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This week, we look at Terumah (Exodus 25-27:19). The word means gift, contribution, offering, donation. And fittingly, this portion is about the building of the Tabernacle and some of its chief contents: the Ark of the Covenant, the showbread table, the menorah, and the altar of burnt offering.

A lot of people have written extensively about the symbolism of the Tabernacle and its various fittings and furnishings, so I’m not going to go into it (at least, not this year). Instead, this post will be a collection of links to some resources about the Tabernacle and its contents.

The Tabernacle and the altar of burnt offering
Here’s a “thumbnail sketch” of the Tabernacle by the Temple Institute in Israel, with illustrations to better picture what its components would’ve looked like, including the altar of burnt offering (here’s a short piece focusing more on the altar especially during Temple times); and you can get a great overview of the Tabernacle from Hebrew for Christians, which is more detailed.

The Ark of the Covenant
Here’s a photographed replica of the Ark, made for teaching and research purposes by the Temple Institute, and an intriguing piece about its current whereabouts. Secondly, here’s an article from Hebrew for Christians that goes more in-depth into the Mercy Seat of the Ark.

The showbread table
Here’s a photo of the showbread table, and a brief piece about it. And this is a great little article about the golden vessels, or spoons, that were used to hold the frankincense for putting on the showbread.

The menorah, or 7-branched lampstand
Here’s a descriptive piece about the menorah, again from the Temple Institute, and a picture of the menorah itself, as well as some of its implements: the cleaning vessel, the oil pitcher for replenishing the menorah, and the small golden flask used to fill each of the 7 lamps. There’s also an in-depth article about the menorah from Hebrew for Christians, and an interesting little bit about the making of the current menorah for the future Temple in Jerusalem.

Lastly, for an overview of what was going on at this point in the bigger picture of the proceedings, here’s an instructive piece from Hebrew for Christians about the various ascensions of Moses at Sinai: The Eight Aliyot of Moses.

I realise that this is rather short and I’m still a portion behind, but I’ll continue trying to catch up in the coming week. It’s just been a bit busy around here lately. Shalom all…