Parashas Terumah

Our Parsha this Shabbos is Parashas Terumah.
In this Parsha,HaShem requests voluntarily that we bring what is needed to build the Mishkan and all its vessels.The word 'Terumah,' means 'Portion,' which shows that all of us are to share in the task of serving HaShem by all giving portions as part of the whole K'lal Yisrael so that all share in the giving to HaShem as equal fellow Jews ,to form One Whole people serving Our One True G-D .
In HaShem's Eyes , all are equal and we all have a portion of His Holy Neshoma within us . That portion is to be used to serve HaShem in love . We are not here to serve ourselves and our own needs .We are here as a portion of the whole, to make this World Holy together with everybody else ,so that HaShem can dwell in our midst . 
HaShem makes the request to bring this portion,a voluntary one , for that is true giving . HaShem does not do things for our thanks .All the wonderful things Created for us every day are all Created by HaShem Who humbly keeps Himself unseen without requesting a thank you .It is up to us to open ourselves to Him and let Him in .
To those whose heart motivate,they are to bring the requested items , for to open ourselves up to HaShem , we are to open up our hearts and take HaShem into our hearts where our emotions can be filled with HaShem in everything we do . 
It is not a forced giving, but as I said ,a voluntary one .It has to come from us . That is true love and faithfulness .
HaShem wants every Jew to contribute and thus be a part of Holiness and a part of HaShem .But they must choose to do so .In fact , the people gave in abundance to make sure the Mishkan and all its vessels were built . This showed the true deep need for HaShem's Creation to be close to its Creator .
The way this verse is phrased, where HaShem asks us to bring a portion, shows the depth of love that HaShem feels for us and wants us to feel for Him . HaShem says ,'VaYikchu Li Terumah,' - ' Take for Me a portion.' In other words , from each us ,we are to take our very depth of love and give all to HaShem .We must not just give , but 'take' with eagerness even that which we may not want to give away ,and put all things at HaShem's service. That is true giving. The word 'Take' is used instead of 'Give,' to show a stronger form of giving with eagerness beyond our own wishes,Even our Yetzer Horahs must be overcome in serving HaShem and so , we are to go past our own personal wants and give HaShem beyond what we may feel to do and give . 
As I said, this verse shows the depth of love that HaShem feels for us , for HaShem says 'Take for Me a portion,' for HaShem pleads here that we take Him as part of ourselves always,for He says to us, 'Take Me as a Portion of you .' In the taking,we too, will be taken by HaShem as a portion close to Him . HaShem here asks us to take Him as our portion in living and make our entire lives for His service . The entire Parsha deals with the beautiful construction of the Mishkan and all that go along with the Sanctuary .Each and every Holy part and each dimension of each Holy part that goes into this making , has very deep meanings .How long and how wide and how high each part was to be , has a deep significance. . The finished Sanctuary from the inside , resembled Heaven on Earth , from the sky blue top , to the Shittim Wood covered walls ,that were covered as HaShem instructed and with its silver sockets and the gold coverings on the Holy articles ,the Sanctuary shone like the stars and Heaven .The Menorah that was to be hammered out from a single piece of gold,with all its knobs and cups allowed the beautiful light of HaShem to Bless the World . The Shulchan - Table with the Lechem Ha Pannim , the 12 loaves that were held on it,made on every Shabbos ,Blessed the World for nourishment ,while the bread from the previous week stayed as fresh as the day it was baked. .The Shulchan represented Kingship and our need to control our physical wants so that we can reach higher spiritually.The Golden altar and Copper altar brought the essence of forgiveness and love from HaShem .With the very name of the word 'Altar,' in Hebrew, which is 'Mizbeach,' it showed the very love HaShem had for His people for each of the four root letters (as our Midrash tells us) that made up the word 'Mizbeach,had a meaning.The Mem stood for the word Mechila,which means forgiveness,the Zayin stood for the word Zechus,which means Merit.The Bet stood for the word Brocha,which means Blessing and the Chet,stood for the word Chayim,which means Life. 
The very Aron where the Luchos were kept,was covered in gold and was adorned with two 'Cherubim' - 'Keruvim' that would look toward each other (with the innocent faces of a boy and a girl with their wings facing each other) when HaShem was pleased with his people and would look away from each other when HaShem was upset with His people .It was between these two Cherubim (Keruvim) that the Shechinah of HaShem rested .
All HaShem wants from us is to be at one with us and dwell among us ,walking with us as He did with Adam in the beginning .But for this to happen , we need to choose to open ourselves up to HaShem and let His Holy Light fill our hearts and souls .
The entire Sanctuary that was built in the Wilderness resembled HaShem's 'Kisay Hakavod' -'Holy Throne of Glory,' that is above , so by making this Holy Sanctuary and all it contained , we were actually making a place in the physical realm for the spiritual to come down and be at one in peace .All were to contribute their portions showing that Jews are to stand as one and that each Jew has value as part of the One Nation of Israel . True peace is when the physical and spiritual come together as one to serve HaShem . As HaShem told us , we are to make for Him a Sanctuary and as these words suggest , we are to to make our very selves a Sanctuary that HaShem can dwell within each and every one of us .We will thus each make ourselves into a Terumah - a portion home for HaShem's Shechinah and when we all come together as one , under HaShem our Creator , we will literally be HaShem's home in this World .
Our 'Terumah,' - Our 'Portion' is HaShem and HaShem has given us the pathway to Him as HaShem says in this very Parsha of Shemos Chaf Hei :Chet (25:8), 'Ve'Asu Li Mikdash VeShachanti B'Tocham,'-'They shall make for Me a Sanctuary so that I may dwell among them ,' and in the Hebrew the words are clear for this verse also deeply can be rendered,'They shall make of themselves a Sanctuary for Me HaShem ,so that I may dwell among them.' 
With deepest love, I wish HaShem with love, a beautiful Shabbos Kodesh with love and to all my fellow Yidden , a beautiful Shabbos Kodesh with love .