Someone once asked Sir Moses Montefiore how much he was worth. He replied: "I am worth £40,000." "Is that all?" came the response, "I thought you were worth millions!" Sir Moses then replied: "You didn't ask how much I own. I own millions of pounds worth of property and valuables. But you asked me how much I am worth. I am only worth £40,000 - because that is the amount of money I gave to charity this year."

When the Torah says "build me a sanctuary and I will dwell within them" it does not mean that G-d lives in buildings. You can make a beautiful synagogue of marble, silver and gold - but G-d may not be interested in dwelling within a community which has a lot of outward wealth but is lacking spiritual wealth.

Rashi comments that "Hashem will dwell not in it, but in you - in your hearts. If you feel close to Hashem and you do private acts of kindness - that only you and your sister or brother know about -then Hashem will dwell in your midst, not in big buildings. This, then, is the goal - to do acts of kindness and to live a life that is modest and righteous - where Hashem's presence can be felt in our homes and lives within our hearts.

It is not the big events where people see us that count -it is the private, quiet, modest acts that are a true indicator of our inner worth. When we act with kindness to another, especially when there is no one else around, that shows that one believes in doing good - even when there is no one else to impress. It means that we believe in doing good simply because it is right. That is the kindness that brings honour to Hashem - and increases kvod shomayim- honour of Heaven in the world. Do an act of hidden kindness today -and you will actually feel Hashem dwelling in your heart.