 | | Parshat Terumah is about the construction of the Mishkan – the temporary Sanctuary the Jewish people built for God’s Presence to dwell in while they encamped in the Wilderness. Thirteen types of raw materials were used for its construction, including, “gold, silver and copper” (Shemot 25:3). Similarly, various types of animals were required for the sacrifices, like cattle, sheep and fowl. Thus, the people were tasked with giving both expense and inexpensive materials and animals for the Mishkan and its accompanying sacrifices. Why? What is the value of including mere copper to build the Mishkan, when pure gold could have been used instead? Shouldn’t only the most expensive and most precious materials have been used to build God’s dwelling? Similarly, shouldn’t only the most expensive animals have been used for the various sacrifices offered on the holy altar? What is the value of including fowl, the cheapest of all creatures? What is more, even if the people wanted to make the Mishkan out of pure gold, or bring only the largest, most costly animals, they still could not, because God had commanded them: “gold, silver and copper,” meaning, all of those materials had to be used.
In order to unpack the answer to these questions, I would like to turn to the words of Rav Moshe Feinstein z’’l, who explains that the command to use less expensive items like copper, and less expensive animals like fowl, in addition to the more expensive selections, is to teach us a very important lesson about appreciating the different gifts, qualities and attributes of our fellow human beings. Says Rav Moshe, “Just as there is a time and a need for every type of material, so too is there a time and a need for every kind of person” (Sefer Kol Ram, Parshat Terumah 5:386). One should not think that just because a person’s personality, intellect, athletic prowess, artistic ability or sense of humor (just to name a few), do not shine like gold, that they are worthless! On the contrary, each and every person possess unique qualities and talents, and should not be compared to others, but appreciated on their own terms. Thus, the fact that copper and fowl were used for the building of the Mishkan and the offering of the sacrifices, teaches us that in order for the Mishkan to be a place where God’s presence is felt to be dwelling among us, we must all feel represented in its building – not just the elite, but all of us, as we are, recognizing the unique gifts we offer to God’s house through the different personalities which built it.
This Shabbat, let us take a moment to remember that God’s house can only be built if we bring and see our whole-selves in its construction. The Mishkan was not about precious metals, and the sacrifices were not about expensive animals. On a certain level, both were about enabling us to see ourselves as essential aspects of God’s abode. May we always cherish one another for the different gifts we bring and the different values we add to each other’s lives, and may we always strive to see our unique-selves reflected in God’s dwelling place, as God’s Unique-Self is seen reflected in ours.
Shabbat Shalom!
-Rabbi Dan
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