"And they shall make for Me a mishkan and I will dwell amongst them" (Shemos 25, 8). Our Sages explain that the commandment to build a mishkan was not merely given to the general public, but also to each and every individual. Each person should conduct himself in a way that befits the Shechina and Hashem will dwell inside the person himself.

How can we effect that Hashem will bring His Shechina down into this materialistic world, not to mention into the physical body of a human being? Rav Wolbe (Da'as Shlomo 313) enlightens us with a Medrash that tells us that the greatest prophet of all times asked this very question. Hashem commanded Moshe to build the mishkan to parallel the heavenly visions that he perceived during his stay on Har Sinai. The Medrash compares their dialogue to that of a human king and his servant. The king, who has a strikingly handsome countenance, instructs his servant to draw his liking for all to see. "How could I possibly encompass all his majesty's glory and beauty in a mere painting?" asks the servant. To which the king responds, "You do as much as you can with your paint, and my complete glory and honor will be portrayed by my body itself". Similarly, Moshe asked Hashem, "Am I G-d that I have the ability to create something that corresponds to the Heavenly bodies?" To which Hashem answered, "You recreate their form with linen, wool, and red dyed materials and I will leave my ministers up in Heaven and bring My Shechina down to Earth amongst you."

It was self understood by Chazal that if Hashem would place His Shechina down here in this world, it would have to be in an environment that parallels His world up above - and this was Moshe's difficulty. How could a human being possibly reconstruct a dwelling place that rivals the Heavenly palace created by the Creator Himself? However, the answer was short and simple: You do yours and I will do Mine. The Medrash tells us that the wooden beams and golden braces resembled the angels and stars. Although the likeness was minute, there was enough of a resemblance for Hashem to consent to dwell amongst us. Bnei Yisroel merely needed to lay the groundwork and Hashem would fill in the rest of the picture.

The Chinuch asks why we must perform the many commandments whose purpose is for us to identify with yetzias Mitzrayim. Wouldn't it be enough if we would take some time to contemplate this awesome occurrence and thereby ingrain it in our minds and hearts? He answers that a person is influenced primarily by his deeds rather than by his thoughts. One who physically performs the many mitzvos of the Torah will automatically change for the better. Each and every deed affects him and therefore, the Torah gave us many mitzvos to help us in our path to perfection. Why is it that one's heart is drawn after his actions and not after his thoughts? This can be explained with the above concept.  Once we do the required actions that lay the groundwork for Hashem to reside in our hearts, Hashem responds by helping us reach the goals that we seek. All the mitzvos of the Torah in general, and the building of the mishkan and its utensils in particular, parallel awesome things in the Higher World. However, all we are asked to do is to perform the mitzvos as instructed. The deed itself is the way to bring Hashem's Shechina into our lives.  

One who wishes to improve his davening should first work on the physical aspects involved. He shouldn't sit in a slouched manner or with one leg lying on the other. He should stand with a proper demeanor and enunciate the words carefully. He will soon find that his davening has taken on an altogether new appearance. The same holds true for all mitzvos.

This dvar Torah was compiled by the family of the Mashgiach l'iluy nishmas the Mashgiach Harav Shlomo ben R' Moshe z"l