(כב) וַיָּבֹ֥אוּ הָאֲנָשִׁ֖ים עַל־הַנָּשִׁ֑ים כֹּ֣ל ׀ נְדִ֣יב לֵ֗ב הֵ֠בִ֠יאוּ חָ֣ח וָנֶ֜זֶם וְטַבַּ֤עַת וְכוּמָז֙ כׇּל־כְּלִ֣י זָהָ֔ב וְכׇל־אִ֕ישׁ אֲשֶׁ֥ר הֵנִ֛יף תְּנוּפַ֥ת זָהָ֖ב לַיהֹוָֽה׃
(22) Men and women, all whose hearts moved them, all who would make an elevation offering of gold to יהוה, came bringing brooches, earrings, rings, and pendants —gold objects of all kinds.
(כד) כׇּל־מֵרִ֗ים תְּר֤וּמַת כֶּ֙סֶף֙ וּנְחֹ֔שֶׁת הֵבִ֕יאוּ אֵ֖ת תְּרוּמַ֣ת יְהֹוָ֑ה וְכֹ֡ל אֲשֶׁר֩ נִמְצָ֨א אִתּ֜וֹ עֲצֵ֥י שִׁטִּ֛ים לְכׇל־מְלֶ֥אכֶת הָעֲבֹדָ֖ה הֵבִֽיאוּ׃
(24) everyone who would make gifts of silver or copper brought them as gifts for יהוה; and everyone who happened to find himself with acacia wood for any work of the service brought that.
When the Torah continues and describes people who possessed and brought acacia wood, the term נדבה, a donation, is omitted seeing that according to Tanchuma Parshat Terumah Jacob had foreseen the need for such wood and had planted such trees for use in the Tabernacle when required. The people with whom these trees or planks were found and who now brought them to Moses had only been trustees. These trees had only been "on deposit" with their keepers. They did not give up something that was theirs. Their contribution then could not qualify for the description "donation." לכל מלאכת עבודת הביאו, they brought it to be used for any work connected to the service (in the Tabernacle). The fact that the Torah stresses לכל מלאכת עבודה, is proof that the people bringing these trees or planks had kept them only for that purpose, otherwise these words are quite superfluous seeing that all the donations were brought for the same purpose. When you consider our explanation about the different types of possessions a person owns and what he feels for his various possessions, you will understand why the Torah repeated the word הביאו separately for each of the items listed.
(טו) יְקָ֣רָה הִ֭יא (מפניים) [מִפְּנִינִ֑ים] וְכׇל־חֲ֝פָצֶ֗יךָ לֹ֣א יִֽשְׁווּ־בָֽהּ׃ (טז) אֹ֣רֶךְ יָ֭מִים בִּֽימִינָ֑הּ בִּ֝שְׂמֹאולָ֗הּ עֹ֣שֶׁר וְכָבֽוֹד׃ (יז) דְּרָכֶ֥יהָ דַרְכֵי־נֹ֑עַם וְֽכׇל־נְתִ֖יבוֹתֶ֣יהָ שָׁלֽוֹם׃ (יח) עֵץ־חַיִּ֣ים הִ֭יא לַמַּחֲזִיקִ֣ים בָּ֑הּ וְֽתֹמְכֶ֥יהָ מְאֻשָּֽׁר׃ {פ}
(יט) יְֽהֹוָ֗ה בְּחׇכְמָ֥ה יָסַד־אָ֑רֶץ כּוֹנֵ֥ן שָׁ֝מַ֗יִם בִּתְבוּנָֽה׃ (כ) בְּ֭דַעְתּוֹ תְּהוֹמ֣וֹת נִבְקָ֑עוּ וּ֝שְׁחָקִ֗ים יִרְעֲפוּ־טָֽל׃
(15) She is more precious than rubies;
All of your goods cannot equal her. (16) In her right hand is length of days,
In her left, riches and honor. (17) Her ways are pleasant ways,
And all her paths, peaceful. (18) She is a tree of life to those who grasp her,
And whoever holds on to her is happy.
(19) The LORD founded the earth by wisdom;
He established the heavens by understanding; (20) By His knowledge the depths burst apart,
And the skies distilled dew.
From the Mother Tree by Suzanne Simard
The Mother Trees.
When Mother Trees—the majestic hubs at the center of forest
communication, protection, and sentience—die, they pass their wisdom to their kin, generation after generation, sharing the knowledge
of what helps and what harms, who is friend or foe, and how to adapt
and survive in an ever-changing landscape. It’s what all parents do.
Comments:
M. Wolfson, with gratitude for inspiration from my teacher, Shulamit Sapir
Could the worship of the tree godess, Asherah have become hidden in plain sight?
She is a tree of life to those who cling to her and all her paths are peace/wholeness!
Of course this line from proverbs 3:18 is used in the liturgy for the Torah service. A Torah does have those 2 beautiful Aztei Chayim, which we grasp when we have an aliyah or leyn. Wood is not the most abundant ingredient in Torahs, so why is this Her nickname, I wondered? Because the fruits of her teachings are sweet?At that point, I looked up proverbs 3:18 for context
It seems that this refers to Lady Wisdom to me, what ?
We have a deep tradition of the Tree of Life, in the center of the Garden, and in an arid wilderness, date palms mean life
Many instruments use the resonance of wood to enrich and empower the vibrations of our music. Trees make music of their own when the wind rustles through their branches, they remind me of a maternal figure in Shel Silverstein's Giving Tree;
Trees are the most ancient living beings on the planet, resilient, and showing the history of their suffering or thriving in the rings that widen ever outward. They are also the largest communal organisms on the planet, interweaving their roots to support and connect to one another, much as Jewish social support networks
There is infinite value and preciousness in the sneh – the lowly thorn bush is filled with the fire of G*d. Before it we must take off our sandals, the GROUND we walk upon is holy. We must relearn this humility.
We have a covenant, not just with a male G*d figure but with the land, in all its nourishing femininity. This is our multiplicity - if we do not behave justly the sacred land will spit us out.
Interconnectedness, love, life – this is the magic in the world: the Divine manifests in the spaces between the us.