“And they shall make me a Mishkan and I shall dwell in them …” (25:8)
In this week’s Parsha, Hashem instructed the Jewish people to build a Mishkan (Tabernacle). The Pasuk says “v’Asu Li Mikdash v’Shachanti b’Socham- “And they shall make me a Mishkan and I shall dwell in them.” Seemingly Hashem should have said that He “will dwell in it”, meaning that the Shechina will dwell in the Mishkan itself. Why does Hashem instead say, “And I will dwell in them”? What does this mean?
Rav Menachem Mendel of Kotzk answers that the Shechina (Divine Presence) is not limited to a physical space where the Mishkan is, rather every Jew has the ability to be a living and breathing, walking and talking Mishkan, in which the Shechina can reside. This is why it says, “I will dwell in them” – meaning every person who allows the Shechina into their lives. (Rav Yitzchok Fingerer shlita)
