“They shall make for Me a sanctuary, and I will dwell among them.”

Parshat Terumah teaches us that holiness isn’t just about physical spaces—it’s about the spaces we create within ourselves and for each other. The Torah doesn’t say “I will dwell in it” (the Mishkan), but rather “I will dwell among them.” The sanctuary isn’t just a place—it’s a people.

The song Bilvavi Mishkan Evneh takes this even further: “In my heart, I will build a sanctuary.” What if we are the safe space we’ve been looking for? What if our hearts, our presence, and our love for each other are what make a community feel like home?

Sometimes finding a sanctuary feels impossible. But Terumah reminds us: holiness is not limited to any one place. We create it by the way we love, by the way we show up, by the way we carve out space for each other to breathe.

You are a safe space. Your presence makes room for others. Your heart is sacred.