Sacred is as sacred does

A. GIFTS FROM THE HEART (or, “SHOW ME THE MONEY”)

This week’s Torah portion, Terumah, we read about the importance of voluntary contributions when fundraising on behalf of a community:

The Lord spoke to Moses, saying: Tell the Israelite people to bring Me gifts; you shall accept gifts for Me from every person whose heart so moves him (emphasis mine). And these are the gifts that you shall accept from them...(Exodus 25:1-3).

Throughout the ages, this has been a tricky subject – the balance between awaiting free-will offerings for a cause, and “gently reminding” people of their compulsory responsbility to financially support the community’s endeavors. Yet there does seem to be a qualitative difference between the two. Rabbi Lawrence Kushner teaches:

We are measured not so much by what we buy, but by what we give. The main obstacle to generosity is forgetting where our money came from. I do not mean who wrote the checks, paid your wages, printed the currency, or even how we earned it. I mean by what combination of skill, luck, grace, and blessing from on High have we wound up with this money in our hands. Where did it come from; how did we really get it? When asked this way, only one thing is clear: We do not own what we possess. Like land, which belongs to God, we are stewards but never owners. And if we remember that all our possessions are loaned to us on trust, then we can be satisfied with much less.

After all, when do we have enough? Wealth cannot be measured in absolute dollars. It is the highly subjective sensation of having more than enough, so much that there is money to give away. For this reason, wealth is a function of generosity: The more you give, the richer you feel (The Book of Words, p. 75-76).

B. “IF YOU BUILD IT, HE WILL COME”

And this first ask from God is for nothing short of the construction of the wilderness sanctuary – that is, the first synagogue building campaign! The text clearly states:

And let them make Me a sanctuary that I may dwell among them (25:8).

First give willingly, now build the sanctuary – then what? Rabbi Tarfon said:

The Holy One did not cause His Presence to dwell among the Israel until they did some work, for scripture says, “And let them make Me a sanctuary that [then] I may dwell among them” (Avot de Rabi Natan 11).

OK – so the whole point of the exercise is to create a space for God. Well, not really – God doesn’t seem to need a roof or walls, or fancy upholstery. Perhaps, however, we do. More than “creating a space for God,” we are striving to create space for God in our lives. It’s as if Torah is reminding us that God is found – not in the sanctuary – and rather in our work together to create sacred space. When we join together for sacred purpose, whatever that effort is, those are the times when we cause God’s presence to be felt among us.

So tell me – what have you done lately to create sacred space? And what exactly is your idea of sanctuary – a holy place? How have you joined with others to make God’s presence known? Hope you’ll share your thoughts – and enjoy the sanctuary you create.