Terumah (parsha)

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Terumah or Trumah (תרומה — Hebrew for "gift" or “offering,” the twelfth word and first distinctive word in the parshah) is the nineteenth weekly parshah or portion in the annual Jewish cycle of Torah reading and the seventh in the book of Exodus. It constitutes Exodus 25:1–27:19. Jews in the Diaspora read it the nineteenth Sabbath after Simchat Torah, generally in February or early March.

the Tabernacle

1 Summary
2 In classical Rabbinic interpretation
3 Commandments
4 Haftarah
5 The Weekly Maqam
6 Further reading
7 External links

[edit] Summary

God instructed Moses to tell all Israelites whose heart so moved them to bring gifts of gold, silver, copper, colored yarns, fine linen, goats’ hair, tanned ram skins, acacia wood, oil, spices, lapis lazuli, and other fine stones to make a sanctuary — the Tabernacle (Mishkan) — and its furnishings, so that God could dwell among them. (Ex. 25:1–8.)

the Ark of the Covenant

God instructed them to make the Ark of the Covenant of acacia wood overlaid with gold in which to deposit the tablets setting forth God’s commandments. (Ex. 25:10–16.) God told them to make two cherubim of gold to place on the ark’s cover or mercy seat. (Ex. 25:17–21.) God promised to impart commandments to Moses from between the two cherubim above the cover of the Ark. (Ex. 25:22.) God instructed them to make a table of acacia wood overlaid with gold, on which to set the bread of display or showbread. (Ex. 25:23–30.)

Romans take the menorah from the Temple in Jerusalem (sculpture from the Arch of Titus)

God instructed them to make a six-branched, seven-lamped lampstand — menorah — of pure gold. (Ex. 25:31–40.) God instructed them to make the Tabernacle of ten strips of fine twisted linen, of blue, purple, and crimson yarns, with a design of cherubim worked into them. (Ex. 26:1–6.) God instructed them to make 11 cloths of goats’ hair for a tent over the Tabernacle (Ex. 26:7–13), and coverings of tanned ram skins and tachash skins. (Ex. 26:14.) God instructed them to make planks of acacia wood for the Tabernacle. (Ex. 26:15–25.) God instructed them to make a curtain of blue, purple, and crimson yarns, and fine twisted linen, with a design of cherubim, to serve as a partition obscuring the Holy of Holies. (Ex. 26:31–33.) God instructed them to place the Ark, the table, and the lampstand in the Tabernacle. (Ex. 26:34–35.) God instructed them to make a screen for the entrance of the Tent, of colored yarns, and fine twisted linen, done in embroidery and supported by five posts of acacia wood overlaid with gold. (Ex. 26:36–37.) God instructed them to make the altar of acacia wood overlaid with copper. (Ex. 27:1–2.) And God instructed them to make the enclosure of the Tabernacle from fine twisted linen. (Ex. 27:9–16.)

[edit] In classical Rabbinic interpretation

[edit] Exodus chapter 25

A Midrash read Exodus 25:2 to say “that they take Me as an offering” and thus to tell how God gave the Torah to Israel and said to them: “You are taking Me.” (Exodus Rabbah 33:6.)

The Rabbis taught in a Baraita that the turquoise wool (techeilet) listed in Exodus 25:4 came from an animal called a chilazon that resembled the sea in color and a fish in shape, that appeared once every 70 years, and whose blood was used to dye the expensive blue thread. (Babylonian Talmud Menachot 44a.)

The Tosefta deduced from Exodus 25:5 (and the principle that the law prohibits doing on the Sabbath all that was done to build the Tabernacle) that one who tans hides on the Sabbath violates the commandment to keep the Sabbath. (Tosefta Shabbat 8:23.)

The Tosefta taught that invalidity of either the onyx stones or the stones to be set described in Exodus 25:7 invalidated the other, and invalidity of any of the cups, knops, or flowers of the candlestick described in Exodus 25:31 invalidated the others. (Tosefta Menachot 6:11.)

The Tosefta taught that Exodus 25:8 provided the commandment that Exodus 39:43 said that Moses fulfilled. (Tosefta Menachot 7:7.)

The Mishnah described how on Yom Kippur the High Priest (Kohen Gadol) would place a fire pan between the two bars of the Ark of the Covenant described in Exodus 25:12. (Mishnah Yoma 5:1; Babylonian Talmud Yoma 52b.)

The Mishnah described details of the table envisioned in Exodus 25:23. (Mishnah Menachot 11:5–7; Babylonian Talmud Menachot 96a, 99b.) Rabbi Jose differed with the Mishnah to teach that the handbreadth-high frame described in Exodus 25:25, not props, held the showbread in place, but they interpreted the table’s rim to exist only at the feet of the table, not at its surface. (Tosefta Menachot 11:6.)

Ben Zoma interpreted Exodus 25:30 to teach that the showbread had to have faces. (Mishnah Menachot 11:4; Babylonian Talmud Menachot 96a.) And the Tosefta interpreted Exodus 25:30 to teach that the table did not remain overnight without bread. (Tosefta Menachot 11:12.)

[edit] Exodus chapter 26

Rav Adda bar Ahavah said that the tachash skins mentioned in Exodus 26:14 came from an animal that lived in the days of Moses. The Gemara interpreted Rabbi Nehemiah to say that its skin had many colors. (Babylonian Talmud Shabbat 28a.)

The Mishnah described two veils that separated the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place in the Second Temple, but Rabbi Jose said that there was only a single veil, as described in Exodus 26:33 in connection with the Tabernacle. (Mishnah Yoma 5:1; Tosefta Kippurim (Yoma) 2:12; Babylonian Talmud Yoma 51b.)

[edit] Exodus chapter 27

Rabbi Jose noted that even though Exodus 27:18 reported that the Tabernacle’s courtyard was just 100 cubits by 50 cubits (about 150 feet by 75 feet), a little space held a lot, as Leviticus 8:3 implied that the space miraculously held the entire Israelite people. (Genesis Rabbah 5:7.)

[edit] Commandments

According to Maimonides and Sefer ha-Chinuch, there are 2 positive and 1 negative commandments in the parshah:

To build a Sanctuary (Ex. 25:8.)
Not to remove the staves from the Ark of the Covenant (Ex. 25:15.)
To make the showbread (Ex. 25:30.)

Solomon's Temple

(See, e.g., Maimonides. The Commandments: Sefer Ha-Mitzvoth of Maimonides. Translated by Charles B. Chavel, vol. 1, 27–29, 36–37; vol. 2, 84–85. London: Soncino Press, 1967. ISBN 0-900689-71-4. Sefer HaHinnuch: The Book of [Mitzvah] Education. Translated by Charles Wengrov, vol. 1, 355–77. Jerusalem: Feldheim Pub., 1991. ISBN 0-87306-179-9.)

[edit] Haftarah

The haftarah for the parshah is 1 Kings 5:26–6:13. Both the parshah and the haftarah describe a great Jewish leader’s marshalling of resources to build a dwelling place for God, the parshah in Moses’ collection of gifts to build the Tabernacle (Ex. 25:1–8), and the haftarah in Solomon’s conscription of labor and collection of timber and stone to build the Temple in Jerusalem. (Kings 5:26–31.) Both the parshah and the haftarah describe conditions for a structure where God could dwell (ve-shakhanti) among (be-tokh) the Israelites. (Ex. 25:8; Kings 5:13.)

[edit] The Weekly Maqam

In the Weekly Maqam, Sephardic Jews each week base the songs of the services on the content of that week's parshah. For Parshah Terumah, Sephardic Jews apply Maqam Hoseni, the maqam that expresses beauty. This is especially appropriate for this parshah because it is the parshah where the beauty of the Tabernacle and its utensils are elaborated.

[edit] Further reading

The parshah has parallels or is discussed in these sources:

Psalms 80:2 (cherubim); 84:2–3, 11 (Tabernacle, courts); 90:1 (dwelling); 92:14 (courts); 100:4 (court); 132:8 (ark).
Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews 3:6:1. Circa 93–94. Reprinted in, e.g., The Works of Josephus: Complete and Unabridged, New Updated Edition. Translated by William Whiston, 85–86. Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson Pub., 1987. ISBN 0-913573-86-8.
Mishnah: Yoma 5:1; Menachot 11:4–7. Land of Israel, circa 200 C.E. Reprinted in, e.g., The Mishnah: A New Translation. Translated by Jacob Neusner, 272, 757–58. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1988. ISBN 0-300-05022-4.
Tosefta: Shabbat 8:23; Eruvin 4:9; Shekalim 3:13–14; Kippurim (Yoma) 2:12; Sanhedrin 4:8; Menachot 6:11, 7:7, 11:6, 12. Land of Israel, circa 300 C.E. Reprinted in, e.g., The Tosefta: Translated from the Hebrew, with a New Introduction. Translated by Jacob Neusner, vol. 1: 384, 444, 535–36, 553; vol. 2: 1159, 1431, 1434–35, 1457, 1458–59. Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson Pub., 2002. ISBN 1-56563-642-2.
Genesis Rabbah 3:9; 5:7; 8:1; 17:6; 66:2; 80:6; 91:9; 94:4. Land of Israel, 5th Century. Reprinted in, e.g., Midrash Rabbah: Genesis. Translated by H. Freedman and Maurice Simon, vol. 1: 26, 38, 54, 137; vol. 2: 601, 739, 845, 871. London: Soncino Press, 1939. ISBN 0-900689-38-2.
Exodus Rabbah 33:1–35:6. 10th Century. Reprinted in, e.g., Midrash Rabbah: Exodus. Translated by S. M. Lehrman, vol. 3: 414–35. London: Soncino Press, 1939. ISBN 0-900689-38-2.
Rashi. Commentary. Exodus 25–27. Troyes, France, late 11th Century. Reprinted in, e.g., Rashi. The Torah: With Rashi’s Commentary Translated, Annotated, and Elucidated. Translated and annotated by Yisrael Isser Zvi Herczeg, vol. 2, 319–73. Brooklyn: Mesorah Publications, 1994. ISBN 0-89906-027-7.
Judah Halevi. Kuzari. 3:23. Toledo, Spain, 1130–1140. Reprinted in, e.g., Jehuda Halevi. Kuzari: An Argument for the Faith of Israel. Intro. by Henry Slonimsky, 162. New York: Schocken, 1964. ISBN 0-8052-0075-4.
Zohar 2:126a–143a. Spain, late 13th Century.
Thomas Hobbes. Leviathan, part 3, ch. 40; part 4, ch. 45. England, 1651. Reprint edited by C. B. Macpherson, 503–04, 675–76. Harmondsworth, England: Penguin Classics, 1982. ISBN 0140431950.
Marc A. Gellman. “A Tent of Dolphin Skins.” In Gates to the New City: A Treasury of Modern Jewish Tales. Edited by Howard Schwartz, 173–74. New York: Avon, 1983. ISBN 0-380-81091-3. Reissue ed. Jason Aronson, 1991. ISBN 0876688490.