In the desert, God manifested in a column of cloud and pillar of light and constantly traveled ahead of the people: The column of cloud would not budge by day nor the pillar of fire by night from before the people. At some point in the journey, God tells Israel: Open for me, my sister my friend…For my head is drenched with dew, my hair with the drops of the night…The presence of God was not satisfied with being left on the outside to guide the Jewish people from beyond, but wished to be in the middle of the camp and so He instructed: take for Me an offering…let them make a sanctuary for Me so I may dwell in your midst. Similarly with us, God is always one step ahead of us, showing us the way through life. And we too are called on to make an offering, some type of commitment, to invite God into the midst of our lives.