This Torah portion and the following four Torah
portions all discuss the pattern(tavniet) and construction of the tabernacle –
mishkan – This is the most discussed topic in the Torah.
The English word "tabernacle" is derived from the Latin tabernāculum meaning "tent" or "hut", which in ancient Roman religion was a ritual structure.
The word sanctuary is also used for the scriptural tabernacle, as is the phrase "tent of meeting". The Hebrew word mishkan implies "dwell", "rest", or "to live in". that dwelt within this divinely ordained structure.
We often refer to the feast of tabernacles as “sukkot” where we build “sukkahs” – the Hebrew word “sukkah” refers to a temporary structure.
Ultimately YHVH seeks to dwell with us permanently and not temporarly – see
New Yerushalayim.
Rev 21:2 And I, Yoḥanan,
saw the set-apart city, renewed Yerushalayim, coming down out of the heaven
from Elohim, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
Rev 21:3 And
I heard a loud voice from the heaven saying, “See, the Booth of Elohim is with
men, and He shall dwell with them, and they shall be His people, and Elohim
Himself shall be with them and be their Elohim.
This week’s Torah portion (Parashat Terumah), mirrors three of the technical terms of the Torah scroll:
Tabernacle
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Torah Scroll
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יריעות (yeri‛ot) – The “curtains” that cover the Tabernacle (e.g., Exodus 26:32, 37; 27:10).
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The pieces of parchment in the Torah scroll are called יריעות (yeri‛ot), the same term as the curtains of the Tabernacle.
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עמודים (‛ammudim) – The “columns” which hold up the Tabernacle and its accoutrements (e.g., Exodus 26:32, 37; 27:10).
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The columns of the Torah scroll are called עמודים (‛ammudim), the same term as the columns of the Tabernacle.
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ווים (vavim) – The “hooks” attached to the columns that hold up the curtains (e.g., Exodus 26:32, 37; 27:10).
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The sixth letter of the Hebrew alphabet is called a וו (vav), the same term as the hooks that were attached to the columns of the Tabernacle.
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Thus, according to this visual midrash, the Torah scroll is assembled in the same fashion as the tabernacle and is thereby a representation of it.
The Torah scroll is itself a type of reminder of the
Tabernacle, while there is no Temple. This idea is expressed visually in each
and every Torah scroll by what is known as the Vavei Ha‛ammudim.
I recommend the following teaching on You tube on this
parashah by Messianic teacher Joel Allen.
Exo 25:1 And יהוה spoke to
Mosheh, saying,
Exo 25:2 “Speak to
the children of Yisra’ĕl, that they take up a contribution(terumah) for Me.
From everyone whose heart moves him you shall take up My contribution.
Exo 25:3 “And this
is the contribution which you take up from them: gold, and silver, and bronze,
Exo 25:4 and blue
and purple and scarlet material, and fine linen, and goats’ hair,
Exo 25:5 and rams’
skins dyed red, and fine leather, and acacia wood,
Exo 25:6 oil for
the light, spices for the anointing oil and for the sweet incense,
Exo 25:7 shoham
stones, and stones to be set in the shoulder garment and in the breastplate.
Exo 25:8 “And they
shall make Me a Set-apart Place, and I shall dwell in their midst.
Exo 25:9
“According to all that I show you – the pattern of the Dwelling Place
and the pattern of all its furnishings – make it exactly so.
Exo 25:10 “And they
shall make an ark of acacia wood two and a half cubits long, a cubit and a half
wide, and a cubit and a half high.
Exo 25:11 “And you
shall overlay it with clean gold, inside and outside you shall overlay it. And
you shall make on it a moulding of gold all around.
Exo 25:12 “And you
shall cast four rings of gold for it, and put them in its four corners, two
rings on one side, and two rings on the other side.
Exo 25:13 “And you
shall make poles of acacia wood, and overlay them with gold,
Exo 25:14 and
shall put the poles into the rings on the sides of the ark, to lift up the ark
by them.
Exo 25:15 “The
poles are in the rings of the ark, they are not taken from it.
Exo 25:16 “And
into the ark you shall put the Witness which I give you.
Exo 25:17 “And you
shall make a lid of atonement of clean gold, two and a half cubits long and a
cubit and a half wide.
Exo 25:18 “And you
shall make two keruḇim of gold, make them of beaten work, at the two ends of
the lid of atonement.
Exo 25:19 “And
make one keruḇ at one end, and the other keruḇ at
the other end. Make the keruḇim from the lid of atonement, at its two ends.
Exo 25:20 “And the
keruḇim shall be spreading out their wings above, covering the
lid of atonement with their wings, with their faces toward each other, the
faces of the keruḇim turned toward the lid of atonement.
Exo 25:21 “And you
shall put the lid of atonement on top of the ark, and put into the ark the
Witness which I give you.
Exo 25:22 “And I
shall meet with you there, and from above the lid of atonement, from between
the two keruḇim which are on the ark of the Witness, I shall speak to
you all that which I command you concerning the children of Yisra’ĕl.
Exo 25:23 “And you
shall make a table of acacia wood two cubits long, a cubit wide, and a cubit
and a half high.
Exo 25:24 “And you
shall overlay it with clean gold, and shall make a moulding of gold all around,
Exo 25:25 and
shall make for it a rim of a handbreadth all around, and shall make a gold
moulding for the rim all around.
Exo 25:26 “And you
shall make for it four rings of gold, and put the rings on the four corners
that are at its four legs.
Exo 25:27 “The
rings are close to the rim, as holders for the poles to lift the table.
Exo 25:28 “And you
shall make the poles of acacia wood, and overlay them with gold, and the table
shall be lifted with them.
Exo 25:29 “And you
shall make its dishes, and its ladles, and its jars, and its bowls for pouring.
Make them of clean gold.
Exo 25:30 “And you
shall put the showbread on the table before Me, continually.
Exo 25:31 “And you
shall make a lampstand of clean gold – the lampstand is made of beaten work.
Its base and its shaft, its cups, its ornamental knobs and blossoms are from
it,
Exo 25:32 and six
branches shall come out of its sides: three branches of the lampstand out of
one side, and three branches of the lampstand out of the other side;
Exo 25:33 three
cups made like almond flowers on one branch, with ornamental knob and blossom,
and three cups made like almond flowers on the other branch, with ornamental
knob and blossom – so for the six branches coming out of the lampstand.
Exo 25:34 “And on
the lampstand itself are four cups made like almond flowers, with ornamental knob
and blossom,
Exo 25:35 and a
knob under the first two branches of the same, and a knob under the second two
branches of the same, and a knob under the third two branches of the same,
according to the six branches coming out of the lampstand.
Exo 25:36 “Their
knobs and their branches are of the same – all of it one beaten work of clean
gold.
Exo 25:37 “And you
shall make seven lamps for it, and they shall mount its lamps so that they give
light in front of it.
Exo 25:38 “And its
snuffers and their trays are of clean gold.
Exo 25:39 “It is
made of a talent of clean gold, with all these utensils.
Exo 25:40 “So see,
and do according to the pattern which was shown to you on the mountain.
Exo 26:1 “And make the Dwelling Place with ten
curtains of fine woven linen and blue and purple and scarlet material.
Make them, with keruḇim, the work of a
skilled workman.
Exo 26:2
“The length of each curtain is twenty-eight cubits, and the width of
each curtain four cubits, all the curtains having one measure.
Exo 26:3
“Five curtains are joined to each other, and five curtains are joined to
each other.
Exo 26:4
“And you shall make loops of blue on the edge of the end curtain on one
set, and do the same on the edge of the end curtain of the second set.
Exo 26:5
“Make fifty loops in the one curtain and make fifty loops on the edge of
the end curtain of the second set, the loops being opposite to each other.
Exo 26:6
“And you shall make fifty hooks of gold, and shall join the curtains
together with the hooks, and the Dwelling Place shall be one.
Exo 26:7
“And you shall make curtains of goats’ hair, for a tent over the
Dwelling Place, make eleven curtains.
Exo 26:8
“The length of each curtain is thirty cubits, and the width of each
curtain four cubits, one measure to the eleven curtains.
Exo 26:9
“And you shall join the five curtains by themselves, and the six
curtains by themselves, and you shall double over the six curtains at the front
of the Tent.
Exo 26:10
“And you shall make fifty loops on the edge of the curtain that is
outermost in one set, and fifty loops on the edge of the curtain of the second
set.
Exo 26:11
“And you shall make fifty bronze hooks, and put the hooks into the
loops, and join the tent together, and it shall be one.
Exo 26:12
“And the overlapping part of the rest of the curtains of the Tent, the
half curtain that remains, shall hang over the back of the Dwelling Place.
Exo 26:13
“And a cubit on one side and a cubit on the other side, of what remains
of the length of the curtains of the Tent, is to hang over the sides of the
Dwelling Place, on this side and on that side, to cover it.
Exo 26:14
“And you shall make a covering of ram skins dyed red for the Tent, and a
covering of fine leather above that.
Exo 26:15
“And for the Dwelling Place you shall make the boards of acacia wood,
standing up.
Exo 26:16
“Ten cubits is the length of a board, and a cubit and a half the width
of each board,
Exo 26:17
two tenons in each board for binding one to another. Do the same for all
the boards of the Dwelling Place.
Exo 26:18
“And you shall make the boards for the Dwelling Place, twenty boards for
the south side,
Exo 26:19 and
make forty sockets of silver under the twenty boards, two sockets under each of
the boards for its two tenons.
Exo 26:20
“And for the second side of the Dwelling Place, on the north side,
twenty boards,
Exo 26:21
and their forty sockets of silver, two sockets under each of the boards.
Exo 26:22
“And for the extreme parts of the Dwelling Place, westward, make six
boards,
Exo 26:23
and make two boards for the two back corners of the Dwelling Place.
Exo 26:24
“And they are double beneath and similarly they are complete to the top,
to the one ring. So it is for both of them, they are for the two corners.
Exo 26:25
“And they shall be eight boards, and their sockets of silver, sixteen
sockets – two sockets under the one board, and two sockets under the other
board.
Exo 26:26
“And you shall make bars of acacia wood, five for the boards on one side
of the Dwelling Place,
Exo 26:27
and five bars for the boards on the other side of the Dwelling Place, and
five bars for the boards of the side of the Dwelling Place, for the extreme
parts westward,
Exo 26:28
with the middle bar in the midst of the boards, going through from end
to end.
Exo 26:29
“And overlay the boards with gold, and make their rings of gold as
holders for the bars, and overlay the bars with gold.
Exo 26:30
“And you shall raise up the Dwelling Place according to its pattern
which you were shown on the mountain.
I recommend this following teaching on you tube
describing the pattern and present day application of the tabernacle.