Parasha Terumah details the building of the tent of meeting the dwelling place (Mishkan) where Israel will worship Hashem. Prior to this description there is the offering (Terumah)
Shemos 25:2. "Speak to the children of Israel, and have them take for Me an offering; from every person whose heart inspires him to generosity, you shall take My offering.
The midrashim tells of the great wealth Israel left Egypt with; so much that even on person could have supplied all the trappings of the Mishkan alone. However, it was important that each person be connected to the Mishkan in a personal way. Terumah binds together the soul and the Hashem centered on what is taking place within both the Mishkan and our consciousness.
Shemos:25: 8. And they shall make Me a sanctuary and I will dwell in their midst
Why is all this attention being placed upon a sanctuary for Hashem? After all isn’t Hashem everywhere? Why specifically a sanctuary with all the accoutrements that follows?
It is a deep secret that the more attention we focus upon a thing the greater our knowledge of the thing becomes. It is the very depth of that attention that serves to bring light to areas of darkness even to the point of great illumination.
The Mishkan that is being planned and built with the help of the various offerings is setup to be the dwelling place of the Shechinah or the Divine Presence. It is this Shechinah that has accompanied Israel from Egypt and which will lead the way eventually into Canaan. Metatron is the angel associated with the Shechinah also mentioned here.
Shemos: 23: 23. For My angel will go before you, and bring you to the Amorites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Canaanites, the Hivvites, and the Jebusites, and I will destroy them.
Why would you need such a level of detail in making a place for the Shechinah as the interface between the people and Hashem?
The detail described in Terumah represents the various levels of consciousness that we are passing through and preparing in order to make that divine connection even unto the holiest place and the holy of holies described a little further on in Terumah.
The lesson is that when we give our very best and give from the heart then what we may expect is all that Hashem promises us. It is important for us to give these gifts so that we will not feel as though we do not merit of Hashem’s attention and love. Every act of tzedakah prepares consciousness in order to make that holiest of connections within. Then it is from that place that we may venture forth into the Canaan that is promised to us led all the while by the Shechinah preparing the way before us.
More to follow…
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