Portion Teruma – the Giving Game– and the Hostage Game

 

I was studying the Portion (Truma) last night with my youngest daughter –

The basics are "how to USE gold and silver and copper for Holy Purpose!"

What kind of person are you (gold silver or copper? Or embroidery?)-  or do you want to be?

Everyone has a Holy Purpose in this world – it's good to find out what's yours.

The Temple in the Desert – built with donations of gold silver and copper and embroidery -

Was a penance for the golden calf event – and to bring the Israelites  a better understanding of their connection to the Almighty  who brought them out of Egypt.

For 1400 years Great Temples were the focus of that Israelite connection to G-d.

As (the famous) Rabbi Levenstein said at a dinner I attended this week-

After the Esther story (Purim) – we evolved into a people who didn't need OBVIOUS miracles any more  to get us to understand that connection. BUT -   

ARE YOU AWARE OF THE LITTLE THINGS – that sometimes change the world?

Miracles – and otherwise…?

The Bibas Funeral of 2 children and a mother – involved our whole nation.

It's a miracle that Hamas didn't capture Be-er Sheva or Ashkelon. They were stopped by the non-obvious miracle of hundreds of Israelis who went to stop them – while the army was still paralyzed. A miracle of simple, courageous heroes – who fought and rescued (and sadly some died defending others whom they only knew as fellow Jews under attack).  

But does the world get it? The miracle of Jewish survival maybe frightens them.

What did the BBC say about the coffin-laden cars carrying Shiri Bibas and her two sons, Kfir (9 months) and Ariel (4) as they passed various intersections in the country? The AP called them prisoners – and refused to say "kidnapped children murdered by Gazans!".

Those souls went straight to the  Almighty  - BUT LEFT US WITH A RESPONSIBILITY.

 So here's a thought from Reb Shlomo Carlebach on Parsha Terumah

"MAKING YOU AWARE OF THE LITTLE THINGS"

What's the difference between a holy light and an unholy light?

Very simple. Imagine here I have can't psychedelic lights, the biggest lights in the world flashing like crazy.

 Then one person comes with a little flashlight. I say to him, “Are you crazy? I don't need it."

Friends, if the great light is really holy, when someone comes with a little light, it adds so much –

because the great light makes you aware of the little things.

What is the difference between holy money and unholy money?

 Imagine if one millionaire gives two million and then Moishele the thief gives one quarter, I'll say “You're crazy, we already have two million dollars,” because it's not holy.

if it's holy, you say, “Unbelievable! Your quarter is the most precious thing we ever got."

When King Solomon built the Holy Temple, he sent out messengers to collect money and jewelry for the Holy Temple. The messengers came back with gold and silver. But then King Solomon asked,

 “Where are the pennies of the poor?” So the messengers said, “When the poor people saw we are collecting gold and silver, they were ashamed to give their pennies.".

So King Solomon says, “Let's make another collection, a collection only of pennies…” Everybody knows, three walls of the Holy Temple were built with the gold and the jewelry,

but one wall was built with pennies. The Western Wall, the wall which cannot be destroyed,

 was built with pennies.

On Rosh Hashanah it says “U’b’shofar gadol yitaka” – “When the great Trumpet will be blown,” “v’kol d’mama daka yishama” – “you will hear the voice of the most inside,” which can't ever be recorded (Mussaf High holiday prayers).).

Listen to how deep this is.

The real holy trumpet is when you hear the sound of the great trumpet, suddenly you become aware of the sounds of the little voice inside you.

You see, friends, if your heart is really holy, I'm sure you can receive the little pennies, the little voices that make us most aware of what is truly important in life..

I bless you and me that we should always recognize the little lights, the little voices, that will bring us to the day of the big trumpet, the big light. So let it be now

Good Shabbos

Rabbi C

The little Bibas chiIldren are great lights.

ALL OUR CHILDREN ARE GREAT LIGHTS CONNECTED TO THE GREAT MIRACLE OF ISRAEL

We still need to strengthen our connections TO THE GREAT MIRACLE OF ISRAEL

Shabbat Shalom

Rabbi Andy Eichenholz