Parshat Terumah, in one word: Blueprints
Just a quick word about the haftarah, which is my least favorite among the haftarot that I know how to chant: That was one heck of a "draft" that Shlomo haMelech/King Solomon instituted, sending thousands of men to L'vanon (Lebanon) to help in preparing the raw material for the construction of the Beit HaMikdash/Holy Temple. (See I Kings, chapter 5, verses 26-32). Note that the haftarah conveniently fails to mention whether or not the draftees got paid for their hard labor.
Thurs., Feb. 3, 2011 update: See my next post, Parsha puzzles.
8 Comments:
1 Samuel 10: Samuel told all the words of the LORD to the people who were asking him for a king. 11 He said, “This is what the king who will reign over you will claim as his rights: He will take your sons and make them serve with his chariots and horses, and they will run in front of his chariots. 12 Some he will assign to be commanders of thousands and commanders of fifties, and others to plow his ground and reap his harvest, and still others to make weapons of war and equipment for his chariots. 13 He will take your daughters to be perfumers and cooks and bakers. 14 He will take the best of your fields and vineyards and olive groves and give them to his attendants. 15 He will take a tenth of your grain and of your vintage and give it to his officials and attendants. 16 Your male and female servants and the best of your cattle[c] and donkeys he will take for his own use. 17 He will take a tenth of your flocks, and you yourselves will become his slaves. 18 When that day comes, you will cry out for relief from the king you have chosen, but the LORD will not answer you in that day.”
Sorry 1 Samuel 8:10
Know what I like about this parsha? Consider this:
The Cherubim could have been placed on the ark "One facing the other," or "The first facing the second," but are in fact "Each facing his brother" and in this mutual fraternal gaze it is that God will appear to Moses.
Likewise the curtains could have been joined "One to another," or "the first to the second" but are instead joined "each to her sister" to form the one Mishkan.
After all the fraternal and sororital strife of Genesis, isn't this a nice way of affirming unity?
Larry, Shmuel HaNavi/Samuel the Prophet certainly had that right. :(
Reform BT, that's a refreshing way to look at this parashah. Thanks!
It is an interesting fact that chazal derived a lot of the laws for what a king is allowed to do from that passage in Samuel.
Chazal (Chachamim Zachur L'Tov, The Wise Ones, May they be remembered for goodness?) derived a lot of the laws for what a king *is* allowed to do from that passage in Samuel?
If that's true, good grief. :(
Zichronam livracha. (may their memories be a blessing)
Thanks for the grammar lesson.
Post a Comment
<< Home