Parashat Terumah

Torah Portions

Terumah (“Donation”) opens as God tells Moses to collect donated materials in order to build a dwelling place for God called the Mishkan (Tabernacle). God describes how to build the vessels that will fill the Mishkan – including the ark, table, menorah, and sacrificial altar – as well as the Mishkan’s walls and curtains.

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Building a Sanctuary for the Divine Presence

TANAKH

God commands the Israelites to build a sanctuary where God can dwell among them. Parashat Terumah, in the book of Exodus, details God's instructions to Moses for constructing the Tabernacle.

And let them make Me a sanctuary that I may dwell among them. Exactly as I show you—the pattern of the Tabernacle and the pattern of all its furnishings—so shall you make it.

Exodus 25:8-9

The Cherubim and the Divine Meeting Place

TANAKH

Within the Mishkan, God's presence rested between the two cherubim above the Ark of the Covenant. Parashat Terumah, in the book of Exodus, provides intricate instructions for constructing the Ark's cover, including the cherubim.

And deposit in the Ark [the tablets of] the Pact which I will give you. You shall make a cover of pure gold, two and a half cubits long and a cubit and a half wide. Make two cherubim of gold—make them of hammered work—at the two ends of the cover. Make one cherub at one end and the other cherub at the other end; of one piece with the cover shall you make the cherubim at its two ends. The cherubim shall have their wings spread out above, shielding the cover with their wings. They shall confront each other, the faces of the cherubim being turned toward the cover…

Exodus 25:16-22

The Divine Blueprint of the Menorah

TANAKH

The design for the menorah was an intricate, seven-branched lamp made of gold. Parashat Terumah provides detailed instructions for building the menorah.

You shall make a lampstand of pure gold; the lampstand shall be made of hammered work; its base and its shaft, its cups, calyxes, and petals shall be of one piece. Six branches shall issue from its sides; three branches from one side of the lampstand and three branches from the other side of the lampstand. On one branch there shall be three cups shaped like almond-blossoms, each with calyx and petals, and on the next branch there shall be three cups shaped like almond-blossoms, each with calyx and petals; so for all six branches issuing from the lampstand…

Exodus 25:31-40

Chronology of the Torah's Narrative

MIDRASH

Rabbis throughout rabbinic literature debate whether or not the Torah is narrated in chronological order. Midrash Tanchuma, an early medieval collection of midrash, suggests that the Torah is not in chronological order and discusses why this is so.

And let them make Me a sanctuary, that I may dwell among them (Exod. 25:8). On which day did He relate to Moses the portion relating to the Temple? It was on the Day of Atonement. That was so despite the fact that the Torah portion describing the Sanctuary precedes the incident of the golden calf. R. Judah the son of R. Shalum said: There is actually no such thing as preceding or following in the Torah, as is said: Lest she should walk the even path of life, her ways wander, but she knoweth it not (Prov. 5:6). This verse refers to the arrangement of the Torah and its sections…

Midrash Tanchuma, Terumah 8:1-3

An Individual and Communal Task

COMMENTARY

Rabbinic literature often uses grammatical peculiarities as an opening for interpretation. Ramban, a medieval Spanish rabbi and commentator, discusses one such peculiarity regarding the instructions to build the Ark of the Covenant and its implications.

AND THEY SHALL MAKE AN ARK. The plural [and ‘they’ shall make] refers back to the children of Israel mentioned above. But afterwards Scripture states: And thou shalt overlay it, And thou shalt cast for it — all in the singular, as Moses is the leader of all Israel. It is possible that [in using the plural — and they shall make] He is indicating His wish that all Israel should share in the making of the ark because it is the holiest dwelling-place of the Most High, and that they should all merit thereby [a knowledge of] the Torah…

Ramban on Exodus 25:10:1

The Divine Crafting of the Menorah

MIDRASH

Moses appointed Betzalel to be in charge of crafting the Mishkan and its utensils. Bamidbar Rabbah, a medieval midrash on the book of Numbers, contrasts Moses' ability to build the menorah with Betzalel's.

Rabbi Levi bar Rabbi says: A pure candelabrum descended from Heaven, as the Holy One blessed be He said to Moses: “Craft a candelabrum of pure gold” (Exodus 25:31). He said to Him: ‘How shall we craft it?’ He said to him: “The candelabrum shall be crafted hammered” (Exodus 25:31). Nevertheless, Moses encountered difficulty. He descended and forgot its crafting. He ascended and said ‘how shall we craft it?’ He said to him: “The candelabrum shall be crafted hammered.” Nevertheless, Moses encountered difficulty. He descended and forgot. He ascended and said: ‘My Master, I forgot it…

Bamidbar Rabbah 15:10

Transformative Giving in Parashat Terumah

CHASIDUT

The generosity of the Israelites in building the Mishkan can serve as a model for one's own spiritual journey. The Ba'al Shem Tov, founder of the Chasidic movement, emphasizes a person's ability to transform bad habits into good ones.

And the L-rd spoke to Moses, saying: Speak to the children of Israel, that they take for Me an offering; of every man whose heart prompts him, you shall take My offering. (Exodus 25:1-2)
Each person should seek ways to transform his mundane desires – all that “his heart prompts him” – into good qualities. And from his habitual, bad traits, he should learn how to serve the Creator with the same passion and desire, even more intensely.
Tiferes Shlomo, Toldos

Ba'al Shem Tov, Terumah 2:1

Mystical Hooks of the Tabernacle

KABBALAH

Kabbalah offers a mystical interpretation of the Tabernacle's construction, focusing on the esoteric symbolism of the Tabernacle and its utensils. The Zohar, a foundational work of Jewish mysticism, explores the significance of the hooks and pillars used in constructing the Tabernacle.

THE HOOKS OF THE PILLARS AND THEIR FILLETS SHALL BE OF SILVER. Said R. Isaac: ‘I presume that the “hooks of the pillars” symbolize all those who are attached to the supernal unifying pillars, and that all those who are below depend on them. What is the significance of the word vavim (hooks; also the letter vau, the numerical value of which is six)? Six within six (vv), all united and nourished by the Spine which is set over them. And we have learnt in the Book of the Hidden Mystery (Sifra di-zenintha) this dictum: “Hooks above, hooks below (six above, six below)…

Zohar, Terumah 98:925