BS”D
GOLDEN GROWTH: PARSHAT TERUMAH
Shira Smiles shiur 2019/5779
Adapted by Channie
Koplowitz Stein
In Parshat Terumah Hashem gifts us with His desire to dwell among us. In order
for Him to do so, He commands us to build Him a dwelling place according to His
specifications. He begins to inform us of all the specifications necessary for
the structure itself and for the vessels within. The first instructions regard
the building of the Holy Ark which will house the two Tablets of the Law Moshe
had just brought down from Sinai. While the box itself was to be of acacia
wood, “You shall cover it with pure gold from within and from without.” In
other words, as Rashi explains, the Ark is to be constructed of three nesting
boxes, the middle box being wood and the inner and outer boxes gold.
Rava says in Gemarrah Yoma that this arrangement of boxes for the written Torah
is an analogy for the character of a true Talmid Chacham/Torah scholar
whose internal thoughts and external actions should match. A Talmid Chacham
whose inside is not as his outside is insincere. And Abaye continues by saying
that such a pseudo scholar is called loathsome, “For a loathsome and tainted
man, who drinks iniquity like water.”
Our first question has more depth than we would initially think. How can a Talmid
Chacham be inside and outside the same. And Rav Sternbach asks a secondary
question. On closer examination of the construction details of the Ark, the
inner is really two boxes, gold and wood, while the outer is only gold. How can
they be the same? The simple answer, as Shemen Hatov notes, is that
although there was wood in the middle, both the inner and outer surfaces were
gold. We will explore this question in greater depth further in the shiur.
How does all this relate to a Torah scholar? Rav Wolbe z”l cites the Rambam in
interpreting this to mean that one needs to be honest in what he says, that
what he speaks should not be duplicitous, but must reflect his true inner
thoughts. Further, in any verbal exchanges, your word should be your bond and
must be as good as gold. As Rabbi Frand writes, the Chazon Ish urged
someone to keep his appointment at the agreed time even if it meant missing
davening with the minyan.
Rabbi Weissblum brings an additional perspective to maintaining an inner and
outer integrity. Sometimes people present themselves one way to the public but
act differently in private. Public eyes watching may pressure a person to act
or speak more piously than he is wont to do in the privacy of his home. One
whose public and private personae do not match cannot become a true Torah
Scholar. In fact, Rabbi Frand cites a dispute between Rabban Gamliel and Rabbi
Yehoshua. Rabban Gamliel, as head of the Yeshivah, had instituted a requirement
that an applicant would be accepted for study only if his “inside” and his
“outside” were equally pure. When he was removed as head and Rabbi Yehoshuah
took over, Rabbi Yehoshua removed this restriction and several hundred
additional students were admitted. This depressed Rabban Gamliel, and he felt
he had withheld Torah from so many people. But he had been aware of all these
applicants and yet he had denied them. Why was he depressed? Rabbi Frand cites
the Chidushei HaRim who answers that Rabban Gamliel saw the positive
effect this environment had on the students who grew into true Talmidei
Chachamim even though they were not at that level when they had applied.
This growth he felt he had denied them.
Rabbi Friefeld z”l now moves to another point of symmetry. Hashem created the
world with a sense of harmony, a harmony which is essence of the Shabbat menuchah/rest/sense
of well being. A Talmid Chacham, through his intense Torah study. writes
Rabbi Frand, is acutely aware of this balance, and a medrash actually equates a
Talmid Chacham with Shabbat. A Talmid Chacham will do nothing to
upset that balance and harmony, not in his speech nor in his actions, and he
will have a heightened sensitivity to everything and everyone around him. He
will recognize that a thoughtless word that embarrasses or even slightly
discomforts someone may upset the balance of the universe.
The first goal of a Talmid Chacham is to eliminate contradictions within
himself, writes Chochmat Hamatzpun quoting Rav Wolbe z”l.
Internally, he must be filled with yirat Shamayim/awe of Heaven, while
externally he strives for Torah knowledge and its application. If you work on
the internal, your Torah will increase and will imbue your learning with
passion and will impact your outer life. Torah study alone can quench your
thirst for knowledge like water quenches your thirst, but it would not put into
you the passion and heat of wine. You would remain “loathsome and tainted,” more
like an encyclopedia than like a true Talmid Chacham.
We live in a world of rationalizations and excuses, a fantasy world that
disconnects our inner and outer selves. The biases within ourselves taint our
integrity. We must know who we are as individuals, our personal strengths and
weaknesses, what is appropriate for us not just in our behavior but also in
what we are in a position to strive for. All our learning begins through
imitation, but at some point we must reach within ourselves for our own,
personal truth.
The Alter of Slabodka tells us that Lot was saved from destruction because he
did not tell Pharaoh that Avraham and Sarah were husband and wife instead of
sister and brother. Wasn’t Lot saved because he was machnis orchim, because
he brought the strangers/angels into his home in Sodom and fed them? No, says
the Alter. That behavior was second nature to him, having been raised in the
home of Avraham Avinu. But to keep Avraham’s secret (Avraham might have been
killed, but then Lot would be handsomely rewarded) was against his avaricious
nature. He made a personal choice not based on what he had always been taught
and trained to do.
Similarly, are we reciting our brachot by rote, because we were
trained to do so as children, or are we seeking a personal connection with
Hakodosh Boruch Hu? How much of our behavior is genuinely ours? The Talmid
Chacham’s inner world is one of struggle and personal decisions.
The Aron was not all gold through and through, but had a center layer of
wood. How does this wood connect to a Talmid Chacham? Rav Reiss in Meirosh
Tzurim presents the center “acacia tree” as a metaphor for the Talmid
Chacham. While gold is inert, a tree grows dynamically. So too must a Talmid
Chacham continuously grow his inner world. But he must not let it grow
wild, without constraints. There are boundaries which he cannot go beyond. He
must limit himself to grow within the parameters of immovable halacha,
the golden covering.
A Talmid Chacham has to be alive in what he is doing, but he must remain
true to his righteous faith,, writes Rabbi Pincus z”l. The difference between a
computer and a human being is the ability to create and make connections. A Talmid
Chacham must remain as vibrant as a tree, constantly growing.
Nevertheless, one must still maintain an inner core of truth, “Hashem is close
to all who call to
Him b’emet/in truth.” One can go through all
the motions and never allow oneself to reach inward to his inner core of truth.
Rabbi Grossbard z”l references a Medrash about Yerovom ben Nevat, the
first King of the Ten Tribes of Israel when it split from the Kingdom of Judah.
In order to consolidate his power, he installed idols for Israel to pray to so
they would not go to Jerusalem in the heart of the Kingdom of Judah for the
three Foot Festivals. The Medrash states that Hashem pulled Yerovom by
the collar and told him that if he would repent, “I/God, you, and the son of
Yishai/David would enter Paradise together.” Not being content with hearing the
promise and the order once, Yeravam asked who would go first. At that, Hashem
said that David would go first. Yerovom refused the offer, for his ego would
not allow King David to precede him. Yerovom was a great Torah scholar, but all
his learning remained external to him, like the jacket he was wearing, never
entering his inner core and redeeming him. He refused to acknowledge the inner,
Godly core within him and therefore remained doomed.
What was Rabban Gamliel’s problem that he refused entrance to the Academy to
anyone whose inner and outer selves did not seem to be in sync? He was afraid
that their great knowledge would affect their egos and they would not act
properly, would not serve Hashem with absolute truth. Therefore, we pray vetaher
lebeinu/that Hashem purifies our hearts to serve Him b’emet/with the
truth that is at the very core of our humanity, our tzelem Elokhim/image
of God.
Rabbi Schlesinger notes that every Talmid Chacham [indeed every person] should
carry himself with golden dignity on the outside, but remain humble on the
inside. They both reflect the truth of a Torah scholar.
What is interesting is that although what we see is gold, we call the Ark an Aron
of wood, notes Rabbi Kofman z”l in Mishchat Shemen. Each of us must be
honest with ourselves and know our personal level of gold and wood, know
exactly who we are and at what level we stand. Reaching beyond one’s current
capacity is counterproductive, but remaining where you are without reaching
higher, not believing at all in yourself, is equally dishonest.
To drive this idea home, Rabbi Kofman z”l relates a message from the Chizkuni.
Korach was a great leader and scholar in his own right, yet he wanted more.
When Korach rebelled against Moshe and Aharon, all were put to a test. Korach
and each of his 250 men were to bring incense before God, as were Moshe and
Aharon. Whichever incense pan Hashem chose would be the true choice of Hashem.
We know the outcome, but what was to be done with the 250 incense pans that had
been sanctified for God, albeit Hashem had not chosen them? Elazar, the
priestly son of Aharon the High Priest, took the pans and made them into a
canopy for the copper altar. The canopy would serve as a reminder to all who
saw it that they should not desire for themselves that for which they were not
entitled, that which was above their rank. Know who you are and your current
limitations, know your inner truth, and don’t put on external airs of greater
piety than you really are internally.
Nevertheless, internally you must still maintain your passion. Rabbi Beyfus in Yalkut
Lekach Tov opines that the “judge” Rabban Gamliel used to see which
prospective student met the criteria for entrance into the Academy was a lock
on the door. If the student found a way to enter in spite of the difficulty,
his inner passion to study Torah matched his outer words seeking admission. See
what lengths Hillel went to in his desire to study Torah, almost freezing to death.
This passion should follow through with every mitzvah. There are often
obstacles in our path as we desire to do a chesed, for example. If we really
want to do the chesed, we’ll come back again later or help in a more
accommodating way. May obstacles can be overcome when the inner desire is truly
there.
Although we’ve emphasized inner humility, we are reminded that the innermost
layer of the Ark was also pure gold. We must never forget that our essence is
pure with tremendous potential for greatness. Knowing that potential will keep
us both humble and proud as we strive to reach that goal. Introspection will
help us reach the goal Hashem implanted within us.
May we grow in such a way that the pure gold of our inner essence is always reflected
in our outward appearance.