Terumah in a Nutshell

My thoughts about this parasha

This parasha is building a temple, Hashem instructs to build a dwelling place among the jewish people.
Now if we open out hearts and think, Is Hashem who needs a dwelling place amongst us?
He created this world, every place can be his sanctuary.
I believe that what hashem really wants us to do is following .
We are G-d's creations, we have the divinity inside us, and Hashem wants the dwelling place for us so that our devinity will have the place to heal and be present.
Another thing, that I think, it’s also about the creating an inner temple. meaning giving the space to shekhina inside us.
Btw shekhina also means dwelling, like the Devine presence.
The third point would be, we are all humans we tend to get carried away, loose focus of what’s important, building the temple, just like doing the tfilim and different avodat Hashem is carried out to stay disciplined, to have the G-dly goals and pleasure of creating things with his blessings. Reply

The Skins Game of "The Tent of Meeting" Mishkon

The dyed skins of the Mishkon, when layered upon each other, produce a purple color IF light is shone through the layers; purple is a hue which blocks light best (besides your Mother-in-Law). I am convinced, as the "Blaspheme-O-Meter" shall show, that the Mishkon was a MILITARY tent of meeting, and that the Hebrews had developed a system of photography or image reproduction which required layering of colored skins on top of each other to develop images for military purposes, as a result of their "Wanderings" in the desert which were most probably espionage and sabotage endeavours for various ruling tribes/governments. T'wasn't Mishkon deliberately constructed to face the East, which affords the best light for photography and picture development? Which tent laws were abandoned as part of the overall move from meandering military campaign (transient) to establishing themselves in permanent structures in urban environments? Reply

"In the Sanctuary's inner chamber, behind an artistically woven curtain, was the ark containing the tablets of the testimony engraved with the Ten Commandments."

Since the Third Jewish Temple will also be important to the Bnei Noah with the coming of Moshiach, I wonder if the Seven Noahide Laws will also be in the Ark. Why were no tablets of the testimony engraved with the Seven Noahide Laws made? Reply

I was taught that wool and linen (linsey-woolsey) wasn't an allowed combination because one is animal and one is plant -- the Torah prescribes the combination in several places, however. I know that shatnez is chok, but why are the ark and the priests exempt? Please straighten me out! Reply

Commandments Was it originally 10 or 7??? Reply

Building a Temple
Did G-d ever exclude anyone from inclusion? Yes, many times as per the Torah, but each time, those excluded paid dearly: The Great Flood, the Golden calf, etc. Age was no excuse.
Too busy for G-d? Beware ! He remembers everything. Messiah is coming soon: let's pray that we are in a state of holiness attending synagogue service when he arrives. Reply

I would like to see pictures or illustrations of the ark and sanctuary? Reply

A Nice Surprise!!! One day I had a very difficult time connecting with this Parsha. I thought just pick a place and try to really understand what is being talked about. I wanted to understand the size of this traveling temple and so did the math of the cubits for the length and width of the property. What I discovered was amazing, it was exactly the dimensions and size of my very own property, 11,250 sq ft! I work in Real Estate in Hawaii where land is very valuable, being a tropical island but now my property has a whole lot more value to me:)

Also it is very rare to find lots of this size but someone must have been reading this parsha, and wanted to develop an area where it exists the same way.

A 10,000 sq ft lot is common a 5,000 sq ft lot is common but 11,250 not so commong. Reply

Personal Observation I know the instructions for the Terumah are literal, in referring to the construction of the holy Sanctuary to be set for traveling. However, I see a metaphor here that may be true, or may be false. I see the Terumah to be a metaphor in how the Jews are supposed to treat themselves. I think that perhaps it is in the Terumah that the Jews are not supposed to get tattoos since the Jews are a traveling people meant to worship G-d. Not only is the holy Sanctuary G-d's place to practice worship, but the Jews themselves are a place, in their body, to practice worship daily. G-d not only gives specific instructions on how to decorate the holy Sanctuary as a place of worship, but G-d also gives the Jews specific instructions how to make their bodies a place to constantly practice worship. I am aware that some Jews may disagree with the metaphor and only believe in the literal interpretation; however, my interpretation is of the metaphor and literal meaning in the Terumah. Reply

Zohar How could Terumah even begin to be written into a nutshell. The Zohar has 575 pages of commentary on this amazing portion. Reply

Goat hair I am wondering how the covering was made with the goat hair. I guess I am curious because I have goats. Reply

Wool and linen A mixture of wool and linen - shatnez - is prohibited in clothing, and rabbinically in curtains as well, since one may come to wrap themselves in the curtain for warmth.

Interestingly, some suggest that the prohibition against shatnez stems from the fact that the curtains in the Sanctuary and the clothing of the priests contained both wool and linen. These are sacred, and we are not permitted to imitate them.

Ultimately, we observe these laws, as we do all mitzvot, because G-d commands us to do so. The same Torah that instructs us not to wear shatnez, instructs us to use both wool and linen for specific holy purposes. Reply

This week's portion mentions on a number of occasions that wool and linen were to
used for various purposes in constructing the tabernacle. Doesn't that constitute
"shatness", the forbidden mixing of different species? In this case, animal and
vegetable. Reply

Building a Temple It must be an exciting time - when a group decides a new temple's construction will happen! But what if ... you are young, and when you attend worship service...the physical building is beautiful...but the youth there appears to be missing (age 20-50) It looked as though 95% were 65 yo-89 yo, there were maybe 40 people altogether

And it seems as though every day life in the area is reflecting it, that most youth want to party. How can you rebuild a temple from within...by making the youth excited to be there?

What if your marriages suffered - because your spouse(s) were not interested in that value system?

What is a good question to revive it? Reply

Wings of Cherubim The Cherubim are discussed in the Talmud and in the commentaries.
There were Two Cherubim each standing at the two edges of the Ark, facing each other, the width of the Ark between them. Their faces resembled those of children. They each had two wings, which were spread out directly alongside their heads, covering over most of the Ark's cover. There were ten handbreadths between the cover of the Ark and the wings. Reply

silver sockets Ever did the math concerning the thickness of the silver sockets and how and why they were even included? Reply

What a sermon! Wow, G-d gives us the tools and we work together. Success is assured. The only question is..........Are we ready to work hard? Reply

I think the implication is referencing that there were 2 cherubim that happened to have wings (i.e. they were winged), not that there were cherubim with 2 wings. Hope that clarifies the issue. Reply

Hey Misha The exact wing style of the cherubs of the tabernacle are not described in the Torah, except that they were extended upward. We have later descriptions of Solomon's cherubs, messianic cherubs, and cherubs in visions--but none of Moses cherubs. So why not assume that they just had two wings. Reply