The Torah has a tradition of inner spiritual life which is a devotional path — a derech avodah. While the past decade has seen an uptick of interest in meditation apps and Eastern practices, it is helpful to know what we have “at home” in our own tradition.

I’d like to share an extraordinary drasha on daily spiritual practice in Parashat Terumah by R. Mordechai Yosef of Ishbitz. But before I do, let’s place his insight in the context of the Mishkan, the Tabernacle.

On the verse, “V’asu li mikdash v’shachanti b’tocham — And let them make Me a sanctuary that I may dwell among them” (Shemot 25:8), the 16th-century sage Rabbi Moshe Alshech taught that God dwells not just in the building, but “in the heart of each and every individual.” If each person can become a dwelling place for God, then the Mishkan’s sacred vessels become a template for how we can bring God into our lives.

At the center of the sanctuary stands the tablets of the law resting in the Ark, the Aron, which represents our center—our hearts. As King Solomon says, “Katvem al luach libecha — Write them on the tablets of your heart” (Mishlei 7:3).

The parsha opens with God instructing the People of Israel: “V’yikhu li terumah — Bring to Me an offering” (Shemot 25:2). In an extraordinary reading, the Mei HaShiloach teaches that the verse is not only talking about collecting materials for a physical structure; it offers guidance for hitbodedut — personal devotion.

In a brilliant insight, the Ishbitzer reads V’yikhu li Terumah not to mean “Bring to Me [God] an offering [an item],” but rather, “Take yourself as an offering!” In other words, “Take your ‘me’ as an offering.”

God says: Bring yourself! The terumah is you. Now, the question many of us ask is: how do you give of yourself to God? The Ishbitzer answers:

“The Holy One commanded that every individual should set aside for themselves one hour a day to be alone in the service of the Blessed Name.” [Mei HaShiloach II, Terumah]

Every day, you put aside sacred time for hitbodedut—devotional time alone. What might we contemplate during this time?

In another teaching, the Mei HaShiloach calls our attention to a striking detail: Unlike all the other vessels whose dimensions are in full measurements, the dimensions of the Aron (the Ark) are half-measurements: 2.5 cubits long, 1.5 cubits wide, 1.5 cubits high (Shemot 25:10). Why?

“…because to acquire words of Torah one needs to know that one is lacking and that one stands in the middle… for God only bestows words of Torah to one who recognizes that he is lacking and needs them to become whole.” [Mei Hashiloach II, Terumah]

The Ramban teaches that the primary purpose of the Mishkan was to house the Luchot (the Tablets), making the Ark the most important vessel. In this symbolic reading, if our hearts are the Luchot, then we are the Aron.

The half-measurements teach us that in order for us to be a dwelling place for God, we need to become aware of our incompleteness. Perhaps this is the mode of consciousness we need to access every day when we set aside time. This is our offering: to come to the awareness that we are always “omed b’emtza” — standing in the middle. That means we are neither falsely whole nor hopelessly lacking, but receptive in a graceful space of yearning.

Contrary to conventional thought, being a religious person does not mean having all the answers. Ishbitz-Radzyn thought teaches that our humanity itself — our doubts, our incompleteness, our struggles — is not an obstacle to divine encounter, but the very place where it unfolds.

Perhaps this week, we can set aside a time — even five minutes — as an offering, bringing our fractional selves before the Divine.

Join the Conversation: Rabbanit Batya Hefter teaches a weekly online class exploring the depths of the Mei HaShiloach. To register, fill out this Google form.

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