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Why does the Torah (תורה) command "vayikchu li teruma" (they shall take for Me) rather than "vayitnu" (they shall give)? The shiur develops the yesod that building the Mishkan is not about expanding ourselves through giving, but about contracting ourselves to create space for Hashem (ה׳)'s presence—the completion of Kabbalas HaTorah. The Kohen Gadol himself is part of the building's structure, not merely its functionary.
Rabbi Zweig opens with a chronological puzzle: the Torah (תורה)'s flow suggests that the commandment to build the Mishkan preceded the golden calf, yet Rashi (רש"י) in Parshas Ki Sisa (31:18) explicitly states "ein mukdam u'meuchar baTorah"—there is no chronological order in the Torah. The golden calf occurred on the 17th of Tammuz, forgiveness came on Yom Kippur, and only then, the day after Yom Kippur, did the commandment to build the Mishkan come. The Ramban (רמב"ן) disagrees, holding that the Mishkan commandment indeed preceded the golden calf. But if the Torah is not written chronologically, we must ask: why not? The Torah could have placed the golden calf narrative earlier and then followed with the Mishkan commandment in proper sequence. The fact that it didn't suggests a profound reason for placing the Mishkan commandment before the golden calf narrative, even though historically it came after. The language of the opening verses presents multiple difficulties. "Vayikchu li teruma"—"they shall take for Me a gift"—is puzzling. What does "li" (for Me) mean? Rashi explains "lishmi" (for My sake), but every mitzvah (מצוה) should be done lishma. Why the special emphasis here? Furthermore, why does the Torah say "vayikchu" (they shall take) rather than "vayitnu" (they shall give)? The natural language for donations would be giving, not taking. The verse continues: "mei'eis kol ish asher yidvenu libo tikchu es terumasi"—"from every man whose heart motivates him, you shall take My gift." Who is the "you" (plural) that should take? Hashem (ה׳) is speaking only to Moshe. And why "mei'itam" (from with them) rather than "meihem" (from them)?
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Shemos 25:1-9 (Parshas Tetzaveh/Terumah)
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