This Shabbat we study the Parshah Terumah, meaning “offering” (Exodus 25:2). The people of Israel are called upon to contribute thirteen materials—gold, silver and copper; blue-, purple- and red-dyed wool; flax, goat hair, animal skins, wood, olive oil, spices and gems—out of which, G-d says to Moses, “They shall make for Me a Sanctuary, and I shall dwell amidst them.”

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On the summit of Mount Sinai Moses is given detailed instructions on how to construct this dwelling for G-d so that it could be readily dismantled, transported and reassembled as the people journeyed in the desert.

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Chabad.org

This week's haftorah describes the construction of the Holy Temple under the direction of King Solomon, echoing this week's Torah portion which discusses the construction of the Desert Tabernacle.

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The haftorah discusses the manpower — both Jewish and non-Jewish — that Solomon recruited for the building of the Holy Temple. Also discussed are the hewing and transportation of the stone, the laying of the foundation, as well as the dimensions of the Holy Temple, its components and materials.

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The haftorah ends with G-d's word to King Solomon: "This house which you are building, if you walk in My statutes, and execute My ordinances, and keep all My commandments to walk in them; then will I establish My word with you, which I spoke to David your father. And I will dwell among the children of Israel, and will not forsake My people, Israel."

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Chabad.org

Even before I am aware of my thoughts, He has it all worked out. (Psalms 139:4 according to the Targum). 

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Trusting in the One Above doesn’t mean waiting for miracles.

It means having confidence in what you are doing right now.

Because you know He has set you on a good path and given you the right ideas.

He invests in you and He trusts in you. And you should, too.

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Rabbi Tzvi Freeman

The building of the Sanctuary in the desert required cedar-wood. Where would they get cedar-wood in the desert? Rashi quotes the Midrash: Our patriarch Jacob prophetically foresaw that the Jewish people would need to build a sanctuary in the wilderness. Thus he brought cedars with him to Egypt and planted them there. He commanded his sons to take these with them when they leave Egypt. By planting cedars in Egypt, Jacob did not simply show foresight to provide an eventual need for the Jewish people. With his action he also encouraged his descendants of the later generations. It strengthened them with an ability to contend with the darkness of galut (exile). It strengthened the hope and courage of Israel at all times. For even in the very thick of the galut we have in our midst the “cedars” that our forefather Jacob planted in every generation.

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Rabbi J. Immanuel Schochet

Why is the Sanctuary described in this week’s reading so small? One would imagine that the very first House of G-d would have been spectacular. Yes, it was a portable temple which needed to be erected and dismantled regularly over 40 years in the wilderness, but still. It was smaller than a starter home! A roof of animal skins, held together with bolts and nuts, hooks, pegs and sockets. And while it was, admittedly, covered in gold, it was a far cry from the magnificent palaces and citadels of others.

The moral of the story? G-d does not require spectacular spires or museums to house His holy presence. Where is He found? In the nitty-gritty nuts and bolts of a simple synagogue.

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Back in 1983, I was the founding rabbi of the Torah Academy Shul in Johannesburg. The school had purchased a large tract of land which had previously housed a Catholic institution and our new synagogue was going to be situated in what was previously the chapel. Many of my congregants asked whether we needed to do any particular ceremony before we could move in.

At the time, Rabbi Betzalel Zolty, a respected halachic authority and former Chief Rabbi of Jerusalem was visiting our community, so I put the question to him. “Do we need to do anything special to convert the chapel into a shul?”

His sharp and simple reply? “Make a minyan!”

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A minyan, a quorum of Jews praying together, is all that was needed to inaugurate and consecrate our synagogue.

And that is exactly how we invite G-d into our synagogues and make Him feel welcome. Sometimes we think we must conquer the cosmos to bring heaven down to earth, but all we need to do is make a simple minyan.

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The Alter Rebbe, founder of Chabad chassidism, once said: Avodah—true service of G-d—does not imply, as some think, altogether erroneously, that one must pulverize mountains and shatter boulders, or turn the whole world upside down.

No! The absolute truth is that any act is perfectly satisfactory when performed with authenticity and true intent. A blessing pronounced with concentration, a word of prayer as it should be with awareness of “before Whom you stand,” a passage in Chumash while being aware that it is the word of G-d, a verse of Psalms, an act of kindness and compassion expressed in befriending another person with love and affection.

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It is precisely the small things that build the Sanctuary of G-d and bring heaven down to earth. G-d is not looking for grandeur or opulence, but the ordinary acts of sanctity and spirituality, goodness and kindness that make our world a better, more G-dly place—a holy house where He feels most comfortable. Let us make Him our own little sanctuaries and He will dwell among us.

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From an article by Rabbi Yossy Goldman