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TERUMAH-FOR THE UNIFICATION

The 28th of Shevat is the Yahrtzeit of Rav Menachem Nachum Twersky (ben Yochanon) of Chernobyl, the Rachmistrivka Rebbe (1840-1937). Grandson of Rav Menachem Nachum (author of Meor Einayim).

 

“And they shall take a portion for Me.” Rashi explains that they should separate their gifts for God’s Name. This is a problem, as are we not obligated to fulfill all the Mitzvot for the Name of God? Why would the Torah insist on this specifically with the construction of the Mishkan?


It is known (Zohar II 246a) that the Divine Presence in the lower worlds is God’s Tzimtzum, Constriction of His Being, so that it can exist in the physical world. We are also taught that the Divine Presence rests only on the Children of Israel, as the Sages teach (Berachot 7a) that Moshe requested that the Shechinah rest only on Israel, and not on the other nations.


We also know that even in the diaspora, we have not abandoned God, and He therefore continues to rest His Presence on us, focusing on the righteous of each generation, as the Sages teach (Megillah 29a), “When they went to Babylon, the Shechinah accompanied them. When they went to Eilam, the Shechinah went with them.


However, the main resting of His Presence will be when the Messiah comes, for the Shechinah is represented by the final H of the Name Y-H-V-H (Tikkunei Zohar 15a).


We must unite with God, to the Presence that is among us; this connection represented by the V of Y-H-V-H, V being the letter of joining (and). When we join, we are Unifying the Name as we say; “For the sake of the Unification of the Holy One, Blessed is He, and His Presence, in fear and love, to unify the Name -Y-H with V-H, in perfect unity, in the name of all Israel.”


However, as long as we are in exile, the Unification is incomplete as it is only the righteous who can unite with the Shechinah. In the Future World we will be able to complete the Unification.


This is why we are taught to dedicate our gifts for the Mishkan to God’s Name – The Mishkan representing God’s Presence: We are reminded of our mission to unite with His Presence.


This is also the explanation of why we begin to increase  our joy at the beginning of Adar although the miracle of the victory did not happen until the 14th: Adar is Aleph Dar – The Unique United One Dwells among us, even when we are in Exile. (Meor Einayim)


By: Rabbi Weinberg, n''y

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