A Table Fit for a King

by Shira Schechter (Moderator) | f 3, 2022 | Community, God, Holiness, Temple, Terumah

When God commanded the Children of Israel to build a Tabernacle for him to dwell among them, he also commanded them to build furnishings. Perhaps the most intricate piece was the golden table, or shulchan, that held the 12 showbreads, and some commentaries place the...

The Parochet Curtain: Separating Between the Holy and Holy of Holies

by Shira Schechter (Moderator) | f 2, 2022 | God, Holiness, Prayer, Temple, Terumah

In the Tabernacle, and later, in the Temples in Jerusalem, a curtain, called a parochet, separated the “Holy” from the “Holy of Holies.” The only person who passed through this curtain was the Kohen Gadol (high priest) on Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. In order to...

Where is the Ark of the Covenant?

by Shira Schechter (Moderator) | f 1, 2022 | God, Temple, Terumah

After leaving Egypt and receiving the Torah at Sinai, the Jews were commanded to build a Tabernacle. At the epicenter of the Tabernacle was the Ark of the Covenant into which were placed the stone tablets.  Made of acacia (shittim) wood and measuring a half amah long,...

The Tabernacle: Making God Our Neighbor

by Shira Schechter (Moderator) | f 31, 2022 | God, Holiness, Israel, Marriage and Relationships, Temple, Terumah

In the book of Exodus, God gives Israel a commandment that seems decidedly undivine; to build Him a house to live in. The Israel Bible explains why the verse says to build God a house so that he may “dwell among them,” the people, and not that he may...

Are Unicorns Kosher?

by Shira Schechter (Moderator) | f 30, 2022 | Terumah

The Torah gives detailed instructions on how to build the Tabernacle including precise weights and measures. But one element remains a mystery; the skins of the tachash used for the outer covering of the Tabernacle, and as a slipcover for the holy vessels while they...