Terumah - 6th Portion

Join as we learnish for Friday the sixth Torah reading of parasuma. Yesterday we learned about the curtains that were there to separate the holy of holies with the sanctuary as well as the opening of the tabernacle. Today we go back to the vessels that we have not yet completed. Then now we're going to talk about the outer altar. Chapter 27 verse one. And then you will make an altar made out ofac. It's going to be five cubits and five cubits wide. It will be square. The altar shall be square. is and it's going to be three cubits tall. verse one the words in the as they as they say that's what they mean meaning that's what says what their discussion over here is when we talk about the roof and the height does that include the protrusions the corners that came out of it or not says no should be square and it also says by the inner altar it should be here just like over there in the inner altar. The height of the altar was twice the size of its length. So too, the height should be twice the size of its length. Well, if it said then it's if it's five wide then the height should be 10. What do I get here? When it says then that three cubits should be its height. It's not talking about the actual altar. The top part of the altar where we're going to soon see that it has these little corners that was three tall but the actual thing itself was 10 tall. Verse two and now it's actual corners in each one of the four corners. You should make protrusions in the four corners from the actual piece itself. should have these protrusions and you shall cover them with copper. Don't make corners and then afterwards put them on top. The whole overlay on the top that had to be of with the protrusions coming out of it with the corners that were there. That's what according to Rabi Yosi who wants to learn that it was 10 tall the entire altar and the top part was three tall. You should cover it with copper. The reason why it had to be covered with copper, this was to atone for the audacity and for the uh for the fact that the Jewish people as it says for the way the Jewish people disrespected or whatever may be as we know that this is going to be for the sacrifices that we were brought on it and at the time being that the word says the word in Isaiah says that your forehead head is compared is as hard as copper meaning as a person who has disrespect. Verse three with it you will make pots which are going to be used to remove the ashes of and scoops and basins and hooks and fire pants. All of these vessels should be made out of copper. We're going to go through rashi which explains what all these items are. These are pots big pots. This was an order to take off the ashes. You'll put it into it to be able to collect the ashes at the end of every morning in the morning that they would have to clean off the ashes from the sacrifices that were burning there all day. Now where does he get the word from? So he says the word means to clean off even though the word means to remove garbage. So therefore Rashi says you have words in Hebrew where the word itself can explain changes to the interpretation of the actual word. Meaning the word itself can be used either to understand the word or to destroy what it meaning to build or sometimes to destroy. Meaning you can either say the word to keep what you're trying to say or to actually deflect and say the opposite of what you're trying to say. For example, when it wants to say that the person was planting its roots, that means to keep it strong. So he says the tilm says that they rooted themselves in the land of Israel or the opposite you also have when you want to say you want to remove the roots you will use a similar word which is so you see the word means to root itself and means to uproot it and he brings another example You have a place for example when it comes to stoning it says and they stoned them with stones and then the opposite remove the stones is exact same word from the word. So you can see this so therefore his point is that in our case where it uses the word it can mean to remove the ash as well of which is in this case means these scoops and what were they used for? These were like rakes. These were scoops or shovels that they used to take the ash with it. This is like a small h tool that has uh a small shovel and that has a handle to it that you should be able to use it to rake the ashes off. Misov it's uh these were basins to use to be able to collect the blood from the sacrifices. These were meat forks, flesh forks. They were tilted forks. They would use it to be able to hit the meat and it would grab the meat. It would stick the meat into it. They were able to turn it over so it be able to uh burn better on the actual fire will cause it to burn quicker. The shovels. What were these shovels for? Base. This was a bigger wider shovel. had a place that you were able to hold it and they were able to take coals off the altar with it. This was that they would take the coals from the outer altar and bring it into the inner altar that they would be able to burn the incest with it. Then because they would be able to stir the coals with it. That's why it's called a shovel from the concept of taking one fire from one place and bringing it to another. all its vessels. Why does it say to all its vessels? I mean to say all the vessels that were there. Verse four. Now on this on this altar you will then make a great a great made out of copper network. Then you shall make on this network. There was like a web if you want to call it four coin four four copper rings on its four corners. Four. What does the wordbar mean? Like this terminology of a net that has a bunch of holes in it. They made it like for a garment on the altar. There was a lot of holes in it like a net, like a sie. This word, the actual verse is a little out of order. And you should read it. Make for it a nice garment around the altar, which would be made out of this net type of material. Verse five, and you will then place this below the border of the altar beneath it and this net this mesh at would be halfway through the altar the middle way of the altar. So here Rashi explains and says what's going on over here to understand where exactly this was around the alter anything that's around something is called a like it says in the track what's considered a vessel anything that's going to be used to surround something this is how they make these special designs around these round designs around these tables around the around the benches. This was made for beauty that it should look nice for ornament for decoration. So too for the altar. They made these ornaments this little engravings around it. And this was an wide around the wall just for ornaments. And this was at three amos, three cubits high. That's where this ornament was. This was according to the opinion that we mentioned before according to the opinion that says that the ark was twice the height of its width. So therefore the ornament was midway by the three amos tall three mark. What do I have from here? Three high from the part from this ornament higher. However, when we talk about the place where the actual cohim would walk on the wall of the altar, that was not in the copper altar. Where did the co have to walk? They had to walk on the inside inside the corners. That means in the altar that wasn't the holy temple that King Solomon built, there was a place around the altar that the coin were able to walk and that's where they would place the sacrifices in the different places. In the altar that we're talking about over here, they had to walk in the actual altar in between the corners, the protrusions that we mentioned previously. This is what it says in that mean between each corner was the width of inside of them was an amma. So in between each corner was and that's the cubit we the kohan would walk and that's the way they would get around the whole altar. These two that we're referring to in this case are considered that means between the two protrusions is what's called a and the elaborates but it says how can you say that the car of going around means between the protrusions if the actual verse says it has to be underneath the car underneath it. So from here you learn that the kakov actually means around the frame of the altar and underneath it was this mesh and over there the uh over there the answers that there were two two one as we will call it was for beauty which was the base and the frame around by the mesh the one the other one was made that the shouldn't burn themselves so they had to have a space away from the fire that the should walk and they should be able to go there and they shouldn't slip from the when they're walking around it. The one that was on the wall was for the beauty and underneath it was the mesh and that reached halfway midway of the altar. So what we have over here is that the actual mesh was an amawide and that told you where the half of the altar was because different sacrifices we can learn in the book of Leviticus that some sacrifices were had to be the blood was sprinkled above and some of them was sprinkled below. How did they know what the midway was where that mesh was told them that's the midway point and some the blood was sprinkled above it and some underneath it. Then there was another carve that was on the top in between the protrusions where the co would walk connect. The same thing is also when they built in the holy temple that king Solomon built. It was a line that they put around the altar that they knew which way and where they would sprinkle the blood. So to the ramp that they made for it, even though it's not explained here in this part being that we already learned in the end of that they would not be allowed to go up to the altar with steps. There must have been a ramp. So therefore the ramp they would make a nice long steep ramp a long ramp a nice beautiful smooth ramp and that's how we know that there was a ramp that's what and therefore want to refer that that altar which was talking about at the end of the Torah reading of Israel where we speak about the altar and to go up with uh with a ramp and not with the steps and the earn altar. This is referring to this copper altar here. Why was it called an earn altar? Because the inside of the altar was was empty, was hollow. And they would fill it with earth. Wherever they would stop while they would travel, they would take earth and fill up the inside of the altar. Where was these ramps situated? On the south side of the altar, move the it was separated. It was like a thin hair breath in between the ramp and the actual altar of and the edge of it would go all the way until the curtains of the courtyard around it. That's how long the ramp was. So the ramp was about 21 and a half cubits which would then reach the center of the altar which would be in the center of the courtyard. This is all according to the opinion that says that the that the altar was 20 tall. But according to Rabud where he says they have to read it the way it is. And then how tall was the altar? Only three cubits tall. Then the length of the ramp was only 10 tall. 10 long. This is what I learned in the Mishna of 42 mid and the fact that I told you that the ramp was separated from there was a here breath between the ramp and the actual altar. This is also discussed in the tractor of 62B verse six. And then you will make poles for the altar. bowls made out of wood and you will coat them with copper. Verse seven, you will then bring the poles in the ring and these poles will then be on both sides of the altar. The purpose of them is you only need to have them in when you will carry it. when it's carried in the rings the word is in those four rings that I mentioned earlier by the mesh verse eight you should make a hollow structure of panels the way I showed you to make it on the mountain that's way you should make it says and it should be empty it should be hollow on the side. Like we mentioned, wherever they went, it was hollow and then they would fill it with earth. You're going to make panels of wood on each side and in the middle it's going to be empty. It's not going to be one big solid piece of wood. Not one solid piece of wood. It shouldn't be made as one piece of wood which is thick 5x5, but it's going to be boards connected and the middle is going to be empty. This concludes the sixth Torah reading of