Parshas Terumah
Torah - Blueprint for Life
There have been many explanations advanced over the years for all of
the detail that appears in this week's parsha regarding the
construction of the mishkan - the Tabernacle, constructed by the
Jewish people in the desert of Sinai. The Torah, that usually is very
chary with words, goes to great lengths here to emphasize and describe
every detail of its construction, the materials and the process. I
think that this is part of the Torah's unending emphasis on the
importance of detail, of the small things in life that lead to the
makeup of the greater whole. Every builder knows that if the architect
or designer leaves out even the smallest detail from the structural
plans, disaster can potentially occur. The Torah is our blueprint for
life and immortality. It is loaded with details. All of Jewish life
and ritual is composed of myriad details. The mishkan/Tabernacle
serves only as an example - a physical building constructed with
strict attention to great detail - for the even more complicated and
delicate spiritual structure that we are to build during our days here
on earth. In order to emphasize the necessity for the adherence to
detail in constructing our spiritual lives, the Torah was purposely
heavy on detail in describing the physical appearance and construction
of the mishkan/Tabernacle. This I believe is one of the more important
facets of the description of the construction of the
mishkan/Tabernacle in this week's parsha.
In addition, the description of the mishkan/Tabernacle outlines for us
a labor of love. First, the necessary materials for building the
mishkan/Tabernacle were all donated. "From each person whose heart
prompts to contribute shall you take My donations for the mishkan."
The physical labor and artistic talent involved in building the
mishkan and in fashioning its artifacts were also a labor of love - of
voluntary work and wholehearted offering of time and abilities. It was
a national project in which all Jews willingly and joyfully
participated. The same should be said regarding Jewish life, both
personally and nationally. Coercion and force, taxation and
heavy-handedness are not really the prescription for a better Jewish
world. Just as the mishkan was a labor of love and volunteerism, so
too must one's construction of a Torah life for one's self adhere to
that model. It is not enough to be born Jewish - one must want to be
Jewish and to practice Jewish life with enthusiasm and love. The same
is certainly true for building national and communal Jewish life,
whether here in Israel or in the Diaspora. There was an old
advertisement about a famous soft drink in the United States whose
theme was "Try it, you'll like it." Well, Judaism and its tenets,
values and rituals can adopt that slogan as well. The key to Torah
life is the enjoyment and satisfaction that it gives to one who lives
in that fashion. The mishkan therefore teaches us the lesson of the
inherent gain and worth of love's labor and of the necessary intense
desire to be Jewish in the fullest sense of that word.
Shabat shalom.
Rabbi Berel Wein
Text Copyright © 2005 by Rabbi Berel Wein and Torah.org
Visit www.rabbiwein.com for a complete selection of Rabbi Wein's books and tapes.
