In פרק כח, פסוק ב-ג it says Everyman should take a portion of his gold,silver and copper and turquoise wool and purple wool and scarlet wool and goats hair and other stuff. And to give as much as their hearts motivate them.
Why are these things needed? These items seem to be random is there anything significant about them?
Rashi says the copper and gold and everything was required for the work of the Mishkan or the outfits for the כהנים
Dina Wagner:
ReplyDeleteRabbi Yosef Kalatsky says: The Torah tells us at the beginning of the Portion of Terumah that the metals that were needed for the Mishkan were gold, silver and copper. These metals made the beams extremely heavy. The Midrash tells us that although gold was needed for the building of the Mishkan itself, it is at the same time hinting to the preciousness of the Mishkan to Hashem because it was the Mishkan of Moshe. Moshe was the most exceptional human being that ever lived.
The Torah tells us that Moshe constructed the Mishkan. Rashi cites Chazal who explain that the Jewish people tried to construct the Mishkan but were not able to because the weight of its beams was beyond human capacity. It was physically impossible for humans to lift the beams of the Mishkan. The Torah tells us,"The Mishkan was raised through Moshe" and not "raised by Moshe." Meaning, Hashem said to Moshe although physically it is impossible to raise the beams, through your initiative, I will assist you to construct the Mishkan.
many say the sacred colors purple and blue (specifically t'chelet) used in the making of the mishkan have a big significance in the hidden messages of the mishkan. the purple represents royalty and how one must be totally pure and kadosh to enter, and the blue or t'chelet represent the traditional interpretation of rarity. these colors together paint the message that the mishkan is pure yet rare and only ones of similar qualities are permitted to enter. gold, silver, wool and copper have the similar message of valued and coveted possessions. just as these possessions are coveted in the eyes of humans. so too, the mishkan is coveted by hashem and he uses these specific materials to make us (humans) feel the same about the mishkan.
ReplyDeleteWhen a Jew gives tzedakah he is not only giving but also receiving. When a poor man receives tzedakah money, the giver gets a zchut. So, by Bnei Yisrael GIVING for the Mishkan, Bnei Yisrael were receiving a lot more then they were actually giving. all these different types of colored wools were included in the gifts.
ReplyDeleteMidrash Rabbah comments on the word "gold", saying that the world was not considered worthy of making use of gold. So then why was it created? He answers, to be used in the mishkan.
ReplyDeleteThe materials donated for the Mishkan correspond to the heavens. "Gold" is the sun; "silver," the moon; "copper," the western horizon at sunset; "blue," the sky; "purple," the clouds; "red," the rainbow; "flax," the seraphim; "goat," the constellation of capricorn; "ram skins dyed red," thunder; "tachash skins," lightening; "shittim wood," shooting stars; "oil for lighting," the seven planets; "spices for the anointing oil and for the incense," dew and rain; "shoham stones and gemstones for setting"--hail and snow.
ReplyDeleteHashem said - "My dwelling is in the heavens; if you make Me a Sanctuary on earth, I shall dwell in it."
- Rabbi Shmuel
Nicole Stavsky