Interfaith Terumah

[Bandit]

Interfaith Terumah

this is the opening parsha to the Mishkan. a lot of this we have already gone over in the Tabernacle thread.

the text is Exodous 25 through 27.

one thing i just noticed is the poles that are inserted into the rings are never to be removed. later it explains a pattern of how the ark should be carried. it appears it was more like a chest or box with no feet.

the table of shewbread naturally had legs, but i think it also had these rings with poles for it too would be carried in similiar manner as the ark.

30. And you shall place on the table showbread before Me at all times.

there must have been a reason to have shewbread on the table at all times, in order for it to be considered BEFORE ME, Me is meaning God.

i also noticed there would always be OIL & i see at least two different types of oil in the tabernacle at all times. hmmm

also the colors are interesting for me & have yet to understand the symbolic meaning for each color. maybe there isn't any.

blue…wool. , wool dyed with the blood of the chillazon [animal]

purple wool., wool dyed with a kind of dye named linen.
(i think rashi is saying it is not literally from goats- not sure)

red dyed., after they were tanned. tachash skins. species of animal that only existed for a short time.
(this might be coming from oral tradition-again, not sure)

one other thing i realized from studying the furnishings is, all that was made out of pure gold like the candle holder & the two angels, was pounded out. i am thinking it was pounded because that way there would be no mold to try & copy these things again by others. i view this type of sculpturing as an art & a talent.

i was looking forward to this parsha to help understand Mishkan better. i am sure there will be plenty we can add to the Tabernacle thread, especially from the Levitcus & Wilderness books .

 

[pohaikawahine]

yes .... now we start with the details of the tabernacle and all of this will cross with the other thread "tabernacle in the wilderness" .... the colors are important .... indigo, purple and crimson are the ends of the spectrum and are colors with the highest frequency (remember that each color has its own frequency of vibration) and they represent royalty as well as the higher energy centers in the body .... each color and frequency is also associated with a particular gland in the human body which corresponds to the vibration (we'll get into this another time) .... I read that the indigo and purple are dyes extracted from a species of murex (whatever murex is???) and the third is a dye derived from the eggs of scale insects found on oak trees .... and there are also the meanings within meangins, the worlds within worlds to consider .... for example Exodus 26:28 "and the central corssbar in the middle board shall shoot through from end to end" where I read (can't recall exact reference now) but it is from the Zohar that on Jacob's journey "he became the central pillar of whom it is written 'the center bar in the middle of the planks shall run from end to end"

I've just returned from 3 days of taking care of my grandson, so I'll have to get back into the reading and make this a little more coherent .... aloha nui, poh

 

[Bandit]

i was reading in my book on symbols about colors. the murex you mentioned. purple was a difficult color to produce in ancient times & expensive as well, thus associated with royalty.

in egypt red was an accursed color. in the arab world blue is supposed to protect against the evil eye. in english custom of brides wearing 'something blue' is meant to unsure fidelity.
in anglo saxon times, trees & animals were painted red.

in ancient egypt cats with green eyes were feared. green is also associated with vegetation & can stand for awakenings.
black stands for power but is also used in mourning. in egypt black was the color of eternal life & resurrection. black hens are used in witchcraft. in the west white represents purity & is used for baptism robes & wedding dresses.

well, that is just a little on colors from the encyclopedia on signs & symbols.

somehow the middle bar was inserted into or between the other bars but it had no rings. i am not getting a real good visual of what that means to extend & penetrate & how these 5 planks are tied together. i look forward to what you are seeing in that. i am not following what is really happening there even after reading what Rashi is trying to say. i am thinking it was because there was no plank long enough to go all the way through, so these 5 boards are tied together making one plank to create the distance. does that sound right?

 

[pohaikawahine]

aloha e bandit - regarding the rings that are never to be removed, here is a really interesting interpretation by Rabbi Avi Geller (I'll post some other parts of it later, but here is the part on the permanence of the ark) ....

the inability to remove the posts or rings signifies the permancne of the ark .... "inside the ark are the stone tablets. Stone represents permanence. From the stone Torah in the Ark, the spiritual and physical development of the nation must flow. This forms a triangle - from the Ark to the Table and the Menorah. When our physical and spiritual development comes from the Torah, the result is the incense, meaning total dedication to G-d. However, what if the Jewish people decline to receive their spiritual and physical growht from the Torah in the Ark and get their 'kicks' somewhere else?! This does not change the Torah one iota. So to speak, the Torah closes its curtain, unhooks the loops, and waits with its bars inside on the ready for the next generation to lift it up and bear it. Question (Finally) Answered:
Now we understand why the bars may not be removed from the ark. The Torah is portable. There is a famous picture of an Israeli chaplain captured by the Egyptians in the Yom Kippur War, carrying a Torah into captivity. This can symbolize the Jewish people who went into exile carrying the Torah - and will return to their land bearing the Ark of G-d."

Now isnt' that a great interpretation .... I just love it.

So the whole concept of the "portable" temple and all its contents and rituals remind us of who we really are and our responsibility in life if we choose to carry the "tabernacle in the wilderness" and find our way out of exile .... that's my thoughts this morning in a "nutshell" or maybe in a "ark" ....

aloha nui, poh

 

[Bandit]

aloha e bandit -
Now isnt' that a great interpretation .... I just love it.

So the whole concept of the "portable" temple and all its contents and rituals remind us of who we really are and our responsibility in life if we choose to carry the "tabernacle in the wilderness" and find our way out of exile .... that's my thoughts this morning in a "nutshell" or maybe in a "ark" ....

aloha nui, poh

Aloha Pohaikawahine.

yes. i think that is an awesome interpretation. all of these little things apply to us & the Torah & ourselves being portable. if we dont see it, it still does not change the Torah! that was good. & even for the next generation- you can pass some of this on & they wont forget.

another thing i always marvel at is the screen with 5 pillars that faces the east. this more like a seperate wall, not exactly attached to the tabernacle the way the other 3 walls are. the east has a special word that means FACE & the west side had a word that means BACK. in some diagrams you can see where the east is like feet & the west is like the head. but the reality is you would enter through feet or what was called FACE. so i kind of see a Paradox there in the directions Mishkan is layed out. the direction of the tent is set up the same way all time after they travel.

i am also looking at the altar. it was 5L 5W & 3H in cubits. (someone suggested it was 10H & sat on a ledge)

And you shall place it beneath the ledge of the altar from below, and the net shall [extend downward] until the middle of the altar

it says the horns shall be made from it. in other words the horns are not made seperate. i am guessing they are attached & & not removable. i think there are 4 horns coming from the corners. i wonder what that means?
the brain only has one horn, but this has 4 horns & they are on the corners.

i would not want to be in charge of this altar, i dont think. it had a net & holes & hooks & pots & shovels & scoops, fire & ashes. it probably stunk.
i think this altar was always being used, so someone had a lot of work. i like being around the altar at church with other people praying together, so i wonder if there is a connection there.
the altar also had boards that were inserted into rings & they stayed there for carrying. so this is another big piece, yet made portable & easy to carry.


also the courtyard- 100L x 50W. not sure how high the wall made of linen was.
there is a lot in the Parsha...to be continued...

hope your week is nice with your grandson

 

[pohaikawahine]

hmmmmmmm... I'm looking at some of the diagrams and trying to think of myself as above or below the diagram itself .... the one that has the layout of the camp in the form of a cross shows the top portion (camp of ephraim) as the west, camp of judah as the east (the longer portion at the bottom) and the north on the right and south on the left .... with levi in the center .... so the east would represent the feet and the west would represent the head (which is a little different that what you suggested above) .... usually the west (in pacific ritual) is the side always designated for the god .... for example in the circle of chiefs, this spot would be left empty and no man could sit there .... I'm trying to remember that when a person dies and is buried in the sitting position, the body faces west toward the setting sun .... all of these rituals have meanings within meanings and may be closer to some of the concepts in the tabernacle in the wildnerness that we first think ....

then there is the inner sanctum, the holy of holies, the ark, etc.... these, if the body symbolism follows, would follow structures within the head itself .... the four horns I'll have to look at more closely .... the brain actually has two in the caudate nucleus, the the four may symbolize something else????

it's a good thing we have our own portable tabernacle's to carry around .... the one that is physically reconstructed and moved has got to be a wopper of a job to handle .... some suggest that the entire structure is symbolic and was not actually constructed and reconstructed in the desert because some of the materials would have been difficult if not impossible to get .... just curious if any fragments have ever been found ....

Rabbi Hirsch also suggests that each element of the tabernacle is symbolic of aspects of our lives .... the "vegetable aspect: totally sensuous, the animal aspect: slightly higher, the human aspect: emotion and reason, the G-dly aspect, spirituality) .... then the colors of each aspect, for example "white linen (representing purity in the vegetable aspect), red wool (the animal aspect), purple wool (the human aspect), and blue wool (the G-dly aspect) .... " all dedicted to serving the almighty .... and he used this scripture (exodus 36:2) "to all the wise hearted have I given wisdom" which means that when we are ready and "wise hearted" we begin to understand
the meanings .... gotta go, will be back .... aloha nui, poh

 

[Bandit]

hmmmmmmm... I'm looking at some of the diagrams and trying to think of myself as above or below the diagram itself .... the one that has the layout of the camp in the form of a cross shows the top portion (camp of ephraim) as the west, camp of judah as the east (the longer portion at the bottom) and the north on the right and south on the left .... with levi in the center .... so the east would represent the feet and the west would represent the head (which is a little different that what you suggested above) .... usually the west (in pacific ritual) is the side always designated for the god ....

we are seeing this the same way. not sure what i said that makes you think i was seeing it different. there is a hebrew word for the east side that means FACE...cant remember what it is now.
EAST = BOTTOM, FEET, FRONT, FACE
WEST = TOP, HEAD, REAR, BACK

North & South = Right & Left

i have been doing the same exact thing by standing it up, turning it upside down etc...to see how it will be different. the only thing is, the East side is BOTH the entrance & the exit (i think)

for example in the circle of chiefs, this spot would be left empty and no man could sit there .... I'm trying to remember that when a person dies and is buried in the sitting position, the body faces west toward the setting sun .... all of these rituals have meanings within meanings and may be closer to some of the concepts in the tabernacle in the wildnerness that we first think ....

i am sure there are other rituals that could be seen the same way. i have never heard of someone being buried sitting down. i have heared of them standing up before. i think i would want to be buried toward the rising sun instead of the other way- but of course i would never know the difference .

then there is the inner sanctum, the holy of holies, the ark, etc.... these, if the body symbolism follows, would follow structures within the head itself .... the four horns I'll have to look at more closely .... the brain actually has two in the caudate nucleus, the the four may symbolize something else????

i was just reading where the voice that spoke to Moses always came from the top of the Ark. even if he was only in the first chamber, the voice would still come from above the Ark. now you are telling me the brain has two horns?? LOL
i better get a diagram soon.

it's a good thing we have our own portable tabernacle's to carry around .... the one that is physically reconstructed and moved has got to be a wopper of a job to handle .... some suggest that the entire structure is symbolic and was not actually constructed and reconstructed in the desert because some of the materials would have been difficult if not impossible to get .... just curious if any fragments have ever been found ....

the only thing i know of is the basement of Solomons Temple, but i get a hunch there is more out there somewhere. if not, it would make sense to me also, because all the things that are in this earth vanish away & only the spirit will remain. for some reason i see all the missing pieces from the Tabernacle as literal but they disappeared, leaving no trace & that is how i view my spirit, after body has gone back to the dust...only the spirit which is invisible to us, will still remain.

Rabbi Hirsch also suggests that each element of the tabernacle is symbolic of aspects of our lives .... the "vegetable aspect: totally sensuous, the animal aspect: slightly higher, the human aspect: emotion and reason, the G-dly aspect, spirituality) .... then the colors of each aspect, for example "white linen (representing purity in the vegetable aspect), red wool (the animal aspect), purple wool (the human aspect), and blue wool (the G-dly aspect) .... " all dedicted to serving the almighty .... and he used this scripture (exodus 36:2) "to all the wise hearted have I given wisdom" which means that when we are ready and "wise hearted" we begin to understand
the meanings .... gotta go, will be back .... aloha nui, poh

i am glad you put it is all dedicated to serving the Alimighty. i am also seeing each piece as symbolic in each aspect of our lives.
that is how i see it also

boy, this Parsha could go on forever.

 

[pohaikawahine]

yes - I agree we are looking at it the same way, I just got confused about feet and head .... east and west .... I have to check out the burial in a sitting position again and which direction the body faces .... I think it is also connected with the concept that the rising sun is symbolic of birth and rebirth and the setting sun is the return to the earth or darkness or night .... also represents a return to the spirit world .... this is where knowing hebrew would be a real asset to understanding .... it is as though we have entered a maze and are finding out way but the path is filled with blind alleys that hinder out progress .... but if we are determined and have faith we will get there bandit .... and it is lots of fun besides interesting .... I'm off to check for a good diagram of the brain for you .... aloha nui, poh