“They shall make a Sanctuary for Me, and I will [then] dwell in their midst.” (Shemos 25:8)

Where did the cedar beams (for the Mishkan) come from? Yaakov our patriarch planted them at the time he descended to Egypt. He told his children: My sons, ultimately you will be redeemed from this place, and the Holy One, blessed be He, will say to you: “When you will be redeemed, you shall build for me a Mishkan”. Therefore, go plant cedar trees now so that when He commands you to erect a Sanctuary for Him, beams of cedar will be available. They then arose and planted as Yaakov had commanded them to do. (Medrash Tanchuma Terumah 9:14)

Rav Sholom Schwadron (1912-1997) asks: There were many items that were not procurable in the desert, such as the stones for the breastplate that came in the Clouds of Glory. Why was it that Yaakov did not concern himself with preparing these items, as he assumed Hashem would provide them, yet when it came to the boards of the Mishkan he felt it was important to plant them himself?

It is well known that the Belzer Rebbe in Europe was particular that all the building that was done for his shul be done by Orthodox Jews. The reason for this is that obviously something built with more kedushah will be infused with more kedushah. If that is so, perhaps it would have been better if we would have let Hashem supply the boards?!

Rav Sholom Schwadron starts his answer by suggesting that a person’s home is his sanctuary, meaning that a house is an expression of who the owner is and what he invested in it. A man once came to my father’s house and commented that he must be a big scholar. I asked this man how he knew that. He answered by saying that he saw the library. To which I replied, “Just because someone has a lot of books, doesn’t mean he is a scholar!” But the visitor pointed out, “Look how worn out they are!”

Rav Meir Shapiro (1887-1933) explained an interesting phenomenon about the world in which we live. There are many homes which look identical on the outside, and perhaps the residents even eat the same foods. Yet, when one walks into a home, it has an odor that is distinct from other homes. One can look all over the house and yet never find the source of that odor. Rav Shapiro explains this in a poetic way. “Chazal call one’s wife ‘his house’ because the woman is the one who gives the ‘scent’ to the house. It may not be with any specific action, but her combined actions create an atmosphere distinct from her neighbors who might otherwise have the exact same home. This shelter, with its particular scent, is what fosters all that grows therein.”

Rav Sholom explains that our home must be developed with our own talents and actions. If we are spoon fed, we will not be able to grow into who we were supposed to be. Therefore, when it came to the Mishkan, many items were procured through all types of miracles. But the essential structure where Hashem would dwell, which would define our ability to grow and connect to Hashem – that structure must be built by our hands and not be Hashem’s handiwork.

Upon seeing this idea, I thought that it is very appropriate that Yaakov was the one who thought about planting the trees. When on his way to Egypt, he was concerned about this issue of a proper atmosphere. Therefore, he sent Yehuda down first to establish a yeshiva so that as soon as the remainder of the family arrived they would be able to learn Torah. Yaakov was not just concerned about the immediate future, but also for the long term.

This week we are told by Chazal that each of our homes is supposed to be a place that Hashem feels comfortable in and is willing to dwell there. This is a good opportunity for us to ask ourselves – Have I done enough to create the atmosphere which would make Him feel comfortable in my home?