Half Measures (1)
While one must toil in the study of Torah, it cannot be fathomed on its own. G-d gave us the Torah as a gift; indeed the greatest gift we have ever received. We are reminded of this Divine gift with the Torah’s description of the Ark TERUMAH TERUMAH
The Enigma of the Ark
One of the most enigmatic narratives in the Torah is the one about the building of the Mishkan (Tabernacle, or portable Sanctuary) the Jews were commanded to build in the desert. As in no other place in the Torah, the most minute details of the construction of the Mishkan and its vessels are presented.
Among the detailed measurements discussed in this week’s Parsha, is the one concerning the Ark that contained the tablets. The Torah states that the dimensions of the ark were: “two and a half cubits (a cubit is about a foot and a half) length, one and a half cubits wide and one and a half cubit high.”
Commentators note that all of the dimensions of the ark (length, width and TERUMAH height) are all in halves. By contrast, none of the other vessels (the Table, Menorah, Altars) consisted of half-cubits in all three of their dimensions..
Inscrutible!
Perhaps, the mystery of the Half-Measures of the Ark was intended to underscore and highlight the incredible mystery of the Ark itself.
The Ark had many miraculous features. It carried those who carried it, we are told.
Moreover, our Sages tell us the ark defied nature and logic itself. While it had specific dimensions it did not occupy space in the Holy of Holies.
In addition, the Tablets contained in the Ark also possessed miraculous and nature defying properties.
To remind us that this Ark and its contents were beyond nature, it was designed to half measures, as a way of indicating its inscrutable character.
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Symbol of Humility
Commentators explain that the Ark that contained the Luchos, the Two Tablets represents the study of Torah and the halfcubit measure is a symbol of the humility one must possess when it comes to the study of Torah. By giving us half measures, we are to realize that when it comes to the acquisition of Torah wisdom, we should always recognize that we are deficient and we need to learn more.
Commentators then ask, why is there a need to have all three dimensions consist of a halfcubit?
The answer based on Kli Yakar (a 17th century Biblical commentator) with additional elucidation based on Chassidic thought, is that there are three dimensions of Torah knowledge that parallel the three physical dimensions: length, breadth and depth. And all of these three areas of knowledge are partly accessible and partly elusive There are subjects that are utterly beyond our ability to fathom. They are so deep as to TERUMAH render them inaccessible. By stating that the Ark was “one and a half cubit high,” the Torah thereby informs us that there is an inherent limitation to our ability to plumb the depths of Torah knowledge. Torah — particularly the mystical teachings of Torah — are unadulterated Divine wisdom. By definition, this body of knowledge should be unfathomable to even the greatest mind.
The Gift of Torah
G-d, in His infinite kindness, had to give us the Torah. This means that He gave us the ability to grasp the Divine teachings within our finite minds. This is what is meant when the act of giving the Torah is likened by our Sages to a gift. If not for G-d granting us the gift of the knowledge of Torah, No human mind could have “purchased” it with all the intellectual “capital” in the world.
To ensure that we never forget that our comprehension of the Torah is limited, the height of the ark was a cubit and a half, to suggest that while we can grasp Torah TERUMAH because G-d allowed us to catch a glimpse of it, the inner depths of Torah is inherently beyond us.
Breadth of Torah
Then, there is the breadth of Torah. Not only is our ability to fathom the mysteries of Torah limited, even our ability to master all of the subjects of the Torah is likewise limited. By definition, Torah is more than just the Five Books of Moses, Prophets, Talmud, etc. Every novel interpretation thought of by a contemporary scholar, every imaginable insight that one can perceive, is all a part of Torah.
In the words of the Jerusalem Talmud: “Whatever novel idea any worthy student shall introduce, has already been given to Moses at Sinai.” Hence, contrary to what some might think, the breadth of Torah is infinite. Here too, the dimension includes a half-cubit, to underscore that mastering the breadth of Torah in its entirety, is an elusive goal.
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Length of Torah
There is then a third aspect of Torah knowledge that parallels the length of the ark. This is our ability to extend an idea from one person to another, or from one level of comprehension to another. When a teacher wishes to impart his knowledge to his students, there is a certain process of translation or adaptation. The teacher must find a suitable analogy or parable that will help simplify the concept that would otherwise confound the student. In the process of “bringing the knowledge down” to the student, the teacher follows the physical dimension of length.
But, the student must always realize that notwithstanding his or her ability to grasp the analogy and its analogue, something gets lost in the translation. One must always therefore seek to return to the teacher to retrieve some off the knowledge that was lost in the process of communication. Without constant study and returning to the sources of knowledge, one will always have but a half a measure of knowledge.
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While our ability to fathom the depths of Torah knowledge, master its breadth and be capable of communicating of it to others is intrinsically compromised, that will change with the coming of Moshiach, In the concluding paragraph of the Mishneh Torah: Maimonides writes, In that era, the preoccupation of the entire world will be solely to know G- d. The Israelites, therefore, will be great sages and know the hidden matters, and they will attain knowledge of their Creator to the extent of human capacity, as it is said, “The earth shall be filled with the knowledge of G-d as the water covers the sea.
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From the book Light from the Future: Parshas Terumah by Rabbi Heschel Greenberg, published by the Jewish Discovery Center.
