Parashat Terumah: Midrash
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Devash: Hadar’s Weekly Parashah Magazine for Children and Families

Midrash מִדְרָשׁ

Midrashim are ideas or stories that explain the Torah. They often come from listening very carefully to what the Torah says and how it says it. Here, we will look for what clues this midrash sees in the Torah's words, and try to understand its messages.
This pasuk, about the construction of the מְנוֹרָה (menorah), has some unusual wording.
שמות כ״ה:מ׳
וּרְאֵ֖ה וַעֲשֵׂ֑ה בְּתַ֨בְנִיתָ֔ם אֲשֶׁר־אַתָּ֥ה מׇרְאֶ֖ה בָּהָֽר׃
Exodus 25:40
See and create, follow the patterns for them that were shown to you on the mountain.
What is “see and create?” And what patterns are we talking about that were shown to Moshe? This midrash notices these ambiguities. The midrash also notices, in the pesukim leading into this one, that the method for creating the menorah is repeated a few times. All these peculiarities lead to a great story (Bemidbar Rabbah 15):
במדבר רבה ט״ו
רַבִּי לֵוִי בַּר רַבִּי אוֹמֵר… שֶׁאָמַר לוֹ הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא לְמשֶׁה: "וְעָשִׂיתָ מְנֹרַת זָהָב טָהוֹר” (שמות כה:לא)
אָמַר לוֹ: כֵּיצַד נַעֲשֶׂה אוֹתָה?
אָמַר לוֹ: "מִקְשָׁה תֵּעָשֶׂה הַמְּנוֹרָה" (שמות כה:לא)
וְאַף עַל פִּי כֵן נִתְקַשָּׁה משֶׁה וְיָרַד וְשָׁכַח מַעֲשֶׂיהָ.
עָלָה וְאָמַר: רִבּוֹנִי, כֵּיצַד נַעֲשֶׂה אוֹתָהּ?
אָמַר לוֹ: "מִקְשָׁה תֵּעָשֶׂה הַמְּנוֹרָה" (שמות כה:לא)
וְאַף עַל פִּי כֵן נִתְקַשָּׁה משֶׁה וְיָרַד וְשָׁכַח.
עָלָה וְאָמַר: רִבּוֹנִי, שָׁכַחְתִּי.
הֶרְאָה לוֹ לְמשֶׁה וְעוֹד נִתְקַשָּׁה בָהּ.
אָמַר לוֹ: “וּרְאֵה וַעֲשֵׂה” (שמות כה:מ) עַד שֶׁנָּטַל מְנוֹרָה שֶׁל אֵשׁ וְהֶרְאָה לוֹ עֲשִׂיָּתָהּ.
וְאַף עַל פִּי כֵן נִתְקַשָּׁה עַל משֶׁה!
אָמַר לוֹ הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא: לֵךְ אֵצֶל בְּצַלְאֵל וְהוּא יַעֲשֶׂה אוֹתָהּ.
וְאָמַר לִבְצַלְאֵל, מִיָּד עֲשָׂאָהּ.
הִתְחִיל תָּמֵהַּ וְאָמַר: אֲנִי כַּמָּה פְּעָמִים הֶרְאָה לִי הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא וְנִתְקַשֵּׁיתִי לַעֲשׂוֹתָהּ, וְאַתְּ שֶׁלֹא רָאִיתָ עָשִׂיתָ מִדַּעְתְּךָ...
Bamidbar Rabbah 15
Rabbi Levi son of Rabbi says...The Holy One said to Moshe "You will make a menorah of pure gold" (Shemot 25:31).
Moshe responded: how will we make it?
God responded: "It will be made of hammered work" (Shemot 25:31).
But Moshe struggled and went down and forgot how to make it.
He went up again and said: My Master, how do we make it? God said: "It will be made of hammered work" (Shemot 25:31).
But Moshe struggled and went down and forgot.
He went back up and said: My Master, I forgot it!
God showed Moshe, and Moshe still struggled. God said to him: "See and create" (Shemot 25:40), and took a menorah of fire and showed him how it was made.
But, it was still a struggle for Moshe!
The Holy One said to Moshe: Go to Betzalel, and he will make it.
Moshe told Betzalel, and he immediately made it. Moshe was amazed and said: How many times did the Holy One show me, and I still struggled to make it! But you, who never saw it, knew how to make it by yourself!
  • Think of a time when you had difficulty learning something. Moshe could relate! What are some things he does really well in the story, even though he’s having trouble? What can we learn from his example for when we’re having a hard time?
  • What does this midrash teach us about learning new things?
  • How does Moshe feel about himself in the end? Does God feel the same way? What would you say to Moshe if you could?