Parashas Terumah

Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Scinia.jpg Disclaimer: "This work is in the public domain in its country of origin and other countries and areas where the copyright term is the author's life plus 70 years or fewer."

Hashem spoke to Moshe to take for Him from every man a portion of gold, silver, and copper and turquoise; purple, and scarlet wool; linen and goat hair; red-dyed ram skins, tachash skins, and acacia wood; oil for illumination, spices for the anointment oil, and the aromatic incense; shoham stones, and stones for the settings of the Ephod and the Breastplate.

They were to make a Sanctuary for Hashem, so that He may dwell among them, a Tabernacle and vessels.

They also were to make an Ark of acacia wood, two and a half cubit its length, a cubit and a half its width, and a cubit and a half its height.

It was supposed to be covered with pure gold, from within and without, and have a gold crown all around.

G'd commanded Moshe to cast four gold rings for its corners.

Into the rings he was to insert staves of acacia wood covered with gold that he was to make also. These stave were to be used to carry the ark.

The staves were not to be removed from the rings of the Ark.

G'd commanded Moshe to store the Testimonial tablets He would give them in the Ark.

G'd also commanded Moshe to make a Cover of pure gold for the Ark. It was supposed to be two and a half cubits in length; and a cubit and a half in width.

On the Cover were supposed to be two hammered out Cherubim of gold. The Cover and the Cherubim on it were to be made of the same piece of gold.

The Testimonial tablets were to be put into Ark and the Cover was to be put on top of the Ark.

G'd told Moshe that He would speak from atop the Cover between the two Cherubim that are on the Ark.

Moshe furthermore was told to make a Table of acacia wood, two cubits in length, a cubit in width, and a cubit and a half its height. It was supposed to be covered with pure gold and it was supposed to have a gold crown all around. It was also supposed to have a molding of one handbreadth all around. On the molding was to be a gold crown.

Moshe was to make four rings of gold for it and place rings upon the four corners of its four legs.

The rings were supposed to be opposite the molding as housings for staves to carry the Table.

G'd commanded Moshe to make the staves of acacia wood and cover them with gold.

They would carry the Table with the staves.

The dishes, spoons, shelving-tubes, and pillars that were used with Table and Cover were to be made of gold.

They were to put show-bread on the Table, before G'd, which would be there permanently.

They were to also make a Menorah of pure gold, it was to be hammered out from one piece of gold, including its base, its shaft, its cups, its knobs, and its blossoms.

The Menorah had six branches emerging from its two sides, so three on one side, and three on the other side. Each branch of the Menorah had three cups engraved like almonds, a knob and a flower on it.

The central stem of the Menorah was to have four cups cups engraved like almonds, knobs, and flowers. A knob connected two branches, for all the six branches of the Menorah. In addition to these four cups engraved like almonds on the central stem, there were the three cups with a knob and flower at the top of the stem as with the other branches.

The seven lights of the Menorah were to be kindled to give light to its face.

The tongs and spoons that were to be used with the Menorah were also to be made of pure gold.

The Menorah and its vessels were to be made from one talent of gold.

G'd would show Moshe the form of the Menorah on the mountain.

G'd then instructed Moshe to make the Tabernacle of ten curtains, the curtains were to be linen twisted with turquoise, purple, and scarlet wool and they were to have a woven design of Cherubim.

The length of a single curtain was to be 28 cubits and the width 4 cubits.

There were supposed to be two sets of five curtains each. For the first set five curtains were to be attached to one another, and for the second set another five curtains were to be attached to one another.

Moshe was commanded to make loops of turquoise wool at the edge of the single curtain at the end of a set, and on the edge of the outermost curtain on the second set.

Fifty loops should be made on the first curtain and fifty loops on the end of the curtain that is on the second set, the loops were supposed to correspond to one another.

G'd commanded Moshe to make fifty hooks of gold, and to attach the curtains to one another with the hooks, so that the Tabernacle should become one.

Moshe was commanded to make curtains of goat hair as a Tent over Tabernacle, it was supposed to consist of eleven curtains.

The length of a single curtain was supposed to be thirsty cubits, and the width four cubits; for all the even curtains.

Again, two sets of curtains were to be made. For the first set, five curtains were to be attached separately, for the second set six curtains were to be attached separately, and the sixth curtain was to be folded over the front of the Tent.

G'd furthermore commanded Moshe to make fifty loops on the edge of the first curtain at the end of one set, and fifty loops on the edge of the curtain of the second set.

G'd instructed Moshe to make fifty hooks of copper, to bring hooks into the loops and attach to the Tent, so it should become one.

Half of the extra overhang of the curtains of the Tent should hang over the back of the Tabernacle.

The cubit on one side, and the cubit on the other side that were extra in the length of the curtains of the Tent were to hang over the sides of the Tabernacle on one side and the other to cover it.

He was commanded to make a Cover for the Tent of red-dyed ram skins, and a Cover of tachash skins above.

He was also instructed to make the planks of the Tabernacle of acacia wood, standing erect.

Each plank was supposed to have a length of ten cubits, and a width of a cubit and a half.

Each plank should have two tenons parallel to one another, all the planks of the Tabernacle should have it.

Moshe was instructed to make planks for the Tabernacle, twenty of these planks were supposed to be for the south side.

He was to make forty silver sockets under the twenty planks; two sockets under one plank for its two tenons, and two sockets under the next plank for its two tenons.

The second wall of Tabernacle on the north side was supposed to have twenty planks.

The twenty planks were supposed to have forty silver sockets, two sockets under one plank and two sockets under the next plank.

The back of the Tabernacle in the west was supposed to have six planks.

Moshe was furthermore commanded to make two planks for the corners of the Tabernacle in the back.

They were to be even at the bottom, and match at the top, for a single ring, so it was supposed to be for both of them, as they were to be the two corners.

There was supposed to be eight planks in total, six for the west wall and two at the north and south corners and sixteen silver sockets for them – two sockets under one plank and two sockets under the next plank.

Moshe was further instructed to make bars of acacia wood; five for the planks of one side of the Tabernacle, and five bars for the planks of the second side of the Tabernacle, and five bars for the planks of the Tabernacle side at the back, in the west.

The middle bar inside the planks was supposed to extend from end to end.

G'd commanded Moshe to cover the planks with gold, and to make its rings of gold, as housing for the bars, and to cover the bars with gold.

The Tabernacle was to be erected according to what Moshe would have been shown on the mountain.

Moshe was furthermore instructed to make a Partition of turquoise, purple, and scarlet wool, and linen, all of them twisted together; it was supposed to be a weaver's craft with a woven design of cherubim.

It was to be placed upon four pillars of acacia wood, plated with gold with hooks of gold, upon four silver sockets.

Moshe was to put the Partition under the hooks.

Moshe was instructed to bring the Ark of the Testimonial tablets inside the Partition.

The Partition was to separate between the Holy and the Holy of Holies.

Moshe was also commanded to put the Cover upon the Ark of the Testimonial tablets in the Holy of Holies.

Moshe was instructed to place the Table outside the Partition on the north side, and the Menorah opposite the Table on the south side of the Tabernacle.

Moshe was further instructed to make a Screen for the entrance of the Tent, of turquoise, purple, and scarlet wool, and twisted linen; it was supposed to be an embroiderer's craft.

Moshe was to make five pillars of acacia wood and cover them in gold. These pillars were to be used for the Screen.

Their hooks were to be gold, and their five sockets were to be cast from copper.

Moshe was furthermore instructed to make an Altar of acacia wood. It was supposed to be five cubits in length and five cubits in width. The Altar was supposed to be square and its height was supposed to be three cubits.

Moshe was commanded to make horns on the four corners of the Altar, the horns were to be part of the Altar, and not separate attachments. He was also commanded to cover the whole Altar with copper.

G'd commanded Moshe to make copper vessels for the Altar. These vessels included pots to clear its ashes, shovels, basins, forks, and fire-pans.

Moshe was commanded to make a netting of copper meshwork for the altar. The meshwork was to have four copper rings at its four edges.

Moshe was to place it under the surrounding border of the Altar from below, and the meshwork was to go to the midpoint of the Altar.

He was to make staves for the Altar. The staves were to be of acacia wood, and they were to be plated with copper. The staves were to be brought into the rings, and the staves were to be on two sides of the Altar when it was carried. Moshe was to make the Altar hollow, out of boards; as he was shown on the mountain, so were the Children of Israel to do.

Moshe was commanded to make a netting of copper meswork for the Altar. The meshwork was to have four copper rings at its four edges.

Moshe was to place it under the surrounding border of the Altar from below, and the meshwork was to go to the midpoint of the Altar.

He was to make staves for the Altar. The staves were to be of acacia wood, and they were to be plated with copper. The staves were to be brought into the rings, and the staves were to be on two sides of the Altar when it was carried. Moshe was to make the Altar hollow, out of boards; as he was shown on the mountain, so were the Children of Israel to do.

He was commanded to make the Courtyard of the Tabernacle: On the south side the lace-hangings of the Courtyard were to be of twisted-linen and they were to be a hundred cubits long, for one side.

It was supposed to have twenty wooden pillars, and the pillars were supposed to have twenty copper sockets, and silver hooks and silver bands.

The north side was to be the same length as the south side, and it also was to have twenty pillars, and those twenty pillars were also supposed to have twenty copper sockets, and silver hooks and silver bands.

On the west side, which can be considered the width of the courtyard, there were supposed to be lace hangings of fifty cubits, and there were supposed to be ten pillars for the lace hangings, and ten sockets for the pillars.

The width of the Courtyard on the eastern side also was to be fifty cubits long, and it was supposed to have fifteen cubits of lace hangings on a shoulder. The lace hangings were supposed to have three pillars, and there were supposed to be three sockets for the three pillars.

The second shoulder was also supposed to have fifteen cubits of lace hangings, the lace hangings were supposed to have three pillars, and there were supposed to be three sockets for the three pillars.

At the gate of the Courtyard, there was supposed to be a Screen of twenty cubits, it was supposed to be of turquoise, purple, and scarlet wool, and twisted linen, it was to be an embroiderer's craft. There was supposed to be four pillars and four sockets for the pillars.

The pillars all around the Courtyard were to be banded with silver; their hooks were to be made of silver and their sockets were to be made of copper.

The length of the Courtyard was to be a hundred cubits, the width fifty by fifty; the height five cubits of twisted linen; and their sockets of copper.

All the vessels of the Tabernacle for all its labors, all its pegs, and all the pegs of the Courtyard were to be copper.

One thing to note about this Parashas is that except for some exceptions Hashem almost exclusively addresses Moshe. Hashem commands the entire nation through Moshe to make a Sanctuary for Him, and He also commands them through Moshe to make an Ark for them. For most of the remaining Parashas, all other commands are addressed to Moshe only.

To elaborate on this aspect a bit further: When G'd instructs Moshe to make the Sanctuary and the Ark, G'd tells Moshe that "they" were to make it, whereas when G'd instructs Moshe regarding the details of how the Sanctuary and the Ark, and all the other implements were to be made, G'd only commands Moshe.

Moshe was Hashem's representative on Earth and G'd generally addressed Moshe when giving commandments to the nation. And so G'd also spoke to Moshe to instruct him to build the Ark, the Menorah, the Table, the Altars, the Tabernacle and the tent.

It is illustrative of the fact that every Jew was to have a share in the Torah that G'd addressed the entire nation when giving the commandments to build the Mishkan and the Ark.

It also shows that all of Israel has an obligation to sanctify itself in its personal life and elevate itself spiritually by bringing offerings.

When the nation does that, G'd responds by dwelling among them, and the Jewish people can experience G'd's nearness whether that is in the Mishkan in the wilderness, the Temple in Jerusalem, or the synagogues and study halls today when there is no Temple.

The central Sanctuary of the nation that the Jewish people were to build as a resting place for G'd's presence in this Parashas is referred to as the Tabernacle or Mishkan in Hebrew. It was surrounded by the tribes on all sides and the cloud of G'd's Presence hovered over it.

In the Tabernacle many parallels can be seen to the revelation at Sinai. Just as G'd's presence rested on Mount Sinai, so would His glory rest in the Tabernacle. And just as G'd spoke to Moshe from atop the mountain at Mount Sinai, so He would speak to him from atop the Holy Ark. This way, Moshe also did not have to ascend the mountain every time G'd wished to speak to him.

While G'd's presence only rested temporarily on Mount Sinai during the revelation of the Ten Commandments, the Tabernacle became a permanent dwelling place for the Divine presence. This way, the Tabernacle made the temporary experience at Mount Sinai a permanent part of the nation. Ramban explains that only then was the redemption from Egypt complete.

Sforno maintains that the Tabernacle only became a necessity after the episode of the Golden Calf. At the revelation of Sinai every Jew had achieved prophecy and was worthy to have the Shechinah rest on them. Only after they fell from that high spiritual level was it necessary to establish a central Sanctuary, the Tabernacle.

In the previous Parashas Mishpatim, it could be seen that Judaism considers both civil laws regulating people's lives and ritual as equally important. So while the previous Parashas dealt with the laws concerning people's every day interactions, this Parashas is very much focussed on ritual. Just as civil laws and ritual are considered to be of the same importance by G'd, and just as the details of the Tabernacle are given in this Parashas, immediately after the previous Parashas Mishpatim gave details regarding civil laws, it so also happened that right next to the successor of the Tabernacle, the Temple, the seat of ritual, one could find the Sanhedrin, the seat of law, located on the Temple Mount.

It is interesting to note that G'd's Presence rests on the Tabernacle, Temple, and on synagogues and study halls.

We also know that certain prayers, or to take the Sefer Torah out of the Aron Kodesh, the presence of a Minyan is required. The sages teach that when a Minyan assembles, the Divine Presence dwells among them.

So even today, the Jewish people can dwell among the Divine Presence, for example, in synagogues, study halls, and when there is Minyan.

It could be argued that the Divine Presence sometimes also dwells on especially righteous individuals. I am assuming this applies to both the Jewish people and Noahides. This, for me, constitutes a very good reason to purify one's personal behaviour to make sure one's body and one's environment are a fitting place for the Divine Presence.

The Temple also serves as a reminder of G'd's Presence and an obligation to purify one's thoughts and actions for the Nations of the World.

For a Noahide, law and ritual are also interrelated: Since the seven Noahide commandments are prohibitions, all of them could be considered laws. It is only if one goes a step further, and derives actual positive actions that should result from the seven prohibitive commandments that one also derives some sort of ritual for Noahides. However, it should be noted that Noahides do not have the same stringent rules for ritual as Jewish people, many things that a Noahide may do are not Divine commandments.

For an elaboration of the seven commandments and a list of actions that can be derived from them I recommend https://www.noahideacademy.org/post/the-90-laws-for-bnei-noah, a post on the Noahide Academy website.

Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Tissot_Moses_and_Joshua_in_the_Tabernacle.jpg Disclaimer: "This work is in the public domain in its country of origin and other countries and areas where the copyright term is the author's life plus 100 years or fewer."