Devar/5770/Terumah
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עברית
וּתְכֵלֶת וְאַרְגָּמָן וְתוֹלַעַת שָׁנִי, וְשֵׁשׁ וְעִזִּים.
וְעֹרֹת אֵילִם מְאָדָּמִים וְעֹרֹת תְּחָשִׁים, וַעֲצֵי שִׁטִּים.
שֶׁמֶן, לַמָּאֹר; בְּשָׂמִים לְשֶׁמֶן הַמִּשְׁחָה, וְלִקְטֹרֶת הַסַּמִּים.
אַבְנֵי-שֹׁהַם, וְאַבְנֵי מִלֻּאִים, לָאֵפֹד, וְלַחֹשֶׁן.
וְעָשׂוּ לִי, מִקְדָּשׁ; וְשָׁכַנְתִּי, בְּתוֹכָם. (שמות כה:ג,ח)
English
And this is the offering which ye shall take of them: gold, and silver, and brass;
and blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine linen, and goats' hair;
and rams' skins dyed red, and taHash skins, and acacia-wood;
oil for the light, spices for the anointing oil, and for the sweet incense;
onyx stones, and stones to be set, for the ephod, and for the breastplate.
And let them make Me a sanctuary, that I may dwell among them. (Ex 25:3,8)
God commanded the Children of Israel to take Him an offering from a wide variety of substances, in order to build the sanctuary where He would dwell. Some of the substances were very common, some extremely rare. For example, the "taHash skins" no longer exist. Why did God command they bring such a unique mix?
God commanded they take for Me an offering (ibid 2) -- the entire Children of Israel; whether rich or poor -- each should bring whatever was available to him. Therefore there are some materials which were only to be found among the rich, like gold -- and there were others which anybody could have got, for example animal skins. This is because the sanctuary was intended to serve the entire people, and not just the governing class or the wealthy. God, may He be blessed, made it possible for each individual Israelite to contribute to the holy enterprise according to his ability and his personal situation.
Another explanation: some of the items were from the "mineral" kingdom: stones and metals. And others were from the "vegetable" kingdom: linen and acacia wood. Still others were from the "animal" kingdom: goat skins and scarlet (which dye came from a worm). Some of the items were brought more or less "as-is", like the wood. Some required a lot of preparation, for example the incense. God may He be blessed wants to emphasize that He rules the entire world and over everything it contains.
Another explanation: each material has properties specific to it. Nevertheless, it is impossible to say that one is more important than the other, or more elevated than it. So too the Children of Israel. There are Cohanim, Leviim and Israelites -- each with his one particular task. There are Torah sages and those who have not yet studied. There are doctors and cobblers, butchers and scribes. Each is crucial to the holy mixture which is the Jewish people, and not one can fill the shoes of his fellow. This is also hinted at by the "sweet incense", which if even one of its components is missing, is not fit for use. The Jewish people needs each and every Jew.
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