A Dwelling for Hashem in Every Home
From the Torah ofRav Dovid Matisyohu Rabinowitzהרב דוד מתתיהו בן יחיאל יהושע רבינוביץProfile ›
Shemos 25:2
דַּבֵּר אֶל־בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וְיִקְחוּ־לִי תְּרוּמָה מֵאֵת כׇּל־אִישׁ אֲשֶׁר יִדְּבֶנּוּ לִבּוֹ תִּקְחוּ אֶת־תְּרוּמָתִי
Speak to Bnei Yisrael, and let them take for Me an offering; from every man whose heart moves him to give, you shall take My offering.
1a“Speak to Bnei Yisrael, and let them take for Me an offering; from every man whose heart moves him to give, you shall take My offering.”1 The Midrash teaches: “This is what is written, ‘For I have given you a good lekach; do not forsake My Torah.’2 Do not forsake the purchase I have given you … The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Israel: I sold you My Torah, and, as it were, I was sold along with it, as it says, ‘and let them take for Me an offering.’3 It is like a king who had an only daughter. Another king came and married her, and wanted to return to his own land … The father said to him: The daughter I have given you is my only one. I cannot part from her, and I cannot tell you not to take her … But do me this one favor: wherever you go, make me one small room so that I may live with you … So the Holy One said to Israel: I have given you the Torah. I cannot part from it, and I cannot tell you not to take it. Rather, wherever you go, make Me one house where I may dwell, as it says, ‘And they shall make Me a Mikdash …’”4
דַּבֵּר אֶל בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וְיִקְחוּ לִי תְּרוּמָה מֵאֵת כָּל אִישׁ אֲשֶׁר יִדְּבֶנּוּ לִבּוֹ תִּקְחוּ אֶת תְּרוּמָתִי (כה, ב). אִיתָא בַּמִּדְרָשׁ (שמות רבה לג, א), הָדָא הוּא דִּכְתִיב (משלי ד, ב) ״כִּי לֶקַח טוֹב נָתַתִּי לָכֶם תּוֹרָתִי אַל תַּעֲזוֹבוּ״, אַל תַּעֲזוֹבוּ אֶת הַמִּקָּח שֶׁנָּתַתִּי לָכֶם, וְכוּ׳, אָמַר הקב״ה לְיִשְׂרָאֵל, מָכַרְתִּי לָכֶם תּוֹרָתִי כִּבְיָכוֹל נִמְכַּרְתִּי עִמָּהּ, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר ׳וְיִקְחוּ לִי תְּרוּמָה׳, מָשָׁל לְמֶלֶךְ שֶׁהָיְתָה לוֹ בַּת יְחִידָה, בָּא אֶחָד מִן הַמְּלָכִים וּנְטָלָהּ, בִּיקֵּשׁ לֵילֵךְ לוֹ לְאַרְצוֹ וְכוּ׳, אָמַר לוֹ בִּתִּי שֶׁנָּתַתִּי לְךָ יְחִידִית הִיא, לִפְרוֹשׁ מִמֶּנָּה אֵינִי יָכוֹל, לוֹמַר לְךָ אַל תִּטְּלָהּ אֵינִי יָכוֹל וְכוּ׳, אֶלָּא זוֹ טוֹבָה עֲשֵׂה לִי, שֶׁכָּל מָקוֹם שֶׁאַתָּה הוֹלֵךְ קִיטוֹן אֶחָד עֲשֵׂה לִי שֶׁאָדוּר אֶצְלְכֶם וְכוּ׳. כָּךְ אָמַר הקב״ה לְיִשְׂרָאֵל, נָתַתִּי לָכֶם אֶת הַתּוֹרָה, לִפְרוֹשׁ הֵימֶנָּה אֵינִי יָכוֹל, לוֹמַר לָכֶם אַל תִּטְלוּהָ אֵינִי יָכוֹל, אֶלָּא בְּכָל מָקוֹם שֶׁאַתֶּם הוֹלְכִים, בַּיִת אֶחָד עֲשׂוּ לִי שֶׁאָדוּר בְּתוֹכוֹ, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר ״וְעָשׂוּ לִי מִקְדָּשׁ״ וְגוֹ׳.
1bThis is puzzling. Surely “the whole earth is full of His glory,” and, as the Tikkunei Zohar says, “there is no place empty of Him.”5 What, then, can it mean to make one small room for Him among us, as it were?
וְצָרִיךְ בֵּיאוּר, הֲרֵי הקב״ה ״מְלֹא כָל הָאָרֶץ כְּבוֹדוֹ״ וְלֵית אֲתַר פָּנוּי מִינֵּיהּ (תקוני זוהר קכב, ב), וּמֵעַתָּה מַהוּ עִנְיַן עֲשִׂיַּית קִיטוֹן אֶחָד עֲבוּרוֹ בֵּינֵינוּ כִּבְיָכוֹל.
- Yeshayahu 6:3; Tikkunei Zohar 122b. ↩
In shortHashem asks for a small room wherever Israel goes, like a king whose only daughter has married; but why, when He fills the earth?
2The early Midrash Tanna Devei Eliyahu teaches: “As soon as Israel accepted the yoke of the kingship of Heaven with joy and said, ‘All that Hashem has spoken we will do and we will hear,’ the Holy One, blessed be He, at once told Moshe to tell Israel to make Him a Mishkan, as it says, ‘Speak to Bnei Yisrael … And they shall make Me a Mikdash, and I will dwell among them …’”6 But what does saying “We will do and we will hear” have to do with the Shechinah resting in the Mishkan?
וּבְתַנָּא דְּבֵי אֵלִיָּהוּ (רבה פרק יז) אִיתָא, מִכֵּיוָן שֶׁקִּיבְּלוּ יִשְׂרָאֵל עוֹל מַלְכוּת שָׁמַיִם בְּשִׂמְחָה וְאָמְרוּ ״כֹּל אֲשֶׁר דִּיבֶּר ה׳ נַעֲשֶׂה וְנִשְׁמָע״ (כד, ז), מִיָּד אָמַר הקב״ה לְמֹשֶׁה שֶׁיֹּאמַר לְיִשְׂרָאֵל שֶׁיַּעֲשׂוּ לוֹ מִשְׁכָּן, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר ״דַּבֵּר אֶל בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וְגוֹ׳ וְעָשׂוּ לִי מִקְדָּשׁ וְשָׁכַנְתִּי בְּתוֹכָם״ וְגוֹ׳. וְצָרִיךְ בֵּיאוּר הַשַּׁיָּיכוּת בֵּין אֲמִירַת נַעֲשֶׂה וְנִשְׁמָע, לְהַשְׁרָאַת הַשְּׁכִינָה בַּמִּשְׁכָּן.
- Tanna Devei Eliyahu Rabbah, ch. 17; Shemos 24:7; 25:2, 8. ↩
In shortThe command to build the Mishkan came right after “We will do and we will hear”; what links the two?
3We may explain this as follows. Learning Hashem's Torah has value in itself, but beyond that, the main purpose of learning is to keep and observe the mitzvos. As we say in the blessing Ahavas Olam before the morning Shema, “to learn and to teach, to keep and to do”; and as Chazal said, “The main thing is not study but deed.”7 This is the meaning of Chazal's teaching on the verse “among the nations there is no Torah”: “If a person tells you there is wisdom among the nations, believe it. If he tells you there is Torah among the nations, do not believe it.”8 We do see gentiles who know the Torah, yet for them it is only wisdom and knowledge. It is not Torah in the true sense, a teaching that shows a person how to conduct himself in every single matter, in keeping with the saying “The main thing is not study but deed.” Torah of this kind belongs to Israel alone. That is what Chazal meant by “Torah among the nations, do not believe it”: for the nations the Torah is only wisdom. It is not Torah,9 the teaching that shows the way of serving Hashem.
וְאֶפְשָׁר לְבָאֵר, כִּי הִנֵּה בְּלִימּוּד הַתּוֹרָה, אֲזַי מִלְּבַד עֶצֶם הַלִּימּוּד בְּתוֹרַת ה׳, עִיקַּר תַּכְלִית הַלִּימּוּד הוּא לְקַיֵּים וְלִשְׁמוֹר הַמִּצְוֹת, כְּמוֹ שֶׁאָנוּ אוֹמְרִים בְּבִרְכַּת אַהֲבַת עוֹלָם ׳לִלְמוֹד וּלְלַמֵּד לִשְׁמוֹר וְלַעֲשׂוֹת׳, וּכְמַאֲמָרָם ז״ל (אבות א, יז) לֹא הַמִּדְרָשׁ עִיקָּר אֶלָּא הַמַּעֲשֶׂה. וְזֶהוּ שֶׁאָמְרוּ חז״ל (איכה רבה ב, יז) עַל הַכָּתוּב ״בַגּוֹיִים אֵין תּוֹרָה״ (איכה ב, ט), אִם יֹאמַר לְךָ אָדָם יֵשׁ חָכְמָה בַּגּוֹיִים תַּאֲמִין, יֵשׁ תּוֹרָה בַּגּוֹיִים אַל תַּאֲמִין. דַּהֲגַם שֶׁאָנוּ רוֹאִים שֶׁיֶּשְׁנָם גּוֹיִים הַיּוֹדְעִים אֶת הַתּוֹרָה, אַךְ עַל פִּי כֵן אֵין הַדָּבָר אֶצְלָם אֶלָּא בְּתוֹרַת חָכְמָה וִידִיעָה, אַךְ לֹא בְּגֶדֶר תּוֹרָה הַמּוֹרֶה וּמְלַמֶּדֶת אֶת הָאָדָם כֵּיצַד לִנְהוֹג בְּכָל דָּבָר וְדָבָר, כְּמַאֲמָרָם הַנִּזְכָּר ׳לֹא הַמִּדְרָשׁ עִיקָּר אֶלָּא הַמַּעֲשֶׂה׳, וְדָבָר זֶה אֵינוֹ שַׁיָּיךְ אֶלָּא אֵצֶל יִשְׂרָאֵל. וְזֶהוּ שֶׁאָמְרוּ תּוֹרָה בַּגּוֹיִים אַל תַּאֲמִין, שֶׁאֶצְלָם הַתּוֹרָה הִיא רַק חָכְמָה, וְלֹא בְּגֶדֶר תּוֹרָה הַמּוֹרֶה דֶּרֶךְ הָעֲבוֹדָה.
- Avos 1:17. ↩
- Eichah Rabbah 2:17 (in standard editions 2:13); Eichah 2:9. ↩
- The word Torah is related to horaah, “instruction.” ↩
In shortLearning aims at doing; that is what makes Torah more than wisdom, and why only Israel has Torah as instruction for living.
4This is the meaning of Tanna Devei Eliyahu's words, that as soon as Bnei Yisrael said “We will do and we will hear,” the Holy One, blessed be He, at once said, “And they shall make Me a Mikdash, and I will dwell among them.” It was because they had put “we will do” before “we will hear.” “We will hear” stands for study, and “we will do” for actual deeds. By putting “we will do” first, they showed that they were taking the yoke of the Torah upon themselves above all for the sake of practice. This meant that what they had was Torah in the true sense, and not merely wisdom. As a result there was room for the Shechinah to rest among them, and Hashem told them at once, “And they shall make Me a Mikdash, and I will dwell among them.”
וְזֶה שֶׁאָמְרוּ בְּתַנָּא דְּבֵי אֵלִיָּהוּ, שֶׁכֵּיוָון שֶׁאָמְרוּ יִשְׂרָאֵל נַעֲשֶׂה וְנִשְׁמָע, מִיָּד אָמַר הקב״ה ״וְעָשׂוּ לִי מִקְדָּשׁ וְשָׁכַנְתִּי בְּתוֹכָם״. הַיְינוּ דְּמֵאַחַר שֶׁהִקְדִּימוּ נַעֲשֶׂה לְנִשְׁמָע, וְהִנֵּה ׳נִשְׁמָע׳ הוּא בְּחִינַת הַלִּימּוּד, ו׳נַעֲשֶׂה׳ הוּא בְּחִינַת הָעֲשִׂיָּה בְּפוֹעַל, נִמְצָא שֶׁבְּמַה שֶׁהִקְדִּימוּ נַעֲשֶׂה לְנִשְׁמָע הוֹרוּ בָּזֶה, שֶׁעִיקַּר מַה שֶׁקִּיבְּלוּ עַל עַצְמָם עוֹל תּוֹרָה הָיָה עַל בְּחִינַת ׳נַעֲשֶׂה׳ שֶׁהוּא הָעֲשִׂיָּה לְמַעֲשֶׂה, וְזֶה מוֹרֶה שֶׁיֵּשׁ לָהֶם בְּחִינַת תּוֹרָה וְלֹא רַק בְּחִינַת חָכְמָה, וְאִם כֵּן מִמֵּילָא יֵשׁ מָקוֹם לְהַשְׁרוֹת הַשְּׁכִינָה בְּתוֹכָם, וְעַל כֵּן מִיָּד אָמַר לָהֶם הקב״ה ״וְעָשׂוּ לִי מִקְדָּשׁ וְשָׁכַנְתִּי בְּתוֹכָם״.
In shortPutting “we will do” first showed that Bnei Yisrael received the Torah to live it, making room for the Shechinah; so the Mishkan command followed at once.
5This is also the meaning of the Midrash's parable of the king who asked, “Make me one small room, and I will live among you.” The Holy One, blessed be He, was asking that the generations to come should also reach this level: to know that the Torah was given above all to be kept in practice. For “the purpose of Torah is teshuvah and good deeds,”10 meaning that the Torah must go together with mitzvos and good deeds. It is not enough to receive the Torah and then leave Hashem behind when one is sitting at home. Rather, wherever people may be, His Shechinah should rest upon them, as they live by the commandments of the Torah in every detail of their lives.
וְזֶהוּ שֶׁכָּתוּב בַּמִּדְרָשׁ, דְּהַדָּבָר דּוֹמֶה לְמֶלֶךְ שֶׁבִּיקֵּשׁ עֲשׂוּ לִי קִיטוֹן אֶחָד וְאָדוּר בֵּינֵיכֶם, הַיְינוּ שהקב״ה בִּיקֵּשׁ שֶׁגַּם הַדּוֹרוֹת הַבָּאִים יִזְכּוּ לִבְחִינָה זוֹ, לְדַעַת שֶׁעִיקַּר נְתִינַת הַתּוֹרָה הוּא בִּשְׁבִיל לְקַיְּימָהּ לְמַעֲשֶׂה, שֶׁתַּכְלִית תּוֹרָה תְּשׁוּבָה וּמַעֲשִׂים טוֹבִים (ברכות יז, ב), שֶׁתִּהְיֶה הַתּוֹרָה עִם מִצְוֹת וּמַעֲשִׂים טוֹבִים, וְלֹא רַק לְקַבֵּל הַתּוֹרָה וְלַעֲזוֹב אֶת ה׳ בְּעֵת שִׁבְתּוֹ בְּבֵיתוֹ, אֶלָּא שֶׁבְּכָל מָקוֹם שֶׁיִּהְיוּ, יִהְיֶה הַשְׁרָאַת שְׁכִינָתוֹ עֲלֵיהֶם, לְהִתְנַהֵג עַל פִּי מִצְוַת הַתּוֹרָה בְּכָל פְּרָט וּפְרָט מֵחַיֵּיהֶם.
- Berachos 17a (the sefer has 17b); there the Gemara's wording is “the purpose of wisdom.” ↩
In short“One small room wherever you go” asks us to live the Torah everywhere, even at home, so that the Shechinah rests upon us.
6In the same vein, the holy sefarim, such as the Toldos Yaakov Yosef, the Sfas Emes and the Imrei Emes, explain the verse:11 “Why did the land perish? … Because they forsook My Torah which I set before them, and did not walk in it.”12 At first glance the verse is hard to understand. Surely there were four hundred and eighty study halls in Yerushalayim, where people learned Torah day and night!13 What it means is that although they learned Torah, they “forsook” it in the beis midrash and did not take it home with them, to do and keep its words. That is what brought the destruction. And this is why the Holy One, blessed be He, asked, “Make Me one small room”: a place for the Shechinah to rest inside the home of every single Jew.
וּכְמוֹ שֶׁפֵּירְשׁוּ בַּסְּפָרִים הַקְּדוֹשִׁים (עיין בתולדות יעקב יוסף פקודי, שפת אמת מטות תרמ״ט, אמרי אמת סוף ח״א חנוכה ליל ב׳) דִּבְרֵי הַכָּתוּב (ירמיה ט, יא, ועיין זוהר ח״ב נח, ב דנאמר גם על בית שני) ״עַל מָה אָבְדָה הָאָרֶץ עַל עָזְבָם אֶת תּוֹרָתִי אֲשֶׁר נָתַתִּי לִפְנֵיהֶם וְלֹא הָלְכוּ בָהּ״. וְלִכְאוֹרָה קָשֶׁה, הֲרֵי הָיוּ בִּירוּשָׁלַיִם אַרְבַּע מֵאוֹת וּשְׁמוֹנִים בָּתֵּי מִדְרָשׁוֹת וְעָסְקוּ בַּתּוֹרָה יוֹמָם וָלַיְלָה (פתיחתא לאיכה רבה ב, ועיין שם בעץ יוסף דכן היה גם בבית ראשון). אֶלָּא הַכַּוָּונָה בָּזֶה, שֶׁאַף שֶׁלָּמְדוּ תּוֹרָה, אַף עַל פִּי כֵן עָזְבוּ אֶת הַתּוֹרָה בְּבֵית הַמִּדְרָשׁ וְלֹא לְקָחוּהָ עִמָּהֶם אֶל בֵּיתָם, לַעֲשׂוֹת וּלְקַיֵּים אֶת דִּבְרֵי הַתּוֹרָה, וְעַל דָּבָר זֶה בָּא הַחוּרְבָּן. וְזֶהוּ שֶׁבִּיקֵּשׁ הקב״ה עֲשׂוּ לִי קִיטוֹן אֶחָד, מָקוֹם לְהַשְׁרָאַת הַשְּׁכִינָה בְּתוֹךְ בֵּיתוֹ שֶׁל כָּל אֶחָד מִיִּשְׂרָאֵל.
- See Toldos Yaakov Yosef, Pekudei; Sfas Emes, Matos 5649; Imrei Emes, end of vol. I, Chanukah, second night. ↩
- Yirmiyahu 9:11–12 (the sefer has 9:11). See Zohar II 58b, which says the verse applies to the second Beis HaMikdash as well. ↩
- Pesichta to Eichah Rabbah 2. See the Etz Yosef, a commentary on the Midrash, there, that this was so in the time of the first Beis HaMikdash as well. ↩
In shortThough Torah was learned constantly, the land was lost because the Torah stayed in the beis midrash; the “small room” belongs in every Jewish home.
7May Hashem grant that we be privileged to learn and to teach, to keep and to do, and to fulfill all the words of the Torah. Amen, may it be His will.
יִתֵּן ה׳ יִתְבָּרֵךְ, שֶׁנִּזְכֶּה לִלְמוֹד וּלְלַמֵּד לִשְׁמוֹר וְלַעֲשׂוֹת וּלְקַיֵּים כָּל דִּבְרֵי הַתּוֹרָה, אָמֵן כֵּן יְהִי רָצוֹן.
In shortMay we learn the Torah and also keep and fulfill all its words.
Takeaway
Hashem asks us for “one small room” not because He lacks a place, but because He wants the Torah we learn to come home with us. Yerushalayim was full of study halls and still fell, because the Torah stayed behind in the beis midrash. When we live what we learn in our own homes, those homes become a dwelling place for the Shechinah.
Learn this in the merit of Rav Dovid Matisyohu Rabinowitz. His yahrzeit and life ›
English translation, notes and summaries © Zechusam.