THE TABERNACLE

I wanted to take a moment to share concerning lessons I am learning from reading Exodus 25:1 - 27:19, which is the Torah portion TERUMAH.

In Exodus 25:10-22, we read of the Ark of the Covenant (אָרוֹן הַבְּרִית). The Ark was to be constructed of the collected acacia wood, and was to measure 2.5 cubits long, 1.5 cubits wide, and 1.5 cubits high. Converting these measurements we find it to be 52×31×31 inches. The Ark was to be overlaid with pure gold, inside and out, complete with a gold molding around it. In order to carry the Ark, four gold rings were fashioned in which poles of acacia wood covered in gold would slip through and be carried by men. The covering,, or mercy seat, was designed with two cherubim facing each other in each of the shorter sides, and fashioned from one solid piece of gold each.
One may question why the inside of the Ark, the place where no one would see, was to also be covered in gold. To answer this, let me ask you to define the word integrity. When I was a freshman in college my Resident Advisor told all us new students that integrity on our floor would be defined as who we are when no one is looking. In many ways, that is the definition here as well. If it is not enough for us to look godly on the outside and be disgusting on the inside, then why would it be allowable for God’s chest, His heart, to be disgusting on the inside? God is not looking for hypocrites, which comes from the Greek word for actor. He is looking for a pure heart.
While not a weapon, as depicted in Raiders of the Lost Ark, the Ark did prove hazardous to the touch if not handled correctly, as Uzzah found out in II Samuel 6:6-7. But just as important, the Ark was not to be an object of worship. This was not an idol, but was to be regarded as the throne of God. It was between the two cherubim on the cover of the Ark that God told Moses He would meet him and give him all the commandments. The Ark therefore proves to be a point of worship, but it was never intended to be worshipped.
The next piece referenced in this portion is the Holy Table. “’You are to make a table of acacia wood three feet long, eighteen inches wide and eighteen inches high’” (Ex 25:23). This too was to be overlaid with gold, designed with a molding of gold, and a rim. Like the Ark, it too was to have four gold rings to assist in carrying the table. The dishes that were to be used with it, as well as the pans, bowls, and pitchers, were all to be of pure gold also. And sitting on the table was to be the twelve loaves of bread, known as the lechem haPanim, or Bread of the Presence.
In Leviticus 24:5-9, we find the laws concerning the bread. Outside of the fact that it was to be always in His presence, it was to be baked on the Sabbath without yeast, making it unleavened. It then remained on the table for the entire week. Only when the new bread was completed and exchanged was the old bread then eaten by the priests. As we read in Leviticus 24:8, this bread represented the lasting covenant of the sons of Israel.

According to Exodus 24:31-40, the menorah was to be created, and it too in pure gold. The menorah’s base, shaft, cups, rings of outer leaves, and petals were all to be of one hammered out piece. On each side there was to be three branches decorated with three cups shaped like almond blossoms, rings, leaves and petals, while the central shaft was to have had four cups. Additionally, the tools for the menorah were to be of pure gold, and named as weighing sixty-six pounds.
Daily the lamps of the menorah were to be tended, and it was the priests who were placed in charge of cleaning the lamps, replacing and trimming the wicks, and replenishing the oil at times of sacrifice. It was this lamp that provided all the light within the Tabernacle.

Throughout Exodus 26 we read of the Tabernacle itself, with ten curtains of fine twisted linen and blue, purple and scarlet material, decked out with cherubim worked in. The curtains were to be twenty-eight cubits long and four cubits wide, roughly 42x6 feet. Additionally, eleven goat-haired curtains were to be made for the tent over the Tabernacle, thirty cubits long and four cubits wide (45x6 feet). As the narrative and blueprints for the Tabernacle continue, we find the use of the ram skins and sea cow hides serving as a form of water-proofing the structure. Not one contribution or item requested of God was lost in the plans to build the house of God.

Much like the design of any home in ancient Israel, the main sheltered structure was surrounded by a courtyard. Here too we find the structures of the Holy of Holies and the Holy Place surrounded by the bordered courtyard. Within the Holy of Holies was the Ark of the Covenant. Within the Holy Place were the Incense Altar (discussed in Exodus 30), Menorah, and the Holy Table. Only a veil separated these two rooms. Outside within the courtyard were the Bronze Laver, the water basin from which the priests washed their hands and feet, and the Altar of Burnt Offering.

The Altar of Burnt Offering is spoken of in Exodus 27:1-8. This altar was to be built of acacia wood with a horn at each of the four corners. In addition to the rings from which poles were to be inserted, the altar was to also have a grating that was fixed in place half way from the top and bottom. All the utensils related to the altar were to be of bronze, as was a bronze overlay to be topped over the acacia wood of the structure. It was on this altar that the priest would apply the blood of the sacrifices and burn offerings, lifting the fragrant offering before God.

Our final piece within this portion of the Torah is the description itself of the courtyard, found in Exodus 27:9-19. The north and south sides were to be 150 feet in length, with twenty posts and twenty bronze bases with silver hooks. The west and east end of the courtyard was to equal 75 feet each with ten posts and bases. The only difference was that on the east side, facing the sun, was to be curtains of blue, purple, white, and scarlet embroidery.