The speaker provides a deep philosophical and theological exploration of Parshat Terumah, weaving together Torah verses, Talmudic narratives, Midrashic insights, and Kabbalistic concepts. The central theme of the lecture is the absolute unity of God (Monotheism) versus the heresy of Dualism (the belief in independent forces of good and evil), and how the laws of Terumah and Tumah serve to clarify the Jewish perspective on this cosmic battle.
Here is a comprehensive breakdown of the speaker’s key points:
1. The Call to Build the Mishkan
The lecture opens with the foundational verse of the weekly Torah portion: "Speak to the children of Israel, that they take for Me a portion (Terumah)... from every man whose heart makes him willing." (Exodus 25:2).
Rashi’s Interpretation: Rashi explains that the phrase "for Me" (lishmi) means "for My sake" or "for My name."
The Midrashic Context: A Midrash cites Moshe who asks how finite humans can possibly build a dwelling place (the Mishkan/Tabernacle) for an infinite God. God responds to Moshe that it does not require a massive global effort; rather, even a single Jew can build a dwelling for God, provided they do it with a completely unified, devoted heart ("whose heart makes him willing").
2. The Talmudic Challenge: The Sadducee vs. Rabbi Abbahu
To understand the deeper meaning of Terumah, the speaker introduces a famous story from the Talmud (Sanhedrin 39a) involving a theological debate between a Sadducee (referred to as a Tsduki, representing a heretical sect) and the sage Rabbi Abbahu.
The Sadducee's Challenge: The Sadducee notes that God asks the Jewish people for Terumah. Because Terumah is traditionally given to a Kohen, the Sadducee deduces that God Himself must be a Kohen. The Sadducee then poses a trap: If God is a Kohen, He is subject to the laws of purity. When God buried Moshe, He would have become Tamei. How, then, did God purify Himself? He could not have used a Mikvah, because the Prophet Isaiah states that God holds all the waters of the world in the palm of His hand.
Rabbi Abbahu’s Answer: Rabbi Abbahu replies that God did not immerse in water; He immersed in fire, quoting Isaiah 66:15: "For behold, the Lord will come in fire."
3. The Philosophical Meaning of the Dispute: Monotheism vs. Dualism
The Sadducee’s question was not just a clever riddle; it was a profound philosophical attack.
The Heresy of the Sadducee: The Sadducee was arguing for Dualism—the belief that Tumah (impurity/evil) is an independent, cosmic force separate from God. The Sadducee was suggesting that if God interacts with death and impurity, God becomes subject to it. He was attempting to prove that God is not entirely supreme, but rather shares the universe with a rival force of evil.
The Echo of the Primeval Snake: The Sadducee connects to the Nachash in the Garden of Eden. The Snake tricked Chava by promoting Dualism. The Snake claimed that God ate from the Tree of Knowledge to gain power, implying that "Good and Evil" are independent forces that even God relies upon.
The Jewish Response (God’s Fire): Rabbi Abbahu’s answer—that God immerses in fire—is a total rejection of Dualism. When humans become impure, they use water. Water does not destroy impurity; it simply separates or distances the human from it. However, God uses fire. When Tumah comes into contact with the Divine, it does not contaminate God. Instead, God's infinite holiness acts as a fire that completely annihilates and consumes the impurity. Evil has no independent power; in the presence of the Divine, it burns away to nothing.
4. The Structure of Holiness: Terumah, Kohanim, and Yisrael
This theological concept applies to the practical, daily lives of the Jewish people through the laws of Terumah and the division of the nation into Kohanim (Priests) and Yisrael (regular Israelites).
Why We Separate Terumah: In agriculture, a Jew must separate Terumah (the holiest portion) and give it to the Kohen. The remaining produce (Shirayim or Chullin) is kept by the regular Israelite.
The Paradox of Holiness: The Sadducee might argue that if the Terumah is holy, the leftover produce must be unholy or abandoned by God. The speaker refutes this. By separating the Terumah and dedicating it entirely to God, we are actually proving that the entire crop comes from God.
The Tzitzit Analogy: To illustrate this, the speaker uses the analogy of Tzitzit (ritual fringes). Only the strings on the corners of the garment are explicitly designated for a Mitzvah (holy commandment). However, the presence of those holy strings elevates the entire mundane garment.
The Role of the Israelites: The Kohanim represent the pristine, separated holiness (Terumah). However, the regular Israelites (Yisrael) have an equally crucial, albeit more difficult, spiritual task. They are commanded to take the mundane, "leftover" parts of the world (Chullin) and elevate them. God intentionally designed the world with a mixture of holiness and mundanity so that the Jewish people could descend into the mundane and bring it back up to God.
5. Conclusion: The Purpose of the Mishkan
The speaker brings the lecture full circle back to the construction of the Mishkan in Parshat Terumah.
When God created the universe, He created it with complete goodness [and with the potential for evil (to allow for free will)].
The Mishkan, too, had to be built with absolute, unadulterated purity.
This is why the Torah stresses that the Terumah for the Mishkan must come from "every man whose heart makes him willing." It requires a singular, unified heart—one that rejects the Dualistic notion of separate powers and recognizes that God is One, entirely Supreme, and the ultimate source of all reality. By giving Terumah with a pure heart, the Jewish people recreated a pristine space where God's presence could dwell completely untainted by the dualities of the mortal world.
