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Surf A Little Torah PARASHAT TERUMA
A.K.A., THE ARK OF THE COVENANT Beginning with 25:22, and throughout the rest of the books of Shemot, Vayikra, and the first part of Bamidbar, the Torah refers to the Aron, the Ark, as Aron haEidut, the Ark of the Testimony. Yet with Bamidbar 10:33, the Aron gets a new last name, Aron haBrit, the Ark of the Covenant. What is the meaning of each name, and why does it change? Apparently, the full and eternal name of the Aron is the "Ark of the Covenant of Lord God" (Devarim 31:26, et. al.). However, throughout the long process of the construction of the Mishkan (Tabernacle) and the organization of the camps - namely, until the tenth chapter of the book of Bamidbar - the Ark remains in its place. Yet its true purpose is "to search out for them a resting place," i.e., to fulfill the covenant which God makes in Shemot 23 and 34. Therefore, while it is stationary, the Aron is called by the name of the purpose it then fulfills, holding the two sets of the Tablets of Testimony, the broken first ones and the intact second set. So too, in the middle of the story of crossing the Yardein in chapter 4 of the book of Yehoshua, God refers to the Aron as "the Ark of Testimony" - for at that moment it is not traveling before Bnei Yisrael, but rather serving as manifestation of God's presence which splits the water before them. Indeed, God's covenant encompasses and builds on His "Testimony," for our covenant speaks not only of our spiritual destiny, but of our national destiny as well. As the symbol of the Divine Presence, the Aron reminds us of the unique paradox of the Jewish nation, a universal faith centered on a specific land. It is the Aron that sanctifies the Temple, and with the destruction of Shlomo's grand edifice it was lost; yet it still exists in every synagogue, every miniature Temple, in which our Testimony resides forever. [Prepared by Yoseif Bloch.]
"They shall make Me a sanctuary and I will dwell among them." (Shemot 25:8) Our Parasha is concerned with the commandment to the Jewish people to build a sanctuary, a portable temple with which to serve God in the wilderness during their stops between journeys. It is a prototype of the Temple in Jerusalem. Living after the destruction of the Second Temple as we do, it is hard for us to appreciate the centrality of Temple to Jewish life. It is there that the whole people gathers to meet God. It is there that we can see and experience the perpetual miracles listed in Pirkei Avot (5:7). It is there that the 'Supreme Court' of the Jewish people meets to rule on all points of Jewish law.
This commandment to build a sanctuary is phrased differently from that which we would expect. We might expect 'make themselves a sanctuary and I will dwell in it'. Instead, we read 'make me sanctuary and I will dwell among them.'
From this, we learn that God will dwell in the whole camp. In which case the verse could read they shall make a sanctuary and I will dwell among them'. Through serving God in the sanctuary, He will dwell among us. Why does the verse add the word 'Me': 'they shall make Me a sanctuary'? Why emphasize it? Who else would God have us build a sanctuary for? The answer is that the Temple is not just the center of Jewish life. It is also a model for our lives as Jews. For God to dwell among us it is not enough to build a sanctuary, it is not enough to fulfill all His commandments. We must do it for God, because God commanded it. Not because we enjoy it or find it meaningful or logical. We must do it for God and then He will dwell among us. May we only merit fulfilling this verse in our lives.
[Prepared by Samuel Jackman.]
Much has been written regarding the voluntary nature of the construction of the Mishkan, or Tabernacle. Indeed, the fact that God's home is constructed through a sense of giving and self-dedication is very significant. It is important, however, to note the context in which this is done.
The parasha opens with a description of how all the raw materials should be collected through volunteerism. This opening section, however, concludes with a command: "and you will make for me a sanctuary…" Was the construction a command or something which came from the hearts of the people? Clearly, it is both. While God commands that we perform certain acts, God does not confine our spirits in their performance. The Torah serves as the guidebook of what routine - to the light of the menorah - guided by the Torah, and we are supported from the shulchan, which symbolizes our livelihood. Clearly, as the Chatam Sofer noted, the shulchan, our vital necessities, come before all else. This indeed is how our lid so too may the feeling that accompanies them. Indeed, even the heights of Sinai were but a fleeting experience (we need look no further than the Golden Calf). The creation of God's home in our lives, a divine world in our midst, however, is an act that breaks the boundary of time. God's home is something that we must always be seeking to build, to perfect. The Mishkan was the representation of the divine in our world. Therefore, the constant infusion of God in our lives is not something that can be done by command alone. [Prepared by Aytan Kadden.]
We read this week of the Mishkan and the various vessels that filled it. Whilst we know that everything has a purpose, and everything has a place – there is room to ask whether there is a clear relationship between the purpose and place of the different vessels that God commanded to be made. Not only does everything have a purpose and a place, but as we learn from the text, the details of the various objects are an integral part of their purpose. This is made clear when the Sages expound of the verse: "…Look, that you make them after their pattern…" (Shemot 2: 40) What was Moshe looking at that would ensure his making the different vessels "after their pattern?" The gemara (Menachot 29a) explains that Moshe had difficulty in actualizing the description found in the Torah, and so God showed him what it should look like when finished. Apparently the details of design here were significant enough that God found it necessary to perform a supernatural event to ensure that the result would match the blueprints. Similarly, the gemara there explains that "And this is the work of the menorah." (Bamidbar 8:4) signifies, by the use of the words "and this", the presentation of something specific. Here the specifics, explain the Sages, are the placements of the various vessels in the Tabernacle. There is the Sanctuary, the Menora stood to the right, and the Table for the show-bread, to the left. Harav Tzvi Yehuda Kook explained that the Table, with the food placed on it signified the physical, material matters of this world – the issues of livelihood and the other worldly matters. The Menorah, on the other hand, is all about light – and as such represents the more spiritual side of life: wisdom, learning, and the enlightening trait that exists in all things. In line with this understanding, Harav Shlomo Aviner writes of how the Menora's placement on the right is because the right signifies the trait of Chesed – loving-kindness – that is expressed by the concepts of abundance and expansions. With the Menorah, we desire that its light spreads through the world as was the ultimate object in creation: "Let there be light". The Table for the showbread is to the left since it’s the left that represents the attribute of strict justice – "Din". It is this attribute which signifies reduction, borders, limits, fencing off, and halakha. One must master the material stirrings, overcoming excessive desire. A person needs to have limits and borders – and ultimately, the code of halakha setting out the forbidden and the permitted. The laws governing financial dealings are no less precise and exact than the laws regarding kashrut. A person's enjoyment of, and consumptionof, the material goods of this world, as represented by the Table, must be held within limits. When a person would enter the Holy of Holies, he would need to pass through the sanctuary – with the Menora to his right and the Table to his left. Only by walking between the two can a person approach the Holy of Holies. Neither can be abandoned, for while they may appear to be opposites, in truth, they are complimentary. Not only do these vessels have a unique purpose, but they have a unique place also. The relationship between them – spatial, no less then conceptual – is itself part of their respective purposes. [Prepared by Reuven Lavi.]
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