Parshat Teruma

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“A Cup of Coffee 

 

&

A Quick Thought”

Steaming Cup of Coffee
Spark Of Jewish Experience
 Parshat Terumah
February 23, 2012
30 Shevat, 5772
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In This Issue
Parshat Terumah Highlights
Taking Pride in Being Real
Father & Son Relationship
Million Dollar Smile

Parshat Terumah Highlights
 

First Portion

 

* The Jew of today goes to Synagogue daily; some go weekly; there are those who go less frequent. In essence, we are practicing what the Torah describes ‘And I (G-d) will dwell among them’ The question is asked why does it say ‘them’? it should say ‘dwell among it ‘; the subject is the sanctuary, the one central Temple. However, the spirituality of the sanctuary has been transmitted to every local synagogue and study hall where optimally the Mikdash brings a man so close to G-d, all feel Him within them, where G-d approaches each being according to what he can endure. Although our great nation is part and parcel with each other and we all follow the same central laws; however communicating with G-d is also very personal.

* When one is considering moving to a new neighborhood, one of the first and foremost items on his list are that he should seek is a temple of his liking.

* It is odd that G-d instructed us to make a sanctuary and limit the spirituality and to confine G-d to a concrete area, the Mishkan. It sounds like a contradiction to the essence of Judaic belief of G-d, which is, G-d is everywhere. However, it became essential because man needs that central figure to reinforce the strong commitment to G-d. Unfortunately the lack of temple added to the temptation that caused the Israelites to sin at the golden calf incident. For this reason, now we can answer why the sequence of events is in question because apparently the sin of the golden calf was brought before the building of the Mishkan, and here the parshiot are lined up the opposite. As we know, the Mishkan was enacted because of the sin of the golden calf. Rav Zalman Zorotzkin suggests perhaps we see a pattern how G-d runs the world; He never gives the diseases before the cure.

* Mikdash – according to Maimonides and other commentaries – means ‘house of appointment. The main purpose is to prepare oneself for tomorrow.

* Every person volunteered something that was from thirteen raw materials that was found in the Mikdash.

* The Aron (Arc) was the most essential part of the Mishkan and therefore discussed first. Apparently, it was constructed before the Mishkan itself.

 

Second Portion

* The Keruvim were the most intriguing part of the Mishkan. They were set on top of the Aron. The two Keruvim were baby-faced and had wings. If at times, the Israelites’ prayers were accepted, the Keruvim would embrace each other, and at times when the prayers were not accepted, they would turn away from each other. Their wings thrust upward signifying that man should always aspire for spiritual heights.

 

* Atzai Sheetim/cedar wood was the wood used for the Mishkan. Why did G-d prefer the wood of the Sheetim above all other kinds of cedar? The Sheetim were picked since it bears no fruit. G-d wanted to set an example for people who build a house. They should reason that if G-d constructed His Mishkan from the wood of a barren tree, we certainly should not use the wood of a fruit tree for this purpose. (One should note it is not permissible to cut down a fruit tree.)

 

 

Third Portion

 

* The menorah had seven lamps, which corresponded to the constellation of the seven stars. The seven stars represent the course of all natural events in the universe. The flames, which were lit with the purest of olive oil, symbolize the illumination of the intellect, and will rise above the mundane nature of the world. The center flame represents Shabbat, and the other six flames; three before and three after represent the days of the week, which get all their power and resources from Shabbat. The Shabbat represents time, and the Mishkan represents the place where G-d brings down spirituality.

 

 

Fourth Portion

 

* There is a tremendous emphasis on wood in the Mishkan. The Temple represents peace and all the components that go with it. Our Father, Abraham, received guests, the three Angels, under difficult circumstances. The kindness which he performed by serving them under a tree; this is the kind of tree that is represented in the Mishkan. Later, Our father, Yaacov instructed his children to plant these trees in Egypt, knowing they will not find trees in the desert, where they would take the cedar wood with them.

 

 

Fifth Portion

 

* The Shulchan (table) was the medium through which the blessing of nourishment flowed to the entire world. G-d therefore commanded it should never be empty since His blessing rests on substantial matters. This was hinted by Elisha the prophet who told an improvised woman that she must have something in the house upon which G-d’s blessing could rest. It’s also important to note never to say that the bracha is finished; one should conclude ‘the bracha is plenty’.

* Some communities have a tradition to place the twelve breads that were presented in the Mishkan, and place them to say the bracha ‘Hamotzi’ at their Shabbat table.

 

 

Sixth Portion

 

* The Altar is where the sacrifices take place. Many miracles were performed in the Mishkan. It’s fascinating how a fire from the heavens comes down and consumes the sacrifice in which the individual brings; that signifies that it has been accepted. Imagine, I can’t help but think how that’s a very significant way to get close to G-d.

 

 

Seventh Portion

 

* If one notices there is no metal or steel in the temple, that is because metal symbolizes war and the Mishkan represents peace. There are communities that remove the knives from the Shabbat table meal before birkat hamazon because the Shabbat table represents the Mizbeach, and believe it or not, is a great way to get close to G-d.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Taking Pride in Being Real
   

 

 

Rashi, the main commentary on the Torah, explains, when G-d writes ‘make me a sanctuary for me’ He means solely for Me. We must ask to what extent is ‘solely for Me’.

 

King Solomon, in conversation with Hiram king of Tyre, informed him that the reason my father David did not build the Temple was because he fought many wars.

 

What was Shlomo alluding to? Was King David really so busy with battles that he had to scrap the plans to build a Temple? He did have time to write the book of Psalms, which was an enormous body of work, and probably took much of his energies from other important functions. Perhaps that’s the reason for not building the house of G-d. It would not make sense, if David had even a slight opportunity to build the Temple, he would have made it priority #1. What was the reason behind Shlomo’s statement to Tyre that prevented David, then King not to build the Temple?

 

The holiday of Purim is soon coming!! We learn something fascinating from the Klei Yakar who brings an explanation on what motivated  king Achashverosh to throw the devastating party in which the Jews participated which got them in trouble.

 

Apparently, Achashverosh married royalty. Vashti, his wife who he had killed, was the granddaughter of Nevuchanetzar. If the reader remembers, Nevuchanetzar destroyed the first Temple and took much booty from the Temple. Achashverosh was much excited about the party because he would perform a ceremony in which he assumed, would put him over the top as king. He planned on dressing up with clothes that were taken from the Bet Hamikdash, performing the Kohen Gadol’s rituals in which the Kohen performed in the Temple. As a result, Achashverosh would be unstoppable.

 

The king of Persia, as many others believed, that every time the Jews are about to do battle, they pray and do sacrifices in their Temple and emerge victorious; it’s a guarantee!!

 

Although the plan didn’t work, one needs a lot more then just the clothes and the utensils for G-d to accept one’s Tefilot (prayers). But that was Achashverosh’s mind-set.

 

King Solomon said to Hiram “My father fought a lot of wars and maybe there might have been a slight tinge of ulterior motives; the temptation was great for David, considering his position with an unstable foreign affairs policies.” G-d informed David that he will draw the blueprints, and Shlomo, his son, will build it. Shlomo reigned in peaceful times with his surrounding neighbors.

 

Are we sincere in our belief in G-d? When we give charity, how much is it? Do you really want to help or does one desire the recognition from the community that they’re a super individual? Although one should give and do good things, even with ulterior motives, the Torah believes what starts as insincere, turns to sincerity.

This Dvar Torah was given mostly by Rav Chaim Shmuelevitz who always has a way to make the individual think and to understand our conscience and unconscious thoughts and bring out self-awareness. I hope the reader enjoyed this schmooze as much as I did many years ago. It was one of my favorites.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Father & Son Relationship
   

 

 

The most intriguing and fascinating items of the Mishkan (Tabernacle) are the Keruvim. They were found on top of the Aron. They were two child-like faces with wings pointed upwards. When the Israelites were close to G-d, they would embrace each other, and when the Jews were not on the standards that they should be, the Keruvim would face away from one another.

 

The sages say, when G-d wanted to give the Torah to the Jews, he asked for a guarantor. So the Israelites replied “Our Forefathers, Abraham, Isaac and Yaacov would be perfect.” G-d refused, stating “They owe me. How can they be guarantors?” An example was given, if a man wants to borrow money from someone and demands a guarantor, and the potential borrower says how about Joe? The potential lender refuses stating “how can he be a guarantor? He owes me money himself.”

 

G-d said to the Jews” bring me someone that doesn’t owe me.” The Israelites answered back “We know someone who doesn’t owe You a thing, the children; they’ll be the guarantors.”

 

Apparently, there are a number of different opinions as to who exactly were the Keruvim; some say it’s a boy and a girl; others say it was a boy and a man. Yechezkel’s vision was that of a boy and a man.

 

What’s the meaning of having a boy and a man on the faces of the Keruvim? Rabbi Noach Isaac Olbaum explains this is the essential part of Judaism. It’s the father and son relationship that’s crucial to the continuous existence of our nation. It’s the father’s obligation to pass down the tradition to his son. Without a doubt, the fact that the Keruvim were placed in the holies of holies on top of the Aron, shows the importance of the relationship between the father and son. You can’t get holier than that place.

 

Therefore, we have to examine and fortify our relationship with our children. It should be healthy and communicative. The parody of the American dysfunctional family is brought out very well in the satirical TV series, The Simpsons. It’s been awhile since I’ve seen television and that show in particular. The show, indeed, well written, was very funny but very sad; but most important, a very true portrayal of many family structures, or I should say dis-structure in the western world.

The Torah emphasis the importance of the bond of father and son and the crucial treasure the Torah, passing down the tradition, that’s at stake. So perhaps what we could do is go out for a burger with our son; have a catch when the weather gets nice, and most important, learn Torah with him. It’s important and it’s a priceless moment.

Million Dollar Smile

This coming week is my father’s yartzeit; there are many things that were special about Pop. But there’s one particular thought about him, which I put together in one of my earlier lectures a number of years ago, which I would like to share with you:

Pop and I were on a business trip in South Carolina visiting a good customer of his. He had met him years before in Dallas, where both were salesmen. Pop was working for himself while his friend was working for a major (terminology for a ‘leading’) jewelry chain. Now, this friend was running an established business of his own. In the jewelry business it’s called a ma & pa store. We were invited to this friend’s house for a meal, and after the meal, the friend, who was a schmoozer, was having an extended conversation with Pop. I was watching Monday Night Football with his kids in the other room. I can see Pop through the hall in the dining room smiling and nodding his head in approval at whatever the friend was saying. What was odd, after an hour, was that they were still having their conversation. Actually, it was the friend who was doing all the talking and Pop was just nodding and smiling. “Pop doesn’t understand English that well to comprehend a lengthy one-hour English conversation”, I remember saying to myself.

As the evening was coming to an end, the friend said to me as we were by the front door saying goodbye, “Your father and I had an amazing discussion; he’s a pleasure to be around”. In the car, driving back to our hotel room, I asked Pop what did they talk about? He smiled and giggled and said “I have no idea.” Like many conversations with Americans, my father, an immigrant, was able to build his life through one of G-d’s spiritual forces — a smile.

It says in Pirkei Avot, ‘Greet every person be’sever (with intelligence), panim (greetings; for example: hello – shalom which is another name for G-d. When we greet people, we remind each other that greetings are a G-dly trait and we’re emulating it), and yafot (smile; animals show teeth which is a sign of aggression while humans show teeth as a sign of compassion).

Rava said, if a student struggles in his studies, it’s because the teacher did not smile at him. A smile opens up the intellect. It’s a spiritual trait, which is the reason we tend to gravitate to, and therefore we are attracted to a smiley person. Politicians consciously go out of their way to smile. The Talmud says ‘White of teeth is better than a cup of milk’; meaning sometimes, under certain circumstances, it’s a better option than serving guests with refreshment or showering one with gifts.

There is a beautiful story that I once heard on the topic of smiling. Every morning, Abraham enters the plant and greets everybody with a smile. One Wednesday afternoon, Thanksgiving weekend was fast approaching and people were anxious to leave work for the long weekend. Abraham was packing the meat in the walk-in freezer when he realized – as he was attempting to leave – the freezer door is locked.

Apparently, the other workers, in haste, locked the freezer without realizing someone was in there. Abraham realized the dangerous consequences he would be in if he’s left in the freezer for an extended period of time. A few hours passed and it was time for the doorman to change shifts. However, he felt a certain uneasiness that something was missing. He mentioned to the guard that will replace him ‘”You know, there’s one guy, the smiley guy, that I have not seen leave “. The guard went upstairs to look for him and discovered Abraham, frozen, but alive, in the freezer. Apparently a smile can go a long way. This guard gets hundreds of people entering and exiting the building daily. Nevertheless, he remembered Abraham because a smile is magnetic. Humans are drawn to a smile because it’s spiritual.

For some, smiling comes naturally; however, for others, it’s not so easy. If one realizes the importance of a beautiful smile he would be at a tremendous advantage.

Sincerely,
Rabbi Avi Matmon
Spark of Jewish Experience

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