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Shabbat Parashat Teruma 5773

Terumah | 6 Adar 5773 | 17/02/2013

Parashat Hashavua: Mishkan or Mikdash

In this week’s parasha we read of the command to build that which people generally call the Mishkan (the Tabernacle). However, if we take a good look at the p’sukim, the Torah commands to erect a Mikdash (Shemot 25:8) – a Temple or Sanctuary. Only the roof of this Sanctuary, covered by special hides, was actually called a mishkan (ibid.26:1). This mishkan served Bnei Yisrael until the destruction of Shilo, some 383 years after Bnei Yisrael entered the Land of Israel. As the Rambam (Beit Habechira 1:2) calculates, this soft-roofed structure stood for 14 years in Gilgal and 369 years in Shilo. After all this time, the construction of a structure with a permanent roof at the time of King Shlomo was a novel idea.

Ask the Rabbi: Removing a Licked Candy from Amongst Clean Ones on Shabbat

I was at a friend’s home, and he brought out a platter of candies, all of the same type. My little daughter grabbed for a candy and put it in her mouth. I chided her for her behavior, so she put the (licked) candy back in the platter. I was very embarrassed and took the candy out from the platter. My friend claimed that in the process, I had violated the prohibition of borer (selecting). Was he correct?

Ein Ayah: Lie Down “Higher”

Ben Azay said: One can lie down on any surface except for the ground.

P'ninat Mishpat: Late Pay Without Fringe Benefit

The plaintiff (¬=pl) was hired by a youth movement (=def) to run a summer camp. It was agreed that def would arrange for pl to take a course in security and would receive an extra 50 shekels a day for concurrently serving as an armed guard. He was to have been paid 500 shekels for the time he was to have put into taking that course. Due to some mistake in registration, possibly due to def, pl was not able to take part in the course. Pl is suing for compensation for not being able to take the course, which costs 2,000 shekels to take part in and opens the door for employment opportunities over time. Since he was paid at a low rate for activities he was involved in before the camp, def’s obligation to pay for the course should be seen as part of his salary. Pl was also paid late by the camp, and he claims that he is still owed 90 shekels. Def says that they do not know what caused the registration problem. They paid pl 500 shekels and an additional salary of 50 shekel per day during the camp (ten days) as if he took part in the course, but now that pl is suing def in beit din, they want the money back. Regarding the late payment, def blames the delay on the resignation of one of the people in the apparatus and a stint in Army reserves by another. They cannot rule out the possibility that 90 shekels of salary is outstanding.

Refuah Sheleimah

for

Rabanit Itah bat Chana

Ehrenreich

amongst the sick

of Klal Yisrael

This edition of
Hemdat Yamim

is dedicated
to the memory of
R' Meir
ben

Yechezkel Shraga Brachfeld

o.b.m

Hemdat Yamim

is endowed by

Les & Ethel Sutker

of Chicago, Illinois
in loving memory of
Max and Mary Sutker
and

Louis and Lillian Klein, z”l

Hemdat Yamim

is dedicated

In memory

Yehudah

ben

Naftali Hertz Cohen (Kamofsky)

o.b.m.

Hemdat Yamim

is dedicated

to the memory

Gershon (George)

ben

Chayim HaCohen Kaplan

o.b.m.

A weekly divrei Torah leaflet: A Glimpse at the Parasha, Ask the Rabbi, From the writings of Harav Avraham Yitzchak Hakohen Kook, zt”l, Pninat Mishpat (Jewish Monetary Law).