Thought for the Week | Parshas Terumah | Home Sweet Home | Rabbi Yaakov Winner - 5786

How are you? I hope everyone is I hope everyone is healthy, strong and happy physically and spiritually. Today is in the month of this Tuesday and what is the connection between all these things? Before we start, as usual, we start with should come right now. Then we'll say a prayer which is directly connected to what we're going to speak about today. And that is what we say three times a day after May it be your will that the bd beily rebuilt in our days and grant us our portion in your so in this week's para is the p which you can interpret to mean that it's one mitzvah connected to the building of the mishkon and the bas mikdash It's one that's in this week's par says you should make thou shall make me a sanctuary so that I may dwell among them. Now the truth is those that learnad understand that it could very well be that this in a certain sense is the story of existence not only existence but of course the totality of Judaism of Yiddish and the totality of existence we've spoken about this many times the rebel in chapter Chapter 36 of Tanya says something that every time I think about it, it gives me a whole new appreciation for the but also the statement itself. The Reb chose this statement as one of the 12 verses that children should know by heart. And alterb writes in chapter 33 of the is the purpose of all of man and why it was created and the creation of all the worlds up worlds and lower worlds. so that Hashem should have a dwelling place down here in this world. Now, it's so so startling, stupendous, amazing on so many levels here. The alterb is telling every single Jew why he exists. What am I doing here? Everyone knows the famous book by Victor Frankl, man's search for meaning. The nature of man is that he's searching for meaning and only by finding meaning and purpose will they have true happiness and most people don't know what they're doing here and here the tells us that this is the purpose of the everything that means imagine I went over to some secular scientists and I told them that in our circles a a child three years old was already taught that Mars, Venice, Jupiter, the sun, the moon, and that's only physical reality. But all of the whole spiritual cosmos, whatever you want, it's all that he should be on this planet Earth and make wow. But that's the way it is. We're not over here. I'm not trying to convince somebody. I'm not philosophizing and we're not having debates. First I got to tell you the way it is according to our education and what the says now of is that and I think probably spoke about this many times without someone could look at this and say make me a sanctu I will dwell in them that this is one of the 613 mitz and it is one of the 613 mitzvah that Hashem says he wants to have a home on this planet earth took this mitzvah and really said that it's the totality of all of the 613 mitzvah it's behind everything and actually one of my mash he once said in that you know what any question you have in Judaism this is what he said any question you have in Judaism attach it think of it in terms of the dwelling place down here below. And that should give you the answer. Why? Because of everything. Everything is about that Hashem desires and dwelling place down below. That means there's nothing that's not related to it. That's the that's the end. So therefore, that's the purpose. That's what it's all about. So therefore, that's the answer to whatever concept you're going to think about. Everything's connected. Everything and everything is connected to a dwelling place down here below. So connects a hashem desired dwelling place down here below. And this is what's the what's what's port over here in our that says make me a sanctuary and I'll dwell in them. So it's not only about a building the mishk and the mikdash which that's what discusses in this week's para all the utensils and how the sult made and the dimensions and the measurements but it's about the entire world becoming in a certain sense a sanctuary for hashem. So obviously there's many many questions. Hashem is all over. What does it mean that he has a dwelling place down here below? And there's a famous line that's brought on without getting into details again this is such a huge subject we can give 30 just on this subject alone and how theb and all of his talks I would say is the number one subject. Anyways, also said this is what Hashem desired. And sometimes it says why he desired we don't know. But that he desired we do know. And that's what it says in the but as in every single situation we have to understand what is the meaning of it. in particular in relation to the para and the commentaries and the Jewish nation in general. So first of all I just want to say a famous ver that comes together with this thing which you could ask Hashem is all over. So what's going on right now that he says he wants to have a a sanctuary. So I think I said this once before there's a famous question where is God? So there's two answers that are given. One answer that Shabas once asked where is God and he answered where is he not which is an amazing answer and they say in the name of the where is God and then he said will you make room for him. So the first answer is an unbelievable answer because it changes your whole perspective. It's not like we have a question where is Hashem and then we have to answer the question. The question IS NOT A QUESTION TO START WITH. That's number one and that's the right approach. But then there's another approach in a where is hem? Where is he going to be felt? We make room for him. And that's also true because one of the main principles of this is that Hashem resides where there is like says that holiness is you got to make way for the infinity. In order for the infinity to be able to reside and to be felt, you have to become transparent. Don't be an obstruction. Okay. Now, let's get to what is what is the what is the unique accomplishment? What does it mean in our service of Hashem that we're making a dwelling place? Because that's really what's more important than everything else. What am I meant to do? So, to understand really the accomplishment, we will bring a medish and then a gamura. And even though I don't want you to get confused, I'll try to bring it out clear, but the bottom line from both will be the same. First we'll start with a med know this very well because in the memor of it's always discussed and that is there's a first says Hashem says I came to my garden and the medish on that says I came to my go my My sister, my bride, I came to my garden. The medish on that says the famous medish it says it doesn't say I came to a garden to my garden. Hashem created the world and the world was filled with the glory of Hashem with divine revelation. But then the medish explains that there were seven sins starting from the eight and then there were seven sadikim that came corresponding to the seven bad things that came that caused the toart from this world in a revealed way and then the seventh came and he brought down the so in other words according to the medish when the medish says Ohi, I came to my garden to where I was previously. My garden is referring to what day did it happen? According to the commentators, when does Hashem say after the Mishkan was erected and when he comes down into the Mishkan? And over here asked the question that mountain was the greatest revelation. You could say it's the greatest event in the history of mankind and of course the greatest event in the history of Yiddish. So mountain which is God himself came down into the mountain and then almost a year later was when Hashem came down when Hashem came down into the Mishk. But when did he say when is it really considered that he comes down and he says the husband tells the wife tells I'm back I'm back home and he says that when we make when we make the we make the deal as we'll soon explain. Then Hashem says I'm back to my home. So we have to understand what's the difference between which according to all the explanations of it was the most unbelievable unbelievable accomplishment which broke the barrier the separation and division between heaven and earth spiritual and physical and the answer is because was an act of hashem as hashem says mas It was a decree and he says I will begin. So in other words is more the idea of an act of God over here. What does it mean? It's how man elevates physical objects and makes a contribution to Hashem and he offers it up to Hashem. So what's greater? Let's say, for example, we're talking about a king. What's going to be a bigger accomplishment? If a king decides that he wants to barge into someone's house and say, "Get out of my way. Here I am. I'm the king." or when you work and you prepare and you make your home the most beautiful home and then you invite the king and the king chooses to come to your home because you worked on yourself to prepare the home for the king. So here we get to a concept. The truth is there's many concepts that be connected to this but over here we come to the concept where in this we say but it's not only that the desires and dwelling place down below he WANTS it should come from within from us and there was once by gave a speech and he gave and he asked a question what's the most holiest place for the Jewish nation most people and answer the And then he asked how come not mount si. So first of all he said because mount s not necessarily do we know where mount s is but then he said because mount si represents the way hashem came down on the mountain but the represents the place where served hem a greater accomplishment is not that the abisha could do anything. A greater accomplish is when man elevates himself and works on himself and becomes worthy of Hashem residing over there. And this has to be brought straight away. Everyone says the famous doesn't say that will dwell in it. It's not about the building. It's not about the physical space necessarily, but Every person has to make himself worthy of becoming a home for Hashem and the same thing in your private home. So that explains from that medish of and by the way what does it mean? What does the medish say? Non means I came to my garden to my bridal canopy. Now some people explain that it means like in a garden we have the section that only the bride and the groom go to like the room so to speak. In other words, they reach a new level of intimacy from here on in. That means that the way Hashem filled the world, let's go back to the before the it was that Hashem filled the world. Again, it wasn't really accomplishment because it wasn't that the world refined itself. When Hashem created the world, he filled the earth. But it didn't prove the idea that man in an environment with when he has an an evil incarnation when he's in the mundane reality of Melbourne, New York City, wherever it is, and he works on himself to elevate himself to make himself one with Hashem from his natural habitat, from his natural environment, so to speak. And that's the accomplishment because now it represents from here on in the fact that the Jews bring from physical objects and make a contribution to we elevate the world. We refine ourselves. Then it shows a deeper level of intimacy between us and Hashem that we become united. And we're not united because Hashem decided superimposed from above to reside here. But we refined ourselves and made ourselves a vehicle and an instrument. So it comes from within. Now I'm just going to say another place where we see this idea. But in this idea, it's not that the Mishkan corrected so to speak was misin something which went back to 2,000 plus years before from the time of till the story of the Mishk there was a certain level of separation where only the day the Mishkan was built does Hashem say I'm back. And why? BECAUSE FROM THEN NOW IT COMES FROM US FROM WITHIN. We're inviting Hashem in. We are refining ourselves, work on ourselves. So that we should be a true vehicle for Hashem. Now there's another Gmorrah. And this brings out another connection between Purim. The story of Purim is similar to this story. There's a Gmorra and the Gmorra Shabas. I don't know if everyone knows the famous Gmorrah where the Gmorrah says over there that Hashem this is where it says Hashem was Hashem turned over the mountain on the top of the nation of the Jews like a like a like a barrel and he said either accept the Tyra or this will be your burial place that's what the Gmorrah says anyways says said here we have a major major complaint like a substantial argument a claim against the whole fulfilling of the why because based on this gimra it seems that we were forced to accept it so how could we obligated how could we obligated to fulfill something we were forced we were forced to do it but the gammor Nevertheless, when would we when would when would this when was this situation made right? When did this claim fall away? In the days of almost a thousand years later, it says in the migill that the means that the Jews accepted upon themselves this whole celebration of Purum for the future. But the Gomorrah learns out from this the yidden fulfill then which they already receive that which they already receive mira only after the story of purim does it means that we fully accepted it what does it mean I'm not getting into the whole meaning of the gar over there what does it mean that we were coerced there's the way is and the way is I'll just say the way is that it means it's very different than the simple meaning of the garra but it means that we were overwhelmed by the miracles by mra there's no way that we wouldn't accept the we were coerced because of the revelations imagine you have a and the gives the girl they're going out on dates he gives her a diamond bracelet a diamond necklace a diamond watch a diamond ring and And he's just showering her with gifts and gifts and gifts. And it's just it's it's he makes it like a deal. She can't refuse. It's so amazing. I'm just calling it that. There was so many miracles. The age of the 10. It wasn't possible not to accept the but according to the accomplishment of pur was that it was not a miracle that was against nature. It was in other words it was more natural with the rules of the world and that's what it means. What does it mean? What what's real? When does Judaism really become part of you? Not when you accept it because of extraordinary circumstances, not because you accept it because of miracles, but even in a natural situation where there's nothing compelling you positively and still you accept it. So then it proves that it's real. In other words, let's go back to the similar vert that we brought from the medish. When does he when does Hashem say, "I'm really home." When it comes from the yidden, it's an act of man. It comes from within. The same thing over here. Sim similar contrast. Ma was more like an act of God. God superimposed himself above us with the miracles. He showed us his hand that he could do anything. Unbelievable revelations. Purim. There were no revelations. It was all natural. And still we really accepted and that's what really called kiblu. That's what it means. They really accepted it because it wasn't something that I had to take something that was the opposite of nature. This means that it's real that it's coming from within from a normal Wednesday afternoon in a normal situation where we don't see divine revelations. and still we're one with Hashem that means that we're really serving Hashem properly. So we see from both places this very very fundamental point that Hashem has to be from within and this is really really what it's the lesson we have to take from working on ourselves that it comes from within like for example let's talk about um from yeshiva we say when do you really know what it's at not when he's when he's doing the right thing when when the faculty is looking at him but what does he do in his free time that shows what he really is all about the same thing is about the says a person should be for the as it is for a bus of what does that mean that means sometimes you have people behind closed doors they act one way but in public they act another way but really it should be the real person it doesn't make a He's not doing something externally. It's really him. And the connection to is in the medish. I don't know if I mentioned before when it says that was the seventh that came after the seven negative sins that happened and it says he's the seventh and all the seventh are beloved. So he's the one that accomplishes the greatest thing. He actually makes it happen. It's every other brought it down one floor so to speak, one level. But who made it happen in this world? The seventh are beloved. And the same thing we could say is the seventh. The Zion is the beloved. So we should utilize this week in a very powerful way. In general this message of shows on an engagement with the world not a disengagement. This is also a very general message very much befitting with the point is the war wants that we should take the world and work with the world just like by the whole idea of the mikdash and the mishk was taking physical objects and transforming them and elevating them and utilizing them and channeling them to kaduca. So that's the general idea of our lives that your actions should be for the sake of heaven and all your ways you should know not only when you're in the B mikdash and when you're in the sh but 24/7 and this is also connected with the rebi used to speak many times about every house should become a kabad house every house is a mini sanctuary not only like the shoe your house becomes a home for hashem And just to give an example of of of what it means like a different mindset there's a famous story about a certain Klitska means timber he worked in in in such a field such a profession timber log logs anyways he was once standing at at the riverbank where the work was done. They were cutting the trees and putting it on transport whatever it is and he was lost in thought. So one of his workers um like asked him afterwards or something, "What were you thinking about?" So he answered, "I was thinking about." So the guy made a wonder like he was surprised. You're middle of the business and you think about he said, So answered the question is not why I was thinking about in middle of the timber middle of the business. The question is why when people say they're thinking about the timber they're thinking about the business. So this is the lesson we have to take from today. Our connection to the aisha has to become like the default position. That's what it means. I'm home. Home is where I feel myself. Home is where my essence is expressed. Home is the real me. My serving the shouldn't be one of the things that I do besides everything else. But that's who I am. That's my natural state of mind. That's my natural awareness. That's my natural consciousness. So should help that we should do our part that Hashem should be our natural consciousness like the story of the and this will helping about that we'll see the ultimate we'll see the revelation with the entire world in a revealed way will become and in particular we'll also see Take posting from my home.