Mishkan sanctifies all everyday deeds

בפסוק ועשו לי מקדש ושכנתי בתוכם ככל כו'.

On the pasuk "And they shall make for Me a Sanctuary, and I will dwell among them, according to all," and so on.

The Sefas Emes opens with the command to build the Mishkan so that Hashem's presence rests "among them" (Shemos 25:8).

וכן תעשו.

"And so shall you do."

The verse adds an instruction extending the command beyond this single Mishkan.

פרש"י לדורות כו'.

Rashi explains: for all generations, and so on.

Rashi reads "and so shall you do" as binding for future generations as well.

הענין הוא כי השי"ת בחר בישראל והשרה שכינתו ביניהם.

The matter is that Hashem chose Yisrael and caused His Shechinah to rest among them.

The foundation is Hashem's choice of Bnei Yisrael as the dwelling-place for His presence.

אשר ע"י בנ"י יתקרבו כל המעשים אליו ית'.

So that through Bnei Yisrael all deeds would be drawn near to Him.

Bnei Yisrael serve as the channel through which all of creation's actions are brought close to Hashem.

כי המה מובחרים של הברואים.

For they are the choicest of created beings.

Bnei Yisrael are the select among all creatures, fit to act as this conduit.

וע"י התחברות בנ"י אליו.

And through the attachment of Bnei Yisrael to Him.

When Bnei Yisrael bind themselves to Hashem in deveikus, a chain reaction follows.

יתחברו אליהם כל המעשים מדרגה אחר מדרגה עד שיהי' לכולם דביקות והתקשרות ע"י בנ"י.

All deeds become attached to them, level after level, until there is for all of them deveikus and connection through Bnei Yisrael.

The attachment cascades downward through the levels of creation, so that everything ultimately cleaves to Hashem by way of Bnei Yisrael.

וכמו כן בגוף העשי' אשר שורש המעשים הם מלאכות שהיו במשכן שהיו מעשים אלו דביקים ממש בשורש.

And likewise in the realm of action itself, the root of all labors are the melachos (forms of work) that were in the Mishkan, for these acts were literally bound to their root.

The thirty-nine melachos of the Mishkan are the root-source of all human labor, and there they were directly joined to their divine source.

כמ"ש ועשו לי מקדש כו' ועי"ז ושכנתי בתוכם.

As it is written, "and they shall make for Me a Sanctuary," and through this, "I will dwell among them."

Building the Mishkan through these rooted labors is precisely what draws the Shechinah to dwell within Bnei Yisrael.

כמ"ש הר"מ אלשיך בתוך כל א'.

As the Alshich writes, "within each and every one."

The Alshich famously reads "b'socham" (among them) as "within each individual" — Hashem dwells inside every Jew.

וכ"א במדרשות.

And so it is stated in the Midrashim.

This reading is supported by the Midrashic sources as well.

ומסיים וכן תעשו כלומר כהנהגה זו כן תעשו כל המעשים לדבקם במעשים אלו.

And it concludes "and so shall you do" — meaning, in the manner of this conduct, so shall you do all your deeds, to attach them to these acts.

"And so shall you do" instructs us to model all our everyday actions on the Mishkan's labors, binding them to that holy root.

וע"י זה יהי' השראת השכינה בכל מעשיהם.

And through this, there will be a resting of the Shechinah in all their deeds.

When ordinary deeds are linked to the Mishkan, the Shechinah comes to rest within them too.

והענין כמ"ש מו"ז ז"ל כי התרומה היא הראשית שנותן ברכה לכל המשואר.

And the matter is as my grandfather, of blessed memory, said: that the terumah is the "first" portion that brings blessing to all that remains.

The Chiddushei HaRim taught that terumah, as the consecrated first part, draws blessing onto everything left over.

והיינו שע"י הפרשת התרומה קודש לה'.

That is, through the separation of the terumah as "holy to Hashem."

By setting aside the terumah and sanctifying it to Hashem, a process of consecration begins.

חל ש"ש וקדושה על כל הנשאר.

The Name of Heaven and holiness come to rest upon all that remains.

The sanctification of the first portion extends kedushah to the entire remainder.

וכמו כן בכלל שנתעלו אלה המעשים במשכן.

And likewise in general, that these acts were elevated in the Mishkan.

The Mishkan's labors function as a kind of "terumah" of all human activity, raised up and consecrated.

וע"י תרומה זו יחול ש"ש על כל הנשאר.

And through this terumah, the Name of Heaven comes to rest upon all that remains.

Because the Mishkan's acts were sanctified first, holiness can spread to all the rest of our deeds.

וז"ש וכן תעשו לרבות קדושת המשכן לכל המעשים.

And this is the meaning of "and so shall you do" — to extend the holiness of the Mishkan to all deeds.

"And so shall you do" widens the Mishkan's sanctity to encompass every action we perform.

וכמו כן הענין לדורות ג"כ כי הנה דורו של מרע"ה הי' הראשית ושורש של בנ"י.

And likewise the matter applies to the generations as well, for the generation of Moshe Rabbeinu was the "first" and the root of Bnei Yisrael.

The dor of Moshe Rabbeinu serves as the terumah and root for all later generations of the nation.

וע"י שראשית של בנ"י נתעלו בנדבות לבם והמשיכו השכינה ביניהם.

And because this "first" of Bnei Yisrael were elevated through the generosity of their hearts and drew the Shechinah among them.

That founding generation, through the nedivus lev of their donations to the Mishkan, drew down the Shechinah.

נשאר קדושה זו גם לדורות שיוכלו להמשיך השראת השכינה במעשה ידיהם בכח השורש שלהם ע"י הראשית במשכן ומקדש כנ"ל.

This holiness remained for the generations as well, so that they could draw the resting of the Shechinah into the work of their hands by the power of their root, through the "first" in the Mishkan and Mikdash, as above.

Later generations inherit this power: by drawing on the root-generation of the Mishkan, they too can bring the Shechinah into their own handiwork.

גם הפי' כפשוטו שבכל עת שיהי' לבנ"י נדבת הלב.

Also the plain meaning: that whenever Bnei Yisrael have generosity of heart.

On a simple level, the verse promises that wholehearted generosity always carries the same power.

בזה יכולין להתרומם ולבנות מקדש ה' כאשר הי' אח"כ בבנין בהמ"ק שהתנדבו בשמחה בזמן דהע"ה.

With this they can rise up and build the Mikdash of Hashem, as happened afterward in the building of the Bais Hamikdash, when they donated with joy in the time of Dovid HaMelech.

Heartfelt, joyous giving — as in Dovid HaMelech's generation — is what enables the building of the Mikdash.

וכמו כן בבית שני בנדבות השרים בעזרא.

And likewise in the Second Bais Hamikdash, through the donations of the officers in the time of Ezra.

The same dynamic of generous giving rebuilt the second Bais Hamikdash in Ezra's day.

וכמו כן יש לקוות להש"י בגאולה העתידה כשיהי' תשוקה בלבות בנ"י אליו ית' בנדבת הלב בשמחה וז"ש וכן תעשו לדורות:

And likewise we may hope to Hashem in the future redemption, when there will be longing in the hearts of Bnei Yisrael toward Him, with generosity of heart in joy — and this is "and so shall you do" for the generations.

The same wholehearted yearning will build the third Bais Hamikdash in the geulah; "and so shall you do" is a promise that this power endures for every generation.

Summary: Bnei Yisrael are the chosen channel through which all of creation cleaves to Hashem, and the labors of the Mishkan are the sanctified "first portion" (terumah) that draws holiness onto all of our everyday deeds. Just as the founding generation drew the Shechinah through wholehearted generosity, every generation inherits the power to bring Hashem's presence into the work of their hands — and "and so shall you do" promises that joyous nedivus lev will build the Mikdash in every era, down to the final geulah.