Terumah, Terumoh, Terimuh, or Trumah (, the twelfth word and first distinctive word in the parashah) is the nineteenth weekly Torah portion ('parasha') in the annual Rabbinic Jewish cycle of Torah reading and the seventh in the Book of Exodus. The parasha tells of God's instructions to make the Tabernacle and its furnishings. The parasha constitutes Exodus 25:1–27:19. It is made up of 4,692 Hebrew letters, 1145 Hebrew words, 96 verses, and 155 lines in a Torah scroll. Jews in the Diaspora read it the nineteenth Shabbat after Simchat Torah, generally in February and rarely in early March.

Readings In traditional Sabbath Torah reading, the parashah is divided into seven readings, or , aliyot.See, e.g., Menachem Davis, editor, The Schottenstein Edition Interlinear Chumash: Shemos/Exodus (Brooklyn: Mesorah Publications, 2008), pages 177–200.

First reading—Exodus 25:1–16 In the first reading, God instructed Moses to tell all Israelites whose heart so moved them to bring gifts of gold, silver, copper, colored yarns, fine linen, goats' hair, tanned ram skins, acacia wood, oil, spices, lapis lazuli, and other fine stones to make a sanctuary—the Tabernacle (Mishkan, )—and its furnishings, so that God could dwell among them.. God instructed them to make the Ark of the Covenant of acacia wood overlaid with gold in which to deposit the tablets setting forth God's commandments..

Second reading—Exodus 25:17–30 In the second reading, God told them to make two cherubim of gold to be for the ark's cover over the mercy seat.. God promised to impart commandments to Moses from between the two cherubim above the cover of the Ark.. God instructed them to make a table of acacia wood overlaid with gold, on which to set the bread of display or showbread..

Third reading—Exodus 25:31–26:14 In the third reading, God instructed them to make a six-branched, seven-lamped lampstand or menorah of pure gold. God instructed them to make the Tabernacle of ten curtains of fine twisted linen, of blue, purple, and crimson yarns, with a design of cherubim worked into them. God instructed them to make 11 cloths of goats' hair for a tent over the Tabernacle, and coverings of tanned ram and taḥash skins (, possibly dugong).

Fourth reading—Exodus 26:15–30 In the fourth reading, God instructed them to make boards of acacia wood and overlay the boards with gold for the Tabernacle..

Fifth reading—Exodus 26:31–37

In the fifth reading, God instructed them to make a curtain of blue, purple, and crimson yarns, and fine twisted linen, with a design of cherubim, to serve as a partition obscuring the Holy of Holies. God instructed them to place the Ark, the table, and the menorah in the Tabernacle. God instructed them to make a screen for the entrance of the Tent, made of coloured yarn and fine twisted linen, worked in embroidery, and supported by five posts of acacia wood overlaid with gold.

In Exodus 26:31, God instructed Moses: "You shall make a curtain of blue, purple, and crimson yarns, and fine twisted linen; it shall have a design of cherubim ( worked into it." The Chazal relayed an oral tradition that the sense here is to the work of an artisan skilled in motifs and woven directly onto the fabric from the loom, rather than being embroidered. See also the Babylonian Talmud, Yoma 72b.

Sixth reading—Exodus 27:1–8 In the sixth reading, God instructed them to make the altar of acacia wood overlaid with copper..

Seventh reading—Exodus 27:9–19 In the seventh reading, God instructed them to make the enclosure of the Tabernacle from fine twisted linen..

Readings according to the triennial cycle Jews who read the Torah according to the triennial cycle of Torah reading read the parashah according to the following schedule:See, e.g., Richard Eisenberg, "A Complete Triennial Cycle for Reading the Torah," in Proceedings of the Committee on Jewish Law and Standards of the Conservative Movement: 1986–1990 (New York: Rabbinical Assembly, 2001), pages 383–418. Year 1Year 2Year 32023, 2026, 2029 . . .2024, 2027, 2030 . . .2025, 2028, 2031 . . .Reading25:1–4026:1–3026:31–27:19125:1–526:1–326:31–33225:6–926:4–626:34–37325:10–1626:7–1127:1–3425:17–2226:12–1427:4–8525:23–3026:15–2127:9–12625:31–3326:22–2527:13–16725:34–4026:26–3027:17–19Maftir25:37–4026:26–3027:17–19

Inner-biblical interpretation The parashah has parallels or is discussed in these Biblical sources:For more on inner-Biblical interpretation, see, e.g., Benjamin D. Sommer, "Inner-biblical Interpretation," in Adele Berlin and Marc Zvi Brettler, editors, The Jewish Study Bible: 2nd Edition (New York: Oxford University Press, 2014), pages 1835–41.

This is the pattern of instruction and construction of the Tabernacle and its furnishings:

The Priestly story of the Tabernacle in Exodus 25–27 echoes the Priestly story of creation in Genesis 1:1–2:3.See generally Jon D. Levenson, Creation and the Persistence of Evil (San Francisco: Harper & Row, 1988), pages 78–99; see also Jeffrey H. Tigay, "Exodus," in Adele Berlin and Marc Brettler, editors, Jewish Study Bible: 2nd Edition, page 157. As the creation story unfolds in seven days,(1) ; (2) ; (3) ; (4) ; (5) ; (6) ; (7) . the instructions about the Tabernacle unfold in seven speeches.(1) ; (2) ; (3) ; (4) ; (5) ; (6) ; (7) . In both creation and Tabernacle accounts, the text notes the completion of the task.; . In both creation and Tabernacle, the work done is seen to be good.; . In both creation and Tabernacle, when the work is finished, God takes an action in acknowledgement.; . In both creation and Tabernacle, when the work is finished, a blessing is invoked.; . And in both creation and Tabernacle, God declares something "holy."; .

Jeffrey Tigay notedJeffrey H. Tigay, "Exodus," in Adele Berlin and Marc Brettler, editors, Jewish Study Bible: 2nd Edition, page 157. that the lampstand held seven candles,. Aaron wore seven sacral vestments,. the account of the building of the Tabernacle alludes to the creation account,Compare to ; to ; and to . and the Tabernacle was completed on New Year's Day.. And Carol Meyers noted that Exodus 25:1–9 and 35:4–29 list seven kinds of substances—metals, yarn, skins, wood, oil, spices, and gemstones—signifying the totality of supplies.Carol Meyers, "Exodus," in Michael D. Coogan, Marc Z. Brettler, Carol A. Newsom, and Pheme Perkins, editors, The New Oxford Annotated Bible (New York: Oxford University Press, Revised 4th Edition 2010), page 117. Martin Buber and others noted that the language used to describe the building of the Tabernacle parallels that used in the story of creation:See generally Sorel Goldberg Loeb and Barbara Binder Kadden, Teaching Torah (Denver: A.R.E. Publishing, 1997), page 157.

+Creation and the TabernacleVerses in GenesisTextsWords in CommonVerses in ExodusTexts1:7, 16, 257And God made () the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament; and it was so. ... 16And God made () the two great lights: the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night; and the stars. ... 25And God made () the beast of the earth after its kind, and the cattle after their kind, and everything that creeps upon the ground after its kind; and God saw that it was good.made make25:8, 10, 23, 31]8And let them make () Me a sanctuary, that I may dwell among them. . . . 10And they shall make () an ark of acacia-wood: two cubits and a half shall be the length thereof, and a cubit and a half the breadth thereof, and a cubit and a half the height thereof. . . . 23And you shall make () a table of acacia-wood: two cubits shall be the length thereof, and a cubit the breadth thereof, and a cubit and a half the height thereof. ... 31And you shall make () a menorah of pure gold: of beaten work shall the menorah be made, even its base, and its shaft; its cups, its knops, and its flowers, shall be of one piece with it.2:1–21And the heaven and the earth were finished (), and all the host of them. 2And on the seventh day God finished () His work that He had made; and He rested on the seventh day from all His work that He had made.finished39:32; 40:3332Thus was finished () all the work of the Tabernacle of the tent of meeting; and the children of Israel did according to all that the Lord commanded Moses, so did they. ... 33And he reared up the court round about the tabernacle and the altar, and set up the screen of the gate of the court. So Moses finished () the work.1:3131And God saw () everything that He had made, and, behold (), it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.saw . . . behold39:4343And Moses saw () all the work, and, behold (), they had done it; as the Lord had commanded, even so had they done it. And Moses blessed them.2:33And God blessed () the seventh day, and hallowed it; because in it He rested from all His work that God in creating had made.blessed39:4343And Moses saw all the work, and, behold, they had done it; as the Lord had commanded, even so had they done it. And Moses blessed () them.

The Tabernacle also exhibited similarities with Mount Sinai. Both Mount Sinai and the Tabernacle had three separate areas with increasing levels of exclusivity—one for the people generally, one for the anointed class, and one for only the single representative of the people;Sinai: , 21–23; Tabernacle: ; ; ; . the tablets of the lawSinai: ; ; ; ; , 28–29; ; ; , 15; ; Tabernacle: ; . a cloud;Sinai: ; 16; ; ; ; Tabernacle: ; ; ; ; ; ; ; . and God's presence.Sinai: ; Tabernacle: ; ; . And God spoke to Moses at both Mount Sinai and the Tabernacle.Sinai: , 9, 16; Tabernacle: . But in contrast to Mount Sinai, with the Tabernacle God's presence was constant; God's presence was in their midst, no longer distant; and God's presence was no longer rooted to a fixed place.See generally Terence E. Fretheim, Exodus (Louisville: John Knox Press, 1991), page 264.

God's request for "willing" gifts in Exodus 25:2 is echoed in the accounts of gifts given "willingly" in 1 Chronicles 29:9 in the time of David and in Ezra 2:68 for the Second Temple.

In early nonrabbinic interpretation The parashah is discussed in these early nonrabbinic sources:For more on early nonrabbinic interpretation, see, e.g., Esther Eshel, "Early Nonrabbinic Interpretation," in Adele Berlin and Marc Brettler, editors, Jewish Study Bible: 2nd Edition, pages 1841–59.

Josephus interpreted the Tabernacle and its furnishings to represent the universe. He saw the Tabernacle's two parts accessible to the priests (the Holy and the Courtyard) to denote the land and the sea, the third division set aside for God (the Holy of Holies) to represent heaven, inaccessible to people. He saw the 12 loaves to denote the year divided into months. He saw the Menorah divided into 70 parts, representing the 70 divisions of the planets, and the seven lamps on the Menorah to refer to the course of the seven planets (then known). He saw the veils, composed of four things, to declare the four elements: the fine linen signified the earth, because the flax grows out of the earth; the purple signified the sea, because purple was dyed by the blood of shellfish from the sea; the blue signified the air; and the scarlet signified fire.Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews 3:7:7.