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February 15, 2002/Adar 3 5762, Vol. 54, No. 22
Gifts freely given
Torah Study
RABBI MAYNARD BELL
T'rumah/Exodus 25:1-27:19
Portion overview
- God asks the Children of Israel to donate gifts (t'rumah) for the building of the Tabernacle so that God may "dwell among them."
- Instructions for the construction of the Ark, table, and menorah are provided.
- Detailed directions are given on how to build the Tabernacle.
Focal point
Adonai spoke to Moses, saying: "Tell the Israelite people to bring Me gifts; you shall accept gifts for Me from every person whose heart so moves him. ... And let them make Me a sanctuary that I may dwell among them." (Exodus 25:1-8)
Your guide
- Prior to the building of the Tabernacle, where do you think our people found "sacred space"?
- Why did the Israelite people need a structure to feel connected to God? Where do you feel the greatest sense of spiritual uplift or connection to God?
- What is the significance of the verse "You shall accept gifts for Me from every person whose heart so moves him"? Why was the commandment to bring gifts for the building of the Tabernacle not mandatory for everyone? What would happen if paying temple dues were completely voluntary?
- Why does the Torah say, "And let them make Me a sanctuary that I may dwell among them" rather than "And let them make a sanctuary for Me in which to dwell"?
By the way...
- "That I may dwell (v'shachanti) among them." The verb is the one from which Shechinah, the rabbinic term for the Divine Presence, is derived. ("The Pentateuch and Haftorahs," edited by J. H. Hertz)
- "That I may dwell among them." It says "among them" and not "in its midst" to teach you that each person must build the Sanctuary in his own heart; then God will dwell among them. The Kotzker was once asked, "Where is God?" And he replied, "Wherever they let him in." (Rebbe Menachem Mendel of Kotzk)
D'var Torah
Do you remember the famous musical dialogue between Tevye and Golda in "Fiddler on the Roof" on the subject of love? Tevye asks, "Golda, do you love me?" And she responds, "Do I what?" Can you imagine Golda and Tevye exchanging valentines? Hardly!
It is purely an accident of the calendar that juxtaposes Shabbat T'rumah with Valentine's Day. Yet T'rumah is apropos for the season because it also deals with the subject of love. In this case, it is not romantic love but love in its more profound sense, in our willingness to do for or to be fully present for another.
The portion begins, "Tell the Israelite people to bring Me gifts." The Torah then adds, "You shall accept gifts for Me from every person whose heart so moves him." The materials that are to be used to create the Mishkan (Tabernacle), to build a place of holiness, must come from those who give their gifts from their own free will.
The road to spiritual connection is an elusive one, but those who have experienced moments of God-connection will attest that such events only come as a result of open-heartedness.
If we accept that premise for the moment, let us try to see the God-connection from the other side. Maybe the portion gives us an insight into what God is seeking from us. The Torah suggests that what God wants from human beings is a gift freely given.
God says, "Let them make Me a sanctuary that I may dwell among them." Those who bring God their freely given gifts - not only material gifts but the gift of their fullest presence - invite the Divine to abide within them.
Rabbi Maynard Bell is the senior rabbi of Temple Solel in Paradise Valley. Torat Hayim, produced by the Union of American Hebrew Congregations, is on the Internet at www.uahc.org/growth.
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