Terumah
Rising Up Through Donations
How to Share - Bringing vs. Giving
The portion of Terumah opens with G-d telling Moses to instruct the Israelites to “Bring me a contribution” for the building of the Tabernacle - the precursor to the Holy Temple later built by King Solomon in Jerusalem. The question is subtle but profound: Why does the Torah use the word “bring” instead of “give”? Wouldn't "give" seem more natural?
This distinction contains a powerful lesson about the consciousness behind charity and sharing. When we “give”, the act can feel personal - something coming from us. It can subtly carry ego: I am giving. I am the benefactor. Giving can feel like a reduction- as though something is leaving our possession. But when we "bring", the energy shifts, To bring implies that we are serving as a channel. We are not the source - we are the conduit. The resources were never truly ours to begin with; they are simply passing through us.
When giving is attached to ego or the feeling of loss, we diminish the spiritual potential of the act. But when we “bring” - when we remove ourselves from the equation - the Light can flow freely and continuously. Nothing is lost. Instead, the channel widens.
Terumah itself is usually translated as “donation,” but its root, tarom, means to elevate. The word can be read mystically as Tarom Hei — “raise the Hei.” In Kabbalah, the letter Hei represents thought, speech, action, and the expression of sharing. When we bring with pure intention, we elevate our consciousness. We raise ourselves.
The Temple Within Us
G-d continues “Make for Me a sanctuary, and I will dwell among them.” Not "in it" - but among them. The commentators point out that the sentence would make more sense if G-d had said “and I will dwell among it – meaning the sanctuary.
From this we can infer that G-d is implying that it is not in the actual physical tabernacle or sanctuary in which He will dwell, but rather within the people themselves. The Temple is within each one of us and only by creating our own internal Temple through sharing and “bringing” charity to the world can we truly get to the place where G-d can dwell among us.
The Power of Separation
The portion describes in detail how the Ark - which held the Tablets - was separated from the rest of the Tabernacle by a curtain, and how the Tabernacle itself was set apart by a courtyard.
Holiness is created through separation. Shabbat is separated from the weekdays. Rosh Chodesh is separated from the rest of the month. Holidays are distinguished from ordinary time. When we designate something as sacred - whether time, space, or intention - we elevate it. By setting boundaries around what matters most, we amplify its power.
G-d is in the Details
This week in Parsha Terumah we see that the key to true sharing is when one acts like a conduit, without condition or ego. Through the Israelite’s creation of the physical Taberncle in the desert, we can manifest and create our own Temple within – a personal place of positive energy and Light where G-d can dwell.
Resources & Credits
The Weekly Wisdom emails and the ideas presented herein are compiled from the following sources:
Gutnick Edition Chumash with Rashi's commentary, Targum Onkelos, and commentary anthologized from Classic Rabbinic Texts and the works of the Lubavitcher Rebbe
Apples from the Orchard - Gleanings from the Mystical Teachings of Rabbi Yitzchak Luria on the Weekly Torah Portion
Kabbalistic Bible - Kabbalah Centre International, Inc
The Zohar - Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai, various translations
Mysteries of the Kabbalah - Marc-Alain Ouaknin
Wikipedia
Other online written and video content that discusses and shares Kabbalistic Wisdom