Yitzi’s Parshah Preview- Terumah

This week’s Parsha Preview is co-dedicated to the refuah of Menachem Mendel Ben Faigie Ruchel, Yocheved Bat Leah, Simcha Bat Mazel, Ofek Ben Tali, Shimon Ben Miriam, Sara Bat Hodda, Avraham Moshe Ben Miriam Tova, Baruch Kalman ben Leiben Jacobs and Kyla Chaya Bat Sarah Polson may Hashem grant them all a speedy recovery and a complete healing.

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Terumah

Exodus 25:1-27:19

Candle Lighting in Toronto 5:35 P.M.
Candle Lighting in Thornhill 5:35 P.M.

Number of Mitzvot: 3

2 Mitzvot Aseh (positive commandment)

1 Mitzvot Lo Taaseh (negative commandment - prohibition)

HAFTORA: (Additional portion, from Prophets, which is read after the Parsha)

Melachim I / I Kings 5:26-6:13

Taanit Esther is observed on Thursday, February 25, 11 Adar.

Main characters of this week’s Parsha

Hashem

Moshe

G-d instructed Moses to accept contributions from the Israelites for the construction of a Tabernacle: "Let them make for Me a sanctuary, and I will dwell amongst them." The needed materials: precious metals, dyed wools and hides, flax, wood, olive oil, spices and gems. G-d then gave detailed instructions regarding the construction and dimensions of the Tabernacle and its vessels—starting with the Ark that housed the Tablets. The Ark was to be made of gold-plated acacia wood. Rings were to be attached to the corners of the Ark, wherein were inserted the poles that were used to transport the Ark.

The Ark was to be covered with a slab of pure gold. Two golden, winged cherubs (angels resembling young children; relief images of two winged cherubim were part of the cover of the Holy Ark) were to protrude from this cover. Next G-d gave instructions for constructing the Table for the Showbread (The bread offered on the sacred table in the Sanctuary each week). This table was also to be made of gold-plated acacia wood, and also to contain rings for transportation poles.

The seven branched Menorah (candelabra) was next on G-d's list. It was to be beaten out of a single block of pure gold, with decorative cups, knobs and flowers on its body. The Torah now turns its attention to the construction of the Tabernacle's sanctuary. The covering of the Sanctuary was to consist of several layers of tapestries. The first layer was to be a woven mixture of dyed wools and linen. The second layer was to be made of goat's hair. These two over-sized coverings also covered the outsides of the Tabernacle's walls. The very top of the Tabernacle was then to be further covered by dyed ram skins and tachash hides.

The walls of the Tabernacle were to be upright beams made of gold-plated acacia wood. The bottom of each beam had two projections that were to be inserted into two silver sockets. The Tabernacle's front side (to the east) was to have no wall. Its northern and southern side were to have twenty beams each. Its western wall was to have eight. Altogether the inside of the sanctuary was 30 cubits (approx. 45 feet) by 10 cubits, and 10 cubits high. The beams were held together by several crossbars.

The Tabernacle's sanctuary was to consist of two sections: the innermost chamber was the Holy of Holies, wherein the Ark was to be placed; and the outer chamber was the Holy Chamber, which housed the Menorah and the Table (as well as the Golden Altar which will be described in next week's reading). Two curtains were to be woven of dyed wools and linen. One was to be placed between the Holy of Holies and the Holy Chamber, the other covered the eastern side of the Tabernacle—its entrance.

G-d then gave instructions for the construction of the Outdoor Altar. This altar was to be made of copper-plated acacia wood, and it was to have four "horns," vertical projections, protruding from its uppermost corners. The altar, too, was equipped with rings and transportation poles.

The Tabernacle courtyard was to be 100 cubits (approx. 150 feet) by 50 cubits, and enclosed by mesh linen curtains. The entrance to the courtyard was to be on its eastern side, and the entrance was to be covered by a curtain woven of dyed wools and linen.

G-d told Moshe, “Tell the Children of Israel that anyone who desires to bring to Me an elevated-offering should do so.” (Shemot 25:1-2)

There are few Hebrew words that can be used to refer to a “gift”, but when it comes to the procurement of the materials for the construction of the Mishkan in this week’s parshah, the Torah uses the word “terumah”, which means “elevated-offering”. Giving to the construction of the Mishkan was not only about making a gift of it, it was about elevating the gift to a higher level of sanctity so that it can become worthy of being used for the Mishkan.

The truth is, just by designating something for Temple use is enough to change its halachic status. One moment you can be drinking from a glass cup without having to think twice, and the next moment a person can be guilty of misappropriation of Temple property if in-between sips he gifted the glass to the Temple. Same glass, different owner, and more importantly, a different level of holiness.

In fact, we could look at all of this differently. It would seem that the goal was to build a Mishkan, and that the terumot were just a means to do so. But, maybe it was the other way around. Maybe the goal was to give terumot, and the Mishkan was just the means for doing that. After all, the Mishkan was only the response to the golden calf, and as the commentators point out, had it not been for the calf, each and every Jew would have been his own Mishkan.

The Ultimate Terumah

“They shall make a sanctuary for Me so that I may dwell among them.” (Shemot 25:8)

Why does the pasuk say, “so that I may dwell in them” and not, “so that I may dwell in it ?” Rav Chaim Volozhin (Chaim Ben Yitzchok January 21, 1749 - June 14, 1821) says that the Mishkan was a prototype for what a person should be: a temple in his own right. However, when we allowed the golden calf to come into existence, we lost the right to be our own temples, and it was transferred to an actual building, the Mishkan.

Had we become our own temples, then we would have been responsible for using our terumot for that. And, we certainly would not have had to build all the various different elements about to be described in the upcoming parshiot. Then what would have been the terumot and how would we have given them? What would we have “elevated”?

Our da’at (our perception of G-d and reality) and that translates into what we give to G-d, or what we should be trying to give to G-d. We are told that G-d does not need sacrifices. Then why do we have to bring them? On one level it is for a tikun of the four elements of Creation that Adam’s sin blemished. By using salt with the sacrifice, we rectified the mineral world. By using wood to burn the sacrifice, we rectified the world of vegetation. The animal itself was to help the animal world achieve rectification, and by consuming the sacrifice, man became rectified as well.

However, the deeper purpose of the sacrifice was to affect the da’at of the person bringing it. The actual sacrifice was a means to achieve that result, because human beings need to see things or experience them before they can truly comprehend the reality of them. The experience of bringing a sacrifice with all of its parts and details was a powerful way to snap into reality and reach a higher level of awareness, and only once that was achieved did the person actually give to G-d what He was waiting for: an elevation of da’at, the true terumah, and the real “Elevated-Offering”. After all, what does G-d want from Creation? As the Arizal (Yitzhak Ben Shlomo Ashkenazi 1534 – July 25, 1572) explains at the beginning of Otzrot Chaim, G-d made Creation so that someone would exist who would call Him “Master”, or so someone would exist to whom He can be merciful or gracious to, and therefore be called “Merciful” or “Gracious”. A king without a kingdom is not a king at all, so G-d made a kingdom over which He could be King.

The Arizal continues not for His own good, but for our good. He doesn’t need to be called “king” or “merciful”, or anything else for that matter. It is our opportunity, not His, to recognize Him, and to “see” Him in life. That’s all He wants us to be able to do, to see Him. That, of course, is always a function of da’at, and the more elevated one’s da’at becomes, the greater a terumah it is.

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Shabbat Shalom Umevorach-A peaceful and Blessed Shabbat

Yitzchak Alloul

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