Parashat Terumah • Exodus 25:1–27:19
This week’s Torah portion, Terumah, invites us to build something holy: the Mishkan, a Sanctuary created so the Divine Presence could dwell among the people. It teaches us something essential—sacred space doesn’t begin with architecture. It begins with willing hearts, with offerings freely given, and with the quiet miracle of community choosing to show up for one another.
The word terumah is often translated as “offering,” and it also carries the idea of something lifted up—a gift raised and dedicated to holiness. In Parashat Terumah, these heartfelt offerings become the building blocks of the Mishkan.
My Torah Illumination for this week is Exodus 25:2:
“an offering… from every person whose heart inspires them to generosity.”
Torah doesn’t say: from every person who has enough.
It says: from every person whose heart inspires them to generosity.
The Mishkan begins not with a blueprint, but with a stirring—an inner yes. A willingness to bring what you can, in the way you can, so something sacred can be built… together.
The Mishkan of the Soul
Over the years, I’ve come to understand the Mishkan as more than a historical structure; it’s a reminder that each of us carries an inner sanctuary—a Mishkan of the soul—a Sacred Space where the Divine Presence dwells.
And yet, Torah’s language also points us outward: God’s Presence is meant to dwell not only within us, but among us—within the interwoven tapestry of community, relationship, and shared purpose.
Sometimes we build the Mishkan with generosity.
Sometimes we build it with presence.
Sometimes we build it simply by saying: I’m here. I care. You don’t have to carry this alone.
Here’s my prayer for this week:
Divine Connections
May the gifts you are inspired to share
help you connect
to the Mishkan (Tabernacle) of your Soul—
the Sacred Space
where the Divine Presence dwells.
May you find God
in the tears you cry,
the pain you carry,
and the moments
that take your breath away.
May you find God
in unexpected encounters,
unanswerable questions,
and in the face
of everyone you meet.
May every act of kindness, courage, defiance, and love
be an invitation to the Holy One
to dwell within your heart,
within your mind,
within your soul.
May the light of Divine love,
illuminate your path.
CREATE YOUR OWN DANGLE HOUSE/MISHKAN DRAWING
For those who enjoy putting pen to paper, I invite you to create your own Zenspirations® Dangle House— or Mishkan— like the one in my Torah illumination of Parashat Terumah.
In the tutorial below, which was filmed at the beginning of the pandemic, I walk you step-by-step through creating a Dangle House— all you need is paper, a pen, and (optional) markers or watercolor to add color to your design.
Jewish Arts Week: Terumah in Action
Jewish Arts Week— an initiative based on this Torah portion that was designed to help build Jewish community through art— was based on parashat Terumah. In the early 2000s, the American Guild of Judaic Art (that I helped found in 1991!) created Jewish Arts Week to encourage communities to come together to appreciate and experience Judaic art.
I chaired the Jewish Arts Week committee in Orlando for five years; below are a few of the community art projects we did to celebrate Jewish Arts Week.
QUILT PROJECT
The first Jewish Arts Week project was our community quilt—a tapestry of 750 small offerings that became something larger than any one person could create alone. Each square was a personal terumah, made by a child’s hands and a child’s heart—filled with Jewish symbols, color, and meaning. Piece by piece, the quilt became a kind of Mishkan: a shared sanctuary stitched together with creativity and community spirit.
TZEDAKAH BOX PROJECT
The Tzedakah Box Project brought together hands, hearts, and holy intention. Students decorated tzedakah boxes that were strung from the ceiling of the Congregation of Reform Judaism, which hosted that year’s main event— a concert by Josh Nelson and Yom Hadash. The communal installation was an outward reminder that generosity is not only a private virtue, but a shared spiritual practice. Like the Mishkan, the beauty wasn’t only in the finished pieces, but in co-creating them.
BUTTERFLY REMEMBRANCE PROJECT
One year our Jewish Arts Week community project was ‘The Last Butterfly’—a remembrance project inviting students to respond creatively to what they learned about the Holocaust. Each butterfly became a prayer in color: a way to hold memory, honor young voices, and transform learning into compassionate witness. When displayed together, some dangling from the ceiling, some on the walls of The Holocaust Museum and Education Center of Central Florida, the butterflies formed a powerful communal statement—many individual offerings, lifted into one shared act of remembrance.
TILE WALL PROJECT
The Tile Wall Project was a true community collaboration—1200 students and 250 seniors each painted a tile that became a part of the Jerusalem graphic installed on the wall connecting the JCC and the Hebrew Day School (now named The Jewish Academy). The finished wall became more than art; it became a daily invitation to belonging, reminding everyone who passed by that they are part of a larger story. I’ve seen people walk down the hall a decade after we did this project and proudly proclaim “That’s MY tile!!!”. This is one of my favorite examples of how a community can literally build sacred space through shared creativity.
When I look back at all the Jewish Arts Week projects we did in Orlando, what I remember most isn’t only what we made—it’s what we became while making it: a community of builders, gatherers, encouragers, and co-creators of sacred space.
Guided Journaling Questions
- Where do you most long for sacred space—in your home, your relationships, your community, your inner life?
- What helps you return to the Mishkan of your soul when you feel overwhelmed?
- When have you felt God among you—in community, friendship, or shared purpose?
- What do you create (or want to create) that helps you feel connected to the Divine?
Closing Blessing
May you be blessed to create—
not only with your hands, but with your heart.
May beauty become a bridge to belonging,
and may every act of making, sharing, and showing up
invite the Holy One to dwell in you and among you.