This year, Parshas Terumah falls on Rosh Chodesh Adar, the month of which it is said, "When Adar enters, we increase our joy." (Taanis 29a)
Within the Lubavitch community, and throughout the world at large, everyone joins in sincere wishes that indeed, this month be a month of true joy, including the complete and immediate recovery of the Rebbe Shlita and, the ultimate reason for joy, the coming of the Redemption.
The study of the teachings of the Rebbe Shlita are catalysts which hasten the realization of these aspirations. And in this spirit, we present the following essay.
22 Shvat, 5754
6th Yartzeit of the Rebbetzin o.b.m.
When dedicating the Beis HaMikdash, King Shlomo exclaimed in wonderment: "Will G-d indeed dwell on this earth? The heavens and the celestial heights cannot contain You, how much less this house!"
[1]
For the Beis HaMikdash was not merely a centralized location for man's worship of G-d, it was a place where G-d's Presence was - and is [2] - manifest. [3]
Although "the entire earth is full of His glory," [4] G-d's Presence is not tangibly felt.
He permeates all existence, but in a hidden way. [5]
The Beis HaMikdash, by contrast, was "the place where He chose to cause His name dwell." [6]
There was no concealment; His Presence was openly manifest.
Seemingly, this is an impossibility; there is no apparent way that spirituality can be openly manifest in our material world.
For material existence to come into being, G-d condensed and contracted His light and life-energy so that it could become enclothed in material entities.
This is absolutely necessary.
Were G-dly light to be revealed without restraints, it would nullify all possibility for material existence.
To allow for our world to continue in a stable manner, G-d structured this process of self-containment into a pattern with laws and principles as binding as those governing nature in our world.
He brought into being an entire framework of spiritual worlds whose purpose is to convey Divine energy from level to level as it undergoes the process of contraction necessary for it to be enclothed in material form.
The open revelation of G-dliness runs contrary to this entire pattern, defying the limits which He Himself established.
Nevertheless, although G-d limited the extent of His revelation when structuring the constitution of our world, He did not limit Himself.
He created a world with set bounds, but He Himself is not confined by them, and can alter them at will. He can invest His Presence in our material realm, and did so in the Sanctuary and in the Beis HaMikdash.
The Divine Presence was revealed in the Holy of Holies.
There was manifest an ongoing miracle which reflects the nature of the revelation in the Beis HaMikdash.
The width of the Holy of Holies was twenty cubits, the ark, positioned lengthwise in the chamber, was two and one half cubits long, and there were ten cubits from either edge of the ark to the wall on both sides.
The place of the ark was not included in the measure of the chamber's span! [7]
What is most significant is that this was not merely a manifestation of infinity.
In the Beis HaMikdash, precise measurement was a fundamental necessity.
Even a slight deviation from the required measure would render an article or a building invalid.
The fact that the place of the ark transcended the limits of space thus represents a fusion of finiteness and infinity.
This communicates the nature of G-d's Being.
He transcends both finiteness and infinity, and yet manifests Himself in both of these dimensions. [8]
This is the Torah's intent when speaking of G-d "choos[ing] a place for His name to dwell": that the physical limits of our world will not be negated and yet the spiritual will be revealed. And this fusion of opposites will enable us to become conscious of His essence which transcends - and encompasses - both the physical and the spiritual.
G-d did not want this revelation to be dependent on His influence alone.
As reflected in the verse, [9] "And you shall make Me a Sanctuary and I will dwell within," He chose to make the revelation of His Presence dependent on man's activity.
Since the revelation of G-d's Presence transcends the limits of our existence, the initiative must come from Him.
Nevertheless, "G-d did not have His Presence rest upon Israel until they performed labor," [10] building the Sanctuary where His Presence would dwell.
Why was man's activity necessary?
Because G-d's intent is that the revelation of His Presence be internalized within the world, becoming part of the fabric of its existence.
Were the revelation to come from above alone, it would nullify worldliness.
To cite a parallel: when G-d revealed Himself on Mount Sinai, the world ground to a standstill. "No bird chirped..., nor did an ox bellow, nor the sea roar." [11] Although G-dliness was revealed within the world, the elements of worldly existence did not play a contributory role in that revelation.
When, by contrast, the dwelling for G-d is built by man, himself part of the material environment of our world, he elevates the nature of the worldly entities which he uses to create G-d's dwelling. This enables G-d's Presence to be revealed within these entities as they exist within their own context.
This motif leads to another difference.
When the revelation of G-dliness comes from above, it is dependent on His influence, and is therefore temporary. For example, when G-d descended on Mount Sinai, the mountain became holy and therefore, "all that ascend the mountain must die." [12]
When, however, G-d's Presence was withdrawn from the mountain, the Jews were allowed to ascend it, [13] for the fundamental nature of the mountain did not change; it remained an ordinary mountain.
With regard to the Sanctuary - and to a greater extent the Beis HaMikdash - since the holiness was internalized within the material elements of these structures, it became a permanent part of their being. And thus on the verse: [14] "I will lay waste to your Sanctuaries," our Sages commented: [15] "Even though they have been devastated, their sanctity remains." And therefore, it is forbidden to ascend to the site of the Beis HaMikdash in the present age. [2]
The above concepts are highlighted by the name of the Torah reading Terumah.
[16]
Terumah, meaning "lifting up" [17] or "separation," [18] puts the focus on man's efforts in establishing a dwelling for G-d.
The Torah proceeds to state [19] that this terumah must include thirteen [20] different entities: gold, silver, brass,..." indicating that man's task is to incorporate the various different dimensions of worldly existence in G-d's dwelling. [21]
More particularly, the two interpretations of the name Terumah reflect two thrusts necessary in creating a dwelling for G-d within the world.
First, a person must designate his gift. This separates it from his other worldly property. And through its consecration, its nature becomes elevated, lifted up above the ordinary material plane. [22]
These two phases relate to the two services mentioned in the verse, "turn away from evil and do good." [23]
When a person prepares a dwelling for a king, he must first clean it.
Afterwards, he brings in attractive articles. [24]
Similarly, to make our world a dwelling for G-d, "separation" is necessary to purge the self-orientation that is encouraged by worldly existence. And then it is "elevated," becoming a medium to draw down G-d's light.
The Beis HaMikdash was not intended to be an isolated corner of holiness.
Instead, its windows were structured to spread light outward, rather than to allow light to enter. [25]
For the holiness of the Beis HaMikdash was intended to be dispersed throug hout the world at large.
The most complete expression of this concept will be in the Era of the Redemption. [26] From "the mountain of G-d's house" [27] will spread forth light and holiness motivating the people to learn to seek G-d's ways and "walk in His paths." [28]
These revelations are dependent on our efforts to encourage the manifestation of the Divine Presence.
Making our homes and our surroundings "sanctuaries in microcosm" [29] will cause G-d to reveal His Presence in the world openly, and not merely in microcosm.
Adapted from Likkutei Sichos, Vol. III, p. 902; Vol. XVI, p. 286ff; Vol. XXI, p. 146ff.
Notes:
- (Back to text) I Kings 8:27.
- (Back to text) For even in the present age when the Beis HaMikdash is destroyed, G-d's Presence rests upon its site. See Rambam, Mishneh Torah, Hilchos Beis HaBechirah 6:16.
- (Back to text) See the essay entitled, G-d's Chosen House in Seek Out the Welfare of Jerusalem, where these concepts are explained.
- (Back to text) Isaiah 6:3.
- (Back to text) In human terms, concealment means that an object is obscured by another entity which covers it. With regard to G-d, there is nothing which can conceal Him. Instead, His concealment is a willful act on His part, withholding the revelation of His light. See the maamar Adam Ki Yakriv in the series of discourses entitled, Yom Tov Shel Rosh HaShanah, 5666.
- (Back to text) Deuteronomy 12:11.
- (Back to text) Yoma 21a.
- (Back to text) See the essay entitled, A Dwelling Place for G-d in Our World in Seek Out the Welfare of Jerusalem, which elaborates on this concept.
- (Back to text) Exodus 25:8.
- (Back to text) Avos d'Rabbi Nosson, ch. 11.
- (Back to text) Shmos Rabbah 29:9.
- (Back to text) Exodus 19:12.
- (Back to text) Ibid.:13.
- (Back to text) Leviticus 26:31.
- (Back to text) Megillah 28a.
- (Back to text) In this instance, the choice of the word Terumah as the name of the Torah reading is significant, because it is further removed from the beginning of the reading than most of the other names which have been chosen.
- (Back to text) Zohar, Vol. II, p. 147a.
- (Back to text) Rashi, Targum Onkelos, and others commenting on the opening verse of the Torah reading.
- (Back to text) Exodus 25:3-7.
- (Back to text) This follows the interpretation of Rashi (Exodus 25:2). Rabbeinu Bachaye and others reckon fifteen items donated for the Sanctuary.
- (Back to text) These concepts indicates a sequence to the readings of Yisro, Mishpatim, and Terumah.
Yisro focuses on the Giving of the Torah, when the division between the physical and the spiritual realms was nullified. Mishpatim reflects the extension of the bond between the spiritual and the physical into human reason.
Moreover, it provides us with guidelines for investing spiritual content into our material lives. With the command for the construction of the Sanctuary, Terumah represents the consummation of the process, the transformation of material existence into a dwelling for G-d.
- (Back to text) This concept has halachic ramifications. Once an object is consecrated, it can no longer be used for mundane purposes.
The concept of elevation that results from the transfer of an article to the Sanctuary is reflected in Genesis which states: "And Efron's field in Machpelah ascended to Avraham." Rashi explains that the word "ascended" use to signify a change in title, because through the transfer the field became elevated, departing from the ownership of an ordinary person and entering Avraham's possession.
- (Back to text) Psalms 34:15.
- (Back to text) Likkutei Torah, Balak 70c.
- (Back to text) Menachos 86b, Vayikra Rabbah 31:7. See the essay entitled "Menorah essay" in Seek Out the Welfare of Jerusalem, where this concept is explained.
- (Back to text) See the maamar entitled Gadol Yiheyeh Kavod HaBayis HaZeh in Anticipating the Redemption.
- (Back to text) Isaiah 2:2.
- (Back to text) Ibid.:3.
- (Back to text) Yechezkel 11:6; see the essay of this title in Sound the Great Shofar (Kehot, N.Y., 1992).
Mishpatim - 5754