25.02.2012                      02.Adar. 5772                     Teruma

Judentum:

Parshat Truma: The light from the Sanctuary

It is no wonder that the first of the sacred furnishings of God’s “temporary home” was the ark, the repository for the Ten Commandments.

‘You shall make a menorah out of pure gold… its base, stem… And flowers… and its six branches extending from its sides, three branches on one side of the menorah and three branches on the other side;… they shall all be hammered out of single piece of pure gold’ (Exodus 25:31-36) This week’s portion of Truma comes immediately after the Divine Revelation at Sinai: “And they shall make for Me a sanctuary so that I may dwell amongst them” (Exodus 25:8).
The Hebrews are commanded to build an elegant, majestic and portable House of God to carry with them during their 40- year desert sojourn. This desert sanctuary would morph into the more permanent Holy Temple once Israel settled in the Promised Land of Israel….