The word Terumah was inherited from the Torah. In the Torah, Terumah is the name of a parashah, and it refers to giving a portion as a gift. The root of the word is ר–ו–ם (resh–vav–mem), which means “to elevate” or “to raise up.” This raises the question: what is the connection between the root and the word itself?

In the biblical context, terumah is clearly defined as a portion taken from one’s personal possessions and dedicated to God or to the priests. This act represents a separation from the mundane to the sacred. Allocating a portion from the ordinary realm to a higher spiritual purpose reflects an act of elevation. In many prayers, the word ram (רָם), from the same root רו״ם, is used in praise of God, signaling that God is exalted—situated in a higher, holy realm (kedushah).

During the time of the Holy Temple, the terumot (offerings) given to the priests carried a dual meaning: both physical elevation (being set apart or raised) and spiritual elevation.

In the period of the Sages, beginning in the Second Temple era, some objected to the use of verbs derived from the noun terumah. Nevertheless, in contemporary Hebrew the verb taram (תרם) underwent a process of secularization and acquired a broader meaning of assistance or contribution—whether monetary or spiritual. For example, in a literary context, the word terumah can refer to the contribution made by an author.

In contemporary Hebrew one makes a donation (tor’mim trumah), and in more elevated language one raises a donation (merimim trumah)—and both forms are correct.

We inherited the word terumah (donation) from the Bible. It is first mentioned at the beginning of the Torah portion named after it—Parashat Terumah: “Speak to the children of Israel, and let them take for Me a contribution; from every person whose heart moves him you shall take My contribution”  “דַּבֵּר אֶל בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וְיִקְחוּ לִי תְּרוּמָה, מֵאֵת כָּל אִישׁ אֲשֶׁר יִדְּבֶנּוּ לִבּוֹ תִּקְחוּ אֶת תְּרוּמָתִי” (Exodus 25:2).

The root of terumah is רו”ם (r–w–m, “to raise”), just as teshuvah (answer/repentance) derives from שו”ב (sh–w–b, “to return”) and tenufah (wave-offering) from נו”ף (n–w–f, “to wave”). Therefore, just as one “returns an answer” and “waves a wave-offering,” in the Bible one also “raises a donation”: “From the first of your dough you shall raise a contribution…” (Numbers 15:20). In one verse, both raising a contribution and waving a wave-offering are mentioned together: “You shall sanctify the breast of the wave-offering and the thigh of the raised offering, which was waved and which was raised…” (Exodus 29:27).

But what is the connection between terumah and raising? The biblical terumah is a gift set apart from the ordinary and designated for the sacred—for example, the gold and silver that the Israelites donated for the construction of the Tabernacle, or the portion of produce given to the priests. The term may relate to the act of the donor, who “raises” the portion he separates from the whole. Another possibility is that it is called terumah because it is given “on high”—to God or to His representatives, the priests. It may also be that in the ritual of presenting it, it was literally lifted up.

In Rabbinic Hebrew, the verb תָּרַם (taram, “to donate”) was formed from the noun terumah, with the initial tav becoming part of the root. Other similar denominal verbs in Rabbinic Hebrew include hitri’a (“to sound a blast”) from teru’ah (in the Bible: heri’a), and hitchil (“to begin”) from techilah (in the Bible: hechel). The emergence of the verb taram may be connected to the fact that the Bible does not have a dedicated verb for this action: alongside herim (“raised”), it also uses natan (“gave”), hevi (“brought”), and hikriv (“offered”), and even herim itself is not exclusive to donations. Notably, the Rabbinic verb taram does not replace the biblical verb herim alone, but rather the full expression herim terumah (“raise a donation”).

In the Middle Ages, some objected to the use of denominal verbs such as taram. The renowned grammarian Jonah Ibn Janah addressed this at length in his introduction to Sefer HaRiqmah, and Maimonides also discussed it in his commentary on the Mishnah (Terumot 1:1, in Rabbi Yosef Qafih’s modern translation):

“The use throughout the Mishnah of taram, torem, and yitrom is challenged by modern linguists, who say that the proper forms are herim, merim, and yarim. But in truth this is no difficulty, for the essence of any language is determined by what its native speakers speak and what is heard from them. And these were undoubtedly Hebrews in their land—that is, in the Land of Israel—and we indeed hear from them taram and all its derived forms.”

In Modern Hebrew, the word terumah has undergone a process of secularization: it has moved beyond the sacred sphere and acquired the general meaning of a donation or contribution—material (a monetary donation) and spiritual (a contribution to literature), and more. In this broader sense, the regular verb is taram, as in Rabbinic Hebrew, though those who favor a more elevated style sometimes use the biblical expression herim terumah (“raised a donation”).

© The Times of Israel (Blogs)