the answer is yes, Israel is inspired to generosity and does desire to make such an offering of their own free will and good intention, then G-d has a list of materials to be offered and then G-d does have a commandment to share with Israel: "And they shall make Me a sanctuary and I will dwell in their midst." (ibid 25:8)

The commandment to build for G-d a Sanctuary - a Tabernacle - a Holy Temple - a place for His Presence to dwell among His people on this earth - a commandment of vast, sweeping, historical and spiritual import - is contingent, to put it simply, on whether we feel like it or not!

And the commandment to build for G-d a Sanctuary so that His presence can dwell among us must necessarily be contingent on whether we feel like it or not! G-d wants to join us in our world. He wants His Presence to be welcomed by man not begrudgingly or with indifference, but with love. This is why G-d made the world and this is why G-d created man and this is why G-d gave Torah to Israel: to be able to raise up the world of man by lowering His presence and imbuing man's world with His goodness. This can only happen if man, of his own free will decides that he will let G-d in.

When G-d said to Adam "Don't eat of the fruit of the tree of knowledge" He was givingAdam a choice: make your will My will and we will dwell together, or deny My will and we will dwell apart. Adam made his choice and we are all aware of the result. But ever since the moment that G-d humbled His Omnipotent Oneness and asked Moshe to ask the children of Israel if maybe they would be willing to... He was giving man a second opportunity to express his free will and determine his own future. This time G-d's message wasn't a "don't," but a "do" - if that's what you truly want.

The generation of the desert did not hesitate and immediately answered with an overwhelming yes! Precious metals, gemstones, priceless fabrics and exotic spices were gathered and worked commenced in a heartbeat, with all of Israel, men and women, working side by side to make G-d's wish a reality - to build a Sanctuary for G-d within the Israelite encampment. But what about our generation today? G-d's overture to Israel still stands: He wants in. Are we ready to open our hearts and create for Him a place in our reality to rest His Presence?

The excuses made, the rationales employed, the endless sophistry and righteous indignation expressed by so many G-d fearing people warning of dire results and tragic consequences should we actually take G-d up on his offer and open our earthly home to His Presence. "Build for Me a Sanctuary" is a commandment - on that everyone agrees. But somehow G-d's predicating this commandment on the generosity of our own hearts manages to flummox a lot of good people.

It is true: there are a world of obstacles that stand in the way of building the Holy Temple. But there were a world of obstacles which threatened the building of the Tabernacle in the desert. An infant nation, not yet in its own land, without physical borders, without an army, without an economy, in a merciless desert surrounded by enemies: that last thing they should have taken on was the building of a Sanctuary for G-d ! But they did because they were motivated to do so, just as G-d had proposed.

All G-d is saying is "give My Presence a chance." Has the people of Israel returned to its land simply to mark time until time itself ends? Or have we returned to do something more, to give G-d our long overdue answer to His most pressing question at Sinai: Yes! Our world is Your world: We will build for You a Sanctuary and You will rest Your Presence amongst Your children. We want You in our world!

-The temple Institute