Your Body Is a Temple

People often say, “Your body is a temple.” But they rarely finish the sentence. Whose temple? Is it your temple or G-d’s?

By instinct, we treat our body as our own. It is the instrument of our will. If I want to ski, I send my body hurtling down a slope. If I want to eat, I feed it. If I want to read, I make it sit still for hours. My body obeys. It is a loyal servant, and I am responsible to care for it — to keep it clean, clothed, and healthy.

But that is a shallow way to live. 

The Torah whispers a radical idea in our ears: G-d said to Moses: “Make for Me a sanctuary, and I will dwell in them.”[1] It does not say, “I will dwell in it,” but “in them” — within the people who build it. From this, our sages learn that G-d dwells within each of us. Every one of us can become a sanctuary. We can turn our bodies into G-d’s temple (Alshich Ad Loc).

This is a purposeful way to live — and it is a lifelong journey. Every time we are tempted to use our body for a purely personal goal, and instead redirect it toward one of G-d’s goals, we transform ourselves into a sanctuary.

Imagine walking into a synagogue ten minutes before services begin and finding three friends deep in animated conversation. You join them. The topic? Other people. The gossip? Juicy. You want to hear it. You feel the pull. In that moment, you are about to turn your ears into your temple. But you have another option: to turn your ears into G-d’s temple.

You step away. You walk to the bookcase, pull down a book, and spend those few minutes studying Torah instead. Is it hard? Very. Can you do it every time? Certainly. Will you? Probably not. But every time you do, it matters. That small act of restraint channels Divine energy into your body. In that moment, your body becomes a dwelling for G-d.

And the same is true of every Mitzvah. We stand constantly at forks in the road, and holiness lives inside those forks. With each choice, we decide: Is this body mine or His?

The Key to Success
The key is to remember that the body does not belong to us. It is entrusted to us — on loan. One day, it will be returned. Until then, we are living in G-d’s property.

When you visit someone’s home, you respect their rules. If they ask you to remove your shoes, you remove them. If you borrow their golf clubs, you treat them with care—even if you think they are overly particular. So too with the body. These are His ears—so we listen to what He would want heard. This is His tongue—so we speak as He would want spoken. His mind—so we think thoughts worthy of Him. His stomach—so we eat as He instructs.

If you think your body is yours, you will live by your own rules. If you understand it is on loan from G-d, you will live by His. This is how we fulfill the directive to build a sanctuary today, when we cannot build on the Temple Mount. When Mashiach comes, we will build a sanctuary of stone. Today, we build it in flesh and blood. We become living sanctuaries.

Your Home Is a Palace
Just as people call the body a temple, they call the home a palace. Again, whose palace is it?

The answer depends on the first question.

Our homes reflect us. If we love golf, golf decor fills the walls. If we love music, it fills the rooms. If we love G-d, that too is visible. Torah books line the shelves. A mezuzah graces every doorway. Shabbat candlesticks and kiddush cups occupy places of honor. A tzedakah box rests within easy reach in every room. A prayer book lies nearby. At a glance, it is unmistakably a Jewish home—G-d’s palace.

Visitors will feel it. But even more importantly, our children will absorb it. Children raised in G-d’s palace grow up anchored. When they step into the wider world, they don’t feel alien or conflicted. They are not torn between inner and outer identities. They live in one world—G-d’s world. Their bodies are His temple. Their homes are His palace.

This is a gift you can give your children. Make the decision. Draw a line. Choose your side. And if you choose G-d, make it real. Let it shape your interests, routines, and space. Don’t merely speak about holiness. Live it.

Did G-d Lose His Bet?
You might wonder: Did G-d gamble on us and lose? How many homes truly become sanctuaries? How many hearts are wholly devoted?

The answer is that G-d cherishes one moment of human choice more than an eternity of angelic perfection. Angels serve G-d because they must. They were created that way. We were not. We were given free will—and with it, struggle. Our selfish impulses are not design flaws. They are part of the design.

If we fail nine times out of ten, it is part of the human condition G-d created. They are our choices, and we are responsible for them, but they don’t surprise G-d. Yet, if we succeed once—truly choose Him — that moment is infinitely precious. Because it is ours. Our choice.

If you pray for an hour and your mind wanders for fifty-nine minutes, no one is surprised. That’s the nature of a restless mind. But if, for a single minute, you truly focus on G-d—if you feel even a fleeting spark of connection—that one minute redeems the entire hour.

G-d dwells in the meeting point between the fifty-nine minutes and the sixtieth. That is the moment He waits for. And when you enter that space, you become a sanctuary.

You did not lose fifty-nine minutes. You gained one eternal moment.

When G-d first commanded the building of the sanctuary, Moses hesitated. Who could build something worthy of G-d? G-d replied, “I am not asking according to My capacity. I am asking according to theirs.” Let them build what they can. If they give their best, I will dwell within it.[2]

The angels suggested that a heavenly sanctuary would be more fitting. G-d answered that while heaven may be more refined, a sanctuary built on earth—by human beings with free will—brings Him greater glory.[3]

He does not seek perfection. He seeks choice. And every time you choose to turn your body into His temple, and your home into His palace. You build Him a dwelling place in this world.

[1] Exodus 25:8.

[2] Tanchuma, Terumah 9.

[3] Yalkut Shimoni 842 as elucidated by Ktav Sofer, Exodus 25:8.