In parshas Terumah when HaShem commands the building of the mishkan, He starts from the inner parts (the aron kodesh, the shulchan, etc), and then moves to the outer parts of the mishkan (outer mizbeyach, courtyard, etc). The message is that in the building of a Jew‘s relationship with HaShem, too, one starts from an inner meaning and strength, and then reflects this in physical actions of mitzvos. In other words, our reality is that there is a world of internality, thought, and depth before you get to physical actions, which is at the very least just as important as
the physical acts.
This is also seen in the orders of the parshiyos of the Shema; Reb Yehoshua ben Korcha(mishna brachos 13a) says that the first parsha of Shema is said before the second, because the first is about accepting HaShem’s Kingship (ie internal work) and the second then progresses to the different mitzvos. So too does the chizkuni (devarim 11;26) note that Moshe starts pressing the Bnei Yisrael about yiras shamayim, and only afterwards does he repeat the indivudial mitzvos.
The message; that internal work may be less glamourous, but it has longer-lasting effects and staying power. Sort our the foundations first.
