Parshas Terumah: When The Wealthy Shver Comes For Shabbos

In today's compelling episode, we unearth the layers behind the directive to build the Mishkan, or Tabernacle, a sanctuary for the Almighty among His people. This exploration raises thought-provoking questions about the nature of divinity—why does an infinite God wish for a finite home? By delving into the text and drawing on rich rabbinic commentary, we reveal how this commandment intertwines deep philosophical beliefs with practical implications for our lives. 

Through engaging discussions, we navigate the medrash that likens God's desire for a home to the affectionate whims of a father-in-law wanting to visit, offering unique insights into the sacred relationship we share with the Divine. Listeners will understand that the Mishkan is not just about building but about creating a space for connection, a reminder of the ongoing relationship we cultivate with God through our actions, environments, and community.

Join us as we discover how this ancient blueprint offers guidance on nurturing a spiritual home, fostering relationships infused with sanctity, and recognizing the grandeur of God's presence in our everyday surroundings. Your own sacred space is waiting to be built! Remember to subscribe, share, and leave a review!

Chapters

• 0:00 Introduction to the Mishkan
• 5:49 The Divine Blueprint Explained
• 15:39 The Irony of Housing the Infinite
• 54:47 The Medrash and Its Insights
• 1:51:34 Living with God: A New Perspective
• 2:10:04 The Mishkan as a Symbol of Relationship

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:05

Make for me a mikdash, a sacred sanctum that I may dwell among them. That is parak chav hei, pasuk ches of parashas truma. This pasuk really incorporates. It contains the entire synopsis of our Parsha, parsha Shruma, which is a big delineating of the blueprints and overall details of how it is that we are to build a sacred inner sanctum that will house the Almighty, sanctum that will house the Almighty. Our pasuk is one big blueprint of how it is that we can get to a status of God living with us. So this week we're not going to dwell upon all the details and the incredible and timeless, even mysterious, depth that is in every single measurement, every single material and every single color that can be found inside of the Mishkan, because to unpack the tanned ram skins, the dolphin skins, the acacia wood maybe acacia wood unclear all the different oils that were needed, this incredible unicorn-like animal that's disappeared, that was also used to become part of the tapestries of the Mishkan, every single one of the metals, stones and currencies that were used to build the house for Hashem. Each one deserves its own podcast to plumb its depths. But this week I want to take a step back, stand at the top of the Grand Canyon and overlook the whole Mishkan project and understand one peculiarity, one inquiry about this obligation that Klal Yisrael has to build a house for Hashem, ve'asuli mikdash v'shalchanti b'salcham, and About this obligation that Klal Yisrael has to build a house for Hashem. And the question is pretty straightforward, and I hope you've asked it before, but doesn't it at least rub you a bit wrong? You would ever join a group of people that would manufacture a house for the infinite one. Don't you think that makes no sense? Don't you think it's odd that the very God that we described as Hashomayim, as where God lives, the Haaretz, haduim Ragli and the land, is the footstool, the very footstool for God. That's how large and just all-encompassing that the parable of God's vastness is given over to us, that the entire world is God's footstool, footrest. Don't you think that it would be weird for us to embark on maybe making one tiny home that would encompass the all-encompassing one? Don't you think it's weird that we're to? Don't you think it's weird that we're to, even though when the second was concluded actually it was the first that was concluded when Shlomo HaMelech finally put his finishing touches upon the, that was already the inception came in the mind of David HaMelech before Shlomo HaMelech finally finished it At the inauguration ceremony, he declares that it's impossible to build a structure of mortal bricks, mortal concrete, mortal wood, whatever it is that you have, it's impossible to make a structure, an edifice that can possibly play host to the one that hosts everything.

Speaker 1: 4:16

You should be outraged, you should feel taken aback. Well, utterly. Mikdash is a job that is impossible to carry out. To make matters even worse, god does create, command for us to do it, and God is the infinite one. And while we already asked that Shlomo Amal couldn't understand how to even fit the Beis Hamikdash or fit the Boirei Oylem inside of the Beis Hamikdash, the Mishkan is even more temporary, less eternal, less sturdy, less rugged than the Beis Hamikdash. The Mishkan was used in a very open it up, set up the tent and then close it down like a portable sukkah type of structure. And in there you want us to make a home for the Omni present, for the Omni, everything, to make him a Mikdash.

Speaker 1: 5:24

Eich Yitachen Now to answer this question. It brings with it an entirely different perspective on how to understand the relationship that we have with the Almighty and how it is that we should carry out our obligations to the Almighty. And it really does give context to the entire family dynamic that Klal Yisrael has and how we are linked to the creator of the world and the king of all kings. We're going to take this medrash from Shemos Rabbah. It's very much at the very beginning of the entire narrative. It's almost like the great sages of Chazal said in Perichav Gimel let's give everyone an understanding of what this mikdash is about. I hope you'll look up the medrash by yourself, but it says like this every word more precious than sapphires.

Speaker 1: 6:19

The medrash tells us that when God gave us the Torah and Harsinai, it was a buy one, get one free. It was a. You don't just get the Torah, you get its creator along with it. When you purchase the Torah, god told the Jews I gave you my Torah and as if to say I'm also as the creator of the Torah, I'm sold to you along with the Torah. The very beginning of our parashayikhu li truma, the very beginning of our parasha. Parasha's truma says take for you, take for yourself, take for me, truma. The Medrash understands that, according to most commentators, that take me means that we also took God. When we took Hashem's Torah, it was a buy one, get one free type of deal, a limited time off, forget the Torah and get God as a bonus.

Speaker 1: 7:18

And the Medrash brings a parable, like all good Mishalom. There's a king and he has a daughter, a very precious daughter, and the daughter was engaged and now married to a king that lived in a neighboring country. And when the groom came to take his wife back to his home, he came to take his wife back to his home. He came to take his wife back to his home. The father-in-law said my dear son-in-law, this is my only daughter, my everything. She is so special. I can't just send her away and separate from her. My everything, she is so special.

Speaker 1: 8:12

Lefrosh mimenu Eina yachol. I can't just send her away and separate from her. Loimelacha altitla. But to tell you not to take your wife Eina yachol, I can't Lefishi hi ishtacha, because she is your wife. Ela Zu toiva asari. Do me a toiva. Do me a favor. Do me a favor, do me a solid.

Speaker 1: 8:39

Anywhere that you go For business, for a different job opportunity, wherever it is that life should take you, make me a small and separate accessory dwelling unit, make me a side home, make me a guest suite so that I can live with you, so I can come visit. I can't just let you take my daughter and never see her again. God said that to the Jews. I gave you my daughter, my precious daughter. I gave you the Torah. To separate from the Torah, I cannot To tell you not to engage in the Torah and not to take your wife with you. It is yours Every single place that you go, throughout the diaspora, and whether or not you will be living on the sacred land, make me a small home, make me one residence that I could live amongst you and make for me a mikdash. How Neura is that the Almighty? He wants us to build him a ketone echad. He wants us to build him a little in-law suite, a little place he could come visit us in the Torah to see the new couple. An accessory dwelling unit, a ketone echad. That's all I want.

Speaker 1: 10:27

According to this medrash, we have many conclusions, but amongst them is the sting. The venom in the original question has now been eradicated, in that the goal of the Mikdash was not to encompass all of the honor and glory of the Boyre Oila and Vekucha Berichu, but rather it's just supposed to be a place that God can come visit. To be a place that God can come visit. When King Solomon said, how is it that we can possibly house the unhouseable inside of this small edifice? With this we kind of have an answer.

Speaker 1: 11:03

That wasn't the objective of the Mishkan. The Mishkan was to be just a small little ADU, a small little duplex, a small little in-law suite, a small little mother-in-law suite, a secondary unit, an in-law apartment, a granny annex, a garden suite. That's what the Mishkan was to be A place for God to come visit his precious daughter and her cheshire husband who's learning in Kol El, to check up on them. And when we take this medrash in the way that we do here, which is to take it quite literally and to understand it with the proper concentrated depth that chazal give to their words, everything begins to sing like a song and bright lights now shine on the entire topic of parashat, shumat, tetzaveh kisis, of a yakope kudeekude in the understanding and the comprehension of the Mishkan.

Speaker 1: 11:54

Because don't you believe that it's a little bit odd that the Torah used the word here V'Shochanti, b'socham, v'shochanti. Does that word give you any sort of connotation? V'shochanti To me. After a bit of research, I have concluded that v'shochanti means, like a shachin, god wants to dwell with us, to abide, to dwell, to worker and guru and understudy and the slave that needs tons and tons of saving, that complains a lot. But now a different step in the relationship is manifesting. God wants to be our neighbor. God wants to come for Shabbos. There's to be a you read us a dwelling of the down here on this earth. We're neighbors with God. I mean, talk about for one just what it is to keep up with the Joneses in a neighborhood like that, where your neighbors are with God. But agav orche, we see, secondary here, how precious the Torah is, also that God wants a spot down here on this earth, even a tiny little uncomfortable guest room, just because he wants to be able to see his precious Tyra. How lucky we are to have the Tyra. But the Medrash tells us that we're to build an ADU, an Accessory Dwelling Unit, so that our father-in-law can come and visit us in our home.

Speaker 1: 13:46

Our father-in-law. Our Shver, who has endless money. Our Shver that owns skyscrapers in Midtown. Our shver, according to the Medrash, that he married off the Torah, which is the kala to us, the chassan. Our shver that owns hotels in Las Vegas, ski resorts in Switzerland, manages hedge funds that make Bill Gates's fortune look minuscule. Our schwer that has more than $80 trillion according to the last researched and known amount of money that is in planet Earth, depending on the amount of how you qualify stocks, bonds, funds and assets but more than $80 trillion, if not way more, inside of the bank account and the checking account of our Shver. And he wants to come and hang out at our house for Shabbos and we're to build him a small little area for him.

Speaker 1: 14:43

And because of this, when we have this perspective of just how much this new, unique relationship is one of peace, tranquility it is so amicable, it is so pleasant, so friendly, that this incredible shver is going to come hang out with us. It leads us to all the other conclusions that will be coming henceforth. Because when your father-in-law comes over and the shekhinah comes to hang out with you, even though it is in the guest room in a keton echad, it makes a lot of sense why that we're to act and live a certain way when the shekhinah is in our midst. Because when your father-in-law comes over, doesn't it make a lot of sense that you wouldn't simply walk around in your crocs and undershirt, with your chest hair hanging out of your undershirt, shaving using the facilities, with the restroom door open. Would you dare do that when the king of all kings and this honorable guest is now in your midst? It makes so much sense why it's v'hoyam achanecha kadosh, how that posik now sings like a song and preaches the truth in a way that it hits home. It is uncanny to our mashal.

Speaker 1: 16:08

God literally walks in our home. We have to keep our home presentable, follow the rules. God gave us a Torah of rules and we know how the shver likes his bed to be made and we know how the shver wants us to keep up on our taxes, pay our bills, wake up on time. For how embarrassing would it be time for, how embarrassing would it be for the Bayreuth Eylem for your Shver to walk into your room while you are still schluffing away at 10 am, for him to wake you up and schlep you down the block to the study hall or the house of prayer.

Speaker 1: 16:55

Our Shver is incredible. He is all-powerful, he gives us everything that we have and sometimes he even comes down from his Kito and Echad and during Pesach, shavuos and Sukkos may even have dinner with us and our wife. A little intimate date with you, your Shver and your wife. This is what life with the Beis HaMikdash is like. And this is what life with the Beis HaMikdash is like, and this is what life when Hashem and after that we have properly made a Mikdash so that, god, we are neighbors with the all-present. With this understanding, with this medrash in hand, we can continue our way to answer cadres of questions, and really the following question that sticks out like a very pus-filled pimple on the face of an Eskimo, because the boy, re Olam, who is in charge of everything and now finally gave us this humble favor, request for us to build him a small little A-D-U, a small little place he could come visit. It makes sense why the Lashon of the Pesach is v'yikhu li truma and take for me, truma.

Speaker 1: 18:29

When the fundraising, the GoFundMe page, the Chesed Fund, the Raise it page of really the very first one ever, the first fundraising drive to build a house for Hashem, this Ketonech had happened. It was all said in the way that Jewish people should donate their money, they should take, take for yourself, take for me. Now it's weird, don't you think it's weird to take when really the positive should be saying and give, but when you understand that you've married a billionaire's daughter, you've married Kucha Brichu's daughter and everything that he gives you, everything that the whole world gets is from his hedge fund, is from his stocks and bonds, is from his bank account and he's now gifting it to you for you to enjoy in life. That now, when he asks you for a dollar back or just, can you just make me a side room? I've given you all of life. I've given you health, happiness, wealth, a salary, lungs and eyes. Can you just donate a dollar back so that we can make just a small little hut? Doesn't it make sense that the Bo-Rei Olam would save a Yik Huli and take from me Because I want to elaborate upon this point that when you take so much from someone, it feels so pleasant to be able to repay them.

Speaker 1: 20:01

And when you do have that choice, that opportunity to give back to your parents, when they've given you everything, like having your in-laws over for Shabbos of course they don't need your money, they don't need your chicken on the bone or their potato kugel, but they're allowing you a place vehiculally to take, they're allowing you an area that you can now feel fulfilled and that you've given your dad a 50th anniversary wedding present. I know what it feels like. Our parents have, let's just say, paid for our mere tuition, maybe some extra basketball shoes, maybe some presents and toys. They've given us hundreds of thousands of dollars over our 20 years. If we have lived that endless amounts, and when they come for Shabbos, doesn't it feel so warm in your heart that you finally have an opportunity to at least make them some chicken, at least to repay them with some form of a experience to reciprocate the incredible value that you have received? It makes so much sense when you're dealing with the shver that owns the world.

Speaker 1: 21:30

What else becomes incredibly eye-opening is the Pazuk before this iconic Pazuk, of which told us that there is precise building plans for this Kito Nechad. It's to be the tabernacle. All of its furnishings should have a precise pattern. You should do it exactly as I like, because the in-law, the shver, when he comes over, he says of course you can have my credit card, have everything in the world and just maybe you can give back just one small little private ADU Accessory dwelling unit. But at least make sure that it's done how I like. At least make sure it's not the yellow wallpaper. You haven't plastered rock and roll bands on the wall, video games connected to plasma televisions inside of the living room. I want nothing of that. No cheap carpet.

Speaker 1: 22:34

The Almighty gives us precise ways that he wants this ketone to be built with our muscle. So much of the entire narrative of the mishkan comes to life, the whole relationship between us the new, fancy and treasured son-in-law, who's learning in Colel, relating, and now married to the daughter of the owner and ruler of everything, the Shver, who is omnipresent. We're married to the Torah, but he wants us to at least give him a place that he could come visit. So now it all makes sense and comes together that the Mishkan was to be a place that the Shver could come and therefore we should act a certain way. A place that the Shver should come, and why the fundraising process was elucidated that we should take for ourselves, because any good shver wants to let his son-in-law still feel like a mensch, like he's not just snoring endlessly. He can give something.

Speaker 1: 23:48

And lastly, now it makes sense that once we're building a little home, shouldn't we at least follow the calculations of the way that the shver, who gives us everything, wants his tray, table, furniture and bed to be made and constructed? It's powerful, this medrash, because, manazeh, we don't have the beisam migdash, so we don't have that same level of V'shachanti B'Socham, but we still do have areas that we have this lofty level of V'shachanti B'Socham. When you walk into a shul, when you walk into a study hall, when you walk into within eight cubic feet of any place that they're studying, halacha poh, right there, that's where God lives with a v'shachanti b'sochim, that's where you'll find God's shechina. Everywhere else there still is God and his presence because he's up up down down right, left and all around, but maybe it isn't at that level of a unique and private custom-made dwelling. But it makes sense that we should still adhere to following the rules, because there are areas that God does come to visit and there are areas where God's presence is still felt and therefore we should probably practice the way that we are to act, because if tomorrow we build the Besa Megdash, we're going to be back living in close quarters with our Shver. So we probably should follow the rules and practice living the way that you would feel respectable if you were living amongst the life in those close confines with your shver.

Speaker 1: 25:47

The Mishkan created a reality that we were neighbors with God. We lived in close quarters with Kutzabrichu, with our rather wealthy father-in-law, we've made sense of Vayikuli Truma, and we've made sense of why the Mishkan had to be followed to the precise and exact specifications of our father-in-law, until we are to come upon the day that all of these details and facts of the Ve'asuli Megdash, v'shachanti Besocham become relevant again, because we are to follow these same laws when the third Beis HaMegdash will be built. This is a law L'doyrois. Until that day comes, we best practice the right way to go about it and do understand the relationship that we have between us and Hashem and the close relationship that we have with His Torah. These are some critical ideas to continue to think about. Every time you hear a pasuk about the Mishkan, you should remember the relationship we have with Hashem and just how it is that we came to be living with our Holy Father-in-law when we made him a mikdash and he was v'shalchanti b'socham.