Shemot/ Ex 25:1 – 27:19
Yoch/Joh 12:32 “And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, shall draw all (men) unto Myself.”
The suffering our Messiah endured through the cruelty of men who lifted him up (terumah) on an execution stake became the very act that reconciled us to YHVH.
There can be no greater gift – “terumah” ever given to mankind, for mankind, by YHVH than this one act.
From before the foundation of the world everything has pointed to this One Offering that Yahshua, himself would be that would cause him to become the only way truth and life to the Father, the Almighty Creator of heaven and earth – YHVH.
The Lamb slain before the foundation of the world –Rev 13:8
The Torah points us to Messiah as the greatest gift – terumah- of all.
More information is given to us about the Tabernacle than any other subject in the Torah.
This is understandable if we realize the purpose of this Tabernacle or tent of meeting was so that Elohim could dwell in the midst of His people.
Some have referred to the Tabernacle (Mishkan) as a Royal Marriage Tent, a place where Yisrael/Israel the bride prepares and purifies herself to make herself ready for her Bridegroom.
The sages often teach about the Tabernacle in the context of the Song of Songs.
We need to ask ourselves, "How important is it for us to understand the building of the Tabernacle?" YHVH only used six chapters of His precious Torah to explain His total creation. In these six chapters, He also gave insight on the sons of Adam, how man fell, and the judgment upon His creation, man, at the time of Noach.
In contrast, YHVH used sixteen chapters in the Torah to give us understanding of the Tabernacle, its construction, and the services His people were to perform before Him. YHVH was making it very clear that He was seeking a presence amongst His people. He has never changed His mind. He is the same yesterday today and forever.
When the religious system of this world was about to stone Stephen, he spoke of the Tabernacle in the Wilderness, if they understood what the tabernacle represented they would never have stoned him.
"Our fathers had the tabernacle of witness in the wilderness, as He had appointed, speaking unto Moshe, that he should make it according to the fashion that he had seen." Acts 7:44
Stephen spoke of the Tabernacle as the Tabernacle of Witness. You can kill the visionary but not the vision. The Tabernacle was given as a spiritual witness of YHVH's eternal redemption for man, when the Ruach (Spirit) of YHVH shows us the connection between the tabernacle with Messiah, the eternal counsel of YHVH’s redemptive wisdom becomes a very precious reality to us.
Blessing for the Torah:
Baruch atah YHVH, Eloheynu, Melech ha-O’lam, asher bachar banu m’kol ha-amim,
v’natan lanu eht Torah-to. Baruch atah YHVH, noteyn ha-Torah. Ameyn.”
(Blessed are you, YHVH, our Elohim , King of the Universe,
(Blessed are you, YHVH, our Elohim , King of the Universe,
you have selected us from among all the peoples, and have given us your Torah.
Blessed are you, YHVH, giver of the Torah. Ameyn.)
Torah Readings:
- 25:1-16
- 25:17-30 (Sefardim); 25:17-40 (Ashkenazim)
- 25:31 – 26:14 (S); 26:1-14 (A)
- 26:15-30
- 26:31-37
- 27:1-8
- 27:9-16
- Maftir: 27:17-19
Haftarah: 1 Kings 5:12 (26 Heb.) – 6:13
Aliyah Rishon 25:1-16
Shemot/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.
We must pay special attention to the kind of giving our Father desires, the leaders were only to take those gifts that were given with a good heart (kavanah).
We are taught in the “shema” that we want to love YHVH with all of our hearts and beings and material possessions (might).
2Co 9:7 Let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not of grief or of necessity, for Elohim loves a joyous giver.
2Co 9:8 And Elohim is able to make all favour overflow toward you, that you, always having all you need in every way, have plenty for every good work.
(Note: my own emphasis is added to text for emphasis)
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.
Each one of these materials that was given as an uplifted set apart gift has significant instruction for bringing about a Messianic reality on earth and in our lives.
Gold represents Kingship, Yahshua is the king of kings; silver represents redemption; bronze represents judgment; Yahshua took our judgement upon himself; blue represents heaven, Yahshua came to bring heaven to earth. Purple speaks of royality, Yahshua is preparing a “Royal Priesthood”. Linen speaks of Messiah’s purity and that of his bride. Goats hair speaks of the sin offering of Yom Kippur. The rams skin dyed red speaks of Messiah’s substitutionary offering of himself.
The Badger skin speaks of an unattractive outward appearance – “…He has no form or splendour that we should look upon Him, nor appearance that we should desire Him –
Yesh/Isa 53:3 despised and rejected by men, a man of pains and knowing sickness. And as one from whom the face is hidden, being despised, and we did not consider Him.
Acacia or “shittim” wood speaks of the execution stake. (It’s interesting that the gematria of “shittim” and “satan” are the same ie 359) . Yahshua came to undo the works of ha satan.
Oil represents anointing and beauty, The name Mashiach means anointed one or the Oiled One.
The spices would include Myrrh (stacte) frankincense, onycha and galbanum. These were harvested from trees that were either punctured or had branches broken and the sap that came out as the result of the trauma would be taken and crystalized and crushed.
The fine leather would also later be used for the making of the Torah scrolls.
The precious stones would come to represent the family of Yahshua the 12 tribes of Yisrael.
Shemot/Exo 25:8 “And they shall make Me a Set-apart Place, and I shall dwell in their midst.
The verse does not say, "and I will dwell within it," but "and I will dwell within them"--within each and every one of them (betocham) Midrash Tanchuma, Naso 16
Father has always wanted to dwell in His people. First He chose the tabernacle and then He chose His son Yahshua our Messiah.
There is an interesting progression of revelation given in the following Torah portions. After the giving of the Torah in parashat Yitro, we have parashat Mishpatim which speaks about how only a bondservant will feel welcome in YHVH’s family and how such a person will want to live their lives, in this week’s parashat Terumah the Torah instructs us on how we can draw closer to YHVH.
Shemot/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 (ve asu aron) an ark of acacia wood two and a half cubits long, a cubit and a half wide, and a cubit and a half high. (Note the use of the plural – this is our joint inheritance – Eph 1:18)
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.
The central feature of the Tabernacle was the ark, which housed the two tablets containing the 10 sayings. The sages say Yisrael is only a nation by virtue of the Torah. Yisraelites carry the very presence and light of YHVH to the nations because the Torah has been hidden and treasured in their hearts.
The Hebrew word “ark” is “aron” which comes from the word “light” for the Torah is the light of the world. When Messiah, the Torah in the flesh came he was called the light of the world because the Torah was in him. Messiah’s so called “pre –existence” was in the form of the Torah and in the mind of YHVH before the foundation of the world.
The ark is the heart of the Tabernacle; this is where the presence of YHVH dwells. The total circumference of the ark is 8 cubits. Eight is the number of new beginnings. When the Father meets with us He always will touch and change our hearts first. This is the place where YHVH chose to speak to Moshe.
It is important to note that the staves and rings attached to the Ark of the Covenant were intended to remind us that the ark could be compared to a true follower who would be like a pilgrim on this earth always ready to go where YHVH directs and leads. We travel on the shoulders of a priesthood.
There is great mystery and controversy surrounding the disappearance and possible rediscovery of the ark. Who knows, it may well be found again before the return of Messiah.
Apocrypha: 2 Macabees Chapter 2
1 It is also found in the records, that Jeremy the prophet commanded them that were carried away to take of the fire, as it hath been signified:
2 And how that the prophet, having given them the law, charged them not to forget the commandments of the Lord, and that they should not err in their minds, when they see images of silver and gold, with their ornaments.
3 And with other such speeches exhorted he them, that the law should not depart from their hearts.
4 It was also contained in the same writing, that the prophet, being warned of God, commanded the tabernacle and the ark to go with him, as he went forth into the mountain, where Moses climbed up, and saw the heritage of God.
5 And when Jeremy came thither, he found an hollow cave, wherein he laid the tabernacle, and the ark, and the altar of incense, and so stopped the door.
6 And some of those that followed him came to mark the way, but they could not find it.
7 Which when Jeremy perceived, he blamed them, saying, As for that place, it shall be unknown until the time that God gather his people again together, and receive them unto mercy. (Emphasis added)
8 Then shall the Lord shew them these things, and the glory of the Lord shall appear, and the cloud also, as it was shewed under Moses, and as when Solomon desired that the place might be honourably sanctified.
Aliyah Sheni 25:17-30
Shemot/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.
The sages compare this lid to the “nefesh” or being of a man. We note how this whole lid was made from one piece of gold, the lid plus the two kerubim. This reminds us of our how closely linked the atonement of man is with the ministry of messengers.
Ivrim/Heb 1:14 Are they not all serving spirits sent out to attend those who are about to inherit deliverance?
Exo 25:22 “And I shall meet (Hebrew means to meet by appointment only) 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.
In the Song of Songs the lid of the ark can be compared to the “palanquin” A palanquin was an ancient portable room or enclosure carried on the shoulder of slaves. This was used to transport royalty. The palanquin is where the king and his queen enjoyed each other’s company. There was only room for the two of them.
Song of Songs 3:9 and 10: Sovereign Shelomoh made himself A litter (S668 palanquin) of the wood of Leḇanon;
He made its posts of silver, Its support of gold, its seat of purple, Within it was decked with love By the daughters of Yerushalayim.