Terumah (parsha)

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Terumah or Trumah (תרומה – Hebrew for "gift" or “offering,” the twelfth word and first distinctive word in the parshah) is the nineteenth weekly parshah or portion in the annual Jewish cycle of Torah reading and the seventh in the book of Exodus. It constitutes Exodus 25:1–27:19. Jews in the Diaspora read it the nineteenth Sabbath after Simchat Torah, generally in February or early March.

Contents 1 Summary 2 Commandments 3 Haftarah 4 Further reading 5 External links

[edit] Summary

God instructed Moses to tell all Israelites whose heart so moved them to bring gifts of gold, silver, copper, colored yarns, fine linen, goats’ hair, tanned ram skins, acacia wood, oil, spices, lapis lazuli, and other fine stones to make a sanctuary — the Tabernacle — and its furnishings, so that God could dwell among them. (Ex. 25:1-8.)

God instructed them to make the Ark of the Covenant of acacia wood overlaid with gold in which to deposit the tablets setting forth God’s commandments. (Ex. 25:10-16.) God told them to make two cherubim of gold to place on the ark’s cover or mercy seat. (Ex. 25:17-21.) God promised to impart commandments to Moses from between the two cherubim above the cover of the Ark. (Ex. 25:22.) God instructed them to make a table of acacia wood overlaid with gold, on which to set the bread of display or shewbread. (Ex. 25:23-30.)

God instructed them to make a six-branched, seven-lamped lampstand — menorah — of pure gold. (Ex. 25:31-40.) God instructed them to make the Tabernacle of ten strips of fine twisted linen, of blue, purple, and crimson yarns, with a design of cherubim worked into them. (Ex. 26:1-6.) God instructed them to make 11 cloths of goats’ hair for a tent over the tabernacle (Ex. 26:7-13), and coverings of tanned ram skins and tachash skins. (Ex. 26:14.) God instructed them to make planks of acacia wood for the Tabernacle. (Ex. 26:15-25.) God instructed them to make a curtain of blue, purple, and crimson yarns, and fine twisted linen, with a design of cherubim, to serve as a partition obscuring the Holy of Holies. (Ex. 26:31-33.) God instructed them to place the Ark, the table, and the lampstand in the Tabernacle. (Ex. 26:34-35.) God instructed them to make a screen for the entrance of the Tent, of colored yarns, and fine twisted linen, done in embroidery and supported by five posts of acacia wood overlaid with gold. (Ex. 26:36-37.) God instructed them to make the altar of acacia wood overlaid with copper. (Ex. 27:1-2.) And God instructed them to make the enclosure of the Tabernacle from fine twisted linen. (Ex. 27:9-16.)

[edit] Commandments

According to Maimonides and Sefer ha-Chinuch, there are 2 positive and 1 negative commandments in the parshah:

• To build a Sanctuary Ex. 25:8
• Not to remove the staves from the Ark of the Covenant Ex. 25:15
• To make the showbread Ex. 25:30

[edit] Haftarah

The haftarah for the parshah is 1 Kings 5:26–6:13.

[edit] Further reading

The parshah has parallels or is discussed in these classical sources:

• Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews 3:6:1.
• Mishnah: Yoma 5:1; Menachot 11:5–7.
• Exodus Rabbah 33:1–35:6.
• Zohar 2:126a–143a.

[edit] External links

• Masoretic text and 1917 JPS translation
• Hear the parshah chanted
• Commentaries from the Jewish Theological Seminary
• Commentaries from the University of Judaism
• Torah Insights from the Orthodox Union
• Commentaries from the Union for Reform Judaism
• Commentaries from Chabad-Lubavitch
• Commentaries fromTorah.org
• Text studies and commentaries from MyJewishLearning.com