Teruma 5641
בפסוק ויקחו לי תרומה. ובמדרש כי לקח טוב נתתי לכם.
On the Pasuk (Shemos 25:2) “And they shall take a terumah for me”
The Midrash (Shemos Rabbah 31:1) explains that when Bnei Yisrael received the Torah, it was unlike any other ‘purchase’ that a person normally makes. Usually if one buys silver it does not contain gold etc, yet the Torah contains all things precious. etc. (On a spiritual level gold refers to fear of HaShem and silver refers to love of HaShem).
כי כשקבלו בנ”י התורה מוטל עליהם לרומם כל הבריאה אליו ית’. כי בתורה יש שורש כל הבריאה והיינו התחלת השפע לכל דבר.
This is because when Bnei Yisrael received the Torah, they now had the responsibility to elevate the entire creation to HaShem. This is because the Torah contains the source of the entire creation, the beginning of all blessing (the life force and existence of everything) is rooted in the Torah.
ושם הוא השורש הלקיחה והקבלה. לכן נקראת התורה לקח טוב.
The Torah is the source of all giving and receiving.
For this reason teh Torah is called לקח טוב a good instruction but literally “a good taking”. (for it is the source of this power of giving and receiving).
ובכח זה העלו בנ”י כל המינים לשורשם. עד שהמשיכו השכינה לארץ.
Through this energy Bnei Yisrael were able to uplift all the different elements (of the Mishkan) all the way to the source, until they were able to draw the presence of HaShem all the way down to this world.
מאת כל איש אשר ידבנו לבו כי יש כמה רצונות בעולם. בפרט לרשעים תאוות עוה”ז. ובנ”י הוצרכו לגבור בהתלהבות שלהם לשמים עד שנתבטלו כל תאוות הרעות.
The pasuk continues “from every man, that his heart desires to give”. This is because there are many different desires in the world, especially the wicked, who are drawn to the desires of this world.
Bnei Yisrael are charged with overcoming with their own excitement to HaShem (i.e. good desires), to nullify all the other wicked desires.
פי’ כמו בפרט כל איש כפי רוב התשוקה שיש לו להבורא ית’ מתבטל תאוות הגופניות שבו. כמו כן בכלל לא זכו בנ”י לזכך העולם למשוך השכינה לארץ. עד שקידשו הבל העולם במעשיהם הטובים. ובע”כ הוציאו בלעם של הרשעים מפיהם. וגברו תשוקתם בקדושה לתאוות הרעות שהיו בעולם.
This means that just as in each individual one is able to overcome and nullify one’s own physical desires, with one’s spiritual desires of longing for HaShem. So too on a national level, Bnei Yisrael were only able to purify the world and draw down HaShem’s presence to the world, when they had sanctified the emptiness of this world through their good deeds. Through doing so they forced out (the holy sparks) that were trapped and swallowed up by the wicked, and their desire for holiness overcame the desires of the wicked that were in the world.
וזה מאת כל כו’ אשר ידבנו כו’ תקחו כו’.
This therefore is the idea of: “From every man whose heart desires… you shall take”.
(It is through each person’s desire for holiness, that overcomes the wicked desires and brings down the presence of HaShem into this world!)
וגם זה נכלל בשם לקח טוב שבכח התורה ליקח כל התחתונים לקרבם להקדושה. ומכ”ש שיש כח ע”י התורה להמשיך הקדושה משמי שמים כנ”ל:
this is also included in the name the Torah is called: לקח טוב. For the Torah has the power to take all matters of this world and elevate them to holiness. And much more so it has the power to elevate spiritual things in Heaven. as above.
