Daily Zohar # 1421 – Teruma – Open heart and efforts
Hebrew translation:
וְלוֹקַחַת חַיִל מֵהָעוֹלָם הָעֶלְיוֹן עַל יְדֵי יַעֲקֹב הַשָּׁלֵם, שֶׁחִבֵּר אוֹתָם כְּאֶחָד. חִבֵּר אוֹתָם כְּאֶחָד לְמַעְלָה, וְחִבֵּר אוֹתָם כְּאֶחָד לְמַטָּה, וּמִשָּׁם יָצְאוּ שְׁנֵים עָשָׂר שְׁבָטִים קְדוֹשִׁים כְּמוֹ שֶׁלְּמַעְלָה. יַעֲקֹב שֶׁהָיָה שָׁלֵם הִכְנִיס אַהֲבָה בִּשְׁנֵי עוֹלָמוֹת, כְּמוֹ שֶׁבֵּאַרְנוּ. שְׁאָר בְּנֵי אָדָם שֶׁעוֹשִׂים, כָּךְ מְגַלִּים עֲרָיוֹת לְמַעְלָה וּלְמַטָּה, גּוֹרְמִים יְרִיבוּת בִּשְׁנֵי עוֹלָמוֹת וְגוֹרְמִים פֵּרוּד. זֶהוּ שֶׁכָּתוּב (ויקרא יח) וְאִשָּׁה אֶל אֲחֹתָהּ לֹא תִקָּח לִצְרֹ”ר, שֶׁנַּעֲשׂוֹת יְרִיבוֹת זוֹ לָזוֹ.
וְאִם תֹּאמַר, (בראשית ל) וַתְּקַנֵּא רָחֵל בַּאֲחוֹתָהּ – כָּךְ הוּא וַדַּאי. שֶׁהֲרֵי כָּל תְּשׁוּקַת הָעוֹלָם הַתַּחְתּוֹן אֵינָהּ אֶלָּא כְּדֵי לִהְיוֹת כְּמוֹ הָעוֹלָם הָעֶלְיוֹן וְלִירַשׁ מְקוֹמוֹ. בְּמָקוֹם אַחֵר קִנְאַת סוֹפְרִים תַּרְבֶּה חָכְמָה, וְכָאן קִנְאַת סוֹפְרִים, מִשּׁוּם שֶׁיֵּשׁ סֵפֶר וְסֵפֶר, מַגְדִּילִים מְשִׁיכַת הַחָכְמָה (הָעֶלְיוֹנָה) אֲלֵיהֶם. (וְעַל זֶה יַעֲקֹב הִשְׁלִים כוּ’).
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Zohar Terumah
Continued from previous DZ
The word ‘Terumah’, תרומה , means ‘contribution’ as the Zohar explains, it is constructed from the word תרומ that means ‘elevation’ and the letter ה is the aspect of the ה of Malchut.
The simple purpose of the contribution is for the people to support the building of the Holy Tabernacle. Obviously God could have created the Tabernacle by himself and let the people come there to worship him but as we studied in previous DZ, God loves us.
He created the system of the Tree of Life, which is the Ten Sefirot with ‘head’ that is the upper three Sefirot of Keter, Chokmah and Binah and the ‘body’ that is the aspect of the lower seven Sefirot of Chessed, Gevurah, Tiferet, Netzach, Hod, Yessod and Malchut.
The spiritual system was built to allow us the process of earning the light. Our desires and efforts in the lower level of Malchut affect the entire ‘Tree’ and opens channels of Light to the world. If God were to give us the Holy Tabernacle, without our participation in building it, we wouldn’t be able to earn the light that came through it.
Exodus 25:2
“דַּבֵּר אֶל-בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל, וְיִקְחוּ-לִי תְּרוּמָה: מֵאֵת כָּל-אִישׁ אֲשֶׁר יִדְּבֶנּוּ לִבּוֹ, תִּקְחוּ אֶת-תְּרוּמָתִי”
“Speak to the people of Israel, that they take for me a contribution. From every man whose heart moves him you shall receive the contribution for me.”
God didn’t force the connection on everyone. He specified to accept contributions only from those with the open heart to give. The ‘open heart’ is a state of consciousness and the contribution is the effort that creates the vessel. With this combination, the Light can flow into the vessel. The term of ‘Bread of Shame’ is a fundamental element in the study of Kabbalah. Its meaning is that we must earn everything in this world. If we benefit from something without earning it then it adds to our ‘bread of shame’ and we’ll have to correct it sooner or later.
We should give back to those who help, support and teach us. We don’t ask for donations to support the Daily Zohar projects because a person must understand the value and open his heart before making the contribution. Only then it will benefit him.
Exodus 25:8
” וְעָשׂוּ לִי, מִקְדָּשׁ; וְשָׁכַנְתִּי, בְּתוֹכָם.”
“And let them make Me a Temple, that I may dwell in them”
Connecting to the love and light of the Creator requires open heart and efforts because in the world of Malchut we must earn the light we wish to have in our lives.
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