There are occasionally different customs on how to divide up the aliyot in the Parshah. One such is in our Parshah. Our custom is to end sheni after the description of the Menorah. Another custom, however, widely used in Israel, is to end sheni after the description of the Table, placing the Menorah in shelishi, with the coverings of the Tabernacle. The first custom seems to make more sense, as it places the inner vessels of the Tabernacle: Ark, Table and Menorah, all within one section. The differing custom seems rather strange and without logic. An answer to this puzzle may be found in the fact that the Parshiot concerning the Tabernacle, the last five in Exodus, are always read during the month of Adar. What is the connection of the Tabernacle to this month and Purim? There is an obvious historical connection, as the Tabernacle was first erected on the 1st of Nisan, so it is appropriate to read about its construction in Adar. Yet, there is a deeper meaning, connected to the festival of Purim. The Tabernacle is made of differing parts, yet the Torah insists that they be joined together ‘so that the Tabernacle shall be one’. Haman accuses the Jewish people of being a disunited rabble: ‘divided and scattered among the nations’. Yet Mordechai and Esther knew how to tap the inner unity of the Jews to join them together in a common purpose. They gather all the Jews together for fasting, prayer and eventually battle; and that is the secret of their redemption. If we return to our original question, we may now discover an answer as to why the Menorah is intimately connected to the construction of the Tabernacle. The Menorah consists of different parts fashioned from one whole. One block of gold serves as the base for all its various appurtenances. The structure of the Tabernacle is, of course, the opposite: various separate parts are joined to make a whole. By joining the two together, we can learn that the secret of joining the separate parts of the Jewish people into one whole, is understanding that we really all come from a single source, and it is our differences that are superficial. That is the lesson that Purim teaches us and it is that lesson that is relevant for today. When facing modern Hamans, it is our essential unity that will redeem us, like in those days at this time.

ALIYAH BY ALIYAH SYNOPSIS

Rishon	G-d commands the people to build a Tabernacle for His Presence to dwell among them. The Ark.
Sheni	The Ark cover, Cherubim, the Table and the Menorah.
Shelishi	The outer covering of the Tabernacle.
Revi’i	The wooden structure of the Tabernacle.
Chamishi	The Veil separating off the Holy of Holies.
Shishi	The Altar of Offering.
Shevi’i	The Courtyard of the Tabernacle.
Haftorah	I Kings: 5;26-6;13: Solomon builds the Temple.

 Sidra Statistics

Parshat Terumah

·         has 96 verses ;

·         is the 7th in Exodus, 19th in the Torah

·         10th longest in Exodus, 38th longest in the Torah

·         has 2 pos + 1 neg = 3 mitzvot.