I was given a very special gift in honor of my recent birthday. 

Some very dear friends arranged a short, but very therapeutic, visit to Miami. 

The sounds of the ocean, the waves hitting the beach in never ending rhythm, were a balm for my soul. I am eternally grateful for the thoughtful gift I was given. 

It really rebuilt me. 

I felt so loved. 

On the way to the hotel, we passed a crater in the ground. Our Uber driver told us this was the site of the fateful Surfside building collapse where so many lost their lives. 

It was sobering to see how deep the foundation was for this seemingly strong edifice. Now it’s a sanitized spot, all the debris has been cleared, and one must use imagination to conjure up the households that had created a beautiful symphony in this place, a constant rhythm of loving and giving that is no more. 

This week we read the Torah portion called Terumah which teaches us how to build a house. 

While many of us may be interested in designing or renovating our domiciles, it may be hard to understand why the Torah describes the building of a Sanctuary for Gd in such exquisite detail, devoting more than 400 verses to the task. 

This is in stark contrast to the account of the creation story which includes the design and formation of every creature on the planet and every organism in the entire universe in a mere 40 verses or so. 

Furthermore, while the dimensions of the Tabernacle building and all the vessels within require verses upon verses to capture, we may often learn reams of law from just a letter. 

There must be some eternal lessons which can be derived from all the details. 

The portion begins “and they shall make Me a sanctuary and I will dwell in them”

Shouldn’t the verse read build me a sanctuary and I will dwell in IT? 

If Gd is creating a sacred place to rest Gd’s presence, it’s not possible for it to be in a physical space. 

Gd is above space. 

Rather Gd needs to find an appropriate place to dwell. 

Rabbi Yaakov Chaim Sofer, a Kabbalist who lived in the late 1800s, explains that the purpose of building the Tabernacle was not to have a physical place for Gd to dwell, but rather that Gd should be able to live within the people. If the people would make themselves holy, Gd could dwell among them, meaning within each one. 

How do we make ourselves holy? 

How do we make a loving space which is welcoming to Gd and all?

Again we can turn to our Torah portion for elucidation as the Jewish people are commanded to make contributions to this special Gdly house, the first capital campaign in Jewish history if you will. 

“Speak to the Children of Israel and have them take for me a contribution, from every person whose heart inspires him to generosity, you shall take My contribution”

Sivan Rahav Meir, Israeli journalist, author and Torah teacher asks how does one create love? 

Gd just performed miraculous events, does he really need our help to build this edifice?

No He does not!

But by involving us in the process Gd has us prove our fealty with actions. 

When you contribute resources to a project you become invested. That’s why a company that vests shares to their employees knows they will get 100% productivity because now every worker is also an owner. 

We become partners with Gd. 

But it goes even deeper. 

Because when we give, in any way, shape or form, we also love. 

Rabbi Dessler, Talmudic 20th century scholar teaches that the Hebrew word for love is Ahava (remember those Dead Sea products?) which comes from the Hebrew root word Hav which means to give. The more we give, the more we love. This is antithetical to our culture which seems to give the message that loving is about receiving. 

We are learning from the Torah and our Sages that to build a home, a place that will be eternal in nature, we have to invest. The more we invest, the more connected we will feel. 

“The more we contribute to the the Tabernacle, the more we become active partners.”

As Rabbi Dressler says “we might think that giving is the consequence of loving, but in fact loving is the consequence of giving”.

A childhood friend of my children lost his wife in a tragic car accident this week. I was watching the funeral on the ubiquitous Zoom(may it be for weddings and not tragedies!) and I cried for the horrifying loss this young family has suffered. But I was also extremely moved as I listened to the young widower describe his wife and the home she had built through much love and giving. She was a person of great love, always focusing on the positive and building those around her. She focused her energies on her family and made a daily routine of walking the children to school, together with her husband (an attorney) every single day. She was setting the foundations for her home by emphasizing the joy of family time together, coupled with an emphasis on the importance of learning. 

The crossing guards at school are mourning her daily smile and greetings. 

Her passing looks like complete devastation, a big crater in the ground, a place of desolation and nothingness. 

But through her giving to her family and community, this young woman has poured the foundations of eternity that will ultimately sustain and protect her family. They will know of her endless loving, giving and dedication. 

May it provide a Sanctuary for them as they go forth to build their lives, set to the rhythm of their mother’s loving and giving. 

That will be their bedrock. 

We can learn from from her how to build a home by investing in family, giving to community, noticing those in our orbit and giving lovingly in every instance. She modeled her life on the way the Jewish people contributed to the Tabernacle by giving of their heart and souls, which we know every detail of their contributions because each item contributed to the larger and meaningful picture. 

The giving created a place for love and holiness. 

May this be a merit for the soul of Leora bat Rachamim. 

Shabbat Shalom and so much love.