By Rabbi Yosef Shemtov:
This week and next week’s Torah Portions, Vayakhel and Pekudei, both talk about the details of building the Tabernacle, holy Ark, Menorah, and Shulchan etc…
The purpose of the Mishkan was that the Almighty would communicate with Moshe Rabenu from there, meaning that place, the Almighty’s Shechina would reside there.
We have to realize that when the Shechina is among Beni Israel then all blessings are also there. And G-d forbid when the Shechina doesn’t want to reside among us because of our sins, then the world is full of tragedy and sickness etc… Gemara says since the destruction of the temple, there is no day without sorrow and shortcoming.
Today we are in exile and we don’t have the Mishkan or the temple. We don’t see miracles that used to happen in the temple daily. We do pray everyday for the rebuilding of the temple to be able to serve HaShem with bringing sacrifices. We do pray to have the merit of seeing Mashiach.
However, Rabbis tell us anytime and anywhere we pray to the Almighty with full concentration and when we learn Torah, we bring the Shechina close to us and we cause all blessings to come forth. Let’s make our world a better world by learning and praying.