19 Truma

דַּבֵּר אֶל־בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וְיִקְחוּ־לִי תְּרוּמָה מֵאֵת כָּל־אִישׁ אֲשֶׁר יִדְּבֶנּוּ לִבּוֹ תִּקְחוּ אֶת־תְּרוּמָתִֽי׃

“Speak to the children of Israel, that they bring Me an offering. From everyone who gives it willingly with his heart you shall take My offering."

Parashat Trumah opens dramatically with a building campaign. God commands Moses to solicit an array of colorful materials and gifts with an eye toward building a Tabernacle. It is this space that will contain the Presence of God in the midst of the people as they journey through the desert and on to the Promised Land of Israel. Most notably, far from being the work of one or two talented Israelites, the Tabernacle is a communal project demanding communal participation. Only through such involvement will God’s Presence ultimately rest among the people. Yet, at the same time, the material aspect of this Parasha is a far cry from the moment of revelation at Sinai only a few weeks ago. The fire and brimstone of Sinai have given way to, quite literally, the “nuts and bolts” of building a home for God.

The divine sanctuary is reorganized from an architectural holy space to the temple of the human heart, the holy interior of the human being within which the divine Shekinah (L’shkon to dwell), the heavenly Indwelling, radiates outward from the inner depths of the self. The Sanctuary (Temple) of the heart is felt and known through self-examination and introspection, through attentiveness to the wonder of the word, and through compassion and generosity toward others.

Both the Parasha and the Haftara describe a great Jewish leader’s arranging resources to build a dwelling place for God, Moses’ collection of gifts to build the Tabernacle, In order to transform the one-time Revelation at Sinai into a regular and perpetual revelation and fix a dwelling place for God at the Israelite camp. Solomon’s conscription of labor and collection of timber and stone to build the Temple in Jerusalem for a structure where God could dwell among the Israelites.