Parshas Terumah begins a four-parsha
discussion about the building of the Mishkan. Terumah begins with a discussion
of the different utensils used in the Mishkan, along with the unique significance
behind each one. The parsha continues with a description of the actual
structure of the Mishkan and the surrounding courtyard. Further parshiyos discuss
the clothing of the Kohanim, and the subsequent gathering of the necessary
materials and construction of the Mishkan.
At the beginning of the parsha, the
Ramban does something he rarely does, he provides an introduction for the
parsha (usually, he only provides introductions for seforim, not individual
parshiyos). In it, he explains the purpose and importance of having a Mishkan. The
following is his explanation.
Only a few weeks prior, Hashem had
appeared on Har Sinai in front of the entire Jewish People and spoken the
Aseres Hadibros. He then gave over to Moshe the rest of the Torah privately,
with instructions to give it over to the People. At that point, seeing how
eager and excited Bnei Yisrael were to receive the Torah, Hashem officially
made a Bris, a treaty with them that they would become His nation. The
significance of this can’t be exaggerated. For Hashem, Ruler and Creator of the
entire world, to choose one nation among all the people on the Earth to be
considered and cared for as His is incomparable to any event in history.
One of the promises Hashem made to Bnei
Yisrael was, “וְאַתֶּ֧ם תִּֽהְיוּ־לִ֛י מַמְלֶ֥כֶת כֹּֽהֲנִ֖ים
וְג֣וֹי קָד֑וֹשׁ” “And you
will be for Me a kingdom of priests and a holy Nation” (Shemos 19:6). And
because they were holy, they were worthy of having real holiness dwell among
them. Therefore, while Moshe was still on Har Sinai, Hashem gave him the
instructions on how to build the Mishkan, in order that He would be able to
dwell among the nation. The most important part of the Mishkan was the utensil
from where Hashem would “speak” from, the Aron (Ark) since that was the
fulfillment of the Mishkan’s main purpose. Therefore, the Aron is the first
utensil mentioned in the parsha.
The Shechinah that rested in the Mishkan
was not just a sample size amount. When Hashem appeared in the Mishkan, it was
exactly the same as when he appeared on Har Sinai! Matan Torah is the only time
in history (so far) that Hashem appeared in His full Glory in this world; but
this revelation existed every day inside the Mishkan, and subsequently, the
Beis Hamikdash! What a person would see if he would go into the Kodesh
Hakedoshim, where the Aron was housed, was the exact same thing he had seen on
Har Sinai. The fire that came down and ate the korbanos that were brought on
the mizbe’ach in the courtyard was the same fire. And the voice Moshe heard
coming from between the Keruvim on top of the Aron when he spoke to Hashem was
the same one he heard while he was on the mountain! (This voice however,
stopped once it hit the curtain so no one else could hear. No one besides Moshe
was worthy to speak directly with Hashem.) This was true as well in the Beis
Hamikdash. Any expression of Hashem in either of these structures was equal to that
expression when it was seen on Har Sinai.
Perhaps this idea is better suited for
Tisha B’av when we mourn the destruction of the Beis Hamikdash, but we are
reading these parshiyos now, in the middle of the winter. Plus, it is always
necessary to mourn our greatest loss. But perhaps we can now better understand
what we have lost. In some ways it’s impossible to picture what happened at Har
Sinai, but in some ways it is very easy. We have heard about how Bnei Yisrael
saw sights and heard sounds that had never before been experienced. They watched
as Hashem’s Cloud of Glory descended on the mountain and Moshe walked up to
meet Him. They stood and shook as the Voice of Hashem surrounded them, teaching
them the Torah they were so excited to receive. One thing we can understand
from this description, this experience was larger than life.
But what if it wasn’t? What if it could
fit inside a building. What if every time someone brought a korban, that same
fire appeared. What if every time the Menorah was lit, that same light shone through.
And what if on Yom Kippur when the Kohen Gadol went into the Kodesh Hakedoshim,
that same voice was being spoken (even if no one could hear it). Well, it did
happen, in the Beis Hamikdash. That’s what we lost, and that’s what we hope to
gain. The experience of Har Sinai every day. May we see it speedily in our
days.
Shabbat Shalom!
Have you picked up your copy of "Reality Check" yet? We want to see it! Send us a picture! And visit hashkafahandbook.com for more info.
For any questions, comments, or to subscribe to our email list, please email is at AIMeMtorah@gmail.com.
Check out our other AIMeMTorah project, Nation's Wisdom!
AIMeM
No comments:
Post a Comment