Parshat Terumah - Tabernacle - Command or Compensation

[barbara1]

"Wherever you find the footprints of a person, that is where I am."
Since the feet represent the lowest level of man, this means that a person can be on the lowest level, and Hashem is still standing there with him.  No matter what situation we are in, that is our mishkan from which we can make our aliyah.  You can never say, "Forget it, I'm gone. I give up."  Hashem commanded us to build the mishkan.  Even at our lowest point we can still build our own mishkan.  We must build.  This is a very deep lesson to take to heart when we find ourselves struggling.

[Jenna1]

I also was very moved by the idea of no matter what level you're on, you still need to build the mishkan within you.  Sometimes we can feel like we're not on a high enough level and that we're unable to fulfill this obligation.  But, we do what we can at our level.

The other powerful idea that we can also apply to this idea is the idea of hard work.  Mrs. Smiles talks about yegia - that hard work is an anathema to us.  But that there are no quick fixes.  Even though I feel that I am on a low level and can't build a mishkan, I have to.  But, I also have to know that it's not easy for anyone and that it is hard work.  I also think about this idea in terms of having emuna.

Thank you,
Jenna