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Parshat Terumah
2009
The Power of No
What is the power of saying 'no'?
With one exception, all of the mitzvot related to the building of the Mishkan (the temporary desert sanctuary God commands the Israelites to build) in this week's Torah reading, Parashat Terumah, are positive commandments.
That is to say, they all require a positive act: build an ark, coat it with gold, make a lid for it, etc. There is only one moment when God gives a negative commandment in the entire reading: "You shall make poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold. You shall put the poles into the rings on the sides of the ark, to carry the ark with them. The poles shall remain in the rings of the ark; they shall not be removed from it."
God commands here that the poles may not be removed from their rings on the sides of the ark. Rashi has a single word comment on this phrase, "ever." Rashi notes here that the first part of the verse, "The poles shall remain in the rings of the ark," renders the second part, "they shall not be removed from it," superfluous.
What then does the second part, the negative part of the verse teach us? That the poles may never be removed from the Ark. This is the power of the "no" in our case - it makes the Ark permanently portable.
At any time the Levites may lift the Ark and carry it on their journeys. In our own journeys may we all find the power to say 'no' when that is necessary to propel us forward.
Written by Rabbi Mordecai Schwartz, director of admissions at the Jewish Theological Seminary of America.
Learn More
Additional commentaries and text studies on Parshat Terumah at MyJewishLearning.com.
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