Parashah 19: T’rumah (Contribution) 25:1–27:19

25 Adonai said to Moshe, ² “Tell the people of Isra’el to take up a collection for me — accept a contribution from anyone who wholeheartedly wants to give. ³ The contribution you are to take from them is to consist of gold, silver and bronze; ⁴ blue, purple and scarlet yarn; fine linen, goat’s hair, ⁵ tanned ram skins and fine leather; acacia-wood; ⁶ oil for the light, spices for the anointing oil and for the fragrant incense; ⁷ onyx stones and other stones to be set, for the ritual vest and breastplate.

⁸ “They are to make me a sanctuary, so that I may live among them. ⁹ You are to make it according to everything I show you — the design of the tabernacle and the design of its furnishings. This is how you are to make it.

¹⁰ “They are to make an ark of acacia-wood three-and-three-quarters feet long, two-and-a-quarter feet wide and two-and-a-quarter feet high. ¹¹ You are to overlay it with pure gold — overlay it both inside and outside — and put a molding of gold around the top of it. ¹² Cast four gold rings for it, and attach them to its four feet, two rings on each side. ¹³ Make poles of acacia-wood, and overlay them with gold. ¹⁴ Put the poles into the rings on the sides of the ark; you will use them to carry the ark. ¹⁵ The poles are to remain in the rings of the ark; they are not to be removed from it. ¹⁶ Into the ark you are to put the testimony which I am about to give you.

(ii) ¹⁷ “You are to make a cover for the ark out of pure gold; it is to be three-and-three-quarters feet long and two-and-a-quarter feet high. ¹⁸ You are to make two k’ruvim of gold. Make them of hammered work for the two ends of the ark-cover. ¹⁹ Make one keruv for one end and one keruv for the other end; make the k’ruvim of one piece with the ark-cover at its two ends. ²⁰ The k’ruvim will have their wings spread out above, so that their wings cover the ark, and their faces are toward each other and toward the ark-cover. ²¹ You are to put the ark-cover on top of the ark.

“Inside the ark you will put the testimony that I am about to give you. ²² There I will meet with you. I will speak with you from above the ark-cover, from between the two k’ruvim which are on the ark for the testimony, about all the orders I am giving you for the people of Isra’el.

²³ “You are to make a table of acacia-wood three feet long, eighteen inches wide and eighteen inches high. ²⁴ Overlay it with pure gold, and put a molding of gold around the top of it. ²⁵ Make around it a rim a handbreadth wide, and put a molding of gold around the rim. ²⁶ Make four gold rings for it, and attach the rings to the four corners, near its four legs. ²⁷ The rings to hold the poles used to carry the table are to be placed close to the rim. ²⁸ Make the poles of acacia-wood, overlay them with gold, and use them to carry the table.

²⁹ “Make its dishes, pans, bowls and pitchers of pure gold. ³⁰ On the table you are to place the bread of the presence in my presence always.

(S: iii) ³¹ “You are to make a menorah of pure gold. It is to be made of hammered work; its base, shaft, cups, ring of outer leaves and petals are to be of one piece with it. ³² It is to have six branches extending from its sides, three branches of the menorah on one side of it and three on the other. ³³ On one branch are to be three cups shaped like almond blossoms, each with a ring of outer leaves and petals; likewise on the opposite branch three cups shaped like almond blossoms, each with a ring of outer leaves and petals; and similarly for all six branches extending from the menorah. ³⁴ On the central shaft of the menorah are to be four cups shaped like almond blossoms, each with its ring of outer leaves and petals. ³⁵ Where each pair of branches joins the central shaft is to be a ring of outer leaves of one piece with the pair of branches — thus for all six branches. ³⁶ The rings of outer leaves and their branches are to be of one piece with the shaft. Thus the whole menorah is to be a single piece of hammered work made of pure gold.

³⁷ “Make seven lamps for the menorah, and mount them so as to give light to the space in front of it. ³⁸ Its tongs and trays are to be of pure gold. ³⁹ The menorah and its utensils are to be made of sixty-six pounds of pure gold. ⁴⁰ See that you make them according to the design being shown you on the mountain.

26 (A: iii) “You are to make the tabernacle with ten sheets of finely woven linen and with blue, purple and scarlet yarn. You are to make them with k’ruvim worked in, that have been crafted by a skilled artisan. ² Each one is to be forty-two feet long and six feet wide; all the sheets are to be the same size. ³ Five sheets are to be joined one to another, and the other five sheets are to be joined one to another. ⁴ Make loops of blue on the edge of the outermost sheet in the first set, and do the same on the edge of the outermost sheet in the second set. ⁵ Make fifty loops on the one sheet, and make fifty loops on the edge of the sheet in the second set; the loops are to be opposite one another. ⁶ Make fifty fasteners of gold, and couple the sheets to each other with the fasteners, so that the tabernacle forms a single unit.

⁷ “You are to make sheets of goat’s hair to be used as a tent covering the tabernacle; make eleven sheets. ⁸ Each sheet is to be forty-five feet long and six feet wide — all eleven sheets are to be the same size. ⁹ Join five sheets together and six sheets together, and fold the sixth sheet double at the front of the tent. ¹⁰ Make fifty loops on the edge of the outermost sheet in the first set and fifty loops on the edge of the outermost sheet in the second set. ¹¹ Make fifty fasteners of bronze, put the fasteners in the loops, and join the tent together, so that it forms a single unit. ¹² As for the overhanging part that remains of the sheets forming the tent, the half-sheet remaining is to hang over the back of the tabernacle; ¹³ and the eighteen inches on the one side and the eighteen inches on the other side of that remaining in the length of the sheets forming the tent is to hang over the tabernacle to cover it on each side.

¹⁴ “You are to make a covering for the tent of tanned ram skins and an outer covering of fine leather.

(iv) ¹⁵ “Make the upright planks for the tabernacle out of acacia-wood. ¹⁶ Each plank is to be fifteen feet long and two-and-a-quarter feet wide. ¹⁷ There are to be two projections on each plank, and the planks are to be joined one to another. That is how you are to make all the planks for the tabernacle.

¹⁸ “Make the planks for the tabernacle as follows: twenty planks for the south side, facing southward. ¹⁹ Make forty silver sockets under the twenty planks, two sockets under one plank for its two projections and two sockets under another plank for its two projections. ²⁰ “For the second side of the tabernacle, to the north, make twenty planks ²¹ and their forty silver sockets, two sockets under one plank and two under another. ²² “For the rear part of the tabernacle, toward the west, make six planks. ²³ For the corners of the tabernacle in the rear, make two planks; ²⁴ these are to be double from the bottom all the way to the top but joined at a single ring. Do the same with both of them; they are to form the two corners. ²⁵ Thus there will be eight planks with their silver sockets, sixteen sockets, two sockets under one plank and two under another.

²⁶ “Make crossbars of acacia-wood, five for the planks of the one side of the tabernacle, ²⁷ five crossbars for the planks of the other side of the tabernacle, and five crossbars for the planks at the side of the tabernacle at the rear toward the west. ²⁸ The middle crossbar, halfway up the planks, is to extend from end to end. ²⁹ Overlay the planks with gold, make gold rings for them through which the crossbars will pass, and overlay the crossbars with gold.

³⁰ “You are to erect the tabernacle according to the design you have been shown on the mountain.

(v) ³¹ “You are to make a curtain of blue, purple and scarlet yarn and finely woven linen. Make it with k’ruvim worked in, that have been crafted by a skilled artisan. ³² Hang it with gold hooks on four acacia-wood posts overlaid with gold and standing in four silver sockets. ³³ Hang the curtain below the fasteners. Then bring the ark for the testimony inside the curtain; the curtain will be the divider for you between the Holy Place and the Especially Holy Place. ³⁴ You are to put the ark-cover on the ark for the testimony in the Especially Holy Place.

³⁵ “You are to put the table outside the curtain and the menorah opposite the table on the side of the tabernacle toward the south; put the table on the north side.

³⁶ “For the entrance to the tent, make a screen of blue, purple and scarlet yarn and finely woven linen; it should be in colors, the work of a weaver. ³⁷ For the screen, make five posts of acacia-wood; overlay them with gold; and cast for them five sockets of bronze.

27 (vi) “You are to make the altar of acacia-wood, seven-and-a-half feet long and seven-and-a-half feet wide — the altar is to be square and four-and-a-half feet high. ² Make horns for it on its four corners; the horns are to be of one piece with it; and you are to overlay it with bronze.

³ “Make its pots for removing ashes, and its shovels, basins, meat-hooks and fire pans; all its utensils you are to make of bronze. ⁴ Make for it a grate of bronze netting; and on the four corners of the netting, make four bronze rings. ⁵ Put it under the rim of the altar, so that the netting reaches halfway up the altar. ⁶ Make poles of acacia-wood for the altar and overlay them with bronze. ⁷ Its poles are to be put into the rings; the poles are to be on both sides of the altar for carrying it. ⁸ The altar is to be made of planks and hollow inside. They are to make it just as you were shown on the mountain.

(vii) ⁹ “Here is how you are to make the courtyard of the tabernacle. On the south side, facing southward, are to be tapestries for the courtyard made of finely woven linen, 150 feet for one side, ¹⁰ supported on twenty posts in twenty bronze sockets; the hooks on the posts and the attached rings for hanging are to be of silver. ¹¹ Likewise, along the north side are to be tapestries 150 feet long, hung on twenty posts in twenty bronze sockets, with silver hooks and rings for the posts. ¹² Across the width of the courtyard on the west side are to be tapestries seventy-five feet long, hung on ten posts in ten sockets. ¹³ The width of the courtyard on the east side, facing east, will be seventy-five feet. ¹⁴ The tapestries for one side [of the gateway] will be twenty-two-and-a-half feet long, hung on three posts in three sockets; ¹⁵ for the other side there will be tapestries twenty-two-and-a-half feet long on three posts in three sockets.

¹⁶ “For the gateway of the courtyard there is to be a screen thirty feet made of blue, purple and scarlet yarn and finely woven linen. It should be in colors, the work of a weaver. It is to be on four posts in four sockets. (Maftir) ¹⁷ All the posts all the way around the courtyard are to be banded with silver and to stand in sockets of bronze. ¹⁸ The length of the courtyard is to be 150 feet and the width seventy-five feet everywhere; with the height seven-and-a-half feet. The tapestries and screen are to be of finely woven linen, and the sockets are to be of bronze.

¹⁹ “All the equipment needed for every kind of service in the tabernacle, as well as the tent pegs for the tabernacle and for the courtyard, are to be of bronze.

Haftarah T’rumah: M’lakhim Alef (1 Kings) 5:26(12)– 6:13

B’rit Hadashah suggested readings for Parashah T’rumah: Messianic Jews (Hebrews) 8:1–6; 9:23–24; 10:1