The laws and commandments of the Torah are commonly classified as those that are primarily between man and his fellow man and between man and G-d. However, our sages tell us that the two are inseparable. It is only after honesty in ones financial dealings and the just protection of the defenseless widow and orphans, as described earlier in last week’s Parasha can we then be able to give to G-d’s sanctuary.
That is why Parashat Terumah (gifts), which details the building of the sanctuary and the donations which were to be accepted from the nation, is placed immediately after the fiscal and social laws which govern a just society.
This connection, as well as everything else in the Torah, is not by accident.
