What can Parashat Teruma teach us about public prayer?

The glory of the LORD was on Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it six days; and on the ‎seventh day He called unto Moses out of the midst of the cloud. And the children of Israel saw ‎the appearance of the glory of the LORD as a devouring fire on the top of the mount. And Moses ‎entered into the midst of the cloud, and went up into the mount; and Moses was in the mount ‎forty days and forty nights.  And the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying:  ‘Speak unto the children ‎of Israel, that they take for Me an offering; of every person whose heart makes him willing you ‎‎(pl.) shall take My offering…  gold, silver, and brass; and blue, purple, scarlet, and fine linen, and ‎goats’ hair… And let them make Me a sanctuary (or “tabernacle,” Hebrew, “mishkan”), that I ‎may dwell among them.‎                ‎(Exodus 24:16-25: 1-4, 8).‎

The beginning of Parashat Teruma is in the middle of the above section. When the details of the ‎Tabernacle’s construction are read not as the beginning of a new parasha but as a direct continuation ‎of the revelation of God’s glory at the end of last week’s reading, the transition is sudden. Umberto ‎Cassuto explains that the mishkan is necessary to maintain the connection between the people and ‎God once they move away from Mount Sinai.‎

The mishkan is not intended to enshrine the memory of Mount Sinai, to be a static monument to a one-‎time event. Rather it is a focal point where that connection can continue and even become bi-‎directional. Therefore, the Torah says, “Let them make Me a sanctuary, that I may dwell among ‎them.” God does not reside in the mishkan, but rather among people who built it. Note also the ‎transitions between singular and plural in the commandment to collect contributions. Each individual contributes as he or she desires and the collective, the community ‎gathers the contributions, so that its agents can create the mishkan.‎

At Sinai, the entire people stood at the foot of the mountain and God spoke to them in the singular, ‎addressing each one individually. Neither Moses nor master-craftsman Bezalel are capable of building ‎the mishkan without the people’s contributions. The individual and the community need each other.‎

What was true in the past remains true today. This sanctuary, too, was built through the cooperative ‎efforts of many people. It, too, is not intended to be a static monument but rather a place of prayer ‎that is welcoming to individuals and groups. ‎

What is true for the building is also true about the prayer services held within it. Public prayer is ‎created out of the prayers of individuals, who join together in the community.  The leader cannot ‎create it alone. The contribution of each willing heart is also necessary. The tabernacle was built of ‎gold, silver & brass; wood, fabric & skins. Public Jewish prayer is constructed mostly of words. ‎Sometimes we have trouble praying with intention, our mood wanders. At those times, the prayer ‎book, which contains the collective experience the Jewish people in prayer, provides us as a map, ‎showing us the way back. Attentive reading creates emotion and intention, if we take the first step.‎

In the introduction to Ve’ani Tefilati, Rabbi Tamar Elad-Appelbaum wrote words of encouragement. I ‎will quote just a few but it’s worthwhile to read them all:‎

You are entering the gates of prayer, enter with confidence and do not fear, since the soul prays ‎continuously. The Jewish prayer book is an experienced guide that helps individuals perfect their ‎prayers and join together as a community… You are entering the gates of prayer, enter so you ‎will leave changed. Prayer is an opportunity to look on the reality of life and the reality of the ‎world honestly, with gratitude and hope… Don’t be a spectator, be a partner… Don’t hesitate ‎pray with the community… Prayer spreads your wings, it is a runway for the human spirit, so it ‎can to take off in gratitude for the morning light or in the darkness of sorrow, from which new ‎hope always arises.‎

May it be God’s will that this sanctuary will be a place of prayer where Solomon’s prayer for the Temple ‎is answered: “May any prayer or plea made by any person in this House be heard.” (2 Chron. 6:29-30)