G-d’s Transformation of Ordinary Jews into a Kingdom of Priests

From the Teachings of the Lubavitcher Rebbe Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, Zt”l

The commandment to build a Sanctuary to G-d appears in this week's Torah portion, Teruma. The mitzva was given to all Jews - men, women, and according to the Midrash, even children.

The Sanctuary in the desert was a tremendous innovation, an entirely new phenomenon that had never before existed: a physical "house" for G-d in which the Divine Presence was "enclothed" and dwelled. In fact, it is such a radical concept that King Solomon was moved to wonder, "Behold, the heaven and heaven of heavens cannot contain You; how much less this house that I have built?"

How, then, can such an amazing thing be accomplished by every Jew, even the simplest?

In actuality we find that only a handful of people were responsible for making the Sanctuary's components, such as Betzalel, whom G-d filled with "the spirit of the L-rd." Nonetheless, the Torah clearly states that the building of the Sanctuary was dependent on the actions of every Jew. But how could a single individual have the power to cause G-d's Presence to dwell in a physical structure, when the entire world is too small to contain Him?

The question becomes even stronger when we look at the wording of the command itself, "And they shall take to Me an offering." As Rashi explains, this means that the contributions for the Sanctuary had to be made for the sake of heaven, i.e., with pure intent. As not everyone can attain such an elevated level of Divine service, how could the command be directed at all Jews?

In order to understand, we must go back to the Giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai, when the Jewish people underwent an essential transformation. When G-d chose the Jews from among the nations, He took ordinary, corporeal human beings and turned them into "a kingdom of priests and a holy people."

Since then, every single Jew is connected to G-d on an essential level, which is why our Sages said, "Even though he may have sinned, he is still a Jew." Inside every Jew is a "pintele Yid," a Jewish spark that does not allow him to be separated from G-d. The true inner desire of every Jew is to obey G-d's will; if it is not always apparent, it is only because the Evil Inclination has temporary control. Moreover, even if it seems as if a Jew's motivation for serving G-d isn't entirely "pure," on the deepest, innermost level, it is.

Because the essence of the soul is always inextricably bound to G-d, every single Jew thus has to the capacity to establish a dwelling place for Him.

Reprinted from Parshat Terumah 5762/2002 edition of L’Chaim, a publication of the Lubavitcher Youth Organization. Adapted from Volume 2 of Sefer HaSichot 5752.