When Humanity Creates with God
Feb 28, 2009 By Vivian B. Mann <em>z”l</em> | Commentary | Terumah
Parashat T’rumah records God’s commission to Moses to build the Tabernacle as the spiritual center of the Jewish people, the place where God would dwell among them (Exod. 25:8). Set in the center of the Israelite camp, viewed from the surrounding tents, the Tabernacle was intended to be a physically imposing structure. Its specified height and size gave it a grandeur lacking elsewhere in the camp, and the sumptuous materials of which it was composed were outward signs of its special nature. Height and materials differentiated the Tabernacle from all the other covered spaces surrounding it, emphasized its distinctiveness, and contributed to defining it as a holy space. The concept of a holy space had appeared earlier in the Bible, for example, as Moses approached the burning bush (Exod. 3:5); now it was to be applied to a man-made structure that would allow God to dwell in the midst of His people.
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“The More the Merrier?”
Feb 24, 2007 By Robert Harris | Commentary | Terumah
We have all heard and used the expression, “the more the merrier.”
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Football’s Spiritual Prowess
Feb 9, 2008 By Marc Wolf | Commentary | Terumah
It was a demonstration of will; nothing short of unbridled desire to succeed led the Giants to their Superbowl victory over a nearly perfect Patriots team that will be remembered favorably by history.
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Of Willing Heart
Feb 25, 2012 By David Levy | Commentary | Text Study | Terumah
God seems not to be seeking out the work alone, but more the voluntary offering. I find this to be incredibly encouraging.
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Our Gifts to the World
Feb 5, 2011 By David G. Roskies | Commentary | Terumah
Most visibly, most palpably, this portable structure is what set the Israelites apart from the nations, that bodied forth their difference, their chosenness. It is by carrying out God’s design with such zeal, artistry, and precision, with such an outpouring of gifts, of terumah, that this ragtag of former slaves turned itself into a nation of priests.
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The Tabernacle: Divinity and Practicality
Jan 29, 2014 By Matthew Berkowitz | Commentary | Terumah
Parashat Terumah opens dramatically with a building campaign.
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From Teaching to Tikkun (Repair)
Jan 13, 2013 By Matthew Berkowitz | Commentary | Terumah
From the details of law to the minutiae of a building plan, Parashat Terumah moves us into the inner sanctum of the Tabernacle.
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Bringing God into Our Classrooms and Communities
Feb 25, 2012 By Jonathan Lipnick | Commentary | Terumah
Although this week’s parashah focuses mostly on architectural plans, there is significant, inspiring Torah about community building and even classroom dynamics.
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