The Torah in Parashat Teruma discusses the construction of the Mishkan and its furnishings. Undoubtedly the most sacred of all the furnishings of the Mishkan was the aron – the ark, which was kept hidden in the קודש קודשים , the inner section of the Mishkan and, later, the Bet Ha’mikdash . The aron was made from wood, but it was plated inside and outside with gold. The Gemara (Yoma 72b) sees this quality of the aron as symbolic of the way a Torah Jew is supposed to be, stating: כל תלמיד חכם שאין תוכו כברו אינו תלמיד חכם - “Any Torah scholar whose inside is not like his outside is not a Torah scholar.” Just as the aron was golden inside and out, so must a Torah Jew be “gold” inside and out. The Gemara here is teaching us about the importance of authenticity, the need to be authentically good. The Torah is concerned far less with the way we outwardly appear, with our image, than with who we truly are. Living a Torah life means not that we are “golden” outwardly, not that we simply make a good impression and appear like we are good, but rather that we are truly “golden” both inside and outside, that we are real, that we are authentic. The Gemara in Masechet Pesahim (68b) says that Rav Yosef would explain the special significance of the holiday of Shavuot, when we celebrate our receiving the Torah, by exclaiming, “If not for this day, there are many Yosefs out in the marketplace.” Meaning, it was the event of Matan Torah , which we celebrate on Shavuot, that made Rav Yosef unique and special. Because he was able to learn and master the Torah, he became distinct, different from all the other “Yosefs” out there. Rashi explains that Rav Yosef saying, שלמדתי תורה ונתרוממתי – “because I learned Torah and was elevated .” Rav Yosef did not just learn Torah; he was elevated by the Torah. The Torah penetrated his being. It made him “golden” both inside and out. Our Torah commitment must be real and genuine, something that is part of who we truly are, something that elevates us, that brings us to a higher level of refinement. If we look around today, it seems that everyone is putting on a show. On social media, people put on a façade, showing their lives to be something that they’re not. People are getting tattoos, piercings, and all kinds of strange haircuts in order to look a certain way, to project a certain image. This is because we live in a society that is obsessed with ברו , the outside, instead of תוכו , the inside. People are focused on appearing a certain way, not with being the type of people that they are really supposed to be. They are preoccupied with the way other people view them, instead of with being truly good people. It isn’t hard to be “golden” on the outside, to go through the motions, to say the right things, to look the right way, and to post pictures that get “likes” and compliments. The real work is to be “golden” on the inside. It is relatively easy to look good; it a lot more difficult to be authentically good. At the center of the Bet Ha’mikdash stood the aron , which contained the original Sefer Torah , and which represented what a Torah Jew is – someone who not only appears “golden,” but truly is “golden,” as pure and good inside as he or she appears on the outside.