Parashat Terumah (Exodus 25:1 - 27:19)

A weekly Torah exploration for families by Michael S. Raileanu, M.A.Ed.

A weekly Torah exploration for families by Michael S. Raileanu, M.A.Ed.

Parashat Terumah, Exodus 25:1 - 27:19, features the building of the Mishkan, the portable tabernacle, and all of the stuff the Levites are going to use. For detail-happy people this is your parasha. If you read it carefully you could build it all today. Go ahead, try it.

Why did there have to be so much detail? Couldn't God have just trusted the creativity of the Jewish people to build the right thing?
What's a cubit? What is wrong with using a cubit as a measurement?
We are told to bring are "tachash" skins (Ex 25:5 & 26:14); ask a teacher or Rabbi what tachash skins are. (Hint: the normal translation will be something that you would never expect the people to be able to find in the desert.) So, if that is what they are, where did the Israelites get the tachash skins? Can you make up a story (midrash) of your own about where they might have come from?
Where did the Jewish people get all of the cool dyes and animal skins? We know they got the gold, silver and copper from the Egyptians as they headed out the door but what about all of the other stuff that goes into this building project?
The Talmud, Sanhedrin 69b, teaches us that Bezalel was only 13 years old when entrusted with building the mishkan > From there we also learn that he was Moses great-nephew (Miriam's grandson). What would it be like to be 13 and to have to handle a job like this? Do you know any 13 year olds that are up to this challenge? Do you think being a relative of Moshe helped him get the job or did he get it because of his skills and abilities? Which is more important to you?