Parshat Terumah: An Age-Old Message for Current Consumption

Apr 23

Original author - Ariel Shalem, edited by the GrowTorah Summer Inchworms 2021

The Mishkan, the traveling “House of G-D” built by the Jews in the desert, was an elaborate structure, built of royal and expensive materials. Reading the passages that describe its construction, one could easily be led to ask, “What does such a grandiose and physical building have to do with Hashem?” Yet the Mishkan is the epitome of Divine presence. The word Mishkan means “dwelling place” and is inherently connected to the word Shechina, “presence,” which is also one of many of Hashem’s titles. The Mishkan is the essential place of Hashem’s presence in this world. About the Mishkan, Hashem says, “They shall make a Sanctuary for Me, so that I may dwell among them.”[1]

Parshat Terumah opens with an elaborate list of the materials that will be used in the building of the Mishkan and the instruments within it: “…gold, silver, and copper; and turquoise, purple, and scarlet wool; linen and goat hair; red-dyed ram skins, tachash skins, acacia wood; oil for illumination, spices for the anointing oil and the aromatic incense; shoham stones and stones for the settings, for the ephod and the breastplate.”[2]

Regarding the aforementioned wood, the Midrash Tanhuma[3] on Parshat Terumah tells us that Yaakov received a prophecy that his descendants, while in the desert, would be instructed to build a Mishkan, a dwelling place for Hashem. He subsequently planted saplings in the land of Israel and saw to it that his children would diligently transplant them to Mitzrayim. By making this wise decision, Yaakov prepared a whole forest that would later supply Bnei Yisrael with at least 800 cubic feet, or twenty tons, of usable wood for the Mishkan.

Yaakov longed to participate in the building of the House of Hashem and took the necessary action to ensure his own involvement. Perhaps more significantly, Yaakov’s actions express the teaching of our sages “Who is wise? Those who foresee the consequences of their actions.”[4] Yaakov had the wisdom to act on the prophecy Hashem had shown him. He saw the need for large amounts of wood in Midbar Sinai, an environment that did not produce wood at the time. He therefore created a sustainable solution for the sacred needs of Bnei Yisrael.

We, too, must look ahead and ask ourselves if we are creating sustainable environments for the needs of our children, our grandchildren, and our great-grandchildren. Since the Industrial Revolution, our predecessors have not taken forest management seriously enough to warrant the respect that Yaakov earned for his foresight. In fact, they, and we, have acted all too foolishly with Hashem’s resources. Humankind, and in particular the industrialized West, has imprudently plundered one of Earth’s most precious and critical resources.

The 2021 report given by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change summarizes the drastic effects of reaching over 1.5°C of global warming. In addition, the Climate and Land Use Alliance explains the oft-forgotten benefits of trees and warns of the effects of deforestation:

Limiting average temperature rise to 1.5°C requires both drastic reduction of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions and removing excess carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. While high-tech carbon dioxide removal solutions are under development, the ‘natural technology’ of forests is currently the only proven means of removing and storing atmospheric CO2 at a scale that can meaningfully contribute to achieving carbon balance.[5]

Responsible use of forests and natural forest expansion are key components of maintaining a livable world.

The Midrash[6] also analyzes the choice of acacia wood in the construction of the Mishkan. It explains that the Hebrew root of the word shittim, meaning acacia, shares the same root as the word shtoot, meaning folly. A connection is made: by building the Sanctuary out of this particular wood, we are reminded to rectify the folly that Bnei Yisrael pursued with the sin of the Golden Calf.

The Midrash’s link between acacia and Cheit Ha’egel presents an ironic and poignant connection to the current correlation between deforestation and beef production. According to the Center for International Forestry Research, cattle ranching for beef has caused the majority of felled forests in Latin America, amounting to tens of thousands of square kilometers each year! In the Brazilian Amazon, alone, the total area of deforestation rose from 41.5 million hectares in 1990 to 58.7 million hectares in 2000 - that is forest area twice the size of Portugal lost in just ten years.[7] The overwhelming majority of that lost forest becomes pasture that is largely used for grazing cattle, which are intended for eventual export on the international market. Modern-day beef consumption may thus represent the pursuit of our own material comfort at the expense of our forests.

Careless and selfish deforestation is also caused by urban sprawl. We might benefit from reevaluating our habits of building new highways, building larger homes than we might actually need, and using endless amounts of resources for commuting and transportation of goods. Natural resources such as forests are meant for us to use, but we must learn from Yaakov how to wisely use, reuse, and replenish them. We must learn to avoid the “shtoot” and use the “shitim.”

The Sanctuary served as a microcosm of world harmony and was a Divine gesture to Bnei Yisrael in response to Cheit Ha’egel. We are given Hashem’s world in order to construct a house for Hashem; one of peace, harmony, and sustainability. The world’s resources are not here so that we may pursue materialistic paths toward happiness and fulfillment. The moment that we misuse the physical and degrade the planet, we act against the spirit of the Mishkan that Hashem commanded us to build.

Let us be blessed with the wisdom and foresight of our forefather, Yaakov, to provide sustainable and justified coexistence with the remainder of Hashem’s forests. Let us establish an awareness of how precious our natural world is. By doing so, may we herald in a new era of human consciousness, and may Hashem build the third, and final, Beit Hamikdash as a testament to our efforts. As the prophet Yeshayahu said, “I will give in the desert cedars, acacia trees, all kinds of civilization. Even in them will I give all kinds of wisdom, goodness, and peace… In order that they see and know, and pay attention and understand together that the hand of the Lord did this and the Holy One of Israel created it.”[8]

Suggested Action Items:

Limit your intake of meat as part of your commitment to avoid deforestation and other environmental “folly.” When you do buy meat, if possible, choose locally produced, organic meat from a source you trust. Take a look at growandbehold.com

Original Canfei Nesharim Sponsorships:

Parshat Terumah is dedicated by Shlomo Shinnar, MD, PhD, in honor of Baruch Sheinson.

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Notes:

[1] Shemot 25:8 (translation by Artscroll Mesorah)

[2] Shemot 25:3-7 (translation by Artscroll Mesorah)

[3] Midrash Tanhuma on Parshat Terumah, chapter 9

[4] Babylonian Talmud, Tamid 32a

[5] Report by Climate and Land Use Alliance - “Five Reasons the Earth’s Climate Depends on Forests”

[6] Midrash Tanhuma on Parshat Terumah, Chapter 10

[7] Report by the Center for International Forestry Research -“Hamburger Connection Fuels Amazon Destruction”

[8] Allegorical rendering following Rashi on Yeshayahu 41:19-20