Parshas Terumah – No Torrent Can Smother Love |
וְנוֹעַדְתִּי לְךָ שָׁם וְדִבַּרְתִּי אִתְּךָ מֵעַל הַכַּפֹּרֶת מִבֵּין שְׁנֵי הַכְּרֻבִים אֲשֶׁר עַל־אֲרוֹן הָעֵדֻת אֵת כׇּל־אֲשֶׁר אֲצַוֶּה אוֹתְךָ אֶל־בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל׃
There I will meet with you, and I will impart to you—from above the cover, from between the two cherubim that are on top of the Ark of the Pact—all that I will command you concerning the Israelite people. (Exodus 25:27
Our Parsha describes the construction of the place where the service of Hashem will take place. For some of the vessels, there are hints as to the purpose of the vessel itself. One vessel is the Aron, a wooden box covered in gold, and sealed on top with a golden cover with two figures called Keruvim formed into the metal itself. This spot is designated as the place where Hashem will communicate directly to the Jewish people. Rashi explains:
ונועדתי. כְּשֶׁאֶקְבַּע מוֹעֵד לְךָ לְדַבֵּר עִמְּךָ, אוֹתוֹ מָקוֹם אֶקְבַּע לַמּוֹעֵד שֶׁאָבֹא שָׁם לְדַבֵּר אֵלֶיךָ:
ונועדתי AND [THERE] I WILL BE MET [BY THEE] — When I shall appoint you a place of meeting to speak to you that place will I appoint as the place of meeting whither I will come to speak to you.
In many ways, this place that is being constructed is a dwelling, and this spot here is the most private and intimate space of this dwelling. It once happened that a certain man reflected on this close relationship in the following way: (Sanhedrin 7a)
הָהוּא דַּהֲוָה קָאָמַר וְאָזֵיל: כִּי רְחִימְתִּין הֲוָה עַזִּיזָא, אַפּוּתְיָא דְּסַפְסֵירָא שְׁכִיבַן. הַשְׁתָּא דְּלָא עַזִּיזָא רְחִימְתִּין, פּוּרְיָא בַּר שִׁיתִּין גַּרְמִידֵי לָא סַגִּי לַן. אָמַר רַב הוּנָא, קְרָאֵי כְּתִיבִי. מֵעִיקָּרָא כְּתִיב: ״וְנוֹעַדְתִּי לְךָ שָׁם וְדִבַּרְתִּי אִתְּךָ מֵעַל הַכַּפֹּרֶת״, וְתַנְיָא: אָרוֹן תִּשְׁעָה וְכַפּוֹרֶת טֶפַח, הֲרֵי כָּאן עֲשָׂרָה.
There was a certain man who was saying about his marriage as he walked: When our love was strong, we could have slept on a bed that was the width of a sword. Now that our love is not strong, a........