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 donations) 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.
Precise measures are given for all spaces as well as specific materials
designated for the composition of the mishkan.
Exodus 25:31-32 “You
shall make a lampstand of pure gold; the lampstand shall be made of hammered
work; its base and its shafts, its cups, calyxes, and petals shall be of one
piece. Six branches shall issue from its side…
Rabbi Bradley Artson (MyJewishLearning.com
2/12/13) has written about the menorah, which tradition tells us is the
principal symbol of Judaism. Contrary to what many believe, the Star of David
did not become a symbol of the Jewish People until the Middle Ages. For most of
our history, it was the seven branched menorah which performed that function.
Yet the verses cited
here are far from clear. How exactly was the menorah to be formed? Midrash
tells us that Moses was stumped by this instruction, until God Himself (or
perhaps the angel Gabriel) drew a sketch for Moses to work from. Another
tradition has it that Moses was not able to figure it out himself, and that the
task fell to Bezalel, the head craftsman of the Mishkan construction
effort.
What makes these
details so difficult to understand? Moses, after all, “knew” the entirety
of the Torah as well as the Oral Law according to tradition. Why was it so hard
for him to understand the menorah’s fashioning? Rabbi Artson suggests that the
Torah is telling us that even the most perfect mind has strengths and
weaknesses. It may also be telling us that every individual has a unique set of
perspectives, talents, and understandings. Each of us is like a branch of the
menorah. A branch, alone, provides little light. All branches when combined can
provide great illumination. This unity is underscored by the tradition which
states that a menorah is usable only when each of the lights is on the same
level: none can take precedence over the others, but together, we can light the
world.
