They should make me a sanctuary; that I should dwell among them. (Shemos 25:8)

Rav Yehuda Adas, Rosh Yeshiva of Kol Yaakov in Bayit Vegan, constructed a physically beautiful edifice for the yeshiva in the middle of a residential neighborhood. On Friday nights, many of the baalei batim in the neighborhood would pray in the Yeshiva. Rav Adas would speak between kabalas Shabbos and Maariv on topics that were relevant to both the baalei batim and the bnei yeshiva. In one such drasha he spoke about the concept of “making do with the minimal amount” and not to be involved in looking for opulence in life. After the drasha, one of the baalei batim went over to him, and asked, “Why don’t you practice what you preach!? This building is far beyond the means of the yeshiva, and by all standards it is a beautiful building. Why does the yeshiva need such an extravagant structure?” Rav Adas responded, “I don’t understand what you are saying, please repeat it.” The man repeated his statement two or three times until Rav Adas responded, “I think you have it wrong. You think I built such a beautiful building for me? I built it for YOU!” The man gazed at Rav Adas in amazement, trying to comprehend what he had just said.  Rav Adas went on to explain, “This is your shul, where you pray. You have a fancy car and a fancy apartment. If the synagogue where you pray would just be of average beauty, there would be a great complaint against you in Heaven. But by the fact that you pray in such a beautiful synagogue, it shows Hashem that your davening and learning is very important to you. Hashem will hopefully then allow you to have a beautiful home and car as well.

This is an introduction to the explanation of the verse “you shall make for me a sanctuary, and I shall dwell within it.” The Shla Hakadosh (Yeshayahu ben Avraham Ha-Levi Horowitz 1555– 1630), adds that when building a house, one should actually set aside a room to do there his avodas Hashem. It seems to me that that room should be furnished appropriately to give it the proper respect for such a room.

Rabbi Reuvain Grozovsky (1886-1958) at the chanukas habayis of yeshivas Kaminetz (approx. 1936) spoke about why it is necessary for a yeshiva to have a beautiful building. I think that his idea is reflected in that which we already stated. However, he added another aspect which is extremely important: Why should a yeshiva have a building altogether?! Why don’t the students learn in the local synagogue? If I understood his answer properly, it is because the talmidei chachamim who set themselves apart from worldly matters should have a beis medrash that is only involved in spirituality. This is different from a synagogue where the congregants are involved in worldly affairs, too.

I would like to add an opposing thought, though it is not a contradiction. There is a certain beauty to a shul. People who work all day and set aside time to have a communal place to learn Torah and daven, gives the shul a certain aura. This can be understood with a story about the Vilna Gaon (Rabbi Eliyahu ben Shlomo Zalman 1720 –1797) who once asked the Dubno Maggid (Jacob ben Wolf Kranz 1741-1804) to give him mussar. The maggid said, “It is not trick to be a Gaon, cloistered in your study, learning torah day and night. But try to be the same Tzadik when going out among the people. See if you will then still remain a Gaon.” To this the Gaon responded, “I am not a trickster.” Meaning that to do what you suggest, a person would have to be on a very high level. He would rather live a simple life of sitting and learning rather than being exposed to the temptations of the world and overcoming them. In other words, the Gaon acknowledges that there is an advantage to those who work and set aside time for their spiritual growth. The people who succeed at doing this are, in a certain aspect, on a higher level than one who doesn’t expose himself to the world.

Whatever your lot is in life, we all need to create a place physically and also in ourselves, for the Divine Presence to dwell within us.