MHA-FYOS Dean's Blog

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 T...

The parshiyot of this and next week, Parashat Terumah and Parashat Tetzave, introduce Hashem’s command regarding the plans for the mishkan and its vessels, including the clothing were worn by the kohanim . One of the vessels that Hashem commands to be built is the menorah – the candelabra. The description of the plans for the menorah are described this week and the description of its service is described next week. In Parashat Tetzave, next week, the Torah says, “and you will take to yourself pure olive oil pressed to be lit to raise an everlasting candle.” The phrase, “to yourself” (אליך) is seemingly extraneous. Certainly all of the mitzvot are for us – Hashem commanded them to the Jewish people, not to angels. Certainly the mitzvot are for our benefit and for the benefit of mankind. In this light, “to yourself” is difficult – this quality would seem to apply equally to all of the mitzvot ! What is the message of bnei yisrael taking oil to themselves? Our chachamim present a num...

Parashat Terumah introduces the laws related to building the mishkan – the Tabernacle. Each element of the mishkan is guided by a high level of precision in the laws that direct how to build it. The Torah defines the size of each object that is placed in the mishkan – the shulchan (table), the menorah (candelabra), the aron (ark). The length, width and height of each item is explicated. The particulars of the construction of each item is defined and delimited by the halacha – G-d’s command. The level of precision that the Torah describes in reference to the mishkan is noteworthy. Even a synagogue, a mikdash me’at – a miniature Temple – does not require such precision. What message can we glean from the Torah’s rich description of the parameters of the mishkan ? Let us consider this question in relation to a dispute among our Sages. Although the Torah places the command to build the mishkan prior to the incident of the Golden Calf, there is actually a dispute between our chac...