זוהר, תרומה כ״זZohar, Terumah 27

Segment 1א׳

פָּתַח רִבִּי אַבָּא וְאָמַר, (שמות כ״ה:ב׳) וְיִקְחוּ לִי תְּרוּמָה מֵאֵת כָּל אִישׁ וְגוֹ'. מֹשֶׁה בְּשַׁעֲתָא דְּקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא אַחְמֵי לֵיהּ עוֹבָדָא דְּמַשְׁכְּנָא, הֲוָה קָשֶׁה קָמֵיהּ, וְלָא יָכִיל לְמֵיקָם בֵּיהּ, וְהָא אוּקְמוּהָ. וְהַשְּׁתָּא אִית לָן לְמִקְשֵׁי הָכָא, אִי תְּרוּמָה דָּא, יָהֲבָהּ קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא לְמֹשֶׁה בִּלְחוֹדוֹי, הֵיךְ יָהֲבָהּ לְאַחֲרָא, וְאָמַר דְּלִבְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל יִקְחוּ הַאי תְּרוּמָה.

Then R. Abba spoke on the verse: “And they shall take me a heave offering.” Said he: ‘When the Holy One showed Moses the work of the Tabernacle, he was perplexed over its construction, as has been pointed out. Now comes the question, if it was to Moses alone that the Holy One gave the Terumah (heave-offering, i.e. the Shekinah), how could he have given her to others (i.e. communicated the Presence of God to the people), for it says that “the children of Israel should take a heave-offering”?

Segment 2ב׳

אֶלָּא וַדַּאי לְמֹשֶׁה יָהֲבָהּ, וְלָא יָהֲבָהּ לְאַחֲרָא. לְמַלְכָּא דְּהֲוָה בְּגוֹ עַמֵּיהּ, וְלָא הֲוַת מַטְרוֹנִיתָא עִמֵּיהּ דְּמַלְכָּא. כָּל זִמְנָא דְּמַטְרוֹנִיתָא לָא הֲוַת עִמֵּיהּ דְּמַלְכָּא, לָא מִתְיָּאֲשֵׁי עַמָּא בֵּיהּ, וְאִינּוּן לָא יַתְבִין לְרַחֲצָן. כֵּיוָן דְּאָתַת מַטְרוֹנִיתָא, כָּל עַמָּא חֲדָאן, וְיַתְבֵי בְּרוּחְצָּנוּ. כַּךְ בְּקַדְמִיתָא, אַף עַל גַּב דְּקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא עָבַד לוֹן נִסִּין וְאָתִין עַל יְדֵי דְּמֹשֶׁה, לָא מִתְיַאֲשֵׁי עַמָּא. כֵּיוָן דְּאָמַר קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא וְיִקְחוּ לִי תְּרוּמָה, וְנָתַתִּי מִשְׁכָּנִי בְּתוֹכְכֶם. מִיַּד אִתְיָאַשׁוּ כֻּלְּהוּ, וְחַדּוּ בְּפוּלְחָנָא דְּקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא, הֲדָא הוּא דִכְתִיב, (במדבר ז׳:א׳) וַיְהִי בְּיוֹם כַּלֹּת מֹשֶׁה דְּנַחְתַּת כַּלַּת מֹשֶׁה לְאַרְעָא.

We may answer by a parable. A King stood in the midst of his people, but his Queen was not with him. As long as she was absent the people did not feel secure and were somewhat uneasy. But as soon as the Queen arrived the whole people rejoiced, feeling that they were now safe. In like manner, although the Holy One, blessed be He, showed Israel many signs and wonders through Moses, they did not yet feel sure of themselves, but as soon as the Holy One said, “They shall take me a heave-offering that I may dwell in the midst of them” (v. 8), their confidence was at once firmly established and they rejoiced in the worship of the Holy One, blessed be He. Therefore it is written: “And it came to pass on the day that Moses had fully set up (kalloth) the tabernacle… that the princes of Israel brought their offerings….” (Num. 7, 1-3), namely on the day when the Bride (kallah) of Moses (Shekinah) came down to earth.

Segment 3ג׳

וְאִי תֵּימָא, וַיְהִי בְּכָל אֲתָר לָאו אִיהוּ אֶלָּא לִישָׁנָא דְּצַעֲרָא, וְהָכָא כְּתִיב וַיְהִי בְּיוֹם. אֶלָּא, בְּהַהוּא יוֹמָא דִּשְׁכִינְתָּא נַחְתַּת לְאַרְעָא, אִשְׁתְּכַח מְקַטְרְגָא לְגַבָּהּ, וְחַפְיָא הַהוּא חָשׁוּךְ קְבַל לְגַבָּהּ, בְּגִין דְּלָא תֵּיחוֹת. וְתָנֵינָן, אֶלֶף וַחֲמֵשׁ מְאָה רִבּוֹא מַלְאָכִין מְקַטְרְגִין, אִשְׁתְּכָחוּ לְגַבָּהּ בְּגִין דְּלָא תֵּיחוֹת.

Now the question might be asked: Wherever the expression “and it came to pass” occurs in Scripture, is it not always connected with something sad? And the answer would be that something sad occurred also on the day when the Tabernacle was completed and the Shekinah came down to earth. For a celestial Accuser stood at Her side who covered Her Face with a veil of thick darkness to prevent Her from finding Her way down to earth. And we have been taught that a thousand and five hundred myriads of accusing angels were round about Her for the same purpose.