When people hear the word teruma they automatically think it means a contribution. The accurate meaning is to uplift. Everything in the physical world can be elevated and connected to its source. The thirteen different possible contributions to the Mishkan, as listed in the Torah, are all significant. Thirteen is the numerical equivalent of the words ahava (love) and echad (one). This implies that the way to become one is through giving. Ultimately this is how things are uplifted.

People often say, "I have no relationship with Hashem. I don't know how to develop one." They erroneously think that Hashem does not listen, because when they talk to Him they don't hear an answering voice. Elevating the world and ourselves is the way we make a real connection with Hashem.

After the collection for the Mishkan was completed, Hashem said, "V'asu li mikdash v'shachanti b'tocham. Make a sanctuary for me and I will dwell in them." Rashi comments that the verse does not say "in it," but rather "in them." Each person has a distinct individual way in which he can uplift the world and himself. The result is that Hashem dwells within us.

The very first thing the parsha discusses is the Aron where the Torah was placed. This is not coincidental. The ultimate gift we can give Hashem is ourselves, our penimiut. The deepest part of our selves is our minds. The aron was made of gold covered with wood and then another layer of gold. Rav Hirsh explains that our penimiut, on the most profound level, is pure. This is the symbolic meaning of gold. We are supposed to cover this with wood, which signifies life and growth, in order to achieve the ultimate gold, i.e. purity, on a higher level.

If we want to give something to Hashem, to come closer to Him and to love Him and feel beloved by Him, we need to offer our pure selves, our deepest selves. This will only happen through growth.

The Torah prohibition of Tofer involves binding two items together in a permanent way. The classic example is sewing two stitches and then making a final knot to hold the stitches in place.
 

·      Opening and closing a button, zipper, or Velcro tab is    permitted because it is not a permanent binding.

·      Pulling a loose thread tighter on a button is prohibited.

·      Stapling and taping may not be done on Shabbat.

·      Most authorities rule that human stitches fall under the prohibition of tofer. In life threatening situations, however, it is permitted.

·      There is a disagreement among the poskim whether one may pull the tabs off a band-aid on Shabbat. Rav Shlomo Z. Auerbach rules that it is permitted because it was not meant to stay there permanently. Sticking the band-aid on a wound is a temporary act and may be done if it will be taken off within 24 hours. If it will stay for more than that time, there are poskim who rule leniently and permit it. When one takes off the band-aid, one should open it and not slip it off like a ring. In addition, one should avoid pulling a band-aid off skin where hair grows to avoid tearing hair on Shabbat.

The next group of brachot are related to matters that are so completely beyond our control that only Hashem can grant them to us. In T'ka b'shofar we request that Hashem blow the great shofar and gather us back to our land from the four corners of the earth. We ask for a return to national identity, when all of Jewry will serve Hashem. 

Erik Frank, in his thesis, posits that freedom is frightening. Therefore, we create structure for ourselves. This may sometimes be good and sometimes not. 

A lot of us don't think of ourselves as exiled, we are comfortable where we are.  Scattered throughout the world, we pick up the identity of our host country. Sometimes we end up with garments that don't quite fit on us and we try to change the structure and straighten out the chaos. It does not always work.  In this bracha, we ask Hashem to bring us back to ourselves, to a place where we can form our own society and nurture our inner consciousness.

We ask Hashem to give us a spirit of identity so that his presence resonates within us. Then we will be truly free.  Freedom doesn't mean the ability to make all the choices. In Judaism, real freedom is the ability to be ourselves. This is made possible by having the tools through which we can self- actualize as a people. We ask Hashem to lift up the flag and make his presence apparent so we can rally around him. Only he can bring us back from exile and send the redemption.

The next bracha is about justice, which is a tricky thing. People will do the most outrageous things in the name of justice. True justice can only be meted out by Hashem, so why do we ask Hashem to return human justice?  Even though we may never reach complete justice, we still have to seek that balance. Therefore, we ask Hashem to bring back the kind of leadership that will attempt to establish a just society.

The bracha of V'lamalshinim was added by Rabban Gamliel and his court in response to the rise of Christianity. There are many variations to this blessing as a result of medieval European censors. The forces of concealment have many faces. We ask Hashem to destroy the evil inherent in the world. We are not asking for anyone to die or for any group or nationality to disappear. Judaism is the only religion that doesn't believe that everyone has to become a part of the religion in order to be saved. We pray for Hashem to destroy the people who slander us and those who have allowed evil to become their self-definition. 

In the next blessing, we ask Hashem to have mercy on the tzaddikim, chassidim, elders, and converts.  Of all the things that tend to reduce our faith to smithereens, seeing the righteous suffer is the most challenging. We therefore pray that Hashem safeguard and protect them.

The difference between a tzaddik and a chassid is in the qualitative sense.  A tzaddik is one whose thought, speech, and actions are devoted to goodness. His goal is to do what he has to do wherever it takes him. However a chassid will not only fulfill his obligations, but he'll walk the extra mile.

Why do we give credence to old age and single out the elderly in this bracha?  Age comes with life experience and with it comes respect. Pleitat sofreihem does not mean actual scribes, but people who dedicate their lives to transmitting oral tradition by writing Torah books that are accurate and pure. Our sages single out converts in this blessing as a people who have made significant life choices and have moved a very long way in their journey. 

Question:
 
I have often heard in the name of a gadol that just as a person is required to tithe his money, he is required to give ten percent of his time to kiruv. Although, my husband is a serious Torah scholar, he does not feel ready to host non-religious guests at our table. He feels he still has so much more to learn. I know that on a spiritual level we are helping Klal Yisrael, but somehow I think we could give more.   

Answer:
 
I think your husband is more than likely to make a great contribution to Klal Yisrael in the long run. Hopefully, when he is at the right stage in his life, he will make up for all those years of self-development.

You, probably more than your husband, will encounter many opportunities to reach out to others.  You can make a point of being a walking Kiddush Hashem. Be pleasant and affable, whether it is on the bus, while shopping, or waiting at the doctor's office. 

You may not be the right address for hosting college students at the moment but you should know where to send them. Strike up a conversation. Maintain a repertoire of Torah shiurim you can refer them to. Be helpful and genuine. In your own small way you can make a difference.

Occasionally you may encounter people who are already somewhat observant who might gain a lot from just being at your Shabbat table. Seeing a family like yours interact can leave a lasting impression.  Show them which values are paramount in a Jewish home, what chinuch habanim is all about, how a husband speaks to his wife, and how a wife treats her husband. Adopt an already frum couple who desperately needs an older sibling or a set of parents and be there for them.

Be patient. Eventually when your husband feels ready, you will both reap the dividends of your shared investment.