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Why does Parshas Terumah appear before the sin of the Golden Calf? The shiur develops a fundamental dispute between Rashi (רש"י) and Ramban (רמב"ן) on the chronology, then reveals the Rambam (רמב"ם)'s dual understanding: the Mishkan serves both to combat idolatry (post-sin) and to create a space of eternity where all reality exists within Hashem (ה׳)—Makom Shel Olam. This second dimension explains why the parsha appears here.
This shiur examines the fundamental question of why Parshas Terumah, containing the commandment to build the Mishkan, appears where it does in the Torah (תורה)'s narrative sequence. According to the Ramban (רמב"ן) in Parshas Ki Sisa, the Torah follows chronological order: Mount Sinai occurred first, then the commandment to build the Mishkan (Terumah), then the instructions for the Kohen Gadol's garments (Tetzaveh), and finally the sin of the Golden Calf. According to Rashi (רש"י), however, these parshiyos are out of chronological order. The sin of the eigel hazahav actually occurred first, and only afterward did Hashem (ה׳) command the building of the Mishkan as a form of atonement. The Midrash Tanchuma supports Rashi's view, stating explicitly that Parshas Terumah was given after Yom Kippur when Hashem said "Salachti kidvarecha." If this is correct, why would the Torah depart from logical chronological sequence? There must be a compelling reason for placing these parshiyos before Ki Sisa. Rabbi Zweig then explores a fundamental machlokes between the Ramban and the Rambam (רמב"ם) regarding what is included in the mitzvah (מצוה) to build the Mishkan. The Ramban holds that the mitzvah includes only making the building and the Aron (Ark). All other vessels—the altars, menorah, table—are not part of the mitzvah of building the Mishkan itself but are separate obligations tied to their specific services. For instance, the obligation to bring the daily korban tamid necessitates having an altar; the obligation to burn incense requires an altar for incense. Only the Aron has no specific service function, so it alone is intrinsically part of the Mishkan structure. Indeed, in the Second Temple there was no Aron, yet the service continued. The Rambam, conversely, holds that the mitzvah to build the Mishkan includes making all the vessels—altars, menorah, table—but surprisingly excludes the Aron from his enumeration in Sefer HaMitzvos. This appears almost diametrically opposed to the Ramban.
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Parshas Terumah
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