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Integrity - Parashat Terumah 5778, February 16, 2018

This week’s parasha, Parashat Terumah, presents the plans for the building of the mishkan – the Tabernacle – and its vessels.

The first vessel described in the parasha is the aron – the ark. Once the mishkan was completed, the aron held the sh’ne luchot habrit – the two tablets of the covenant – and was placed in the kodesh hakodashim – the holy of holies. The Torah (Exodus 25:10) writes, “And make an ark of sheetim wood; two-and-a-half cubits in length and half a cubit in width and one-and-a-half cubits in height. And you will cover it in pure gold – you will cover it inside and outside; and you will make on it a gold crown around.” In these verses, the Torah describes four qualities of the ark – its material (sheetim wood), its dimensions (2.5 x 0.5 x 1.5 cubits), the requirement to cover it in gold on the inside and outside and its gold crown.

Many of our chachamim offer remazim – lessons hinted to by the verses – derived from the Torah’s descriptions of the vessels of the Tabernacle. One famous such remez is taught by the amora, Rava. The Talmud in Masechet Yoma (72b) writes: Rava said – from (the description of the aron) we learn that a Torah scholar whose inside does not match his outside is not a Torah scholar. The Talmud continues and describes such a person as to’evah – something disgusting. In other words, Rava compares the ark, which guards the tablets of the law, to a Torah scholar, who knows and guards Torah knowledge. Rava teaches that a Torah scholar must emulate the ark which is covered in gold on the inside and outside; his outward behaviors and internal values be congruent and pure. Such a person is worthy of the title, Talmid Chacham, and is described as tocho kevaro – his inside matches his outside appearance.

How can we train ourselves and our children to be tocho kevaro?

The luchot are a testament to truth – the truth of the existence of Hashem, His law and His relationship with the world. Torah itself is described as emet – truth. In the final blessing of the shemoneh esre we say, “Torat Emet” – the Torah of truth. Thus, the aron is a holy receptacle containing the manifestation of truth. Being tocho kevaro requires understanding that appearance must be qualified by an integrity that is hidden from view. By being steadfastly committed to truth – in our thinking, speech and actions – we become tocho kevaro.

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