Three Pillars of Donations
Terumah
Terumah, the name of our Parsha means an offering. The word Terumah (in slightly different variations) appears three times in the opening Pesukim.
דַּבֵּר֙ אֶל־בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל וְיִקְחוּ־לִ֖י תְּרוּמָ֑ה מֵאֵ֤ת כׇּל־אִישׁ֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר יִדְּבֶ֣נּוּ לִבּ֔וֹ תִּקְח֖וּ אֶת תְּרוּמָתִֽי׃ וְזֹאת֙ הַתְּרוּמָ֔ה אֲשֶׁ֥ר תִּקְח֖וּ מֵאִתָּ֑ם זָהָ֥ב וָכֶ֖סֶף וּנְחֹֽשֶׁת׃
“Tell the children of Israel that they should take for Me an offering; you shall accept gifts for Me, from every person whose heart inspires him to generosity. And this is the offering that you shall accept from them: gold, silver, and copper”
On the literal level the Pesukim are discussing a singular offering, namely the contributions towards the building of the Mishkan. However, our sages teach that the three references allude to three different Terumos. (This is the reason for the custom of giving three coins for the half-shekel given on Erev Purim).
The first Terumah refers to the half Shekel contribution that was given by the Jewish people in the desert. This silver was used to build the Adanim - the silver sockets that formed the base on which the walls of the Mishkan stood.
The second Terumah refers to the annual half Shekel contribution that was collected and used to purchase the communal sacrifices for that year.
The final Terumah refers to the general donations towards the Mishkan. Unlike the first two donations which were restricted to half a Shekel of silver, these donations included all of the 13 materials that were needed for the construction of the Mishkan as listed in the Parsha; gold, silver, copper etc.
Chassidus explains that these three Terumos correspond to the three pillars of Divine service on which the world stands; Torah study, Avodah (the sacrifices) and Gemilus Chassadim (acts of Kindness).
With this in mind, we can understand the nuanced differences in how the Terumos are alluded to in the Pesukim and the different wording used.
The first mention of Terumah corresponds to the pillar of Torah. The word תרומה contains the letters of the word תורה, with an extra מ, which alludes to the 40 days over which the Torah was given on Har Sinai (מ having the gematria of 40).
Concerning this Terumah it says “and they should take for Me Terumah” - ויקחו לי. Since the Posuk describes an act of donating, it should have used the word “ויתנו” meaning “and they shall give for Me” rather than “take for Me”.
The Torah was given from Above to below. As the receivers of the Torah that is alluded to in the word Terumah, the use of the word ‘take’ makes sense.
In addition to meaning “they shall take for Me”, our sages interpret the verse to mean “they shall take Me”. The Zohar teaches that Hashem and the Torah are one. The Rambam writes that He and His wisdom are one. By studying Torah and understanding it with our minds, it is as though we are “taking” Hashem.
The second Terumah - the half Shekels used to purchase the Korbanos, corresponds to the pillar of Avodah - the Temple service. This also includes prayer which was established by the sages to replace the Korbanos after the Temple was destroyed and the sacrifices could no longer be brought.
The second Terumah adds the words אֲשֶׁ֣ר יִדְּבֶ֣נּוּ לִבּ֔וֹ . The other mentions of Terumah do not include the qualification that it be from those “whose heart inspires them”. Prayer is “the service of the heart”, an emotional experience and connection to Hashem.
The final Terumah reflects the pillar of Gemilus Chassadim. In a broader sense, this refers to the observance of the physical Mitzvos. The third Terumah was the taking of different mundane materials and elevating them to become part of the Mishkan - a dwelling place for Hashem.
Similarly, in the performance of Mitzvos, we take physical items within the world and elevate them to become vessels for G-dliness e.g. leather for Tefillin, wool for Tzitzis and the agricultural Mitzvos. This is the concept of a Dirah Betachtonim, transforming our world to be a dwelling place for Hashem.
The purpose of the Mishkan is expressed in the verse ועשו לי מקדש ושכנתי בתוכם. The mystics point out that the verse literally reads “and they shall make for Me a Mikdash and I will dwell within them”, referring not to the physical Mishkan but to every Jew.
Through our offerings of Torah study, heartfelt prayer and most importantly our observance of Mitzvos, we “take” Hashem, so that His presence resides inside of us; in our hearts, our minds, our body and soul and from there to our homes and the rest of the world.
דַּבֵּר֙ אֶל־בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל וְיִקְחוּ־לִ֖י תְּרוּמָ֑ה מֵאֵ֤ת כׇּל־אִישׁ֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר יִדְּבֶ֣נּוּ לִבּ֔וֹ תִּקְח֖וּ אֶת תְּרוּמָתִֽי׃ וְזֹאת֙ הַתְּרוּמָ֔ה אֲשֶׁ֥ר תִּקְח֖וּ מֵאִתָּ֑ם זָהָ֥ב וָכֶ֖סֶף וּנְחֹֽשֶׁת׃
“Tell the children of Israel that they should take for Me an offering; you shall accept gifts for Me, from every person whose heart inspires him to generosity. And this is the offering that you shall accept from them: gold, silver, and copper”
On the literal level the Pesukim are discussing a singular offering, namely the contributions towards the building of the Mishkan. However, our sages teach that the three references allude to three different Terumos. (This is the reason for the custom of giving three coins for the half-shekel given on Erev Purim).
The first Terumah refers to the half Shekel contribution that was given by the Jewish people in the desert. This silver was used to build the Adanim - the silver sockets that formed the base on which the walls of the Mishkan stood.
The second Terumah refers to the annual half Shekel contribution that was collected and used to purchase the communal sacrifices for that year.
The final Terumah refers to the general donations towards the Mishkan. Unlike the first two donations which were restricted to half a Shekel of silver, these donations included all of the 13 materials that were needed for the construction of the Mishkan as listed in the Parsha; gold, silver, copper etc.
Chassidus explains that these three Terumos correspond to the three pillars of Divine service on which the world stands; Torah study, Avodah (the sacrifices) and Gemilus Chassadim (acts of Kindness).
With this in mind, we can understand the nuanced differences in how the Terumos are alluded to in the Pesukim and the different wording used.
The first mention of Terumah corresponds to the pillar of Torah. The word תרומה contains the letters of the word תורה, with an extra מ, which alludes to the 40 days over which the Torah was given on Har Sinai (מ having the gematria of 40).
Concerning this Terumah it says “and they should take for Me Terumah” - ויקחו לי. Since the Posuk describes an act of donating, it should have used the word “ויתנו” meaning “and they shall give for Me” rather than “take for Me”.
The Torah was given from Above to below. As the receivers of the Torah that is alluded to in the word Terumah, the use of the word ‘take’ makes sense.
In addition to meaning “they shall take for Me”, our sages interpret the verse to mean “they shall take Me”. The Zohar teaches that Hashem and the Torah are one. The Rambam writes that He and His wisdom are one. By studying Torah and understanding it with our minds, it is as though we are “taking” Hashem.
The second Terumah - the half Shekels used to purchase the Korbanos, corresponds to the pillar of Avodah - the Temple service. This also includes prayer which was established by the sages to replace the Korbanos after the Temple was destroyed and the sacrifices could no longer be brought.
The second Terumah adds the words אֲשֶׁ֣ר יִדְּבֶ֣נּוּ לִבּ֔וֹ . The other mentions of Terumah do not include the qualification that it be from those “whose heart inspires them”. Prayer is “the service of the heart”, an emotional experience and connection to Hashem.
The final Terumah reflects the pillar of Gemilus Chassadim. In a broader sense, this refers to the observance of the physical Mitzvos. The third Terumah was the taking of different mundane materials and elevating them to become part of the Mishkan - a dwelling place for Hashem.
Similarly, in the performance of Mitzvos, we take physical items within the world and elevate them to become vessels for G-dliness e.g. leather for Tefillin, wool for Tzitzis and the agricultural Mitzvos. This is the concept of a Dirah Betachtonim, transforming our world to be a dwelling place for Hashem.
The purpose of the Mishkan is expressed in the verse ועשו לי מקדש ושכנתי בתוכם. The mystics point out that the verse literally reads “and they shall make for Me a Mikdash and I will dwell within them”, referring not to the physical Mishkan but to every Jew.
Through our offerings of Torah study, heartfelt prayer and most importantly our observance of Mitzvos, we “take” Hashem, so that His presence resides inside of us; in our hearts, our minds, our body and soul and from there to our homes and the rest of the world.