Parashat And Sidra Of Terumah

Parashat And Sidra Of Terumah

Parashat Terumah is the 19th weekly Torah portion in the annual Jewish cycle of Torah reading.

G-d is not limited by time or space. Yet in the sidra we read that His intention is to dwell among his people. The pronoun “your” here takes on immense importance. It means that G-d chooses his abode (shechina in Hebrew) – hence the mishkan, i.e. tabernacle. However, building this tabernacle presupposes two things:

o Terumah, i.e. the victim of lifting
and a willing heart
Terumah, or the sacrifice of raising, meant that the kohen raised the sacrificed animal to Heaven.
I write a capital H in the word Heaven because in rabbinic literature it is synonymous with G-d. It means, that sacrifice belongs only to G-d.
A willing heart means that in order for G-d to accept the sacrifice, one must sacrifice something. He must renounce part of his property, his profit, and therefore also his position, if it is not in accordance with G-d’s will. I think, and I am not far from the truth, that what one does not like to give up and what
he doesn’t like to sacrifice, it’s time. The tabernacle had the Hebrew name Ohel moed, which offers two possibilities
translation. Ohel is a tent, moed is not only a meeting, but also time. So it is also a tent, better said the tabernacle of time. Even though we don’t have this portable tabernacle or Temple these days, time, which allows access to G-d remains. Everyone can build a tabernacle within themselves,
when he sacrifices time to G-d in prayer and Torah study. Only in this way can a person
bring truma – sacrifice The Tabernacle, whose role is taken over by the Temple over time, is a visible symbol of a certain order which must be observed. The value of a person. I recently heard from a renowned economist in a discussion. that if through
night all the unemployed died, our economy would boom. The same could be said about
pensioners. So we ask ourselves – what is the value of a person today? Dead man is for society more valuable than alive. The best place from which a person can benefit society is with located two meters underground. We are amazed to see how the value criterion is distorted. O
robbing crews of production lines, in order to further enslave them, is referred to as o “downsizing”, laid-off workers are “released” as if they were somehow before
tied up. Outright theft is referred to as “tunneling”; abortion is referred to as o
“termination of pregnancy” as if the unborn person were to resume after some break its development. And so we could go on. What is the whole problem? Man is diverted from the Source of values and is inclined to the crooked the mirror. Due to his activities, he is unable to build a tabernacle for the Lord and therefore suffers the absence of the Shechinah.
Torah
Exodus
25:23 You shall make a table of acacia wood two cubits long, one cubit wide, and one cubit high, and half a cubit.
24 You shall overlay it with pure gold and surround it with a gold border.
25 You shall also make a wide border around the palm of it, and you will make a border of gold around the border.
26 You shall provide it with four golden rings and fasten them to the four corners by its four feet.
27 The circles will be just below the bar to hold the poles for carrying the table.
28 You shall make the staves of acacia wood and overlay them with gold; the table will be carried on them.
29 You shall also make for it bowls, pans, kettles and sacrificial bowls used for libations; you will make it is pure gold.
30 You will regularly place showbread on the table in front of me.
Leviticus
24.5 You shall take white flour and bake twelve loaves of it: each loaf shall be of two tenths of an ephah.
6 You shall place them before the Lord on the table of pure gold in two columns, six to a column.
7 You shall put pure incense on each pillar; it will be with the bread as a memorial as a fire offering for
the Lord.
8 Aaron shall arrange them before the Lord always on the day of rest, and that continually. It will
to stand as an everlasting covenant among the Israelites.
9 They shall belong to Aaron and his sons, who shall eat them in the holy place; it’s for him
holy ones, a portion of the offerings made by fire to the Lord. That’s a forever valid regulation.”
Mishnah
In the inner hall before the entrance to the Temple were two tables: one of marble, the other of gold. On the marble table was placed the presented bread that came in, on the golden one that came out, because holy things are to ascend, not to descend. Inside the Temple was another golden table on which the presented bread was constantly lying around. Four kohanim entered: two carrying two columns (of bread) and two they carried two censers. And four kohanim walked against them: two to make two columns of loaves they took away, and two to take away the censers. Those who entered faced the north the south; those who were going out stood on the south, facing the north. These take away, retreating in space, which both have in front of them, they put, advancing. For it was said (Ex 25,30): “Still before my face.” Jossi says: “Even if some take away first and others only afterwards laid, it is still fulfilled.” They go out and place them on the golden table in the hall, burn incense in censers. And the loaves are divided among the kohen. If Yom Kippur falls on Shabbat, the loaves are divided evening. If Yom Kippur falls on the day before Shabbat, the lamb eaten on Kippur is eaten in the evening. AND (the pontiffs) of Babylon eat it raw, because they can bear it that way.
Gemara
There is one baraita: Rabbi Jose said: “Even if the old bread is taken away in the morning and the new bread is placed in the evening, it is also good. “But how then will it be fulfilled still before my face “? Especially if the table doesn’t stay empty breads overnight. Rav Ami said, “According to the words of Rabi Jose, it would therefore mean that when one learned only one chapter in the morning and one in the evening, he still fulfilled the command “The book of the Torah shall not depart from the mouth yours” (Jos 1:8)?” Rabbi Yochanan said in the name of Rabbi Shimon ben Yochai: “Even if someone read only the morning Shema and the evening Shema, he has fulfilled the commandment, it will not leave your mouth; however, he must not o to be instructed by an uneducated person (am-haarec). ” But Raba said. “Instruct the uneducated is merit (mitzvah).” Ben Dima, son of Rabbi Yishmael’s sister, asked Rabbi Yishmael: “When has anyone studied the entire Torah like me, how is it for them to study Greek wisdom? “Rabbi Instead of answering, Yishmael read him the verse “Let not the book of the Torah depart from your mouth and you meditate over it day and night” (Jos 1:8). “Find me an hour that is neither day nor night, and then study Greek wisdom. ” Rav Shemuel bar Nachman contradicts on this point. For’ Rav Shemuel bar Nachman says in the name of Rav Jonathan: “That verse does not mean an obligation or a command, it is blessing. The Lord saw that the teachings of the Torah were especially dear to Joshua, because it is said (Ex 33.11): ‘But his servant, young Joshua, the son of Nun, did not leave the tent.’ he said: ‘You love the teachings of the Torah so much that the book of the Torah will never leave your mouth! ` (Jos 1,8). ” It was taught before Rabbi Yishmael: “The words of the Torah are not a debt to you. You are never with them settled.” Hezekiah said: “What does the text (Job 36:16) mean: he will bring you out of the gully of adversity into a wide space, where nothing is oppressive, and where the table will be covered with fatty foods? Behold how the way of God differs from the way flesh and blood. The way of flesh and blood: man entices his neighbor to lead him from the ways of life to the ways of death; The Lord entices man to lead him from the ways of death to the ways of life, for it is said (Job 36:16): ‘I lured you away from the narrow gullet, and from hell, whose gullet (entrance) is narrow, so that smoke was gathering there. And if you say: ‘As narrow as his gullet (entrance) is, so is hell,’ the text says (for Tophet has long since been prepared; he too has been established): deep and wide… And if you say: It was not prepared for the king, the text (Isaiah 30:33) says: for the king. And if you say: It is not there wood, the text (Isaiah 30:33) says: “There is much fire and wood on its border.” And if you say: Even this is retribution, the text says: ‘The table will be covered with fatty foods’. Raba bar Chana in the name of Rav Yochanan said, “They were not Babylonians, they were Alexandrians. But they are called Babylonians, because The Babylonians are hated. ” A baraita teaches us about this: Rav Jose said: “They are not of Babylon, but of Alexandria, and They are called Babylonians because of the hatred that the Babylonians arouse. ” Rav Yehuda he answered: “Be comforted, for you have comforted me.” The bread with which the priests were fed was constantly before G-d’s face, after all, that was also its name, i.e. breads of the face. The duty of the priests was also to teach the people. What the priests were fueled with, they passed on; “where the heart abounds, the mouth overflows”. There were a total of five holy objects in the Temple: The Ark of the Covenant, containing the Ten Commandments the commandments, the altar of incense, the golden menorah – the seven-branched candlestick, the golden table on which the kept the loaves of the face and the sacrificial altar that stood before the entrance to the sanctuary. Three objects had a bar i.e. the crown: the ark of the covenant, the table of shewbread and the sacrificial altar. Crown Chest of the Covenant it represented the sovereignty of the Torah, which is why the Torah scroll is still crowned with a crown, the so-called Keter Torah. The crown of the sacrificial altar represented the kohanim who are mediators between the people and G-d who teaches the people and gives the people blessings. The crown of the golden table represented office the king, or if you want worldly power, and it was on him that the bread of the face should always rest. In the Talmudic treatise Pirkei Avot (Speech of the Fathers) it is said: “The world rests on three things – Rabbi Shimon ben Yochai said: There are three crowns: the crown of Torah, the crown of priesthood, and the crown of government, but the crown of reputation is above all. Crown of Torah – see Leviticus 19:32 pay respect not only to the Torah itself, but also to the one who adopted it wisdom. crown of the priesthood – see Leviticus 21:8 government crown – see Deuteronomy 17:15 And so we come to the solution of our problem. So it means that only he who combines these three crowns, he will also reach the fourth crown, i.e. the crown of good reputation. As we stated in the anchor, dealing with the fate of Joseph, these three crowns will be united only by the Messiah, who will be crowned yet the fourth crown of good reputation. As we can see, there were already many messianic pretenders, but neither one of them did not get the crown of good reputation. Only he who will be crowned with these four
crowns, will also solve the above problems.

Chassidic Parashat

Living Holy

“Make for me a Tabernacle and I will dwell within them.” (Exodus 25:8)
R’ Yishayahu Horowitz, the author of the classic Shnei Luchos HaBris, (Parshas Terumah, end of section “al Derech HaSechel”), explains the building of the
Tabernacle (Mishkan) through several levels of understanding.
He asked, “What is the meaning of ‘And I will dwell within them’? The verse should have read ‘I will dwell within it’”. He answers that the Torah is referring to our thoughts. Hashem is saying that He will dwell within the minds of all those who participate in the construction of the Mishkan by building the inner spiritual Mishkan of pure dveykus (attachment) to Hashem.
The words of the Shelah (the Shnei Luchos HaBris) need further explanation.
R’ Yisroel of Ruzhin explained why Hashem needed to make a Mishkan in the mind of every Jew.
“Hashem gave the commandment to build the Mishkan only after the incident of the Golden Calf. When the Jewish nation stood before Hashem at Mt. Sinai and
received the Torah, they were elevated to an exalted state whereby they were wholly cleansed from any trace of spiritual impurity. At that moment there was no need for a Mishkan to serve as a special dwelling place for Hashem in the lower worlds. Every person standing at Mt. Sinai had a clear revelation of godliness. But the incident of the Golden Calf caused the people to be hurled down from this level, causing a great separation and they were forced to resume a merely physical existence.” (This is one of the reasons why Chazal maintain that women are on a higher level of closeness to Hashem than men and therefore don’t need the all the Mitzvos to maintain their connection with Him. They didn’t participate in the Golden Calf!)
“Later, when Hashem became appeased with Klal Yisrael, He desired to do something to renew the relationship. So He gave the instructions for building the Mishkan, the place designated for the revelation of the Divine Presence. From there Yisrael would be able to draw down G-dliness, the spirit of purity and
holiness and into their lives.”
“And we”, continued the Rizhiner, “We have no Mishkan today. What can we do? Each Jew, if he makes a Mishkan in his mind, by dedicating his speech and his
actions to the service of Hashem, can transform his being into a Tabernacle. Then the Divine Presence will again have a dwelling place in this world.”
(Sefer Ner Yisrael Chelek Alef, Parshas Terumah)

Playing Safe

“And you shall make the staves (carrying poles for the Ark) from acacia wood and cover them with gold. And put the staves through the rings on the sides of the ark
in order to carry the Ark with them. The staves shall remain in the rings of the Ark, they shall not (ever) be removed from them.” (Exodus 25:13-15)
Rashi comments that this instruction “not to remove the staves from the rings of the Ark,” is one of the 365 negative Mitzvos of the Torah. Additionally, Hashem instructs Moshe Rabbenu to make rings and staves for other
vessels in the Mishkan; for the Showbread Table, the Copper Altar and for the Golden Altar. Yet there is no prohibition of removing the staves from these
vessels. When the Mishkan was in use, the staves were taken out and put away until it came time to transport the Mishkan to a new camp. An important lesson in
Derech Eretz can be drawn from this. The Showbread Table and the Golden Altar were placed in the inner courtyard of the Mishkan, and the Copper Altar was placed in the outer courtyard surrounding the Mishkan. The Mishkan itself which was an area of 450 sq. feet (42 sq. meters), was constantly occupied by Cohanim who were performing the various
services that were required each day. The Ark on the other hand, was placed in the innermost chamber, of the Holy of Holies, a space of about 225 sq. feet (21 sq. meters). Only one person (the Cohen HaGadol) went into the Holy of Holies, and then only once a year; on Yom Kippur. Since they weren’t in anybody’s way, it wasn’t necessary to remove the staves from the Ark. But the staves in the other vessels in the Mishkan and in the outer courtyard, which protruded from the vessels by as much as 6-10 feet on any given side, would have presented an obstacle to the Cohanim working there. Therefore the Torah allows the staves to be removed in order not to impede those whose work required them to be moving about in that area. From here one can learn to be careful not to put any stumbling blocks, potential
or existant, before others. (A classic example is pushing ones chair in when leaving the table. It makes it easier and safer for other people in the room to move
about.)

A Kingdom Of Priests

“And cover it (the Ark) with pure gold inside and out, and you shall make upon it an ornate golden rim all around.” (Exodus 25:11)
“And cover it (the Table) with pure gold, and you shall make for it an ornate golden rim all around.” (Exodus 25:24)
“And cover it (the Golden Incense Altar) with pure gold, its top, its walls all around and its corners, and you shall make for it an ornate golden rim all around.” (Exodus 30:3)
Three vessels in the Mishkan required a “Zair Zahav”, a golden diadem. The Ark, the Showbread Table, and the Golden Incense Altar. Concerning the Ark the Torah states, “and you (pl.) shall make upon it “. Concerning the Showbread Table, and the Golden Incense Altar the Torah states, “and you (sing.) shall make for it”. Why does the Torah change its language in these two ways?
The Rambam (Maimonaides) states in the beginning of his Hilchos Talmud Torah (chapter 3), “Yisrael was crowned with three crowns: Torah, Priesthood, and
Kingship. The crown of the Priesthood belongs to Aaron (and his descendants). . .the crown of the Kingship belongs to David (and his descendants). . . The crown of Torah waits ready, available to anyone who claims it, as it is written, ‘The Torah which Moshe commanded us is the heritage of the Congregation of Jacob’”. (Deut. 33:4)
The Golden Incense Altar alludes to the priesthood. Incense is something non-physical, more spiritual in substance, given to the Cohanim since they were
charged with the spiritual well-being of the people. The Table of the Showbread is an allusion to sustenance, something physical in nature, therefore associated with the King who is entrusted with the responsibility of the physical well-being of the people. The Ark represents Torah, the repository for the tablets of the Ten Commandments, and later, for the first Sefer Torah. Concerning the Table of the Showbread and the Golden Incense Altar it is written, “and you (sing.) shall make for it”, it implying that these crowns are to be passed down along a singular, direct, hereditary line. Regarding the Ark, however, it is written, “and you (pl.) shall make upon it “. The implication is that this crown is
not passed by inheritance to a select line, rather the crown of Torah may be placed on anyone who claims it by dedicating oneself to studying it and upholding its ways. (Rabbenu Bachye Shemos 25:11) “This is the Terumah which you shall bring from them; gold, silver and copper.” (Exodus 25:3)
Above, it was mentioned that the construction of the Mishkan was a consequence of the Incident of the Golden Calf. Rabbenu Bachye learns that the building of the
Mishkan was proof that Hashem had forgiven us totally for the Golden Calf. A Midrash in Vayikra Rabbah 27:8 explains this idea: “Their malice caused the King to rejoice.” (Hosea 7:3) The Midrash asks, when Hashem gave the
commandments for the sacrifices, why did He begin with the “ox”. It answers with a parable. “R’ Levi said, It can be compared to a nobleman about whom malicious
gossip was circulated. The King, upon hearing it, made a thorough investigation into the matter, and found the allegations to be completely false. What did he do?
He made a feast, and invited the same falsely maligned nobleman, and placed him at the head of the table. It was made clear to the King’s court that there was no
substance to the gossip. Similarly, the nations of the world point to the incident of the Golden Calf and reminded Hashem of Yisrael’s rebellion. What did He do? He investigate the matter and found that they had done complete Teshuva. What then? When He gave the commandment of the sacrifices (Leviticus 1), He listed the ox first as a sign that he was appeased.” Rabbenu Bachye, uses this Midrash to clarify our verse. Why was gold the first to
be listed among the fifteen items required for building the Mishkan? Hashem wanted to show that had completely forgiven Yisrael for the incident of the Golden Calf. Therrefore he listed gold as the first of the materials needed in the Mishkan. Gold was invited to sit, to use the Midrash, at the head of the table.

Absolute Forgiveness

The Ra’shash, Rabbi Shmuel Strahsuhn, was one the leading sages of Vilna and a wealthy man. He was reknowned for his keen insights into the Talmud. He asked very tough questions on every page in the Talmud. His famous commentary includes many of these questions, some answered and some not. Scholars to this day still wrestle with his questions. He became a partner in the printing of the Vilna Shas, one of the first printed editions of the entire Talmud. Since the Vilna
edition included his commentary, it became immensely popular and he subsequently became very wealthy. The Ra’shash maintained a special free loan fund which was available to all the residents of Vilna. Once, a simple Jew, a baker, who had borrowed money from the Ra’shash, arrived at his home with the funds in hand to repay his loan. He was admitted into the Ra’shash’s study where the Rabbi was engrossed as usual in his learning. He accepted the money from the baker, nodded his head in recognition and placed the bills between the pages of the Tractate that he was studying, without interrupting his learning. Several months later, when the Ra’shash was reviewing the ledgers of the Fund, he came across a delinquent loan; the baker’s. He called the baker in and requested payment of the loan, but the baker demurred, insisting that the loan had been repaid months before. But the Ra’shash, who was as meticulous a businessman as he was a scholar, only saw that in his ledger the loan was still
outstanding. After several attempts to obtain repayment of the loan, he finally brought the baker to a Beis Din (Rabbinic Tribunal) to adjudicate the case. The baker, having no evidence of repayment, and going against the reputation of the one of the greatest sages of Vilna, was ordered to pay the amount of the loan to the Rabbi. The humiliation he suffered was horrible. People stopped buying baked goods in his bakery and he was soon forced to leave Vilna for a distant town, hoping to rebuild his life. Even his son, a promising young scholar in his own right, was forced to leave his studies in Vilna, and found it all but impossible to find an appropriate wife. Less than a year passed. The Ra’shash was reviewing the same Tractate that he had been learning when the baker came to repay his loan. As he turned the page, a packet of bills dropped down on the table in front of his volume. It took only a moment for the Ra’shash to realize what had happened, and what he had, inadvertently, caused. Immediately he rose, and summoned his coach to take him
to the distant town where the baker now lived. It was a full day’s journey, but the Ra’shash was intent on righting his misdeed. He urged the driver on, and finally they found the town and the home of the exiled baker.
The baker’s surprise at seeing the sage quickly turned to dismay as the Ra’shash explained to him how he had found the money from the loan and wished now to
beg his forgiveness. “I would gladly forgive you”, sighed the baker, “but what good will it do me now? I’m ruined, and I’ve lost everything. Not only my business,
but also my reputation in the community. No matter where I go, the I am haunted by the fact that I dared to stand up to the Ra’shash in Beis Din. How will it help me
to forgive you?” The Ra’shash, understanding the baker’s position, countered with another offer.
“I can make a public apology. I will go before the entire congregation of Vilna and admit my mistake. Thus you will be exonerated!”
“No, that won’t help either”, insisted the baker. Everybody will just think that the Ra’shash, with his tremendous piety, is forgiving me. Nobody will really believe
that it is true.” The Ra’shash realized that the baker was correct. What could he do to right the misdeed he had done? How could he demonstrate beyond any doubt, that he indeed wronged the baker and was doing Teshuva for it? After a number of heart-
aching minutes he knew that he had found the solution.
“Sir”, he said addressing the baker. “I propose the following. You have a son, and I have a daughter. Let’s unite them in marriage, and I will cover all the costs. Let it be a sign that I was in the wrong and that you were in no way deserving of the unmerciful treatment you received!” It took only moments for the two fathers to reach an agreement. The wedding that was held later that month, was a celebration which created peace and goodwill between all the citizens of Vilna. It was long remembered as one of the most
joyous celebrations that the Jews of Vilna had ever experienced.

Czech Parashat

Parashat Truma (Shemot 25:1-27:19)

This parashat is closely related to the following ones, especially the next one – Tecave. They refer to the construction of the portable Sanctuary – the Mishkan, and things related to it.

The preceding parts of the Torah were full of action, and so the reader raced along its lines like a highway. Now the road is starting to get more bumpy and, as it were, duller. But it is not our job to just read the Torah, but to try to understand it. And the effort is paying off. Here we encounter a description that is extremely detailed – considering how the Torah is otherwise sparing with details. Even Rabbi Yeshayahu Leibowitz noticed this disparity, when, for example, the creation of the world, the entire universe up to man, takes up only a few dozen verses in the Torah, while the description of the construction of the Mishkan takes up about ten times as many verses. It is a paradox that, according to Yeshayahu Leobowitz, contains a deep meaning.

The highest purpose of the Torah is not to give man all the information about the world, but to tell him something about the MEANING of human existence in this world. Mishkan is the real culmination of the story so far. The chosen nation is formed gradually: First we have the escape from Egypt, that is the negative freedom. The bonds of slavery are gone, but the slave mentality persists and can degenerate into anarchy. Then comes Sinai, i.e. acceptance of G-d’s laws, i.e. positive freedom. There is already a conscious responsibility. And the culmination of this process is the construction of the Mishkan. What is Mishkan all about?

Let us note first that the Mishkan is also sometimes called “Mikdash” = Sanctuary (“Make me a Mikdash” – Shemot 25,8). But more often it is called “Mishkan”, which basically means “Dwelling place” (Shemot 25,9).

The meaning of the Mishkan – the dwelling place of G-d – was clearly expressed in the verse: “In the same way (the High Priest) will proceed at the Tent of Appointed Times (meeting), which stands in the midst of their impurities.” (Vajikra 16,16). G-d keeps His Presence with us, even in the midst of our impurity, because He knows that we have the ability to break free from it. How? Through the Torah. The Tabernacle of Times is the meeting place between G-d and Israel – the place where the Torah is given. In parashat Tecave, the Tent of Times was described as the place where “I will meet with you to speak to you” (Shemot 29:42). “To speak to you” means he passed on the Torah. And learning Torah creates closeness between us and G-d, gives us feelings of joy and fulfillment. As the Psalm says (19:9): “The commandments of G-d are direct and make the heart glad.” All this is contained in the word Mishkan.

And the Mikdash, that is again a place of holiness. Holiness denotes transcendence, that which is so much beyond us. We feel how great is the gulf that separates the Creator from his creation. Our response is to be service – sacrifice and prayer – in which we recognize and acknowledge our own poverty compared to G-d’s majesty. As the prophet Isaiah says (56.7): “My house will be called a house of prayer for all people”. Mishkan and Mikdash are actually one and the same. The Mishkan represents joy in the presence of G-d, and the Mikdash represents the awe one feels toward G-d’s majesty. Both form one whole. As the Psalm says (2:11), we are to “rejoice with trembling.”

In the Sanctuary itself, there was an altar of incense, opposite stood a massive menorah, all of gold, which weighed about 34 kilograms, and a wooden table for bread, which was called “lechem hapanim” – literally: bread of faces. The table, made of acacia wood, symbolized the material side of life. This material represented impermanence, changeability, fragility. In contrast, the menorah symbolized the spiritual aspect of life – permanence, uniformity, immutability. As if this aspect stood above time – perfect, noble, like the material from which it was made.

One detail from the Mishkan is noticed again by Rabbi Yeshayahu Leibowitz. There were also poles to help move the Shrine from place to place. While for other parts of the Mishkan, the rods were inserted only at the moment of moving, the rods at the ark, containing the tablets of the law, remained permanently inserted into the rings. This, he says, is because the Torah, which the ark symbolizes, is not tied to one particular place. It is the Law for man as such, wherever he may be. And displacement is part of its essence.

The last thing I would like to point out in this parasha is a certain unusualness of the text in verse 25.8. There, that verse is commonly translated as, “Let them make me a Sanctuary, and I will dwell in the midst of them.” But the word “betocham” is used there, which should literally be translated as “in them”, in them I will dwell! So – a person builds a Mishkan even within himself. In our heart is “kodesh ha-kodashim” – the holiest place. That is where our encounter with God takes place. We have to take care of this place, keep it clean, selfless, because it is the most important thing in our life. There we should rejoice and tremble in awe. It is our generator, just like the ark above which two cherubim are touching. This is the place of energy, where there is light that illuminates the heart and the face of a person. A space where there is no room for falsehood. The dimensions of the holiest place in the Mishkan had the shape of a cube – 1:1:1. This too expresses a certain perfection that relates to an undivided heart. G-d dwells there.