BS”D
Parshah Terumah
We discover in this week’s Parsha an incredible amount of detail of how Hashem wanted his “dwelling place” to be set up, the first thought I want to share with you, is obviously Hashem is everywhere but the holy presence in this world was concentrated within a special place, being or becoming holy starts from within, and it can then spread outwards. I heard on a tape by Rabbi Goldfein that the difference between man and animals is our ability to create, man can create worlds, unfortunately G-d forbid it we can also destroy worlds and there are many examples in History where humans have attached themselves to such evil they used a wisdom bestowed on man as a blessing for the negative! We can destroy by our speech or actions, or at times our inaction.
This sedra is an example of the Israelites who moved from a family to a nation coming willingly together to create a place of holiness where the Shechina (Holy spirit) could rest, and this action is so beloved and the entire nation was behind it ready to give of themselves in the most generous way to create a holy abode. The incredible amount of detail given shows how beloved and important our creating was to the Cause of all causes Hashem blessed is he! Holy work is important.
That is us - we have the ability to impact the world in an incredible way - He who saves a life it is as if he saved a world.
Talmud, Sanhedrin 37a states:
"FOR THIS REASON WAS MAN CREATED ALONE, TO TEACH THEE THAT WHOSOEVER DESTROYS A SINGLE SOUL... SCRIPTURE IMPUTES [GUILT] TO HIM AS THOUGH HE HAD DESTROYED A COMPLETE WORLD; AND WHOSOEVER PRESERVES A SINGLE SOUL..., SCRIPTURE ASCRIBES [MERIT] TO HIM AS THOUGH HE HAD PRESERVED A COMPLETE WORLD."
We are created in G-d's image - in our ability to create and manipulate the environment around us thus
In Genesis 1 v 28 And G-d said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it” i.e. Man has been given the ability to be a master creator and repairer as gift from the Creator!
I have attached an extract from a Blog I read a few years ago that the building of the Mishkan was equated to Creation itself enjoy, I am not sure the link works anymore but it was taken from
Meaning of the Mishkan (Tabernacle)
Everything in the Mishkan paralleled what G-d had made during the six days of creation.
Everything in the Mishkan paralleled what G-d had made during the six days of creation.
The curtains of goats' wool paralleled the heaven and the earth.
The washstand and its base represented the seas and rivers.
The altar and its sacrifices paralleled the animals.
The incense altar paralleled all spices and remedies.
The menorah paralleled the sun and the moon. Its seven lamps paralleled the seven heavenly bodies: Saturn, Jupiter, Mars, Sun, Venus, Mercury, Moon.
All this comes to teach that making the Mishkan paralleled the creation of heaven and earth and the entire universe.
We thus see that G-d used the same expression in creation as He did when making the Mishkan. When G-d made the universe, He said, "He spread out the heaven like a curtain." (Psalms / Tehillim 104:2) Regarding the Mishkan G-d also spoke of "curtains of goats' wool."
On the second day G-d said, "Let there be an expanse in the middle of the water and let it divide between water and water." (Genesis / Bereishit 1:6) G-d wanted there to be a division between the upper water and the lower water. In the Mishkan G-d said, "The cloth barrier shall be a separation for you." (Exodus Shemot 26:33) This hanging was a barrier between the sanctuary and the Holy of Holies.
On the third day G-d said, "Let the waters be gathered." (Genesis / Bereishit 1:9) With regard to the Mishkan G-d said, "You shall make a copper washstand and its base out of copper, and you shall place water there." (Exodus / Shemot 30:18)
On the fourth day G-d said, "Let there be luminaries in the expanse of the sky." (Genesis/ Bereishit 1:14) With regard to the Mishkan He said, "You shall make its lamps." (Exodus Shemot 25:37)
On the fifth day G-d said, "Let the waters teem with living creatures and let birds fly." (Genesis/ Bereishit 1:20) In making the Mishkan, G-d commanded to bring sacrifices of animals and birds.
On the sixth day the Torah says, "G-d created man in His image." (Genesis /Bereishit 1:27) This indicates that G-d created man for His Glory so that man could serve Him. In the Mishkan G-d commanded to anoint the High Priest to serve Him.
On the Shabbat it says, "G-d finished on the seventh day." (Genesis / Bereishit 2:2) Regarding the Mishkan it says, "All the work of the Communion Tent Mishkan was completed." (Exodus /Shemot 39:32)
When the world was created the Torah says, "G-d blessed the seventh day." (Genesis Bereishit 2:3) Regarding the Mishkan it says, "Moshe blessed them." ( Exodus /Shemot 39:43)
When the world was created the Torah says, "G-d blessed it." (Genesis / Bereishit 2:3) Regarding the Mishkan it also says, "He anointed it and sanctified it." (Numbers / BaMidbar 7:1)
G-d made heaven and earth His witnesses as He said, "I have made heaven and earth as witnesses for you." (Devarim 4:26) Therefore, if the Yisraelim rebel against G-d by not studying His Torah and not keeping His commandments, heaven and earth will be the first ones to take revenge against them and punish them. It is thus written, "The hand of the witnesses shall be against him first to kill him." (Devarim 17:7) Here too, the heaven would punish them; rain would not fall and the earth would not produce its crops.
The Mishkan was similarly a witness for the Yisraelim. As it is written, "These are the accounts of the Mishkan, the Mishkan of Testimony." (Exodus Shemot 38:21) The Mishkan and the Temple that followed it stood as witnesses for the Yisraelim. If the Yisraelim rebelled against G-d and did not keep His commandments, the Temple would be taken away as security, twice. This denotes the first and the second Temples, which were destroyed because the Yisraelim rebelled against G-d. Just as the Mishkan parallels the creation of heaven and earth and alludes to everything in the world, it also includes the entire Torah.
We thus see that expressions involving "making" occur 248 times with regard to the Mishkan. This includes such expressions such as "you shall make," "he made," or "they made." The first time such an expression occurs is, "They shall make Me a sanctuary." (Exodus Shemot 25:8)
The only expressions that are not counted are those that involve evil such as the making of the Golden Calf, where people said, "Come on, let us make for ourselves gods." (Exodus Shemot 32:1) Every expression from here until "And I will know what to do to you" (Exodus/ Shemot 33:5) is not counted.
With these exceptions, the expression "make" or "made" occurs 248 times from the above verse (Exodus Shemot 25:8) to the end of the Book of Shemot Exodus. This parallels the 248 positive commandments in the Torah. A human being also has 248 limbs. This teaches that if a person keeps the Torah, the world and the Mishkan are sustained. If not, he destroys the world and causes the Holy Temple to be taken as security.
There is another allusion in the 248 expressions denoting "making." When the Yisraelim accepted the Torah they said, "We will do and we will listen." (Shemot 24:7) The expression "we will do" referred to the positive commandments while "we will listen" referred to the negative commandments. The Yisraelim violated the portion of the commandments to which they said, "we will do." G-d therefore commanded them to make the Mishkan, which contained the expression "do" or "make" 248 times. This paralleled the 248 positive commandments that were violated when the Golden Calf was made.
We thus see that G-d used the same expression in creation as He did when making the Mishkan. When G-d made the universe, He said, "He spread out the heaven like a curtain." (Psalms / Tehillim 104:2) Regarding the Mishkan G-d also spoke of "curtains of goats' wool."
On the second day G-d said, "Let there be an expanse in the middle of the water and let it divide between water and water." (Genesis / Bereishit 1:6) G-d wanted there to be a division between the upper water and the lower water. In the Mishkan G-d said, "The cloth barrier shall be a separation for you." (Exodus Shemot 26:33) This hanging was a barrier between the sanctuary and the Holy of Holies.
On the third day G-d said, "Let the waters be gathered." (Genesis / Bereishit 1:9) With regard to the Mishkan G-d said, "You shall make a copper washstand and its base out of copper, and you shall place water there." (Exodus / Shemot 30:18)
On the fourth day G-d said, "Let there be luminaries in the expanse of the sky." (Genesis/ Bereishit 1:14) With regard to the Mishkan He said, "You shall make its lamps." (Exodus Shemot 25:37)
On the fifth day G-d said, "Let the waters teem with living creatures and let birds fly." (Genesis/ Bereishit 1:20) In making the Mishkan, G-d commanded to bring sacrifices of animals and birds.
On the sixth day the Torah says, "G-d created man in His image." (Genesis /Bereishit 1:27) This indicates that G-d created man for His Glory so that man could serve Him. In the Mishkan G-d commanded to anoint the High Priest to serve Him.
On the Shabbat it says, "G-d finished on the seventh day." (Genesis / Bereishit 2:2) Regarding the Mishkan it says, "All the work of the Communion Tent Mishkan was completed." (Exodus /Shemot 39:32)
When the world was created the Torah says, "G-d blessed the seventh day." (Genesis Bereishit 2:3) Regarding the Mishkan it says, "Moshe blessed them." ( Exodus /Shemot 39:43)
When the world was created the Torah says, "G-d blessed it." (Genesis / Bereishit 2:3) Regarding the Mishkan it also says, "He anointed it and sanctified it." (Numbers / BaMidbar 7:1)
G-d made heaven and earth His witnesses as He said, "I have made heaven and earth as witnesses for you." (Devarim 4:26) Therefore, if the Yisraelim rebel against G-d by not studying His Torah and not keeping His commandments, heaven and earth will be the first ones to take revenge against them and punish them. It is thus written, "The hand of the witnesses shall be against him first to kill him." (Devarim 17:7) Here too, the heaven would punish them; rain would not fall and the earth would not produce its crops.
The Mishkan was similarly a witness for the Yisraelim. As it is written, "These are the accounts of the Mishkan, the Mishkan of Testimony." (Exodus Shemot 38:21) The Mishkan and the Temple that followed it stood as witnesses for the Yisraelim. If the Yisraelim rebelled against G-d and did not keep His commandments, the Temple would be taken away as security, twice. This denotes the first and the second Temples, which were destroyed because the Yisraelim rebelled against G-d. Just as the Mishkan parallels the creation of heaven and earth and alludes to everything in the world, it also includes the entire Torah.
We thus see that expressions involving "making" occur 248 times with regard to the Mishkan. This includes such expressions such as "you shall make," "he made," or "they made." The first time such an expression occurs is, "They shall make Me a sanctuary." (Exodus Shemot 25:8)
The only expressions that are not counted are those that involve evil such as the making of the Golden Calf, where people said, "Come on, let us make for ourselves gods." (Exodus Shemot 32:1) Every expression from here until "And I will know what to do to you" (Exodus/ Shemot 33:5) is not counted.
With these exceptions, the expression "make" or "made" occurs 248 times from the above verse (Exodus Shemot 25:8) to the end of the Book of Shemot Exodus. This parallels the 248 positive commandments in the Torah. A human being also has 248 limbs. This teaches that if a person keeps the Torah, the world and the Mishkan are sustained. If not, he destroys the world and causes the Holy Temple to be taken as security.
There is another allusion in the 248 expressions denoting "making." When the Yisraelim accepted the Torah they said, "We will do and we will listen." (Shemot 24:7) The expression "we will do" referred to the positive commandments while "we will listen" referred to the negative commandments. The Yisraelim violated the portion of the commandments to which they said, "we will do." G-d therefore commanded them to make the Mishkan, which contained the expression "do" or "make" 248 times. This paralleled the 248 positive commandments that were violated when the Golden Calf was made.
To conclude it seems our actions used in the positive and in holy productive ways builds and repairs the world, In a way that Angels or animals are unable to… it is up to us to create and repair to build the world - to remember from the Parsha how beloved to Hashem these actions were and our actions are, when used to build!
http://www.chabad.org/parshah/in-depth/plainBody_cdo/AID/1315
Every created entity has a spark of G-dliness within it, a pinpoint of divinity that constitutes its "soul", its spiritual function and design. When we utilize something to serve the Creator, we penetrate its shell of mundanity, revealing and realizing its divine essence. Thus we elevate these "sparks", reuniting them with their Source.
(The Chassidic Masters)
The house you are building, if you walk in My statues, adhere to My laws and guard all My mitzvos ....
I will dwell amongst the Jewish people and not forsake My nation, Israel." (M'lochim I 6:12,13)
The house you are building, if you walk in My statues, adhere to My laws and guard all My mitzvos ....
I will dwell amongst the Jewish people and not forsake My nation, Israel." (M'lochim I 6:12,13)
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