Terumah

My Musing
The midrash starts with a quote from the mishna Shekalim which deals with the question of surplus. What happens to the terumah, the gift given to the kohen, priest, when it was more than necessary? By inference, the midrash is drawing the connection to the one time gift given to the construction of the mishkan, tabernacle, in the wilderness as implying that in the terumah of the wilderness, there too was too much.
The midrash then draws a connection from the terumah to Torah study and by inference venerates Torah study. The midrash concludes that the terumah given to the kohen is precious because of its connection to Torah study, but the terumah to the mishkan is unique as it was specifically called for by God.

מדרש תנחומא (ורשא) פרשת תרומה סימן א
ילמדנו רבינו:
מותר תרומה מה היו עושין בה?
כך שנו רבותינו: מותר תרומה רקועי זהב היו עושין מהן צפוי לבית קדש הקדשים.

Our Rabbis will teach:
What was done with the surplus of the terumah?
plates of gold for covering the interior of the Holy of Holies.

את מוצא שתי תרומות. בחר בהן הקדוש ברוך הוא אחד למשכן ואחד לכהנים. תרומת כהנים על מנת שיהיו בני תורה.

You will find two terumah. The Holy One blessed be He chose one for the Tabernacle and one for the kohanim, priests. The terumah given to the kohanim is on the condition that they are bnei Torah, followers of the Torah.

אמר רבי ינאי, כל כהן שאינו בן תורה מותר לאכול על קברו תרומה.
אמר רבי יצחק בשם רבי יוחנן, ראה מה כתיב (יחזקאל כב:כו) "כֹּהֲנֶיהָ חָמְסוּ תוֹרָתִי, וַיְחַלְּלוּ קָדָשַׁי, בֵּין קֹדֶשׁ לְחֹל לֹא הִבְדִּילוּ, וּבֵין הַטָּמֵא לְטָהוֹר לֹא הוֹדִיעוּ, וּמִשַׁבְּתוֹתַי הֶעְלִימוּ עֵינֵיהֶם, וָאֵחַל בְּתוֹכָם"

Rabbi Yannai said: Any kohen who is not a ben Torah, it is acceptable to eat the terumah over his grave. [terumah given to the cohen, had to be eaten in a high state of purity. Proximity to a dead body “over the grave” is the supreme level of impurity and thus this is a dig at the cohanim who did not conduct themselves properly]
Rabbi Yitzchak said in the name of Rabbi Yochanan: see what is written “Her priests have done violence to My law, and have profaned My holy things; they have put no difference between the holy and the common, neither have they taught difference between the unclean and the clean, and have hid their eyes from My sabbaths, and I am profaned among them.”

למה בין קדש לחול לא הבדילו? ובין הטמא לטהור לא הודיעו?!
כיון שאינו בן תורה, אינו יודע להבדיל בין קדש לחול ובין הטמא לטהור.

Why did they not differentiate between the holy and the profane? And not notify about the pure and impure? Since they were not followers (students) of Torah, they did not know how to separate and differentiate.

ואומר(יחזקאל כב:ח) "קָדָשַׁי בָּזִית וְאֶת שַׁבְּתֹתַי חִלָּלְתְּ"
למה מבזה את הקדשים?
שאינו יודע לשמור שבת.

And it is written:” You despised My holy things, and have profaned My Sabbaths”
Why did they despise the sacrifices and desecrate the Sabbath?
Because they did not know how to observe (guard) the Shabbat.

ראה כמה חביבה תרומת כהנים שנתנה לכהנים בני תורה. אבל תרומת המשכן קראה הקדוש ברוך הוא לשמו שנאמר (שמות כה:ב) "דַּבֵּר אֶל בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וְיִקְחוּ לִי תְּרוּמָה מֵאֵת כָּל אִישׁ אֲשֶׁר יִדְּבֶנּוּ לִבּוֹ תִּקְחוּ אֶת תְּרוּמָתִי"

See how dear the terumah of the kohanim is (to God) since it was given to the priests who are students of Torah. But the terumah of the tabernacle, The Holy One blessed be He, called it in His name, as it is written “speak unto the Children of Israel, from each person as his heart will donate, take My terumah”