Where is your Temple?

Each of us have desires and tendencies.  There are those driven by the base human instinct known as the Animal Soul.  Then there are those driven by the G-dly Soul.  It would seem at first glance that the distinction between the two is that the Animal Soul years for more mundane base interests while the G-dly Soul is looking for loftier more meaningful interests.  Basically a distinction of degrees.

In truth however, the distinction is more essential.  The animal is interested in self while the G-dly Soul is interested in selfless or its interest are in eliminating self.  Not that the focus is on the elimination but the focus is on purpose and G-d and as such “my interests” are not relevant to the G-dly soul.

That may seem to be a simple concept but it lies at the heart of everything that is holy.  It also lies at the core of what the Mishkan and the Beis Hamikdash – the portable and permanent Temples represented.

At the beginning of the Parsha G-d instructs the Jewish People to build a sanctuary and I will dwell within them.  Our Sages say that the singular sanctuary and the plural “them” is a lesson. That each of us are a Temple and when we make a sanctuary within ourselves Hashem dwells in us.

How do we make a sanctuary within ourselves?  Simple; every time we do what the G-dly soul wants and every time we don’t give into the base interests of the Animal Soul, we have become a sanctuary for G-d.

Of course being that this Sanctuary is on this physical earth made of physical matter means that we aren’t negating the physical.  But the way we embrace the physical is as the fulfillment of the G-dly souls selflessness.  Eating food to be healthy, using technology to make the world a better place, using flour to make Challah for Shabbos and so on.  

So where is your Temple? Are you building it?

Have a Good Shabbos!