You are on page 1of 2

Dedicated in memory of Rachel Leah bat R' Chaim Tzvi

Volume 2 Number 45 Brought to you by Naaleh.com

Parshat Teruma: The Mishkan Within Us


Based on a Naaleh.com shiur by Rebbetzin Tziporah Heller
When people hear the word teruma they don’t hear an answering voice. Elevating the Hashem is ourselves, our penimiut. The
automatically think it means a contribution. world and ourselves is the way we make a real deepest part of our selves is our minds. The
The accurate meaning is to uplift. Everything connection with Hashem. aron was made of gold covered with wood and
in the physical world can be elevated and then another layer of gold. Rav Hirsh explains
connected to its source. The thirteen different After the collection for the Mishkan was that our penimiut, on the most profound level,
possible contributions to the Mishkan, as completed, Hashem said, “V’asu li mikdash is pure. This is the symbolic meaning of gold.
listed in the Torah, are all significant. Thirteen v’shachanti b’tocham. Make a sanctuary for We are supposed to cover this with wood,
is the numerical equivalent of the words me and I will dwell in them.” Rashi comments which signifies life and growth, in order to
ahava (love) and echad (one). This implies that the verse does not say “in it,” but rather “in achieve the ultimate gold, i.e. purity, on a
that the way to become one is through giving. them.” Each person has a distinct individual higher level.
Ultimately this is how things are uplifted. way in which he can uplift the world and
himself. The result is that Hashem dwells If we want to give something to Hashem, to
People often say, “I have no relationship with within us. come closer to Him and to love Him and feel
Hashem. I don’t know how to develop one.” beloved by Him, we need to offer our pure
They erroneously think that Hashem does not The very first thing the parsha discusses is the selves, our deepest selves. This will only
listen, because when they talk to Him they Aron where the Torah was placed. This is not happen through growth.
coincidental. The ultimate gift we can give

Principles of Faith: Connecting To Hashem Through The


Siddur Part II #8
Based on a Naaleh.com shiur on Chassidut by Rebbetzin Tziporah Heller
The next group of brachot are related to ourselves. This is made possible by having the and those who have allowed evil to become
matters that are so completely beyond our tools through which we can self- actualize as a their self-definition.
control that only Hashem can grant them to people. We ask Hashem to lift up the flag and
us. In T’ka b’shofar we request that Hashem make his presence apparent so we can rally In the next blessing, we ask Hashem to have
blow the great shofar and gather us back to around him. Only he can bring us back from mercy on the tzaddikim, chassidim, elders, and
our land from the four corners of the earth. exile and send the redemption. converts. Of all the things that tend to reduce
We ask for a return to national identity, when our faith to smithereens, seeing the righteous
all of Jewry will serve Hashem. The next bracha is about justice, which is a suffer is the most challenging. We therefore
tricky thing. People will do the most pray that Hashem safeguard and protect them.
Erik Frank, in his thesis, posits that freedom is outrageous things in the name of justice. True
frightening. Therefore, we create structure for justice can only be meted out by Hashem, so The difference between a tzaddik and a
ourselves. This may sometimes be good and why do we ask Hashem to return human chassid is in the qualitative sense. A tzaddik is
sometimes not. justice? Even though we may never reach one whose thought, speech, and actions are
complete justice, we still have to seek that devoted to goodness. His goal is to do what he
A lot of us don’t think of ourselves as exiled, balance. Therefore, we ask Hashem to bring has to do wherever it takes him. However a
we are comfortable where we are. Scattered back the kind of leadership that will attempt to chassid will not only fulfill his obligations, but
throughout the world, we pick up the identity establish a just society. he’ll walk the extra mile.
of our host country. Sometimes we end up
with garments that don’t quite fit on us and we The bracha of V’lamalshinim was added by Why do we give credence to old age and
try to change the structure and straighten out Rabban Gamliel and his court in response to single out the elderly in this bracha? Age
the chaos. It does not always work. In this the rise of Christianity. There are many comes with life experience and with it comes
bracha, we ask Hashem to bring us back to variations to this blessing as a result of respect. Pleitat sofreihem does not mean
ourselves, to a place where we can form our medieval European censors. The forces of actual scribes, but people who dedicate their
own society and nurture our inner conscious- concealment have many faces. We ask lives to transmitting oral tradition by writing
ness. Hashem to destroy the evil inherent in the Torah books that are accurate and pure. Our
world. We are not asking for anyone to die or sages single out converts in this blessing as a
We ask Hashem to give us a spirit of identity for any group or nationality to disappear. people who have made significant life choices
so that his presence resonates within us. Judaism is the only religion that doesn’t and have moved a very long way in their
Then we will be truly free. Freedom doesn’t believe that everyone has to become a part of journey.
mean the ability to make all the choices. In the religion in order to be saved. We pray for
Judaism, real freedom is the ability to be Hashem to destroy the people who slander us

Help support Naaleh by searching the web! For more information visit www.iGive/Naaleh.com & www.iSearchiGive/Naaleh.com

visit us online at: www.naaleh.com | for questions, suggestions, or dedication opportunities, email contact@naaleh.com 1
Dedicated in memory of Rachel Leah bat R' Chaim Tzvi

Volume 2 Number 45 Brought to you by Naaleh.com

Shabbat Scenarios: The Prohibition of Tofer-Sewing #7


Based on a Naaleh.com shiur by Rabbi Shimon Isaacson
The Torah prohibition of Tofer involves binding prohibited. stay there permanently. Sticking the band-aid
two items together in a permanent way. The •Stapling and taping may not be done on on a wound is a temporary act and may be
classic example is sewing two stitches and Shabbat. done if it will be taken off within 24 hours. If it
then making a final knot to hold the stitches in •Most authorities rule that human stitches fall will stay for more than that time, there are
place. under the prohibition of tofer. In life threatening poskim who rule leniently and permit it. When
situations, however, it is permitted. one takes off the band-aid, one should open it
•Opening and closing a button, zipper, or •There is a disagreement among the poskim and not slip it off like a ring. In addition, one
Velcro tab is permitted because it is not a whether one may pull the tabs off a band-aid should avoid pulling a band-aid off skin where
permanent binding. on Shabbat. Rav Shlomo Z. Auerbach rules hair grows to avoid tearing hair on Shabbat.
•Pulling a loose thread tighter on a button is that it is permitted because it was not meant to

Rebbetzin Perspective: Class #5


Excerpted from Rebbetzin Tziporah Heller’s Question and Answer series on Naaleh.com
Question: his life, he will make up for all those years of Occasionally you may encounter people who are
I have often heard in the name of a gadol that self-development. already somewhat observant who might gain a
just as a person is required to tithe his lot from just being at your Shabbat table. Seeing
money, he is required to give ten percent of You, probably more than your husband, will a family like yours interact can leave a lasting
his time to kiruv. Although, my husband is a encounter many opportunities to reach out to impression. Show them which values are
serious Torah scholar, he does not feel ready others. You can make a point of being a walking paramount in a Jewish home, what chinuch
to host non-religious guests at our table. He Kiddush Hashem. Be pleasant and affable, habanim is all about, how a husband speaks to
feels he still has so much more to learn. I whether it is on the bus, while shopping, or his wife, and how a wife treats her husband.
know that on a spiritual level we are helping waiting at the doctor’s office. Adopt an already frum couple who desperately
Klal Yisrael, but somehow I think we could needs an older sibling or a set of parents and be
give more. You may not be the right address for hosting there for them.
college students at the moment but you should
Answer: know where to send them. Strike up a conversa- Be patient. Eventually when your husband feels
I think your husband is more than likely to make tion. Maintain a repertoire of Torah shiurim you ready, you will both reap the dividends of your
a great contribution to Klal Yisrael in the long can refer them to. Be helpful and genuine. In shared investment.
run. Hopefully, when he is at the right stage in your own small way you can make a difference.

Support our website and Torah learning, one purchase at a time. Apply for the Naaleh Credit Card, visit Naaleh.com for more info.

visit us online at: www.naaleh.com | for questions, suggestions, or dedication opportunities, email contact@naaleh.com 2

You might also like