Parashat T'ruma (Exodus 25:1 - 27:19)

by Rabbi Daniela Thau

Summary

Mishpatim, the previous parasha, finishes with God telling Moses to come up to the mountain and to wait there to receive ‘the stone tablets with the teachings and commandments’.  As Moses ascends the mountain a cloud covers it completely.  Moses goes inside the cloud and stays for forty days and nights in the presence of God.

And this is what happens next: God instructs Moses to collect t’ruma – gifts, contributions, free will offerings - from the Israelites for the construction of the tabernacle, a symbolic dwelling place, a sanctuary of God’s Presence among the people. 

A list of the raw materials needed and to be collected from the Israelites follows: gold, silver, copper, blue, purple and crimson yarns, fine linen, goats’ hair, tanned ram skins and skins of ‘techashim’ (Rashi says these are animals that may have only existed at that time and had many colours), acacia wood, oil for lighting, spices for the anointing oil and for the aromatic incense, lapis lazuli and other precious stones for the ephod and the breast piece.

This week’s parasha T’ruma gives detailed instructions regarding the construction of the tabernacle (mishkan) and its furnishings.  The mishkan is a complicated structure consisting of an outer court (chatzer) housing the altar for burnt offerings and the washstand used by the priests (kohanim) and the inner tabernacle which was divided into two chambers: the outer chamber (kodesh) to which only priests who performed sacred duties had access and which housed the table (shulchan) with the ‘Shew Bread’, the golden lampstand (menora) and the altar of incense (mizbe’ach ha-k’toret); and the inner chamber the ‘Holy of Holies’ (kodesh kodashim), into which only the high priest (kohen gadol) entered on Yom Kippur and which contained the Ark (aron) - holding the stone tablets (luchot ha-even)

Commentary

I always felt that these chapters telling us about the construction of the mishkan were very confusing yet compelling.  Many scholars have tried to bring order into the unclear description of the layout and measurements of the tabernacle and its vessels.  Individual interpretation and many differing accounts on how the mishkan precisely looked fill pages of commentaries. 

The description of the lampstand, the menora, has always fascinated me and is described in our parasha with great care. 

Many fine details are given: pure gold for its construction: the shaft, branches, bowls and flowers; specific numbers such as seven lamps, six branches, three on each side, three almond-blossom shaped cups to each branch, four cups to the menora and one cup under every second branch. 

This description of detail has given our bible commentators reason to ask whether or not the design has allegorical meaning and, as one would expect, our commentators have differing opinions. 

Maimonides, one of our greatest post-Talmudic thinkers, a physician and rationalist in the 12th century, claims that the Tora is a product of God’s wisdom and not his arbitrary will.  Yet he finds it futile to try and justify every detail of the divine commandments because God’s wisdom and ways are often incomprehensible to us.  He considers all who try to find the causes for every detail of the divine commandments ‘stricken with prolonged madness’.  He does not mince words. 

Another, Isaac Arama also known as Akedat Yitzhak in 15th century Spain, reminds us that a Tora Scroll is invalid even if one letter is wrong or missing, so then one can assume that God did not give us the design details of the menora for beauty alone but for ultimate significance.

Don Isaac Abravanel, another 15th century Spanish commentator, philosopher and statesman, steers a middle path and cites in his support the prophet Ezekiel who admonishes the Israelites for straying from God by adopting idolatry, and that they should be taught all about the details of the furnishings and vessels in the mishkan so that they may adhere to God’s commandments. 

Abravanel is of the opinion that when people are easily distracted and misled by what he calls sun and moon worshippers, then by studying the details of the Temple they will be spiritually overwhelmed by its very perfection, and this in turn will cure them of straying into idolatry. While on the one hand acknowledging the spiritual purpose of the temple as a whole, Abravanel relegates the detail to constructional necessities.

A few chapters on we learn that B'tzalel was the chief artist who made most of the furnishings in the mishkan.  The Midrash tells us that B'tzalel immediately understood how to make the menora whereas Moses did not although God had repeatedly instructed him and even shown him a menora of fire.  Moses concluded that B'tzalel must have been in the ‘shadow of God’ (b'tzel el).

One of the most striking occurrences is that there is a sage plant (Salvia palestina) called ‘moriah’ which looks just like the menora.  It could well have been its botanical prototype.  You can see a picture of it here http://www.museum.com/ja/showdia/id=373

It can be found in Neot Kedumim, the Biblical Landscape Reserve in Israel which was founded by Nogah Hareuveni whose parents searched and found the moriah plant.

For me the menora is full of wonder and beauty.  On a practical level it gave its light to the inner mishkan, its purity and beauty inspires me and illuminates my soul and its reflection of nature signifies for me the oneness of the universe.

Rabbi Daniela Thau