Build me a Sanctuary : Parasha Terumah

[muman613]

Parasha Terumah
Exodus 25:1-27:19

The Lord spoke to Moses saying: "Speak to the children of Israel, and have them take for Me an offering; from every person whose heart inspires him to generosity, you shall take My offering.


In this weeks Parasha Hashem gives the Children of Israel a special commandment. This commandment is for the Jewish people to construct a Mishkan/Tabernacle in the desert which they could erect and collapse as they journeyed in the desert for the fourty years they had to journey.

Hashem wants us to build a place for him to 'dwell' in this world. Hashem says, in this Parasha, the following:

8. And they shall make Me a sanctuary and I will dwell in their midst
9. according to all that I show you, the pattern of the Mishkan and the pattern of all its vessels; and so shall you do.

 וְעָשׂוּ לִי מִקְדָּשׁ וְשָׁכַנְתִּי בְּתוֹכָם:

The sages note that the Torah uses an interesting phrase 'and I will dwell in their midst'. One would think that Hashem would want the Jewish people to build a Sanctuary for him so that he might dwell in 'it', yet the Torah says 'I will dwell in them {their midst}'. What this means is that each Jew must assemble his or her own 'place' their own 'Mishkan' in a way, so that Hashem can dwell in them. Those Jews who gave the components which were used for the construction of the Sanctuary gave of their own free will.

Last Shabbat was Shabbat Shekalim and we read the portion (Exodus 30:11-16) which relates how each Jew was counted by giving a half-Shekel coin as a part of the census. This Friday (Feb 24) is the 1st of Adar. A rich Jew would give a half-shekel, a poor Jew would give a half-shekel.

Here is what Chabads website says about Shabbat Shekalim:

http://www.chabad.org/holidays/purim/article_cdo/aid/644308/jewish/Shekalim.htm

This annual tax, known as the machatzit hashekel, was due on the 1st of Nissan. One month earlier, on the 1st of Adar, the courts began posting reminders about this Biblical obligation. In commemoration, the Torah reading of the Shabbat that falls on or before Adar is supplemented with the verses (Exodus 30:11-16) that relate G‑d's commandment to Moses regarding the first giving of the half-shekel.

The Shekalim haftorah (II Kings 11:17-12:17) continues on the same theme, discussing the efforts of King Jehoash (9th century BCE) to earmark communal funds for the upkeep of the first Holy Temple.

http://www.jle.org/Parshat%20Shabbat%20Shekalim.htm


Rabbi Richman


Rabbi Ginzburg


One interesting aspect of the commandments concerning the vessels of the Temple regard the poles used to carry the Ark of the Covenant. Here is what the Torah says:

12. And you shall cast four golden rings for it, and you shall place them upon its four corners, two rings on its one side, and two rings on its other side.
13. And you shall make poles of acacia wood and you shall overlay them with gold.
14. And you shall bring the poles into the rings on the sides of the ark, to carry the ark with them.
15. The poles of the ark shall be in the rings; they shall not be removed from it.

I hope to be able to comment more on this before Shabbat...

[muman613]

Here is an older Rabbi Richman shuir on Parasha Terumah where he discusses the 'Holy of Holies' which housed the Ark of the Covenant.

[muman613]

This discusses the poles which were not to be removed from the Ark...

[muman613]

Rabbi Winston discusses some very interesting topics concerning this weeks Parasha...

I like his initial discussion of providing the cure before he creates the disease. This is a topic which we discuss around this time of year as Purim is coming up soon (in 2 weeks)...







PS: I'd like to make it clear that some concepts, such as gilgulim, are not a part of halacha and some Jews do not accept these beliefs. I myself, as a Chassidic Jew, do believe in gilgulim and accept what Rabbi Winston said in these talks...