Terumah Exodus 25 1 -27 19 Ceaser Page

Terumah Exodus 25: 1 -27: 19 Ceaser Page

Overview • The people of Israel are called upon to contribute fifteen materials -- gold, silver and copper; blue, purple and red-dyed wool; flax, goat hair, animal skins, wood, olive oil, spices and gems -- out of which, G-d says to Moses, "They shall make for Me a Sanctuary, and I shall dwell amidst them. " • On the summit of Mount Sinai, Moses is given detailed instructions on how to construct this dwelling for G-d so that it could be readily dismantled, transported and reassembled as the people journeyed in the desert. • In the Sanctuary's inner chamber, behind an artistically woven curtain, was the Ark containing the Tablets of Testimony engraved with the Ten Commandments; on the Ark's cover stood two winged cherubim hammered out of pure gold. In the outer chamber stood the seven-branched Menorah and the Table upon which the "showbread" was arranged. 2

Overview • The Sanctuary's three walls were fitted together from 48 upright wooden boards, each of which was overlaid with gold and held up by a pair of silver foundation sockets. The roof was formed of three layers of coverings: (a) tapestries of multi-colored wool and linen; (b) a covering made of goat-hair; (c) a covering of ram and tachash skins. Across the front of the Sanctuary was an embroidered screen held up by five posts. • Surrounding the Sanctuary and the copper-plated Altar which fronted it was an enclosure of linen hangings, supported by 60 wooden posts with silver hooks and trimmings and reinforced by copper stakes. 3

TERUMAH THE TARGUM OF JONATHAN BEN UZZIEL And the Lord spake with Mosheh, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, that they shall set apart (take) before me a Separation: of every one whose heart is willing, but not by constraint, ye shall take my separation. And this is the separation which you shall take of them: gold, and silver, and brass; and hyacinth, and purple, and crimson, and fine linen; and goats' skins, and skins of rams dyed red, and purpled skins, and woods of sittin, and olive oil for the light, and aromatics for the confection of the pure anointing oil, and of the fragrant incense; gems of beryl that are gems of perfection, for engraving and insertion in the ephoda and in the breastplate. 4

TERUMAH THE TARGUM OF JONATHAN BEN UZZIEL And they shall make a Sanctuary to My Name, that My Shekinah may dwell among them. According to all that I show thee, the likeness of the tabernacle and the likeness of all its vessels, so shalt thou make. And they shall make an ark of sitta wood; two cubits and a half its length, a cubit and a half its breadth, and a cubit and a half its height. And thou shalt cover it with pure gold within and without, and shalt make upon it a crown of gold round about. [JERUSALEM. A coronal of gold shall surround it. ] And thou shalt cast for it four rings of gold, and set them upon its four corners; two rings for one side, and two rings for the second side. And thou shalt make staves of sitta wood, and cover them with gold; and thou shalt introduce the staves into the rings on the sides of the ark, that the 5 ark may be carried upon them. The staves shall be

TERUMAH THE TARGUM OF JONATHAN BEN UZZIEL And thou shalt make a (kaphortha) mercy‐seat of pure gold; two cubits and a half the length, and a cubit and a half the breadth, and its depth shall be a handbreadth (pusheka). And thou shalt make two kerubin, of pure beaten gold shalt thou make them on the two sides of the mercy‐seat. Thou shalt make one keruba on this side, and one keruba on that side of the mercy‐seat; you shall make the kerubaia on its two sides. And the kerubaia shall stretch forth their wings above, their heads over against each other, their wings overshadowing the mercy‐seat, and their faces over against each other; towards the mercy‐seat shall be the faces of the kerubaia. And thou shalt put the mercy‐seat above upon the ark, and within the ark thou shalt lay the Tables of the Testament that I will give thee. And I will appoint My Word with thee there, and will speak with thee from 6 above the mercy‐seat, between the two kerubaia that

TERUMAH THE TARGUM OF JONATHAN BEN UZZIEL And thou shalt make a table of sitta wood; two cubits length, and a cubit its breadth, and a cubit and a half its height. And thou shalt overlay it with pure gold, and make for it a rim of gold round about. And thou shalt make to it a border, a handbreadth high round about, and make a golden wreath for its border round about. [JERUSALEM. A border of a span surrounding. ] And thou shalt make for it four golden rings, and set the rings in its four corners which are at its four feet. Over against the border shall the rings be, for the place of the staves, to carry the table. And thou shalt make its dishes and its spoons, its tankards and its measures, which are for the service of libation; of pure gold shalt thou make 7 them. And upon the table thou shalt set in order

TERUMAH THE TARGUM OF JONATHAN BEN UZZIEL And thou shalt make a Candelabrum; of pure beaten gold shalt thou make the candelabrum; its base and shaft, its cups and apples and lilies, shall be of the same. Six branches shall spread out from its sides; three branches of the candelabrum from one side, and three branches of the candelabrum on the second side. Three calyxes adorned with their figurations on one branch, with apple and lily; and three calyxes adorned with their figurations on the other branch, with apple and lily: so for the six branches that spread out from the candelabrum. And upon the candelabrum there shall be four calyxes adorned with their figurations, their apples and lilies. 8

TERUMAH THE TARGUM OF JONATHAN BEN UZZIEL And there shall be an apple under two branches of it, and an apple under two branches of it, for the six branches which extend from the candelabrum. Their apples and their branches shall be of the same; all of it one beaten work of pure gold. And thou shalt make its seven lights, and the priest who ministers shall kindle the lights, that they may shine over upon its face. And its snuffers and its shovels of pure gold. Of a talent of pure gold shall he make it and all these its vessels. And look thou, and make according to their forms which thou hast seen in the mount. 9

TERUMAH THE TARGUM OF JONATHAN BEN UZZIEL And the Tabernacle thou shalt make with ten curtains of fine linen twined, and hyacinth, and purple, and crimson, with figures of kerubin; with the work of the artificer shalt thou make them. The length of one curtain twenty and eight cubits, and the breadth of one curtain four cubits; the measure of one shall be that of all the curtains. Five curtains shall be coupled one with another, and five other curtains coupled one with another. And thou shalt make loops of hyacinth upon the edge of one curtain at the side in the place of coupling, and so shalt thou do in the edge of the second curtain in the place of conjoinment. Fifty loops shalt thou make in one curtain, and fifty loops shalt thou make in the side of the second curtain in the place of conjoinment, so that the loops may answer 10 one to the other. And thou shalt make fifty taches of

TERUMAH THE TARGUM OF JONATHAN BEN UZZIEL And thou shalt make curtains of goats' hair to extend over the tabernacle: twelve curtains thou shalt make them. The length of one curtain thirty cubits, and the breadth of one curtain four cubits; and the measure of one (shall be that of each) of the eleven (other) curtains. And thou shalt conjoin five curtains together, corresponding with the five books of the Law; and six curtains together, corresponding with the six orders of the Mishna; and shalt fold the sixth curtain over the front of the tabernacle. And thou shalt make fifty loops upon the edge of one curtain at the side of the place of coupling; and fifty loops in the edge of the second curtain at the place of coupling. And thou shalt make taches of brass, fifty, and 11 put the taches into the loops, and conjoin the

TERUMAH THE TARGUM OF JONATHAN BEN UZZIEL And the surplus which remaineth of the curtains of the Tabernacle, the half curtain which remaineth, thou shalt spread over the hinder part of the Tabernacle. [JERUSALEM. And the surplus. ] And the cubit here and the cubit there, of that which remaineth in the curtains of the tabernacle, shall hang over the sides of the tabernacle here and there, to cover it. And thou shalt make a covering for the tabernacle of rams' skins dyed red, and a covering of purple skins above. And thou shalt make the boards of the tabernacle of sittin woods; they shall stand up, after the manner of their plantation. [JERUSALEM. Slabs. ] Ten cubits the length of the board, and a cubit and a half the breadth of one board. 12

TERUMAH THE TARGUM OF JONATHAN BEN UZZIEL Two tenons to one board, each in its side answering to the other: so shalt thou do for all the boards of the tabernacle. And thou shalt make the boards of the tabernacle, twenty boards towards the wind on the south side. And thou shalt make forty bases of silver [JERUSALEM. Bases of silver. ] beneath the twenty boards; two bases beneath one board with its two tenons, and two bases under the other board with its two tenons. And for the second side of the tabernacle towards the north wind twenty boards, and their forty bases of silver; two bases under one, and two bases under the other board. And for the side of the tabernacle westward thou shalt make six boards. And two boards shalt thou make at the 13 corners of the tabernacle at their ends.

TERUMAH THE TARGUM OF JONATHAN BEN UZZIEL And they shall be conjoined beneath, and in one manner shall be conjoined at their heads, with one ring; so shall it be with them both; for the two corners shall they be. And there shall be eight boards and their silver bases; sixteen bases; two bases under one board, and two bases under another board. And thou shalt make bars of sittin woods, five for the boards of one side of the tabernacle, and five bars for the boards of the second side of the tabernacle, and five bars for the side of the tabernacle at their extremity towards the west, [JERUSALEM. And five bars for the boards of the side of the tabernacle stretching to the west. ] And the middle bar in the midst of the boards passing from end to end shall be from 14 the tree which Abraham planted in Beara of

TERUMAH THE TARGUM OF JONATHAN BEN UZZIEL And an angel proclaimed, and said, This is the tree which Abraham planted in Beara of Sheba, and prayed there in the name of the Word of the Lord. And the sons of Israel shall take and make thereof the middle bar, seventy cubits in length, and with it shall wondrous things be done: for when they have reared up the tabernacle, it shall go round it like a serpent among the boards of the tabernacle and when they take it down, it shall become straight as a rod. And the boards thou shalt overlay with gold, and make of gold their rings for the place of the bars, and shalt overlay the bars with gold. And thou shalt rear the tabernacle according to the manner showed thee in the mountain. 15

TERUMAH THE TARGUM OF JONATHAN BEN UZZIEL And thou shalt make a veil of hyacinth, and purple, and crimson, and fine linen entwined; the work of the artificer shalt thou make it, with figures of kerubin. And thou shalt range it upon four pillars of sitta, covered with gold, their hooks of gold, upon four bases of silver. [JERUSALEM. And their hooks of gold. ] And thou shalt place the veil under the taches, and bring in thither within the veil the ark of the testament: and thou shalt spread the veil for you between the Holy and the Holy of Holies. And thou shalt place the mercy-seat with the kerubaia produced of beaten work for it in the Holy of Holies. And thou shalt set the Table outside of the veil, and the Candelabrum over against the table on the southern side of the tabernacle; but the table thou shalt arrange on the northern side. And thou shalt make a curtain for the door of the tabernacle, of hyacinth, purple, and crimson, and fine linen twined, the work of the embroiderer. And thou shalt make for the curtain five pillars of sitta, and cover them with 16 gold, and their nails shall be of gold; and thou shalt cast for

TERUMAH THE TARGUM OF JONATHAN BEN UZZIEL And thou shalt make the Alter of woods of sitta; five cubits the length, and five cubits the breadth: square shall be the altar, and its height three cubits. And thou shalt make its horns upon its four corners: the, horns shall be of it, they shall rise upward, and thou shalt cover it with brass. And thou shalt make its pots to carry away its ashes and its shovels, and its basins, and its thuribles; all its vessels thou shalt make of brass. [JERUSALEM. And thou shalt make its pots to carry its ashes, and its scoops and basins, and its fleshhooks, and its thuribles; all its vessels thou shalt make of brass. ] And thou shalt make for it a grate of network of brass, and upon the network four brass rings upon its four corners. 17

TERUMAH THE TARGUM OF JONATHAN BEN UZZIEL [JERUSALEM. A grate. ] And thou shalt place it under the surroundings of the altar, beneath, that the network may be to the middle of the altar, that, if any fragment or fiery coal fall from the altar, it may fall upon the grate, and not touch the ground, and that the priests may take it from the grate, and replace it upon the altar. And thou shalt make staves of sittin woods, and overlay them with brass; and thou shalt place the staves within the rings, and the staves shall be on the two sides of the altar in carrying the altar, hollow: (with) boards filled with dust shalt thou make it; according to what showed thee in the mountain, so shall they make. 18

TERUMAH THE TARGUM OF JONATHAN BEN UZZIEL And thou shalt make the court of the tabernacle. For the southern side shall be hangings of fine linen twined; a hundred cubits the length for one side. [JERUSALEM. Hangings. ] And its pillars twenty, and their foundations twenty, of brass; the looks of the pillars, and their rods, of silver. And so for the northern side, for length, the hangings a hundred (cubits) long, and their pillars twenty, and their foundations twenty, of brass; the hooks of the pillars, and their rods, of silver. And for the breadth of the court on the western side, the hangings shall be fifty cubits; their columns ten and their foundations ten. And for the breadth of the eastern side eastward fifty cubits; and fifteen cubits the hangings of the 19 side, their pillars three and their foundations

TERUMAH THE TARGUM OF JONATHAN BEN UZZIEL And for the door of the court shall be a veil of ten cubits of hyacinth, and purple, and crimson, and fine linen twined, of embroidered work; their pillars four, and their foundations four. All the pillars of the court round about shall be united with silver rods; their hooks of silver, and their foundations of brass. The length of the court one hundred cubits, and the breadth fifty on the west and fifty on the east, and the height five cubits, of fine linen twined, and their foundations of brass. All the vessels of the tabernacle in all its service, and all the pins of the court around, of brass. 20

The Ark of the Covenant Rat L Trap • • Judaism, as a general rule, rejects physical manifestations of spirituality, preferring instead to focus on actions and beliefs. But early in the history of the Jewish people, there was one exception to this rule, one man-made object that was considered intrinsically holy. The Ark was used in the desert and in Israel proper for a number of spiritual and pragmatic purposes. Spiritually, the Ark was the manifestation of God's physical presence on earth (the shekhina). When God spoke with Moses in the Tent of Meeting in the desert, he did so from between the two Cherubs (Num. 7: 89). Once the Ark was moved into the Holy of Holies in the Tabernacle, and later in the Temple, it was accessible only once a year, and then, only by one person. 21

The Ark of the Covenant Rat L Trap • The relationship between the Ark and the shekhina is reinforced by the recurring motif of clouds. God's presence is frequently seen in the guise of a cloud in the Bible (Ex. 24: 16), and the Ark is constantly accompanied by clouds – When God spoke from between the Cherubs, there was a glowing cloud visible there (Ex. 40: 35); when the Jews traveled, they were led by the Ark and a pillar of clouds (Num. 10: 34); at night, the pillar of clouds was replaced by a pillar of fire, another common descriptor of God's appearance (Ex. 24: 17); and when the High Priest entered presence of the Ark on Yom Kippur, he did so only under the cover of a cloud of incense, perhaps intended to mask the sight of the shekhina in all its glory (Lev. 16: 13). 22

The Ark of the Covenant Rat L Trap • The holiness of the Ark also made it dangerous to those who came in contact with it. When Nadav and Avihu, the sons of Aaron, brought a foreign flame to offer a sacrifice in the Tabernacle, they were devoured by a fire that emanated "from the Lord" (Lev. 10: 2). During the saga of the capture of the Ark by the Philistines, numerous people, including some who merely looked at the Ark, were killed by its power. Similarly, the Priests who served in the Tabernacle and Temple were told that viewing the Ark at an improper time would result in immediate death (Num. 4: 20). 23

The Ark of the Covenant Rat L Trap • The wood used to make the ark was special. While I am merely a farmer and not a botanist – I can tell you that this wood is special and has qualities not found in modern woods. The acacia of the bible has been lost to history but similar woods remain to this day. Acacia is a wood of high density and strength – thus making it not only durable but exceptionally strong. The wood is self protective in that in its composition are ingredients which naturally repel pests and boring insects which work in harmony with the wood’s natural strength and durability. While it was a common wood of the time it was a most logical choice for something of this magnitude and a worthy material for Hashem’s work. 24

The Ark of the Covenant Rat L Trap • • The Ark accompanied the Jews throughout their time in the desert, traveling with them and accompanying them to their wars with Emor and Midian. When the Jews crossed into the land of Canaan, the waters of the Jordan River miraculously split and the Ark led them through (Josh. 3). Throughout their conquest of the land, the Jews were accompanied by the Ark. The most dramatic demonstration of its power comes when the Jews breached the walls of Jericho merely by circling them, blowing horns and carrying the Ark (Josh. 6). After the conquest was completed, the Ark, and the entire Tabernacle, were set up in Shiloh (Josh. 18). There they remained until the battles of the Jews with the Philistines during the Priesthood of Eli. The Jews, after suffering a defeat at the Philistines' hands, took the Ark from Shiloh to Even-Ezer in hopes of winning the next battle. But the Jews were routed, and the Ark was captured by the Philistines. Back in Shiloh, Eli, the High Priest, immediately died upon hearing the news (I Sam. 4). 25

The Ark of the Covenant Rat L Trap • The Philistines took the Ark back to Ashdod, their capital city in the south of Canaan, where they placed it in the temple of their god Dagon. The next day, however, they found the idol fallen on its face. After replacing the statue, they found it the next day decapitated, with only its trunk remaining, and soon afterward, the entire city of Ashdod was struck with a plague. The Philistines moved the Ark to the city of Gath, and from there to Ekron, but whatever city the Ark was in, the inhabitants were struck with plague. After seven months, the Philistines decided to send the Ark back to the Israelites, and accompanied it with expensive gifts. The Ark was taken back to Beit Shemesh, and, according to midrash, the oxen pulling the Ark burst into song as soon as it was once again in Israel's possession (A. Z. 22 b). The actual text of the story, however, tells a much grimmer tale: The men of Beit Shemesh were punished for staring disrespectfully at the Ark, and many were killed with a plague. 26

The Ark of the Covenant Rat L Trap • From Beit Shemesh, the Ark was transported to Kiryat Yearim, where it remained for twenty years. From there, King David transported it to Jerusalem. En route, however, the oxen pulling it stumbled, and when Uzzah reached out to steady the Ark, he died immediately. As a result of this tragedy, David decided to leave the Ark at the home of Obed-edom the Gittite. Three months later, he moved it to Jerusalem, the seat of his kingdom, where it remained until the construction of the First Temple by David's son Solomon (I Sam. 5 -6). When the Ark was finally placed in the Temple, the midrash reports that the golden tree decorations that adorned the walls blossomed with fruit that grew continuously until the Temple's destruction (Yoma 39 b). 27

The Ark of the Covenant Rat L Trap • The Ark remained in the Temple until its destruction at the hand of the Babylonian empire, led by Nebuchadnezzar. What happened to it afterward is unknown, and has been debated and pondered for centuries. It is unlikely that the Babylonians took it, as they did the other vessels of the Temple, because the detailed lists of what they took make no mention of the Ark. According to some sources, Josiah, one of the final kings to reign in the First Temple period, learned of the impending invasion of the Babylonians and hid the Ark. Where he hid it is also questionable – according to one midrash, he dug a hole under the wood storehouse on the Temple Mount and buried it there (Yoma 53 b). Another account says that Solomon foresaw the eventual destruction of the Temple, and set aside a cave near the Dead Sea, in which Josiah eventually hid the Ark (Maimonides, Laws of the Temple, 4: 1). 28

The Ark of the Covenant Rat L Trap • • Sadly the Ark of the Covenant has been lost to the ages. There are many theories as to its location – some are plausible theories and other explanations are so outlandish as to not be believable by a kindergarten child. The Ark of the Covenant will be revealed in Hashem’s own good time and we must patiently wait until his will be done – in his own way and in his own good time. 29

The Temples Heaven on Earth 30

The Temple Mount Jacob’s Dream 31

The Mount The Kotel at Dawn 32

Birds Eye View Temple Hulda Gates Kidron Valley The City of David 33

The Mount Contour Map Temple Mt of Olives Hulda Gates Kidron Valley The City of David 34

The Temple Mount 35

The Temple Mount Hulda Gates 36

The Temple Mount Hulda Gates 37

3 Columns Light of Ha. Shem § 37. "And Elohim called. . . " (Beresheet 1: 5). HE ASKED: What is THE MEANING OF "AND ELOHIM called THE LIGHT DAY"? HE REPLIED, THIS MEANS THAT He called and invited it to bring forth from within that perfect light that stands in the middle, REFERRING TO TIFERET, one light. AND THIS LIGHT is the foundation of the world, upon which all worlds are erected AND FROM WHERE ALL THE SOULS ARE BORN. From this perfected "light" emerges the Central Column, the foundation of the life of the worlds, this being the day from the right side. THE WORDS: "And the darkness he called Night" MEAN THAT He called and invited it, bringing forth one female from within the left side, the secret of darkness. THIS FEMININE PRINCIPLE IS THE SECRET OF the moon that governs the night. FOR THIS REASON, it is called night. AND THIS IS the secret of THE NAME 'Adonai' and THE 'NAME Master of all Earth. ‘ (Zohar Beresheet A) § Light the Male Principal Giving Principal § Darkness The Female Principal Receiving Principal The Central Column of Souls and of Free Will Three distinct spiritual energy forces permeate all existence. Using the language of metaphor, the Zohar identities these three forces as Right, Left and Central Columns. Right correlates to the positive [+] force, which manifests physically as the proton. Left signifies the negative charge [-], manifesting as the electron. Central is expressed through the neutron, the force that bridges the positive and negative poles. (Rav Ashlag 1936 -1978 Translation of the Zohar and Commentary with Rabbi Michael Burg) 38

The Temple Mount Hulda Gates Left Column Issac Central Column Jacob Right Column Abraham Entrance to Heaven 39

The Temple Mount Hulda Gates 40

The Temple Mount Hulda Gates Exit from Heaven to the Material World Abba Imma 41

The Temple Mount Hulda Gates 42

The Temple Mount 2 nd Temple Period 43

The Temples The Mishkan The First Temple 44

The Temples The Second Temple 45

The Temples 46

The Temples 47

Genesis Chapter 1 The Temples The Ark 26 And God said: ‘ us make man in our image, after our likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping that creepeth upon the earth. ’ 27 And God created man in His own image, in the image of God created He him; male and female created He them. 48

The Temple Man 49

The Temple Man Why was Jacob given the dream at this time? Because, although he was fleeing the wrath of his brother Esau, he was also on his way to Mesopotamia to find a wife and create a family, i. e. , a “house, ” as explained before. Isaac practically ordered him to leave and start his own family (Gen. 28: 1, 2), he is told to go multiply and become an “assembly of peoples, ” v. 3. His two wives are later called the “builders” of the House of Israel (Ru. 4: 11). Jacob, therefore, built a human temple, a house of twelve tribes, and centuries later those twelve, with the aid of the Phoenicians, built Solomon’s stone temple which was called the ‘House of God’. Hence, the dream concerns the building of these two houses. 50

A Few Final Thoughts All of what we are, we see, we did and will do, is the Work of Ha. Shem This we celebrate fifty-two times a Year on Shabbat. “May it be Your Will, Ha. Shem, that the Holy Temple be rebuilt speedily in our days and grant us our share in Your Torah…. ” Shabbat Shalom 51