Shanee Markovitz, National Ambassador of Education, Southern NCSY
Things That STAND OUT in This Week’s Torah Portion: Parashat Terumah
- The most obvious stand out in this Torah Portion is that it seems like an instructional manual that could be titled “How to Build a Mishkan: For Dummies”. Nothing is left to the imagination- we now know exactly how the Mishkan was to be built (hence Minecraft fanatics can replicate it virtually).
- Between “pure gold”, “זָהָ֣ב טָה֑וֹר”, and “regular gold”, the word “gold” is mentioned around twenty five times throughout the Parasha. Super fancy.
- God literally (at least in terminology we can understand) sets up meetings with us in this Mishkan-to-be in Pasuk 22- “וְנֽוֹעַדְתִּ֣י לְךָ֘ שָׁם֒ וְדִבַּרְתִּ֨י אִתְּךָ֜”-“I will arrange My meetings with you there, and I will speak with you”.
- The Torah portion and Haftorah (An excerpt from Malachim Aleph) meet uniquely this week. Reading the two together prove readers with a beautiful common theme experience. The Torah portion described the building of the Mishkan, while the Haftorah discusses the building of Beit Hamikdash
Shabbat Shalom!