Haftarah of Terumah

Kings I 5:26 – 6:13

Shlomo was the first member of the Davidic dynasty, after David himself. He was blessed with wisdom, wealth, and peace, and used these blessings to fulfill his father's dream of building a House of G-d, the Temple.

Being that the best source of wood was in Lebanon, Shlomo made a concerted effort to maintain good relations with the nation Tzor, and their king, Hiram.

26) And Hashem had given wisdom to Shlomo,

as He had told him He would.

There was peace between Hiram and Shlomo;

the two of them made a covenant.

(כו) וַה’ נָתַן חָכְמָה לִשְׁלֹמֹה

כַּאֲשֶׁר דִּבֶּר לוֹ

וַיְהִי שָׁלֹם בֵּין חִירָם וּבֵין שְׁלֹמֹה

וַיִּכְרְתוּ בְרִית שְׁנֵיהֶם:

In order to accomplish this grand project, Shlomo levied a tax, drafting thousands of men to go to the forests and cut lumber. This was a major construction project that required coordination and massive investment.

27) King Shlomo levied a tax over all of Israel;

this tax was 30,000 men.

(כז) וַיַּעַל הַמֶּלֶךְ שְׁלֹמֹה מַס מִכָּל יִשְׂרָאֵל

וַיְהִי הַמַּס שְׁלֹשִׁים אֶלֶף אִישׁ:

28) He sent them to Levanon, 10,000 a month in shifts;

they would spend one month in Levanon,

and two months at home;

Adoniram was in charge of this tax.

(כח) וַיִּשְׁלָחֵם לְבָנוֹנָה עֲשֶׂרֶת אֲלָפִים בַּחֹדֶשׁ חֲלִיפוֹת

חֹדֶשׁ יִהְיוּ בַלְּבָנוֹן

שְׁנַיִם חֳדָשִׁים בְּבֵיתוֹ

וַאֲדֹנִירָם עַל הַמַּס: ס

29) Shlomo had 70,000 porters,

and 80,000 stonecutters in the mountains.

(כט) וַיְהִי לִשְׁלֹמֹה שִׁבְעִים אֶלֶף נֹשֵׂא סַבָּל

וּשְׁמֹנִים אֶלֶף חֹצֵב בָּהָר:

30) Aside from Shlomo's foremen in charge of the labor,

3,300,

ruling over the people

who were doing the labor.

(ל) לְבַד מִשָּׂרֵי הַנִּצָּבִים לִשְׁלֹמֹה אֲשֶׁר עַל הַמְּלָאכָה

שְׁלֹשֶׁת אֲלָפִים וּשְׁלֹשׁ מֵאוֹת

הָרֹדִים בָּעָם

הָעֹשִׂים בַּמְּלָאכָה:

31) The king commanded,

and they transported great stones,

expensive stones as the foundation of the House, hewn stones.

(לא) וַיְצַו הַמֶּלֶךְ

וַיַּסִּעוּ אֲבָנִים גְּדֹלוֹת

אֲבָנִים יְקָרוֹת לְיַסֵּד הַבָּיִת אַבְנֵי גָזִית:

32) Shlomo's builders, Hiram's builders,

and the stonemasons sculpted,

and prepared timber and stone to build the House.

(לב) וַיִּפְסְלוּ בֹּנֵי שְׁלֹמֹה וּבֹנֵי חִירוֹם

וְהַגִּבְלִים

וַיָּכִינוּ הָעֵצִים וְהָאֲבָנִים לִבְנוֹת הַבָּיִת: פ

The date of the completion of the House is given precisely, with the rare use of the original Hebrew nickname for the month we now call Iyyar. The dimensions and architecture of the House is described in detail, including the important point that no iron was used on the site of the construction, not even to hew the stones.

6:1) In the four hundred and eightieth year

after the Exodus of the children of Israel from the land of Egypt,

in the fourth year, in the month of Ziv, the second month,

of the reign of Shlomo over Israel,

he built the House for Hashem.

(א) וַיְהִי בִשְׁמוֹנִים שָׁנָה וְאַרְבַּע מֵאוֹת שָׁנָה

לְצֵאת בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל מֵאֶרֶץ מִצְרַיִם

בַּשָּׁנָה הָרְבִיעִית בְּחֹדֶשׁ זִו הוּא הַחֹדֶשׁ הַשֵּׁנִי

לִמְלֹךְ שְׁלֹמֹה עַל יִשְׂרָאֵל

וַיִּבֶן הַבַּיִת לַה’:

2) The House that King Shlomo built for Hashem,

was sixty amah in length, twenty in width,

and thirty amah in height.

(ב) וְהַבַּיִת אֲשֶׁר בָּנָה הַמֶּלֶךְ שְׁלֹמֹה לַה’

שִׁשִּׁים אַמָּה אָרְכּוֹ וְעֶשְׂרִים רָחְבּוֹ

וּשְׁלֹשִׁים אַמָּה קוֹמָתוֹ:

3) The hall that fronted the palace of the House

was twenty amah in length,

across the width of the House,

ten amah deep in front of the House.

(ג) וְהָאוּלָם עַל פְּנֵי הֵיכַל הַבַּיִת

עֶשְׂרִים אַמָּה אָרְכּוֹ

עַל פְּנֵי רֹחַב הַבָּיִת

עֶשֶׂר בָּאַמָּה רָחְבּוֹ עַל פְּנֵי הַבָּיִת:

4) He made for the House

sealed transparent windows.

(ד) וַיַּעַשׂ לַבָּיִת

חַלּוֹנֵי שְׁקֻפִים אֲטֻמִים:

5) He built around the wall of the House a side structure,

surrounding the walls of the House,

for the palace and the sanctuary.

He made side chambers all around.

(ה) וַיִּבֶן עַל קִיר הַבַּיִת יָצִיעַ סָבִיב

אֶת קִירוֹת הַבַּיִת סָבִיב

לַהֵיכָל וְלַדְּבִיר

וַיַּעַשׂ צְלָעוֹת סָבִיב:

6) The lowest story of the side structure was five amah wide,

the middle was six amah wide,

and the third,

seven amah wide,

for he placed recesses around the outside of the House

so that it would not brace the walls of the House.

(ו) הַיָּצִיעַ הַתַּחְתֹּנָה חָמֵשׁ בָּאַמָּה רָחְבָּהּ

וְהַתִּיכֹנָה שֵׁשׁ בָּאַמָּה רָחְבָּהּ

וְהַשְּׁלִישִׁית

שֶׁבַע בָּאַמָּה רָחְבָּהּ

כִּי מִגְרָעוֹת נָתַן לַבַּיִת סָבִיב חוּצָה

לְבִלְתִּי אֲחֹז בְּקִירוֹת הַבָּיִת:

7) The House as it was built,

was built from whole transported stones;

neither hammers nor axes nor any iron tools

were heard in the House as it was built.

(ז) וְהַבַּיִת בְּהִבָּנֹתוֹ

אֶבֶן שְׁלֵמָה מַסָּע נִבְנָה

וּמַקָּבוֹת וְהַגַּרְזֶן כָּל כְּלִי בַרְזֶל

לֹא נִשְׁמַע בַּבַּיִת בְּהִבָּנֹתוֹ:

8) The door of the lowest row of chambers

was toward the right wing of the House;

by a spiral staircase one would go toward the middle,

and from the middle to the third.

(ח) פֶּתַח הַצֵּלָע הַתִּיכֹנָה

אֶל כֶּתֶף הַבַּיִת הַיְמָנִית

וּבְלוּלִּים יַעֲלוּ עַל הַתִּיכֹנָה

וּמִן הַתִּיכֹנָה אֶל הַשְּׁלִשִׁים:

9) He build the House and completed it;

he paneled the House with beams

and with planks of cedar.

(ט) וַיִּבֶן אֶת הַבַּיִת וַיְכַלֵּהוּ

וַיִּסְפֹּן אֶת הַבַּיִת גֵּבִים

וּשְׂדֵרֹת בָּאֲרָזִים:

10) He built the side structure around the House,

five amah in height;

he fastened them to the House with cedar wood.

(י) וַיִּבֶן אֶת הַיָּצִיעַ עַל כָּל הַבַּיִת

חָמֵשׁ אַמּוֹת קוֹמָתוֹ

וַיֶּאֱחֹז אֶת הַבַּיִת בַּעֲצֵי אֲרָזִים: פ

G-d sends word to Shlomo reminding him that the purpose of the House is for G-d to dwell among the Jewish People, which can only happen on the condition that they follow His commandments, and is not a function of the architectural beauty of the building itself.

11) There was Word of Hashem

to Shlomo, saying:

(יא) וַיְהִי דְּבַר ה’

אֶל שְׁלֹמֹה לֵאמֹר:

12) This House that you are building:

if you follow My statutes and carry out My laws,

and keep all My commandments, to walk in their ways,

then I shall keep My word to you

as I spoke to your father, David.

(יב) הַבַּיִת הַזֶּה אֲשֶׁר אַתָּה בֹנֶה

אִם תֵּלֵךְ בְּחֻקֹּתַי וְאֶת מִשְׁפָּטַי תַּעֲשֶׂה

וְשָׁמַרְתָּ אֶת כָּל מִצְוֹתַי לָלֶכֶת בָּהֶם

וַהֲקִמֹתִי אֶת דְּבָרִי אִתָּךְ

אֲשֶׁר דִּבַּרְתִּי אֶל דָּוִד אָבִיךָ:

13) And I will dwell

within the children of Israel,

and I will not forsake My people, Israel.

(יג) וְשָׁכַנְתִּי

בְּתוֹךְ בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל

וְלֹא אֶעֱזֹב אֶת עַמִּי יִשְׂרָאֵל: ס

In memory of my father, Peter Rozenberg, z"l

לעילוי נשמת אבי מורי פנחס בן נתן נטע ז''ל