Back in 1996, Rabbi Finman was asked to speak to the niece of one of his students. After spending many hours answering her questions, the woman gave Rabbi Finman her e-mail address. Rabbi Finman wrote the woman a note and included in it a short insight into that week's Parsha and a short Chasidic story.
Realizing that this was something no one was yet doing,, Rabbi Finman sent the missive to his mailing list of about 30 people. Requests from recipients friends came pouring in. The next week Rabbi Finman sent the e-Parsha to 100 people. Within a year more than 2000 people were receiving it. Today, more than 14,000 receive the e-Parsha weekly and the requests keep coming in.
Titsaveh 5785
Teruma 5785
Yisro 5785
Beshalach 5785
Bo 5785
Teruma 5785
Please click on the link below to receive the e-Parsha in the way cool HTML version right to your inbox. http://visitor.constantcontact.com/d.jsp?m=1103523647591&p=oi
=====================================
This week's YouParsha Terumah http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uRdHZ13R_co&feature=youtu.be The Cherubs on the ark cover serve as an atonement.
===============================
Parshas Terumah - Exodus 25 - 27, describes the construction of the portable sanctuary used in the desert. It facilitated a very personal relationship between Hashem and the Jewish people. The building was not the main vehicle; it was the people's participation, as the verse states, "Make a sanctuary so that I (Hashem) can live in you." The numerous building materials allude to various facets of serving Hashem.
Gold - Fear, awe respect.
Silver - Love based on the verse, "My soul longs (Kasafty - related to kesef meaning silver).
Copper - Nachoshes related to Nachash - snake. Our passions must be directed to holy.
Blue wool - accepting the yoke of heaven. Blue is similar to the sea which is similar to the sky which is similar to the Throne of Glory - Hashem's attribute of Kingship.
Purple wool - Compassion/truth. The Hebrew word for purple is argamon. It is an abbreviation of the names of the angels Uriel, Refoel, Gabriel, Michael and Nuriel. Compassion is composed of many traits; respect, love etc as represented by each angel. They work in harmony to produce a true feeling for another.
Linen - Ahavas Yisroel - Love your neighbor. Linen is the only textile that grows as a single unit and separated into strands. The Jewish people are a single unit comprised of individuals.
Goat hair - Teshuva/repentance. The guilt offerings were goats. The special sacrifices on Yom Kippur were goats.
Ram skins dyed red - yearning for the Moshiach whose coming will be inaugurated with the blowing of a ram's horn.
Tachash skins - a one horned, rainbow colored sea creature - hiddur mitzvah - making the mitzvahs more beautiful. Mitzvahs have a minimum requirement. One who wants to show his enthusiasm for Judaism would perform the mitzvahs in a better way; larger tefillin, nicer esrog etc.
Shittim Wood - going beyond the limits of logic - serving Hashem with self-sacrifice. Shittim is related to the word shtus - stupidity. Stupidity exists on two levels. Below intellect and beyond intellect. The Beams of the sanctuary embodied a suprarational relationship with Hashem.
Olive oil - Wisdom. Oil is essence. Oil also adds pleasure. Our service to Hashem must tap into our essence while at the same time retain its excitement.
Incence - Inner will. Smell is the most ethereal of senses. It reaches to the very core of a person's soul. Hence, smelling salts to revive a person who fainted (there were 11 types of incense. These, G'd willing will be discussed later).
===============================
A serious-minded chosid once came to visit Rabbi Elimelech of Lyzhinsk, who sensed that his guest had not yet learned to refine and elevate his appetite for food. He decided therefore to invite the guest to join him for breakfast. The table was set with rye bread, salt, and a bread knife. They washed their hands and pronounced the blessing for bread.
The rebbe bit off a little from his slice, and had barely swallowed it when he began to complain to himself, addressing himself by the diminutive Yiddish form of his name: "Melech, Melech! Just look how you are eating, and with what ugly desire you are chewing the bread. Why, you want to swallow up all the bread at once! You really are worse than an animal." But then he answered himself as follows: "No, I do not eat out of animal desire, but simply to satisfy my hunger, for if I do not eat, I will not be able to study Torah and serve Hashem." He cut himself another morsel of bread, and again, this time before swallowing it, chided himself in a harsh undertone: "Melech, Melech! Who do you think you are fooling? Who are you trying to convince that your only intention in eating is to keep your soul alive so that you can serve G'd? Just look - every part of you is fraught with animal desire and if you could, you would swallow your whole meal in one gulp. How could you bring yourself to lie and say that you eat for the sake of heaven?" After a thoughtful pause, he again answered himself in a sober whisper: "No, in fact it is not an animal urge that impels me to eat. I am fashioned of physical matter, a creature of flesh and blood, and I am obliged to pay this material body its due, otherwise it will not work. So I do have to eat bread - though I will not eat it for the sake of sensual gratification, but simply because of the necessity of keeping myself alive."
With that, he gave himself another slice.
Overhearing the muttered monologue, the guest's heart was humbled within him. He would make a fresh start! Rebbe Elimelech thereupon rounded off his breakfast by reciting the Grace after Meals, confident that his novel prescription had accomplished its purpose. ==========================
Listen Weekly to the Jewish Hour Podcast. www.rabbifinman.com. Now available on iTunes, spotify, audacy, and wherever you park your podcasts.
The Torah e-Parsha is a project of Jewish Ferndale. For information on sponsoring the Torah e-Parsha in memory or for the recovery of a loved one, in honor of a simcha or you just feel like being nice, contact via reply. All contributions are tax deductible. Please forward this message to as many friends and associates as you like. © 2025 by Herschel Finman.
Contact Rabbi Finman for information on sponsoring the e-Parsha
