“Adonai said to Moshe, 2 “Tell the people of Isra’el to take up a collection for me — accept a free will offering (terumah) from anyone who wholeheartedly wants to give.’” (Ex. 25:1–2)
The Shabbat prior to the feast of Purim is known as the “Shabbat of Remembrance” (Shabbat “Zachor”) because in the book of Esther is the command to “remember the Amalekites” and what they did to Israel during their forty years of wandering in the wilderness: “17 Remember what the Amalekites did to you as you were coming out of Egypt? 18 They found you on the road when you were all worn out, and they attacked those who had fallen behind and were isolated and defenseless. They showed no fear of God. 19 When you’re in a position to punish them for this, when all of your other enemies are defeated and you’re living peacefully in the land that the Eternal your God is giving you to live in, then wipe out every trace of the Amalekites under the sky. Don’t forget!” Deut. 25:17-19
The question we must ask is why remember the deeds of this specific enemy rather than forgive as commanded (i.e., “Love your neighbour as yourself”; “43 You have been taught to love your neighbour and hate your enemy.[a] 44 But I tell you this: love your enemies. Pray for those who torment you and persecute you— 45 in so doing, you become children of your Father in heaven. He, after all, loves each of us—good and evil, kind and cruel. He causes the sun to rise and shine on evil and good alike. He causes the rain to water the fields of the righteous and the fields of the sinner. 46 It is easy to love those who love you—even a tax collector can love those who love him. 47 And it is easy to greet your friends—even outsiders do that! 48 But you are called to something higher: “Be perfect, as your Father in heaven is perfect.” – Matt. 5:45-48
In rabbinic literature, the commands against the Amalekites were that:
- Amalek is the enemy who will never reconcile and it is forbidden to show mercy foolishly to one wholly dedicated to the destruction of Israel (cf., Prov. 12). Rather than sit back and encourage evil, we fight against it with every part of our being. Rather than be a spectator of evil, we demonstrate our love to its victims which is the greater love. A midrash teaches that all the tragedies which Israel suffered are considered the direct outcome of Amalek’s hostile act (Agadah -PdRK 27). Behind all the hostilities throughout the ages against the Jewish people lies the demonic spirit of anti-Semitism. This is why on Holocaust Day we say: “We will never forget!”
(2) The command to “remember” is not to recall the evil actions of others but rather our own. Our greatest enemy is sin and to this we will never be reconciled.
(3) The command to “remember…” is for all generations, to know that what we sow we will reap.
PARASHAH TERUMAH – From this parasha to the end of the book of Exodus the Torah describes, in minute detail the construction of the Mishkan, the first collective house of worship of the Jewish people, including the various objects it contained with heir precise their dimensions. So for example we read:
In this Parasha, the Lord commands Moses to take up a free will offering from the Israelites to build a sanctuary or tabernacle (‘Mishkan’) What price are we willing to pay to have God’s Shekinah Glory manifested in our lives?
The account of the Tabernacle’s construction echoes the creation story in Genesis chapters 1-2, providing us with a key to better understanding this structure.
Genesis began with an act of Divine creation. Exodus ends with an act of human creation with the establishment of the Tabernacle.
The Tabernacle was a miniature universe that was constructed with the same precision, Divine wisdom and order as the universe itself. God spoke His creation into existence and the Tabernacle was formed in accordance with His spoken instructions and became a place amid the chaos in the wilderness of the human heart.
The dimensions of the universe are precise, mathematically exact. Had they differed in even the slightest degree the universe, or life, would not exist. It was the same for Noah’s Ark and with the Tabernacle. How can that be? It is because anything less than perfection is tainted with sin and morphs into a counterfeit construction that ends in perversion and death – that is the wages of sin.
Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, former Chief Rabbi of the UK described it beautifully when he shared, concerning these things that, “The misplacement of even a few of the 3.1 billion letters in the human genome can lead to devastating genetic conditions. The famous “butterfly effect” – the beating of a butterfly’s wing somewhere may cause a tsunami elsewhere, thousands of miles away – tells us that small actions can have large consequences. That is the message the Tabernacle was intended to convey.”
The description of God’s creation in Genesis is organised around the number of sevens, the number of divine perfection. For example, there are seven days of creation. The word “good” appears seven times, the word “God” 35 times, and the word “earth” 21 times. The opening verse of Genesis contains seven words, the second fourteen, and the three concluding verses 35 words. The complete text is 469 (7×67) words.
And we see how the account of the construction of the Tabernacle is also built around the number seven. The word “heart” appears seven times in Ex. 35:5-29, regarding the materials used in the construction, and seven times again in Ex. 35:34–36:8, describing how the craftsmen Bezalel and Oholiav were to carry out the work. The word terumah, “free will offering” appears seven times in this section. In Ex. 39, is described the making of the priestly vestments, where the phrase “as God commanded Moses” occurs seven times.
The creation account in Genesis is tightly organized around a series of sevens. There are seven days of creation. The word “good” appears seven times, the word “God” thirty-five times, and the word “earth” twenty-one times. The opening verse of Genesis contains seven words, the second fourteen, and the three concluding verses 35 words. The complete text is 469 (7×67) words.
The account of the construction of the Tabernacle is similarly built around the number seven. The word “heart” appears seven times in Exodus 35:5-29, as Moses specifies the materials to be used in the construction, and seven times again in Exodus 35:34 – 36:8, the description of how the craftsmen Bezalel and Oholiav were to carry out the work. The word terumah, “contribution” appears seven times in this section. In Exodus 39, describing the making of the priestly vestments, the phrase “as God commanded Moses” occurs seven times. It occurs again seven times in chapter 40.”
When we align ourselves to the perfect will of God, and walk in His ways we will experience the full measure of His abundance and blessings in our lives and nothing can ever touch us for we will be enfolded in the garments of His glory. As with God’s creation, no physical space, however large, is big enough to contain Him and no space is too small that can conceal Him. Neither life nor death, nor principalities, things present nor things to come; neither height nor death nor any created thing can ever separate us from the Love of God in Messiah Yeshua our Lord! (Romans 8:37-39)
The Tabernacle was a visible reminder of God’s presence within the camp, the same person who occupies the entire universe He has created. It was Israel’s first creative achievement signalling that we can create lives that become a home for His Divine presence, His Shekinah glory, Christ in us, our hope and glory – for “…the Word became flesh and Tabernacled in us and we saw His Shekinah, the Shekinah of the Father’s only Son, full of grace and truth.” (John 1:14)
When we read the account of Creation in Genesis, the narratives consists of just 34 verses compared to hundreds of verses with the making of the Mishkan. Why would this be? The universe is infinite in size compared to the smallness of the Mishkan. The length of any passage in Scripture is a guide to determine its significance to any episode or law. So we might well ask ourselves why does the Torah devote so much time to the Mishkan? The sages describe it in this way. The Torah is not man’s book of God but God’s book of mankind. It is not difficult for Him to make a home for humanity. What is difficulties for humanity to make a home for God.
One thing that I find amazing in the whole story of the Israelites wanderings was that here was never a moment when the Shekinah glory departed from them throughout their 40-year sojourn. Despite constant murmurings and rebellion, the Israelites followed wherever the Shekinah led them. Although a Jew can argue against God he cannot live without Him! Yeshua has given His disciples a promise: “ I will never leave nor forsake you” (through thick and thin…)
Up to this point in Israel’s history, the Israelites had received many miracles of provision from God but here for the first time they were given the opportunity to give back something to Him.
How can we ever begin to repay the Lord for sending us His most precious gift of all: His dearly beloved Son, Yeshua? (John 3:16) But, how many times do we ever ask Him, “Lord what can I give You?”
In Jewish Law, a person’s giving known as ‘tzedekah’ is considered an essential part of life. Even the poorest person can give to charity because there are always others who are worse off than themselves. We see this throughout Scripture such as with the story of Elijah and the widow of Zarephath (1Kings 17:7-16) and in the NT account of the widow’s mite (Mark 12:41-44 – the lowest valued coin equivalent to a R10 cents coin).
The Terumah offering ensured that everyone could contribute something, however small: precious metals and stones, fine linens, animal skins, wood, oil for the lamps, and fragrant spices for the incense. Yeshua invites us to offer up our lives as a ‘living sacrifice’ as a free-will offering to Him. Your best is good enough for Him.
It is better to give a little whole-heartedly than much begrudgingly. It is not how much we give but the manner we do so that is of primary importance.
The Tabernacle was established entirely out of voluntary offerings. Unlike the golden calf that was a counterfeit offering, we do not worship anything that is created but rather the Creator Himself. Idolatry is anything we give preference to in place of the Creator. The Tabernacle represents the signature of a person’s life that is wholeheartedly and voluntarily submitted to God who abides in us.
The Tabernacle also represents a foreshadowing of the coming Messiah: “14 And the Word became flesh and tabernacled among us. We looked upon His glory, the glory of the one and only from the Father, full of grace and truth.” (John 1:14)
In Judaism, the very idea of a mishkan, a sanctuary or Tabernacle, a physical “home” for “God’s glory,” is beyond understanding. How can God who is beyond space reside in a confined space?
The answer is a puzzle to our Jewish brethren yet is as clear as a clarion bell to believers: Yeshua desires to reign within us because He alone can make ‘all things new’ and it comes in the form of an offering, a ‘terumah’ (free will offering). What greater offering can we give in response to this other than the totality of our lives?
The Tabernacle became the turning point in Jewish history. The second occasion occurred over a millennia later with the appearance of Yeshua. God has provided for us the greatest of all gifts in the person of Yeshua who gives us opportunity to respond with our ‘terumah’ and give Him the best not the scraps under the table.
Even the poorest of the poor can contribute with their ‘widows mite.’ We survive by what we are given, but we achieve dignity by what we give.
The mishkan became the abiding place of the Divine presence because it was built out of voluntary contributions. When we invite God into our lives without coercion, manipulation or ulterior motives, we begin to understand one of the profoundest messages concerning the principle of giving.
Up to this point in Israel’s history, they had received many miracles of provision from God but here we see for the first time the opportunity for the Israelites to give back something to God.
Here we glimpse the logic behind the mishkan, where the Shekinah abided. The Gospel of John states that in the beginning was the Word whose presence ‘abides’ with those who ’dwell in the secret place of the Most High’ (Ps.91). God has provided for us the greatest of all gifts in Yeshua, and also an opportunity to give Him our ‘terumah’ through offering our lives to Him unconditionally.
Raphael ben Levi
