T’rumah
Exodus 25:1-27:19
Précis: As the Israelites continue their journey through the wilderness, God tells Moses to ask the people for gifts to build the Tabernacle. “T’rumah” (voluntary donation) of fine metals, yarns, skins, and woods are offered by the People. God gives Moses precise instructions as to the interior and exterior construction of the mishkan (Tabernacle). Specific items include an altar for burnt offerings, a curtain (parochet) to separate the main room from an inner sanctum, elaborate candlesticks, incense burners, and other tools. There will be a special Ark to be placed in an area called the Holy of Holies to house the tablets of the Ten Commandments. Exact measures are given for all spaces as well as specific materials designated for the composition of the mishkan.
Ex. 25:10-11 “They shall make an ark of acacia wood, two and a half cubits long, a cubit and a half wide, and a cubit and a half high. Overlay it with pure gold - overlay it inside and out - and make on it a gold molding round about.”
The detailed instructions on the manufacture and building of the mishkan reveal tension between its two importance characteristics: the need for portability and the need to demonstrate permanence. The various components were modular, and could be transported by wagon. Rings and clasps are identified to connect the parts. Each connector is identified with a specific aspect of the attachment. The text reads like the instructions of an Ikea shelving unit, in effect a listing of instructions to “insert slot A into tab B.”
Assembly and take-down were major efforts, requiring the time (and training) of scores of Levites, whose major duties involved its assembly, transportation, and reassembly. While the Tabernacle itself might be taken apart and put back together as travel demanded, the holiest object, the Ark, remained in one piece, to be moved by lifting staves which remained permanently attached to their holders. Etz Hayim commentary suggests this requirement to keep the staves connected to the Ark was to insure that the Ark was not touched in error. Others suggest that the symbolism of the staves being attached at all times meant that God’s presence could be moved anywhere and was, therefore, everywhere.
A historical analogy is also appropriate. At many times, Jews have been forced from their homes and lands with little more than the clothes on their backs. The Ark, ready to move at a moment’s notice, was a forerunner of the suitcase that was always packed, ready for immediate departure. It was a harbinger of the need of Jews to be prepared to move immediately, taking with them only what was most important: Torah.
In recent months, we’ve seen the need to have an emergency kit available in times of disaster or storm. Perhaps the Ark staves serve as a symbol of another kind of “emergency kit” we need to keep with us at all times: our Torah and our tradition.
