P arshas Terumah is a point of takeoff where we leave the solid ground of straightforward narrative and soar to the heights of allegory and hidden meanings. This parshah talks about the Mishkan about the spiritual life of Bnei Yisrael in the Wilderness. Although the immediate reason for the construction of the Mishkan is clearly stated in the pasuk “And they shall make Me a Sanctuary and I shall dwell in their midst” (Shemos 25:8) even the most pshat-loving of the commentators have sought to delve into its esoteric meaning.
What made these mefarshim shift their approach? They were surprised by the fact that most of the pesukim in this and the following parshiyos present no new information. They repeat the same story sometimes verbatim that has already been told; in fact the basic narrative of the Mishkan is told five times in the Torah.
There is no parallel to this in the Torah which is well known for its succinctness. What’s more this plenitude of verses is devoted to a structure that was very short-lived from a historical perspective. Bnei Yisrael were in the Wilderness 40 years and another 440 years in Eretz Yisrael until Shlomo Hamelech built the First Temple. What is the significance of this temporary structure that made the commentators so keen to plumb its hidden depths? G-d created the world for man’s sake and man created the Mishkan as a focal point for G-d’s Presence in this world. Thus the mysteries of both man and the Mishkan are bound together in the mystery of Creation itself and this is clearly relevant for all generations until (and including) the Messianic era.
The Ark one of the Mishkan’s central features was constructed of acacia wood and it was covered and lined with gold (ibid. 10–23). Bnei Yisrael’s life in the wilderness revolved around the Ark which held two tablets of stone the Shnei Luchos HaBris on which the Ten Commandments were engraved. Underneath these tablets were fragments of stone — the shards of the first Tablets that Moshe broke when he descended from Har Sinai and saw the people encircling the Golden Calf they’d made in his absence. A Torah scroll was also placed in the Ark alongside the Luchos.
