5784/2024

Parashat Terumah primarily discusses the building of the Mishkan and its various Keilim. Like any good recipe, the first Aliyah of the Parashah outlines the list of ingredients necessary for the building process. The list seems to go in descending order of importance: “וְזֹאת הַתְּרוּמָה אֲשֶׁר תִּקְחוּ מֵאִתָּם זָהָב וָכֶסֶף וּנְחֹשֶׁת׃ וּתְכֵלֶת וְאַרְגָּמָן וְתוֹלַעַת שָׁנִי וְשֵׁשׁ וְעִזִּים׃ וְעֹרֹת אֵילִם מְאָדָּמִים וְעֹרֹת תְּחָשִׁים וַעֲצֵי שִׁטִּים׃ שֶׁמֶן לַמָּאֹר בְּשָׂמִים לְשֶׁמֶן הַמִּשְׁחָה וְלִקְטֹרֶת הַסַּמִּים׃ אַבְנֵי־שֹׁהַם וְאַבְנֵי מִלֻּאִים לָאֵפֹד וְלַחֹשֶׁן׃,” “This is the donation that you should take from [Bnei Yisrael]: Gold, silver, bronze, blue wool, purple wool, fine linen, goats’ hair, red ram skins, Tachshish skins, Shitim wood, oil for lighting, spices for the oil and incense, and Shoham and Miluim stones for the Eiphod and Choshen” (Shemot 25:3-7). However, the last two materials on the list seem to be the most important! The Avnei Shoham and Avnei Milu’im were by far the most expensive and rare materials, and were used on the Bigdei Kohein Gadol, while the rest of the items are more general things needed for the Mishkan. If the list of ingredients is going in descending order of importance, why would the Avnei Shoham and Avnei Milu’im be last on the list?

The Ohr HaChaim HaKadosh offers 3 answers. First, he says that perhaps these stones are mentioned last because the Nesi’im, who donated these stones, gave their donations last, after the rest of Klal Yisrael. The Midrash (BeMidbar Rabbah 12:16) explains that Hashem was angry with the Nesi’im because they delayed giving their donation until everything else was already given. Because of this, Hashem removed the letter ‘י’ from the word נשיאים in the context of their donations to the Mishkan. Therefore, the Avnei Milu’im and Avnei Shoham, which were lazily given last to the Mishkan, are last on the list of important donations to the Mishkan. 

Second, the Ohr HaChaim explains that the Bigdei Kehunah have a lower level of Kedushah than the parts of the Mishkan. According to the Rambam (Hilchot Me’ilah 5:14), if one takes or uses a part of the Mishkan for his own benefit, he transgesses the Issur of Me’ilah (using a holy object for one’s own benefit). However, one does not transgress Me’ilah with Bigdei Kehunah. One can infer from this that the items used for building the Mishkan were more holy than the items used for the Bigdei Kehunah. Therefore, although the Avnei Milu’im and Avnei Shoham were more expensive, they were last on the list because they were less holy than the other materials used to build the Mishkan.   

Lastly, the Ohr HaChaim offers a 3rd answer that expresses an important idea. He describes that, unlike the Avnei Milu’im and Avnei Shoham, the materials collected for building the Mishkan required hard work. People had to shear sheep, chop wood, squeeze olives, and much more to acquire all the earlier items that the Torah lists. The Avnei Milu’im and Avnei Shoham, however, required no effort to retrieve. The Gemara in Yoma 75a describes that the Avnei Milu’im and Avnei Shoham were dropped from the Ananei HaKavod. They dropped into Bnei Yisrael’s hands and were therefore less important. Hashem values the dull and cheap wood that comes with effort more than the beautiful and expensive gems that come without effort. 

With the war raging in Eretz Yisrael, it is important to realize that the results are completely in Hashem’s hands. No matter what decisions the American and Israeli politicians are making, it is important to always keep in mind that God is running the show from behind the scenes, and not to be outraged at anyone, but to realize that it is all from Hashem, and Hashem wants Klal Yisrael to have Achdut. On the other hand, as Ohr HaChaim HaKadosh described by the Avnei Milu’im and the Avnei Shoham, Hashem greatly appreciates and desires our effort. Even if, at the end of the day, everything is done by Hashem, we must still do our Hishtadlut. That means Davening with as much Kavanah as possible, learning Torah with as much intensity as someone in the front lines, advocating as much as possible, and raising large sums of money. Even if the war is completely in Hashem’s hands, it is necessary that we feel as though the results are dependent on our shoulders and the effort we put into helping Klal Yisrael. We know that Hashem deeply values our Hishtadlut. The question is if we do too.