Friends of Itamar

Leah’s Blog Parashat Terumah 2022

Terumah    – February 2022

Infinity has a home

“Make for Me a Sanctuary and I will dwell within them.”

Stooping down, Eli Shookroon, an expert on the City of David and its surroundings, perceived the glimmer of a thing of our rich past beckoning to be revealed. Mount Moriah, the home of the Holy Temples has been systematically plowed countless times by the Wakf as most of our heritage sites sadly, yet the remnant of OUR national sovereignty and its celebration in Hashem in His home still bulges out of the ground in Divine appointment times as these. Precious items, sometimes it’s an amethyst ring, this time a golden bell shaped like a pomegranate. Gemstones intricately woven on garments, vivid colors of scarlet and indigo, golden bells and beams, silver instruments, copper lavers were just some of the gilded texture and appearance of the Mishkan and Temple. These expensive and rich items though were a means, not THE purpose. The abstract world of the spirit was commanded to have a home and Israel were commanded to build that home. Matter that mirrors reality, the metal mirrors of the women of Israel were used for the copper lavers (basins) of the Priests who washed their hands and feet before the service. The Talmud in Sotah 11b describes the origin of these mirrors: “Because of Pharoh’s decree that man and wife must separate, the women went out to the fields with food and drink and seduced their husbands by looking into the mirrors of their faces together. The wife would say, “I am more beautiful than you”, the husband would say- “I am more beautiful than you!” This aroused their desire. Life found a way and it matrixed. This caused the preternatural growth over the course of four generations to reach 600,000 souls despite the decree of drowning the new born sons. In the case of these mirrors- they caused supernatural amounts of souls to be born, seemingly infinite to those who knew Israel was merely a family of seventy souls when they arrived in Egypt.

At Sinai the word of Hashem was revealed in the Torah, the source of all creation. The Divine spark entered every man woman and child changing the inner psyche of feeling and KNOWING Hashem after this life changing experience. After the plagues and the miracles, Am Yisrael came to TRUST Hashem and come closer to Him. His sphere of influence is now embedded in their DNA. Morphing from just existing in a common way, they reached the desired state of satisfaction, contentment, and fulfillment by that special feeling you have when you share a relationship; when you go out to the field and look into the mirror together. It would be their pleasure now to carry that torch to the world. The fears, hurts, and longings of all of Hashem’s creations need an address – Hashem commands- build My Home! Make a lighthouse- a beautiful place all people can come to. The world has a NEED and a DEMAND for GOD! This makes me think that when I echo to others who I am, I tell myself who I am. Now at this end of time when we barely find in the ashes and debris- we must build on our foundations. This is the last flower petal falling to the ground (If you saw the beauty and the beast) We must rise up and look in the mirror. This is not a time to remain sluggish in the mission. We are almost there, almost HOME. From destruction to creation. From chillul Hashem to Construction. From downs as we are all feeling now to ups IN FAITH, EMUNAH. It’s all about how we view reality, the outer layers of what we are all experiencing now seem as bleak as the decrees of Pharoh. Who will take a mirror in hand now and invite the supernatural to happen?

THIS ALSO MEANS –FRIENDS OF ITAMAR OUR 501C3—- NEEDS YOUR HELP!

SHABBAT SHALOM, LEAH