It’s Sunday, the first day of the week! And that means a new Parsha! We have Parsha Terumah this week. Terumah means “contribution.” The Parsha will talk about the construction of the tabernacle, but I’m reflecting on the word “Terumah” and focusing inward as I consider how I am “contributing” to Jewish life, and the community around me. We should all reflect on how we are contributing to our purpose!
The Parsha starts out with God speaking to Moses; telling Moses to speak to the children of Israel and have them dedicate to Hashem a contribution. He tells Moses “take My offering from every person whose heart inspires him to generosity. These are the types of contribution that you shall collect from them.”
Now the first thing that jumps out at me is the idea that giving was not compulsory. It was from a space of generosity. I’m reflecting on how our faith should be from this same place. Our worship should be from the same space.
Rabbi Menachem Schneerson wrote this;
“The contributions to the Tabernacle had two dimensions:
(a) the act of donation-which removed the contribution from the owner’s private possession, the realm of the mundane; and
(b) the act of collection-which elevated the contribution to become the sacred property of the Tabernacle.
This represents two modes of worship:
(a) refraining from evil-by which you remove undesirable habits and actions from yourself; and
(b) doing good- through which you elevate this world towards the perfection for which it was originally intended.
In practice, the act of donation did not have to be accompanied by holy intentions, whereas the act of collection did. The lesson here is that when you refrain from doing bad, the purity of your intentions is not of paramount importance; but when you do good deeds and commandments, thereby making a “home” for God in this world, pure intentions are of the utmost importance.”
I’m really reflecting on the idea of resisting “bad” and doing “good.” Motives aren’t important in resisting doing bad; but they are when doing good. Hmmmmm.
Next, Hashem gives Moses specific things to collect from the people; Gold, Silver, and Copper; turquoise, purple, and crimson wool, linen and goats hair, rams skin dyed red, multicolored tahash skins, acacia wood; oil for the lamps, spices for the anointing oil and incense fumes, Shoham stones and filling stones for the apron and for the breastplate.
Something I notice; there were obviously rich Jews in the camps. To have all of this material meant people were prospering. I reflect on how having material items isn’t necessarily bad; provided they are used for Godly purposes.
Next we learn about the ark and how it’s to be built:
Acacia wood 2.5 cubits in its length, 1.5 cubits high, 1.5 cubits wide.
Acacia wood is something we are seeing here. Rashi Writes that Jacob saw prophetically that the Jewish people were destined to build a tabernacle in the desert, so he brought acacia trees to Egypt and planted them. He told his children to take the trees with them when they left Egypt. Interesting!
Once they built the ark, they were to coat it with pure gold; inside and out with a gold edge all around. They were to make four gold rings and put them on the four corners. Then make poles of acacia wood, coating them with gold.
Once the poles were inserted into the rings, they were to never be removed.
They were to place the tablets of Testimony inside the ark.
As I reflect on this process; it seems to me that Hashem is communicating that how we build things is as important as the things themselves. Our journey is important – the destination is too. We often focus on the destination; we want the ark to be built, we want the tabernacle to be built. But it takes time.
Some interesting thoughts on this new Parsha. What about you? What are your thoughts?
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