| “And they shall make Me a Sanctuary, and I will dwell within their midst.” (Shemos 25:8)
There is nothing more Holy and elevated than the Holy One, Blessed be He. Nonetheless, He "lowered Himself" so that the Shechinah could dwell in the Mishkan. Moreover, Hashem chose to “dwell” in the hearts of every member of Klal Yisrael.
How much more, then, should we not consider it beneath our dignity to interact with those who have not had the opportunity to receive a Torah education, or with individuals who may not behave as they should despite having a good Torah education? Instead of denigrating them, we should strive to draw closer to avodas Hashem.
This past week, we marked the yahrzeit of Rabbi Yisrael Salanter, the founder of the Mussar Movement, who asserted that ethical conduct is the very essence of Torah observance. Countless stories about Rav Yisrael illustrate his profound sensitivity to others.
For example, once while walking to the Shul on Yom Kippur, where he served as Rabbi, he heard a baby screaming loudly. The intensity of the cry caught his attention, prompting him to investigate the situation. He arrived at the house from which the sound came and found a young girl trying to comfort the baby, but to no avail. Her mother had gone to Shul to hear Kol Nidrei and had left the baby with her small child. Rav Yisrael took the crying baby into his arms and comforted her until the mother returned home. Although he was the Rabbi of the Shul and would be late for Kol Nidrei, he understood that it was vital to attend to the needs of the baby and her sister.
Today: Make a commitment to empathize with the pain of others. Reach out to them and do something to alleviate their suffering. | 
