Trumah: G-d's main Dwelling Place Is In The Lower Realms

"I came to my garden, my sister, my bride." It says MY garden, not garden, because it is referring to The Garden that was G--d's dwelling place, as it were, when The Shechinah was primarily in The Tachtonim, as alluded to the description of Adam and Chavah hearing G-d's voice  traverse through the garden. - Shir HaShirim 5:1

The cheit - sin/mistake of Adam sent The Shechinah to the first level of heaven, then one by one, six more people down the generations - Kayin, Enosh, The Generation of the Flood, The Generation of the Tower of Babel, The People of Sedom, The Egyptians In Avraham's Time -  exiled The Shechinah from level to level until it got to the seventh heaven. Ten The Shechinah was lowered through the seven heavens back down to earth by seven people: Avraham, Yitzchak, Yaakov, Levi, Kehat, Amram, Moshe.  The Shechinah came back to earth on the day Moshe established the The Mishkan - Vayehi beyom kalot Moshe lehakim et HaMishkan. That's when G-d returned to earth, "I've arrived at my Garden."

There are people that serve G-d in the Holy of Holies, cutting themselves off from the physical realities of this world. These are the people about whom Dovid HaMelech asked, "Who will ascend the mountain of G-d, and who will stand in His Holy Place (yakum bbimekom kodsho). That chapter of Tehillim answers the question and lists the kind of refinement and purity that needs to be achieved to commune with G-d. These people connect with G-d even when he has been exiled to the seventh heaven.  This is because they ascend up the the seventh heaven, the high Holy of Holies, climbing above all matters of this low world.

The Avot were the Holy of Holies, haven ascended up the mountain, and thus were not impeded by The Shechinah having gone to the seventh heaven because their level of spiritual service was so high. 

And this is the spiritual meaning of G-d having carried us out of Egypt on angels' wings and brought us to Him. He raised us up, as it were, to the seventh heaven.  He elevated us to the Holy of Holies level of service of G-d. This was It'arutah Dele'eilah - and awakening from above, G-d taking the intiative toward us.

Then in the third month, we're told, Moshe ascended toward G-d. Moshe thought that was the way to go, to serve G-d up high, in Heaven. Then Hashem called toward Moshe, indicating that the service that He wanted was one that used physical elements down on earth. This was the reason for creation, that G-d wanted a dwelling place on earth.  G-d has angels serving Him in Heaven, but they're programmed that way.  G-d wants to enjoy the spiritual service of humans who persevere through their challenges and desires and elevate themselves to get close to G-d. And thus it says that hashem came down onto the mountain, fulfilling His desire for The Shechinah to come down to earth. 

After the revelation on Har Sinai G-d gave the command to build Him a holy place that He would "dwell" in. This is because G-d's desire to have a dwelling place in this lower realm was not fulfilled at Har Sinai.  Following har Simai (due to the cheit ha'eigel) The Shechinah was exiled from earth. G-d then requested The Mishkan so that we would serve Him from here in every earthly way. G-d wants our service more than He wants the spiritual work of angels who have no yeitzer harah.

Shir HaShirim refers to a wedding day and a day of happiness.  Chazal say that the wedding day was the day the Torah was given and the day of happiness was the day The Beit HaMikdash was built. When the Torah was given the Shechinah came to earth but then it was sent back to Heaven and so G-d's plan remained unfulfilled. Only when the Mishkan/Beit HaMikdash was built was G-d happy, as it were, because his dream of having a dwelling place on earth was fulfilled. That was the marriage, the entering and living at home. Har Sinai was the first part of marrige, Nissuin, and The mishkan was the consumation of the marriage, Kiddushin. 

This goes back to the phrase we mentioned earlier - beyom hikim Moshe et HaMishkan - on the day Moshe put up the Mishkan. That day was the fulfillment - kiyum - of G-d's plan to have a dwelling place on earth. It beamce G-d's place and thus Moshe had to be called before he could enter G-d's home.

When G-d says, "Make me a Mikdash" Rashi adds, lishmi, for my name, with intent for me.  Every mitzvah should be done that way.  But The Mishkan specifially had to be made for G-d's name, as His Place, as The House of G-d. Thus, when we're commanded to give trumah - contributions for The Mishkan it explicitly says lishmi - with intent, so that it could be a place for The Shechinah on earth. It is G-d's Garden, the main place from the beginning of time.

It's key to understand that the command to make G-d a Sanctuary was said to the entire Jewish People and also to each individual in every generation. We are each commanded to make our body a sanctuary to G-d, as the popular explanation goes: "Veshachanti betocham," I will dwell in them, inside each and everyone of them (us). 

The Beit HaMikdash had 3 areas, one in the other: The area of the outer alter, the Heichal/Sanctuary, and the Holy of Holies. Our bodies also have three parts.  Our Holy of Holies is our brain, which harnesses our thoughts and attitudes to the service of G-d. The heart is our sanctuary to dedicate all our desires to G-d. And then there are all our other organs, all our desires, which parallel the outer alter which burns strongly, constantly, and counters our burning desires. This is key to serve G-d in the lowest realms, to counter our desires with holy fire. 

Just like G-d sins caused The Divine Presence to drift away, all the way to the seventh heaven, so too when individuals sin the Shechinah goes far away from them. And when a person corrects his blemishes the Shechinah comes back down and lives inside him or her.  This is the mitzvah of, "Make me a Mishkan and I will dwell in them."

One thing I ask from G-d, that one thing I ask, to sit in the house of G-d all the days of my life.  Tehillim 27.  The only way that one can live in the House of G-d all the days of his life is by making his or own house a house of G-d, a house in which the will of G-d is kept, a house with holy fire burning and where sacrifices are made for G-d. This is the fulfilment of G-d's will to dwell in the lower realm. We are each commanded to bring G-d down into our world: make me a Mikdash and I will dwell in them, VeAsu li Mikdash veshanti betocham.