Terumah (Exodus 25:1 - 29:19)

OK, I'm going back to writing this blog again. I will try to do this weekly, but can't promise :-)
Just a reminder, this blog follows the weekly Torah portions and discusses them. In the Jewish world, we divide the Torah (5 books of Moses) to 52-54 portions, and each portion is read during Shabbat in the synagogue. The cycle started a few months ago with the first portion, Genesis, but we will join the cycle now, in the portion called Terumah (Exodus 25:1 - 27:19). Join me for the ride!

This week's Torah Portion talks about the Mishkan (The Tabernacle/Sanctuary) that G-d asked Moses and the Children of Israel to build in the desert: "Speak unto the children of Israel, that they take for Me an offering; of every man whose heart makes him willing, you shall take My offering". Later, G-d tells Moses: "For the framework of the Tabernacle, construct frames of Acacia wood". But they are in the desert, where can they take Acacia wood from?

Rashi, a famous Jewish commentator, says that these Acacia woods tell us a story of faith. When the Children of Israel went down in exile to Egypt, their father, Jacob, told them that one day they will merit to leave Egypt and even build a Tabernacle. He asked them, for this purpose, to plant trees, and when time comes, to take the wood from these trees with them when they leave Egypt. And this is what they did. Very deep in the dark exile, they were planting, irrigating, taking care of these trees, a symbol of hope, believing that one day these trees would serve them for a higher purpose when they leave Egypt.

This story is not written explicitly in the written Torah. It appears in the Midrash (part of the Oral Torah). It teaches us how important faith is, how important hopeful expectation is. It teaches us we should never believe the current reality and think that this is it, that things cannot be different. We must look at the current reality and KNOW that things CAN AND WILL BE different. It takes a lot of strength, a lot of faith, a lot of optimism and clinging to G-d, but it pays. We must plant, irrigate and take care of the seeds of our hopes and dreams in order for them to one day become a reality. If we do not sow, if we do not plant, if we do not give these plants water, we will not reap.

Each of us can think of areas in our lives in which we can and should implement this lesson - plant your Acacia trees, because one day, when you are set free from your current exile, they will serve as woods to build your Sanctuary, your meeting place with G-d.

Shabbat Shalom,
Revital