I. Gan Eden – The
Ideal Dwelling Place
IV. The Mishkan –
The Tabernacle
VI. The Beit
HaMikdash – The Temple
VII. Names given to
the Temple
VIII. Where HaShem put His Name
XV. King č
War against Amalek č Temple
In this paper I would like to examine some aspects of the
Avraham called the future site of the
Bereshit
(Genesis)
Isaac called the future site of the Holy Temple a field:
Bereshit (Genesis) 24:53 And Isaac went out to meditate in the field
at the eventide: and he lifted up his eyes, and saw, and, behold, the camels
[were] coming.
Ya’aqov called the future site
of the
Bereshit
(Genesis) 28:16-17 And Ya’aqov
awaked out of his sleep, and he said, Surely HaShem
is in this place; and I knew [it] not. And he was afraid, and said, How
dreadful [is] this place! this [is] none other but the house of God, and
this [is] the gate of heaven.
This dwelling, this “house” as Ya’aqov called it, will figure prominently in this study. It is important, therefore that we understand the meaning of this word. Here is what the dictionary says:
dwell (dw
To
live as a resident; reside.
To
exist in a given place or state: dwell in joy.
To
fasten one's attention
To
speak or write at length
The Encyclopedia Judaica gives us a bit more insight into this “dwelling”:
PRESENCE,
DIVINE. The notion of the Divine Presence is expressed in the Bible in two
different senses: 1) in the corporeal sense, i.e., the actual dwelling (shakhan, NkQ) of G-d in His abode;
2) in the abstract sense, i.e., symbolic representation by means of calling or
establishing His name (shikken
shem, MQ NiQ) upon the Sanctuary or the people.
G-d's
presence, according to the ancient view, is confined to the Tabernacle /
Sanctuary and to other visible phenomena serving as the vehicles of G-d, such
as the
Before giving the Torah, HaShem explains that the Children of Israel were to be "A kingdom of priests and a holy nation." Their mission was to show the rest of society what it means to integrate HaShem into a lifestyle. It was intended that the Children of Israel would accomplish their mission individually and collectively. It was HaShem's original intent that every single Jew should attain a level of understanding and integration equal to the High Priest on Yom HaKippurim as he entered the Holy of Holies to serve HaShem and affect forgiveness. It was intended that this assumed sanctity would be self evident to all those who desired to see living examples of divinity translated into reality! It was intended that the sanctuary of HaShem would reside within each and every Jew, as stated in:
Shemot
(Exodus) 25:8 "Make for me a
sanctuary that I may dwell within them.".
Our Sages have pointed out that the Torah does not say, "Make a Sanctuary for Me . . . so that I may dwell in it [i.e., the Mishkan]," but rather, "So that I may dwell among them [i.e., the People]." This is more than a nice expression. HaShem is not primarily concerned with a temple of wood and stone; the purpose of the physical temple is to inspire us to make ourselves into temples for the Shechinah.
The raison d’etre for the Temple is
“dwelling”. Adam knew that HaShem dwelt in him because
the Ruach was blown into his nose and he could hear it when he breathed. The
curtains in the Temple used to move as the Temple breathed.
The term "Shekinah" means "dwelling" and is used to describe HaShem's presence in this world. The word Shekinah is not found in the Tanakh. Its earliest appearance is in the Targums where it used with regard to HaShem dwelling among the B’nei of Israel.
Midrash Rabbah - Genesis III:9
R. Samuel b. Ammi said: From the beginning of the world's creation
the Holy One, blessed be He, longed to enter into partnership with the mortals.
For what will you: if it is a matter of time reckoning,
it should say either one, two, three,
or first, second, third, but surely not, one, second, third! When did the Holy
One, blessed be He, repay them? At the erection of the Tabernacle, as it says,
And he that presented his offering the first day (Num. VII, 12), meaning, the first of the
world's creation, for God said, ' It is as though on that day I created My
world.’ That day took ten crowns: it was the first of
the creation, first in respect of kings, the princes, the priesthood, and the
Shechinah, (as it says, And let them make Me a sanctuary, that I may dwell
among them (Ex.XXV, 8)); it was first in respect of blessing, sacrificial
service, the prohibition of high places, killing at the north [side of the
Altar], and the descending of fire, as it is said, And
there came forth fire from before the Lord (Lev. IX, 24).5
This study will look at several very mystical aspects of the
To understand the
Kohelet
(Ecclesiastes) 1:9 The thing that
hath been, it [is that] which shall be; and that which is done [is] that which
shall be done: and [there is] no new
[thing] under the sun.
As the Talmud relates, history is divided into three equal periods of two-thousand years each:
Sanhedrin 97a The
Tanna debe Eliyahu teaches: The world is to exist six
thousand years. In the first two thousand there was
desolation; two thousand years the Torah flourished; and the next two thousand
years is the Messianic era, but through our many iniquities all these years
have been lost.
The first two thousand years contained Gan
Eden. The second two thousand years contained
This Midrash should also
tantalize those who wish to understand the
"As the navel is
set in the center of the human body, so is the land of Israel the navel of the world... situated in the center
of the world,
and Jerusalem in the center of the land of Israel,
and the sanctuary in the center of Jerusalem,
and the holy place in the center of the sanctuary,
and the ark in the center of the holy place,
and the foundation stone before the holy place,
because from it the world was founded."[2]
The essence of the Beit HaMikdash, the
Bereshit
(Genesis) 3:8 And they heard the
voice of HaShem G-d walking in the garden in the
cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves
from the presence of HaShem G-d amongst the trees of the garden.
Here we see HaShem “walking” or dwelling with Adam. Surely we must say that this was the ideal place for HaShem to dwell with us. The Midrash tells us plainly that this verse indicates that the Shechinah[3] of HaShem dwelt in Gan Eden, the Garden of Eden:
Midrash Rabbah - Numbers XII:6
AND IT CAME TO PASS (WAYYEHI) ON THE DAY, etc. What is the implication of
WAYYEHI? R. Joshua said: The Holy One, blessed be He, made a stipulation with
Israel while they were yet in Egypt that He would only bring
them out from thence on the understanding that they would build a
Tabernacle for Him so that He might cause His Presence to dwell among them; as
it says, And they shall know that I am the Lord their G-d, that brought them
forth out of the land of Egypt, that I may dwell
among them (Ex.XXIX, 46); on this condition: ' That I may dwell among them.’ Now as soon as the Tabernacle was
erected and the Shechinah descended and dwelt in their midst (all the
conditions were fulfilled. Consequently it says, WAYYEHI (AND IT CAME TO PASS),
implying that what He had promised He performed). WAYYEHI: Rab expounded:
Something that had never happened from the time the world was created until then took place on that day. From the time
when the world was created until that moment the Shechinah had never dwelt in
this lower world. It only did this from the moment when the Tabernacle was
erected and thenceforward. For this reason it says, WAYYEHI; it was an
innovation. R. Simeon b. Yohai said it was something that, having already been
in existence, had ceased and now returned to its previous state. You find that
from the beginning of the world's creation the Shechinah had dwelt in this
lower world; as it says, And they heard
the voice of the Lord G-d walking in the garden, etc.
(Gen.III, 8), but once the Shechinah departed at the time when Adam sinned, it did not descend again until the Tabernacle
had been erected. It is for this reason that the expression WAYYEHI is used,
signifying that something which had already been in existence, and had ceased
for many years, returned to its original state.
HaShem wanted a place in this world to house His presence. Gan Eden would have been that place, had Adam and Chava not eaten from the Tree of the knowledge of good and evil. It represents the ideal. Therefore, any connections between Gan Eden and future events where we see the Shechinah will need to be explored in order to understand the ideal.
Let’s look at some connections
between Gan Eden and the
Bereshit
(Genesis)
The holy Zohar[4]
says that the "river issues forth from
Yeshayahu
(Isaiah) 2:3 And many people
shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of HaShem, to the
house of the G-d of Jacob; and he will teach us of
his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of
Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of HaShem from
Jerusalem.
The Tablets of the testimony were kept in the ark in the Holy of Holies. The Luchot were the representation of Torah.
Similarly, the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil was a living organism, but eating of its fruit brought death. Death is a state where flesh is turned back into dust which is made of minerals just as stone is made of minerals.
The tikkun for Adam's sin (eating un-kosher fruit) is the observance of the Torah's command to eat only kosher food.
Just as Adam and Chava did not have any work except serving HaShem by tending the Garden. So too the Priests and the Levites do not have a designated portion in Eretz Yisrael. "HaShem is their inheritance.":
Bamidbar
(Numbers)
They do not depend upon standard economic interactions for their income. Their financial well being is gifted to them by HaShem. They spend their days servicing the nation as teachers and priests, effectively doing HaShem’s work; and the people, in turn, support them with specified gifts, as per HaShem’s instructions. They live the ideal life of Adam and Chava in the Gan Eden who should have spent their time exploring HaShem’s intentions and being cared for by HaShem, rather than struggling to make a living "from the sweat of your brows". The Priests and the Levites are the model humans in HaShem’s model world teaching us by example how to behave. They model what Adam and Chava should have been.
The parallel between Gan Eden, Har Sinai, and both the
Bereshit
(Genesis)
To the duties at Har Sinai:
Shemot
(Exodus)
Shemot
(Exodus)
And the duties in the Mishkan:
Bamidbar
(Numbers)
Thus we see that we are to guard and serve in
Gan Eden, at Har Sinai, and at the Mishkan and
There is another word which connects Gan Eden and the Mishkan, mithalek, in Gan Eden we see:
Bereshit
(Genesis) 3:8 And they heard the
voice of HaShem God walking in the garden in
the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of
HaShem God amongst the trees of the garden.
In the following passage we see the same word, mithalek, used in reference to the Mishkan:
Vayikra
(Leviticus 26:11-12) And I will
set my tabernacle among you: and my soul shall not abhor you. And I will walk
among you, and will be your God, and ye shall be my people.
We also see this methalek in reference to Har Sinai:
Devarim
(Deuteronomy)
Again we see that Methalek connects Gan Eden, Har Sinai, and the Mishkan.
Another connection between Gan Eden and the Mishkan is found in:
Tehillim
(Psalms) 36:8 They shall be
abundantly satisfied with the fatness of thy house; and thou shalt make them
drink of the
The Psalmist juxtaposes Gan Eden with Thy House to connect them for us.
Just as the world was first created and then Adam was introduced; so too, the Mishkan was first constructed and then the Priests were introduced!
The tree of life was a vehicle for
the communion between Adam and HaShem. This fruit is
Torah. Communion involved the ruach – his breathing. And through his eating of the tree of life.
He was left with the ruach though full partaking of the tree was denied to
Adam. Food connects the spiritual to the physical.
Since the Shechinah was present in Gan Eden, Har Sinai, and
in the
The following chart equates some of the symbols of Gan Eden with the symbols of Sinai and the symbols of the Beit HaMikdash:
|
|
Sinai |
Mishkan / |
|
Tree of Life (Torah) |
Burning bush / Tablet (Torah) |
Tablets (Torah) |
|
Separated (Holy) by Keruvim |
Separated (Holy) by boundary markers |
Separated (Holy) by curtains |
|
Ten words |
Tablets w/ten words |
|
|
600K souls in Adam |
600K souls at Sinai |
600k letters in Torah (Black fire and white fire) |
|
Keruvim at the Tree of Life |
Keruvim in the chariot (2 Shmuel 22:11) |
Keruvim on the ark. |
|
Wall around the garden |
Boundary around the mountain |
Curtain around the Mishkan |
|
"Hamin haetz hazeh" (Did you eat from the tree?) |
HaMan from heaven (manna) |
HaMan in the Holy of Holies. (manna preserved) |
|
Adam and Chava were naked and unashamed |
|
The Keruvim were naked. |
Gan Eden was the very antithesis of
the wilderness where Torah was given at Har Sinai. The
Yeshayahu
(Isaiah) 51:3 For HaShem shall
comfort Zion; he will comfort all her ruins; and he will make her wilderness
like Eden, and her desert like the garden of HaShem; joy and gladness shall be
found in there, thanksgiving, and the voice of melody.
The Midrash suggests that Adam
HaRishon was a hundred cubits tall just as the
Baba Bathra 75a An
objection was raised: And I will lead you komamiyuth, R. Meir says: [it means]
two hundred cubits; twice the height of Adam. R. Judah
says: A hundred cubits; corresponding to the [height of the] temple and its
walls. For it is said: We whose sons are as plants grown up in their youth;
whose daughters are as corner-pillars carved after the fashion of the Temple.
R. Johanan speaks only of the ventilation windows.
Finally, here are several phrase connections:
Bereshit
(Genesis)
Shemot
(Exodus) 39:43 Moses saw all the skilled work and behold they had
done it; as God had commanded it they had done it.
Bereshit
(Genesis) 2:1 The heavens and earth and
all of their array were completed.
Shemot
(Exodus) 39:32 All the work of the Tabernacle of the Tent of meeting
was completed.
Bereshit
(Genesis) 2:2 And God completed all the work that He had done.
Shemot
(Exodus) 40:33 And Moses completed his work.
Bereshit
(Genesis) 2:3 And God blessed
Shemot
(Exodus) 39:43 And Moses blessed
Bereshit
(Genesis) 2:3 And sanctified it
Shemot
(Exodus) 40:9 And you shall sanctify it and all its vessels.
The Wall
Gan Eden was surrounded by walls. Adam was responsible for guarding the walls against creepy crawlies. He failed and we all know the outcome of the serpents machinations:
Bereshit
(Genesis) 3:24 So he drove out
the man; and he placed Kerubim at the east of the garden of
Eden, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to guard the way of the tree of life.
The Midrash talks of this wall around the garden:
Midrash
Rabbah - Genesis XXI:2 I went by
the field of the slothful man (ish), and by the vineyard of the person (Adam)
void of understanding (Prov. XXIV, 30). R. Huna said: Behold, if one buys a
field or a vineyard and is designated person (ish) or man, yet is dubbed lazy,
what benefit has one [from the title of ' man ‘]? ‘I went by the field of the
slothful man,’ however, refers to Adam, while, ‘And by the vineyard of the
person (Adam) void of understanding ’ refers to Eve. R. Huna said: Where do we
find that Eve is called Adam?-According to the beauty of Adam, to dwell in the house (Isa. XLIV, 13). And lo, it was all
grown over with thistles (Prov. XXlV, 31), as it is written, ' Thorns also and
thistles shall it bring forth to thee’ (Gen. III, 18). The face thereof was
covered with nettles (Prov. loc. cit.): In the sweat of thy face, etc. (Gen.
III, 19). And the stone wall thereof was broken down (Prov. loc.
cit.):Therefore the Lord G-d sent him forth from the garden of Eden (Gen. III,
23): having sent him forth He began to bewail him, saying, BEHOLD, THE MAN WAS
AS ONE OF US.
Today we are to learn Torah and make a fence around Torah, according to the Sages in Pirkei Avot 1:1, as quoted in this Midrash:
Midrash Rabbah - Numbers X:8
Why did the Torah forbid ANY INFUSION OF GRAPES, seeing that one does not get
drunk thereby, and it likewise prohibited the eating
of anything that proceeds from the vine, even such things as do not intoxicate?
Why so? From this you can infer that it is a man's duty to keep away from
unseemliness, from what resembles unseemliness and even from the semblance of a
semblance. From this you can infer that the Torah has put a fence about its
ordinances. We have learned elsewhere: Be deliberate in judgment, raise up many
disciples, and make a fence round the Torah. How shall a man make a fence round
his own affairs in the same way as the Torah has made a fence round hers?
Behold, it says, And thou shalt not
approach unto a woman... as long as she is impure by her uncleanness (Lev.
XVIII, 19). One might assume that he is allowed to embrace her and kiss her or
indulge in idle conversation with her. Scripture therefore explicitly states,
‘Thou shalt not approach.’ It might be assumed that she may sleep with him in her garments on the same bed.
Scripture therefore plainly states, ‘Thou shalt not approach.’ It might be
assumed that she may wash her face, paint her eyes, and let him take a, cup
from her. Scripture therefore plainly states, Of her that is sick with her
impurity-niddathah (ib. XV, 33)1; all the time that she is sick she must remain
in isolation (niddui).1 From this it has been inferred that the woman who makes
herself look repulsive during the period of her impurity has the approval of
the Sages, while the woman who adorns herself during the period of her impurity
has not the approval of the Sages.
Adam was making a fence around the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil in order to help the woman avoid sin, instead of protecting the wall:
Midrash
Rabbah - Genesis XIX:3 BUT OF THE
FRUIT OF THE TREE WHICH IS IN THE MIDST OF THE GARDEN, G-D HATH SAID: YE SHALL
NOT EAT OF IT, NEITHER SHALL YE TOUCH IT, LEST YE DIE (III, 3). Thus it is
written, Add not unto His words, lest He reprove thee, and thou be found a liar
(Prov. XXX, 6). R. Hiyya taught: That means that you must not make the fence
more than the principal thing, lest it fall and destroy the plants. Thus, the
Holy One, blessed be He, had said, For in the day that thou eatest thereof thou
shalt surely die (Gen. II,17); whereas she did not say thus, but, G-D HATH
SAID: YE SHALL NOT EAT OF IT, NEITHER SHALL YE TOUCH IT; when he [the serpent]
saw her thus lying, he took and thrust her against it. ' Have you then died?’
he said to her; ‘just as you were not stricken through touching it, so will you
not die when you eat it, but For G-d doth know that in the day ye eat thereof,’
etc. (ib. 5).
This section was an
excerpt from Hakham Dr. Yosef ben Haggai:
Everything in Torah is a teaching and a directive both in
the service of HaShem and in our private lives. When we correct the breach in
the wall of Yerushalayim in our own lives, we cause HaShem to rebuild Yerushalayim. The word Yerushalayim in
Hebrew is a composite of two words: Yirah, which means
fear, and Shalem, which means complete. Our personal Yerushalayim represents
our awe and fear of G-d. Fear of G-d is not only that the fear He can punish
us. When we realize that our greatest asset is our bond with G-d, and that the
strength of that bond is dependent upon keeping his commandments, we fear
damaging that bond.
The Wall surrounding Yerushalayim represent the steps we
take to avoid doing negative acts. When we are afraid of something being
damaged, we take steps to protect it. Our love and fear of G-d dictate that we
not only carefully keep his commandments, but that we also take steps to
prevent mistakes. This is the reason for most Rabbinical ordinances. Similarly,
in our private lives, the wall of Yerushalayim represents the steps we take to
protect our meaningful relationships. The Seventeenth of
Tammuz is a time when we reexamine our fences, making sure to fortify that
which is truly important.
Yerushalayim also represents the local Jewish community / Esnoga to which we belong. Breaching its walls
therefore implies that we have no reverence for G-d or the community and that
we do not value the deeps bonds between us and our fellow Jew in our local
community. Much of the breaching of the community walls takes place via Lashon
Hara (lit. “evil tongue” = gossip) and a lack of nobility in behaviors and
manners between its members. As Pirke Avot makes it clear – “where there are no
noble manners there can be no Torah, and where there is no Torah there can be
no noble manners.”
The prophet Yeshayahu (Isaiah) related, "
Interestingly, the number 17 is the equivalent of the word Tov, which means beneficial. This is
because underlying the destruction are the seeds for
an even greater future. When Mashiach
ben David will come, the world will be in a higher and more perfect state than
the time of the
Light
On day one of creation, G-d created light:
Bereshit
(Genesis) 1:3 And G-d said, Let
there be light: and there was light.
This, however, was no ordinary light. After all, the sun, moon, and stars will not be created until the fourth day. The Midrash speaks of this light:
Midrash Rabbah - Genesis XI:2
He blessed it in respect of the luminaries. R. Simeon b. Judah said: Though the
luminaries were spoilt on the eve of the Sabbath,
yet they were not smitten until the termination of the Sabbath. This agrees
with the Rabbis but not with R. Assi, who maintained: Adam's glory did not
abide the night with him. What is the proof? But Adam
passeth not the night in glory (Ps. XLIX, 13). The Rabbis maintain: His glory
abode with him, but at the termination of the Sabbath He deprived him of his
splendour and expelled him from the Garden of Eden, as
it is written, Thou changest his countenance, and sendest him away (Job XIV, 20). As soon as the sun set on the
night of the Sabbath, the Holy One, blessed be He, wished to hide the light,
but He showed honour to the Sabbath; hence it is written, AND G-D BLESSED THE
SEVENTH DAY: wherewith did He bless it? With light. When the sun set on the
night of the Sabbath, the light continued to function, whereupon all began
praising, as it is written, Under the whole heaven
they sing praises to Him (ib. XXXVII, 3); wherefore? Because His light
[reaches] unto the ends of the earth (ib.). R. Levi said in the name of the son
of Nezirah: That light functioned thirty-six
hours, twelve on the eve of the Sabbath [i.e.
Friday], twelve during the night of the Sabbath, and twelve on the Sabbath
[day]. When the sun sank at the termination of the Sabbath, darkness began to
set in. Adam was terrified, [thinking,] Surely indeed the darkness shall bruise
[E.V. ’envelop’] me (Ps. CXXXIX, 11): shall he of whom it was written, He shall
bruise thy head (Gen. III, 15), now come to attack me! … R. Berekiah said in
the name of R. Samuel b. Nahman: Though these things were created in their
fullness, yet when Adam sinned they were spoiled, and they will not again
return to their perfection until the son of Perez [viz. Mashiach]
comes; [for in the verse] ’These are the toledoth (generations) of Perez ‘, toledoth is spelled fully, with a waw.
Now, we also understand that there was a light associated with Adam HaRishon. For as Moshe glowed when he was in the presence of HaShem and His Shechinah, so too did Adam HaRishon glow when he walked with HaShem:
Shemot
(Exodus) 34:29 And it came to
pass, when Moses came down from mount Sinai with the two
tables of testimony in Moses' hand, when he came down from the mount, that
Moses wist not that the skin of his face shone while he talked with him.
The manifest presence of HaShem in Gan Eden was impossible to ignore. His presence was made manifest through this unique light.
As we shall see, light in intimately associated with the
Dust
The Torah tells us that the first man was made directly from the dust:
Bereshit
(Genesis) 2:7 And HaShem G-d
formed man [of] the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the
breath of life; and man became a living soul.
The oral law relates that the
Adam HaRishon was created from the
matter of The Place where the
Unity
When HaShem created Adam He created a perfect unity. Adam and Chava were created as one:
Bereshit (Genesis) 5:2 Male and female created he them; and
blessed them, and called their name Adam, in the day when they were created.
Yevamoth
63a R. Eleazar said: Any man who
has no wife is no proper man; for it is said, Male and female created He them
and called their name Adam.
Adam = man. Only when the male and female were united were they called Adam. Later the woman will be separated from Adam:
Bereshit
(Genesis) 2:21-25 And HaShem G-d
caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept:
and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof; And the
rib, which HaShem G-d had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto
the man. And Adam said, This [is] now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh:
she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of
At this time the woman is still called “Adam”. The man and woman are still a unity called Adam. After the sin, the woman will be given a name to demonstrate that they are no longer united:
Bereshit
(Genesis) 3:19-20 In the sweat of
thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it
wast thou taken: for dust thou [art], and unto dust shalt thou return. And Adam
called his wife's name Eve; because she was the mother of all living.
Gan Eden with HaShem and Adam was
the ideal. This idea of unity will permeate the purpose of the
The manifest presence of HaShem in Gan Eden was impossible to ignore. HaShem “walked” in the garden.
The
This blueprint or genes, if you will, was described in the vision of Ya'akov Avinu, the Patriarch Jacob, who saw a ladder joining the earth to the heavens, the Temple serves as a gateway to the heavenly realm:
Bereshit
(Genesis) 28:10-22 Jacob left
The Malbim, a 19th century commentator, remarks on this passage:
"Jacob
understood that this place was the site for the future
Melachim
Bet (2 Kings) 11:2-3 But
Jehosheba, the daughter of king Joram, sister of Ahaziah, took Joash the son of
Ahaziah, and stole him from among the king's sons [which were] slain; and they
hid him, [even] him and his nurse, in the bedchamber from Athaliah, so that he
was not slain. And he was with her hid in the house of HaShem six
years. And Athaliah did reign over the land.
The outer courtyard of the
A house is a place where two
very different individuals come together and build a common life together. They
leave out their traits which hurt the relationship and bring in the traits
which build the relationship. So it is with this house. HaShem and His people
come together in the
The presence of HaShem was
manifested by the ten constant miracles that were found
in the
The Sages understood that
HaMakom, “The Place” of the world IS the Beit HaMikdash, the
House of the Holy One. This is a place of connection, a place of intimacy. This
place was called
Bereshit
(Genesis) 28:10-12 And Jacob went
out from Beer-sheba, and went toward
Makom is used exclusively in the
Tanakh to indicate The Place where the
“Makom” has a Gematria of 186. YHVH spelled out and multiplied thusly: Yod (10) times yod (10), hay (5) time hay (5), vav (6) times vav (6), and hay (5) times hay (5) = 186. When we multiply a letter times itself we describe what a number does in the world. The YHVH when express what it is, it means “makom”, The Place. Mekayim (which means giving of existence) is the root for makom. HaShem is the possibility for existence. He is The Place of the world.
The
All duplicated parts of the body are always described in the feminine. (The brit
HaLashon (tongue) and the Brit Mila (place of
circumcision) are male structures.) In the
Incidentally, this is why the Arabs built a Mosque EXACTLY over the Holy of Holies. Arab homicide murderers believe that there will be seventy virgins awaiting them, to satisfy their lust. This is a people soaked in immorality. A people who goal is immorality. Where else would they attempt to be immoral, but in the place of intimacy between HaShem and His people. There he can prove his immorality.
All points of connection, in Hebrew, have feminine names.
The woman is called double because she can duplicate herself. That is why the connection between worlds is always called double. Machpelah (double grave) is a double cave and it is the connection between the higher and the lower worlds.
The word ‘Kever’ = ‘grave’ = ‘womb’ because the grave is the ultimate connection (portal) between this world and the next just as the womb connects this world with the previous world.
HaShem is the ultimate man, and the woman of the world (the world), give birth to the world, thus the concept of place is born.
Stones (ict - even) are always feminine gender in Hebrew. ict, even, can be separated into two words: ct, Av = Father, and ic, ben = Son. Where these two, ct and ic, intertwine, ict, we have the feminine stone, the woman.
Unity and Dust
The Midrash calls this “certain place”, “The Place”:
Midrash
Rabbah - Bereshit (Genesis) LXVIII:11 AND HE TOOK OF2 THE STONES OF THE PLACE
(XXVIII, 11). R. Judah said: He took twelve stones,
saying: ‘The Holy One, blessed be He, has decreed that twelve tribes should spring forth. Now neither Abraham nor Isaac has produced them. If these twelve stones cleave to
one another, then I know that I will produce the twelve tribes.’ When therefore
the twelve stones united,[7] he knew that he was to produce the twelve
tribes. R. Nechemiah said: He took three stones, saying: 'The Holy One, blessed
be He, united His name with Abraham; with Isaac too He united His name. If
these three stones become joined, then I am assured that G-d's name will be
united with me too.’ And when they did thus join, he knew that G-d would unite
His name with him.’The Rabbis said: [He took] the least number that ' stones '
can connote, viz. two, saying: ‘From Abraham there came
forth Ishmael and the children of Keturah; from Isaac
there came forth Esau. As for me, if these two stones
join, I will be assured that nought worthless will come forth from me.’R. Levi
and R. Eleazar in the name of R. Jose b. Zimra said: He arranged them in the
shape of a roof-gutter and put them under his head,[8] because he was afraid of the wild beasts.
The world was fashioned from the foundation stone. At
Remember that we are seeing physical stones, but the reality is that those physical stones represent the “lively stones”[9]. Ya’aqov Avinu recognized that the stones represented his sons. These sons are called Israel, they are the body of Mashiach. When the twelve, symbolizing perfect justice, come together, they form the body of Mashiach. This connection is described in:
Bereshit
(Genesis) 49:24 But his bow abode
in strength, and the arms of his hands were made strong by the hands of the
mighty [God] of Jacob; (from thence [is] the shepherd, the stone of
Rabbenu Bachya indicates that the stone is Ya’aqov: “This teaches that Ya’aqov was also known as ict, even – stone, and is an allusion to the fact that it was his merit which was instrumental in Israel securing for themselves these tablets (the tablets of the Testimony).”[10] This understanding clearly shows the connection between Mashiach and Israel/Ya’aqov.
There are several points of
connection between Ya'aqov’s encounter at
Y Adam’s “deep sleep”
while Eve was being created (Gen. 2:21, 22) corresponds to Ya’aqov’s sleep at
Y Ya’aqov is the “Adam” of the Jews. Adam was a father of the world, Ya’aqov the father of the Israelites.
Y Ya’aqov was fleeing his brother’s wrath
when he left for
Y Both
were to produce children in G-d’s “image and likeness,” which means his inward
character, having his attributes. Otherwise the world and/or
What is a house? The Midrash answer this question in a very poignant way which is very relative to our study:
Midrash
Rabbah - Leviticus XX:9 Thus it is written, And Nadab and Abihu
died... and they had no children (Num. III, 4). Abba Hanin says it was because
they had no wives, for it is written, And [he shall] make atonement for himself, and for his house (Lev. XVI,
6), and ’his house’ signifies his wife.
The Mishna is written at the “pshat” level which indicates that a wife is literally a man’s house, his dwelling place:
Yoma 2a C H A P T E R I
MISHNAH. SEVEN DAYS BEFORE THE DAY OF ATONEMENT
THE HIGH PRIEST WAS REMOVED FROM HIS HOUSE TO THE CELL
OF THE COUNSELLORS AND ANOTHER PRIEST WAS PREPARED
TO TAKE HIS PLACE IN CASE ANYTHING HAPPENED TO HIM [THE HIGH PRIEST] THAT WOULD
UNFIT HIM [FOR THE SERVICE]. R. JUDAH SAID: ALSO ANOTHER WIFE WAS PREPARED FOR
HIM IN CASE HIS WIFE SHOULD DIE. FOR IT IS WRITTEN, AND HE SHALL MAKE ATONEMENT
FOR HIMSELF AND FOR HIS HOUSE. ‘HIS HOUSE THAT MEANS ‘HIS WIFE’. THEY SAID TO
HIM: IF SO THERE WOULD BE NO END TO THE MATTER.
In these two passages, the Midrash and the Mishna indicates that a man’s house IS HIS WIFE! What does it mean, therefore, when the Beit HaMikdash is called HaShem’s house?
2
Divrei HaYamim (Chronicles) 7:2
And the priests could not enter into the house of the HaShem, because the glory
of the HaShem had filled the HaShem's house.
This passage, coupled with our
Midrash and Mishna, suggests that the Beit HaMikdash is HaShem’s wife! Additionally,
Yirmeyahu
(Jeremiah)
Thus we understand that the Beit MaMikdash merely represents Israel. HaShem could care less about stones, He only cares about people.
Yehezekel equates Israel to a wife in an even more poignant manner:
Yehezekel
(Ezekiel) 61:3-8 And say, Thus
saith the Lord G-D unto Jerusalem; Thy birth and thy
nativity [is] of the land of Canaan; thy father [was] an Amorite, and thy mother
an Hittite. And [as for] thy nativity, in the day thou wast born thy navel was
not cut, neither wast thou washed in water to supple
[thee]; thou wast not salted at all, nor swaddled at all. None eye pitied thee,
to do any of these unto thee, to have compassion upon thee; but thou wast cast
out in the open field, to the loathing of thy person, in the day that thou wast
born. And when I passed by thee, and saw thee polluted in thine own blood, I
said unto thee [when thou wast] in thy blood, Live; yea, I said unto thee [when
thou wast] in thy blood, Live. I have caused thee to multiply as the bud of the
field, and thou hast increased and waxen great, and thou art come to excellent
ornaments: [thy] breasts are fashioned, and thine hair
is grown, whereas thou [wast] naked and bare. Now when I passed by thee, and
looked upon thee, behold, thy time [was] the time of
love; and I spread my skirt over thee, and covered thy nakedness: yea, I sware
unto thee, and entered into a covenant with thee,
saith the Lord G-D, and thou becamest mine.
Thus we understand that the Beit
HaMikdash is
Revelation
21:9-10 And there came unto me
one of the seven angels which had the seven vials full of the seven last plagues, and talked
with me, saying, Come hither, I will shew thee the bride, the Lamb's wife. And
he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and shewed me
that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from G-d …
Torah Code[11]
Jacob's dream of the ladder
reaching to heaven
When Jacob awoke from his sleep he
said, "Surely the L-rd is present in this place, and I did not know
it!" (Genesis 28:16). Where was this place? Rashi writes that it was
Har Sinai,
Shemot
(Exodus) 24:16 And the glory of
HaShem abode upon mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it six days: and the seventh day he called unto Moses out of
the midst of the cloud.
Strong’s indicates that the word abode, in the above passage is a word meaning “to dwell” in a permanent fashion:
7931
shakan, shaw-kan'; a prim. root [appar. akin (by transm.) to 7901 through the
idea of lodging; comp. 5531, 7925]; to reside or permanently stay (lit. or
fig.):-abide, continue, (cause to, make to) dwell (-er), have habitation,
inhabit, lay, place, (cause to) remain, rest, set (up).
According to Devarim 20:19, “Man is as a tree of the field”. Therefore, the Tree of Life being a ‘man’ is not unexpected.
When the Jews sinned with the golden calf, they altered the very essence of the world's potential to reflect the presence of HaShem. It is said that the aftermath of Revelation at Har Sinai was an opportunity for the Jews to reverse the sin of Adam and Chava and recreate the entire world into a Gan of Eden! Tragically, with the sin of the golden calf, the world was incapable of supporting the intensity and intimacy of HaShem's unrestricted and unbound presence. Instead, HaShem had to restrict Himself to the tiny space between the wingspread of the Cherubim, as it says in
Shemot
(Exodus) 25:22 "And I will
speak to you ... from between the two Cherubim."
The Mishkan, and subsequently the
The Midrash[12] tells of Adam's manner toward HaShem when interacting before the sin. Adam would stand upright, without fear and 'converse' with HaShem. Immediately after the sin, Adam's manner changed drastically. Adam and Chava "hide from in front of HaShem" showing their obvious knowledge that they transgressed and did wrong. It is this knowledge, the knowledge of guilty, and wrongdoing that they gained. The perpetuation of this knowledge in men is exhibited once again in the story of Matan Torah and the Sin of the Golden Calf. After Bnei Israel made the golden calf, thereby sinning, Moshe descends from Har Sinai. Rashi explains, that upon seeing him, B'nai Israel where trembling and shaking from fear and knowledge of their transgression.
Y Y Y
SINaI:
Samech = 60
Yud = 10
Nun = 50
Yod = 10
Total: 130
SuLaM - Ladder:
Samech = 60
Lamed = 30
Mem = 40
Total: 130
This is the ladder in Jacob's dream. It is written:
Bereshit
(Genesis) 28:12 "And behold
a ladder ... and angels of G‑d went up and down on it."
Y Y Y
The Ramban's explains the numerous similarities between the
Mishkan and the encounter at
Y Just as HaShem
had spoken to the Bnei Israel at Mount Sinai, so too does He continue to speak
to them (via Moshe) from the Kodesh
haKodoshim (Holy of Holies), through the K'ruvim (Cherubim) atop the Aron (
Y The Luchot Ha'eidut (Tablets of Testimony) which Moshe will receive (24:12) on Mount Sinai, serve as a testimony to the giving of the Torah and thus, will be kept in the Aron, the focal point of the Mishkan (25:21);
Y The Cloud created by the Incense Altar
(30:1-10) symbolizes the Cloud that covered
Y The Fire on the Altar
(Vayikra [Leviticus] 6:6) symbolizes the Fire that descended on
The Midrash relates that Har Moriah was transferred to Har Sinai for the revelation of the Torah.
Horeb, the name of the mountain where Moshe encountered the Burning Bush, is also the place where the Torah was given. Horeb was renamed Sinai when the Israelites came out of Egypt. The reason that HaShem appeared in a burning bush was to recall for us the Tree of Life. This Tree of Life was also called Torah:
Mishlei
(Proverbs) 3:1 "My son
forget not my Torah…
Mishlei
(Proverbs)
Our goal is not to return to Har Sinai, but to return to Gan Eden. We want to return to the state we had before the sin.
The Wall
Gan Eden had a wall around it. So, too, does Har Sinai have a wall around it:
Shemot
(Exodus) 19:10-13 And HaShem said
unto Moses, Go unto the people, and sanctify them today and tomorrow, and let
them wash their clothes, And be ready against the
third day: for the third day HaShem will come down in the sight of all the
people upon mount Sinai. And thou shalt set bounds unto the people round about,
saying, Take heed to yourselves, [that ye] go [not] up into the mount, or touch
the border of it: whosoever toucheth the mount shall be surely put to death:
There shall not an hand touch it, but he shall surely be stoned, or shot
through; whether [it be] beast or man, it shall not live: when the trumpet
soundeth long, they shall come up to the mount.
The Midrash also speaks of this wall:
Midrash Rabbah - Numbers XI:2
At Sinai And he said: The Lord came from Sinai (Deut. XXXIII, 2). ‘Or to ‘Ofer
ha'ayyalim, R. Jose, son of R. Hanina, explains this as denoting the young of
the gazelle. Behold, he standeth behind our wall (S.S. Ioc. cit.) alludes to
the wilderness of Sinai. He looketh in through the windows (ib.) bears on And
the Lord came down upon Mount Sinai etc. (Ex. XIX, 20). He peereth through the
lattice (S.S. Ioc. cit.) bears on And G-d spoke all these words, etc. (Ex. XX,
1).
Midrash Rabbah - The Song of
Songs II:23 BEHOLD HE STANDETH BEHIND OUR WALL: behind our wall of
Sinai, as it says, For on the third day
the Lord will come down (Ex. XIX, 11).
As the Cherubim guarded the way to the Tree of Life, so too did HaShem guard the way to Himself. The Cherubim were preserving the Tree till Adam and Chava could safely eat. So, too did HaShem guard the way to His dwelling to prevent the unholy from coming near lest they be consumed.
Light
At Har Sinai the light was a bit different from the ordinary, just as it was a bit different in Gan Eden:
Shemot (Exodus)
HaShem descended on it in fire.
The sages understood that the Torah was delivered, at
The presence of HaShem is made manifest with light from a special kind of fire.
Dust
At Har Sinai the dust was again brought together to form the Luchot, the Tablets of the Testimony. The Luchot were first carved by HaShem then inscribed. After this first set was broken, Moshe carved the second set. These, too, were inscribed by the finger of HaShem. Here the “dust” became the words of life!
Shemot
(Exodus) 31:18 And he gave unto
Moses, when he had made an end of communing with him upon mount Sinai, two
tables of testimony, tables of stone, written with the finger of G-d.
Unity
After the exodus from Egypt, the Bnei Israel arrived at Har Sinai:
Exodus
(Shemot) 19:2 They [the Jewish
People] traveled from Refidim and arrived in the
Sinai desert.
Rashi, in his comments on this verse says:
"They
Camped ... Like a single person with a single heart"
As Rashi points out, at Har Sinai and the giving of Torah, the Jewish nation achieved an exceptionally high level of unity. Not since Gan Eden did such unity exist!
Now that we have seen the ideal dwelling
place for HaShem, let’s examine the Mishkan, the Tabernacle in the wilderness and the
To understand the significance of the
To understand the significance of the Mishkan we need to see what Ramban said of the connection between Har Sinai and the Mishkan:
"...
the hidden purpose ["sod"] of the Mishkan is
for HaShem's Glory which dwelled ("shakan") on Har Sinai to dwell
upon it..." (Ramban on Shemot 25:1)
Thus we see that the purpose of the Mishkan is for dwelling. This purpose is reflected by numerous parallels between Har Sinai and the Mishkan. For example:
Y The Aron, the ark - contains the Luchot, the testimony of the Covenant between HaShem and the Bnei Israel at Har Sinai, upon which the Ten Commandments are inscribed.
Y The Cherubim - are situated above the lid of the ark, from where HaShem will continue to speak to Moshe and instruct Bnei Israel regarding the mitzvot, just as he had taught Moshe the mitzvot on Har Sinai.
Y The Altar - upon which B’nei Israel will offer their burnt offerings and peace offerings, just as at Har Sinai they built an altar and offered their burnt offerings and peace offerings and sprinkled blood.
Rabbenu Bachya[13] also connected the Sinai experience with the
Mishkan:
The
whole concept of the Tabernacle has to be understood as an internalized version
of what transpired during the revelation at
The Mishkan is a temporary sanctuary (a Tabernacle) - a portable, tent-like structure [good for travel].
The
encampment of the Israelites in the desert. Formation order of the Twelve
Tribes around the Tabernacle. Auguste Calmet, etching, 1725 Credit: Collection
of M. Pollak, Antiquarian Books and Maps, Tel Aviv
The Talmud in Zevachim 118, tells us how long the Mishkan was used:
Zevachim 118a Our
Rabbis taught: The duration of the Tent of Meeting in the wilderness was forty years less one; the duration of the Tent of Meeting
at Gilgal was fourteen years, [viz.,] the seven [years] of conquest and the seven of division. The
duration of the Tent of Meeting at Nob and Gibeon [combined] was fifty-seven
years. Thus for Shiloh was left three hundred and seventy less one.
Wilderness 39 years
Gilgal 14 years
Nov + Givon 57 years
------------
Total 479 years
In Eretz
The Mishkan was also a place where HaShem dwelt:
Shemot
(Exodus) 40:35 And Moses was not
able to enter into the tent of the congregation, because the cloud abode
thereon, and the glory of HaShem filled the tabernacle.
Strong’s indicates that the word shakan, translated as abode, indicates a permanent dwelling. In fact, the work Mishkan comes from the root shakan which means a permanent dwelling:
7931
shakan, shaw-kan'; a prim. root [appar. akin (by transm.) to 7901 through the
idea of lodging; comp. 5531, 7925]; to reside or permanently stay (lit. or
fig.):-abide, continue, (cause to, make to) dwell (-er), have habitation,
inhabit, lay, place, (cause to) remain, rest, set (up).
The Midrash tells us that after the Shechinah departed from Gan Eden, it next came to rest in the Mishkan, the Tabernacle in the Wilderness:
Midrash Rabbah - Numbers XIII:2 A king was angry with his lady and drove her
away and expelled her from his palace. After a time he
sought to recall her. Said she: ' Let him give me some new token and then
recall me.’ Similarly, in times past Adam dwelt in the Garden of Eden in
the camp of the Shechinah. The Holy One, blessed be He, was angry with him and
drove him from His private territory. When Israel
went out of Egypt the Holy One, blessed be He,
wished to restore them to His own immediate vicinity and told them to make for
Him a Tabernacle so that He might dwell among them; as you read, And let them
make Me a sanctuary, that I may dwell among them, etc. (Ex. XXV, 8). Said
Israel: 'Let the Holy One, blessed be He, give us some new token that He wishes
to restore us to Himself.’ What was the new token? In former times the Holy
One, blessed be He, used to receive sacrifices on high, as it says, And the
Lord smelled the sweet savour (Gen. VIII, 21), but now He will receive
sacrifices here below.
Midrash Rabbah - Numbers XII:6
AND IT CAME TO PASS (WAYYEHI) ON THE DAY, etc. What is the implication of
WAYYEHI? R. Joshua said: The Holy One, blessed be He, made a stipulation with
Israel while they were yet in Egypt that He would
only bring them out from thence on the understanding that they would build a
Tabernacle for Him so that He might cause His Presence to dwell among them; as
it says, And they shall know that I am the Lord their G-d, that brought them
forth out of the land of Egypt, that I may dwell among them (Ex.XXIX, 46); on this condition: '
That I may dwell among them.’ Now as soon as the Tabernacle was erected and the
Shechinah descended and dwelt in their midst (all the conditions were
fulfilled. Consequently it says, WAYYEHI (AND IT CAME TO PASS), implying that
what He had promised He performed). WAYYEHI: Rab expounded: Something that had
never happened from the time the world
was created until then took place on that day. From the
time when the world was created until that moment the Shechinah had never dwelt
in this lower world. It only did this from the moment
when the Tabernacle was erected and thenceforward. For this reason it says,
WAYYEHI; it was an innovation. R. Simeon b. Yohai said it was something that,
having already been in existence, had ceased and now returned to its previous
state. You find that from the beginning of the world's creation
the Shechinah had dwelt in this lower world; as it says, And they heard the voice of the Lord G-d
walking in the garden, etc. (Gen.III, 8), but once the
Shechinah departed at the time when Adam sinned, it did
not descend again until the Tabernacle had been erected. It is for this reason
that the expression WAYYEHI is used, signifying that something which had
already been in existence, and had ceased for many years, returned to its
original state.
The Mishkan was a building, but it was also the physical expression of a spiritual concept. The altar was a base with a fire on it, but every detail embodied another holy, spiritual concept. And the incense was made of spices, but it also acted as a "conduit" between two realities, to achieve a desired spiritual impact through a physical act. This is why it could stop plagues of death, as the Angel of Death had revealed to Moshe atop of Har Sinai:
Shabbath 89a. The
Angel of Death too confided his secret to him, for it is said, and he put on
the incense, and made atonement for the people; and
it is said. and he stood between the dead and the living, etc. Had he not told
it to him, whence had he known it?
We need to look past the physical and “see” the spiritual. Shabbat is one of the ways we can look beyond the physical as it relates to the Mishkan.
The Torah tells us that we are not to do any work on Shabbat (Sabbath), but does not define what it means by "work." The Hakhamim determined that all the kinds of work necessary to build the Mishkan, the tabernacle used during the forty years in the wilderness, constituted the work that was forbidden on Shabbat.
The 39 classes of labor can be divided in four main groupings according to their appearance in the actual building of the Mishkan:
11 tasks linked
with the preparation
of bread.
13 tasks linked
with the preparation of the priestly
garments.
9 tasks linked
with writing.
3 tasks linked
with preparing a fire.
2 tasks linked
with building.
1 prohibition is
linked with removing items and carry them from private to public property.
These are the 39 melachot, the 39 classes of labor:
|
1. Sowing |
21. Tying a Knot |
|
2. Plowing |
22. Untying a Knot |
|
3. Reaping |
23. Sewing |
|
4. Binding
Sheaves |
24. Tearing |
|
5. Threshing |
25. Trapping |
|
6. Winnowing |
26. Slaughtering |
|
7. Selecting |
27. Skinning |
|
8. Grinding |
28. Salting |
|
9. Sifting |
29. Tanning |
|
10. Kneading |
30. Scraping |
|
11. Baking |
31. Cutting |
|
12. Shearing Wool |
32. Writing |
|
13. Cleaning |
33. Erasing |
|
14. Combing |
|
|
15. Dyeing |
35. Breaking Down |
|
16. Spinning |
36. Extinguishing a Fire |
|
17. Stretching the Threads |
37. Kindling a Fire |
|
18. Making Loops |
38. Striking the Final Hammer Blow |
|
19. Weaving Threads |
39. Carrying |
|
20. Separating the Threads |
|
Upon instructing us to build the Mishkan, HaShem also forewarned us not to build this Mishkan, this miniature "world" on Shabbat. Just as He had rested from the completed work of creation on the seventh day. This is understood in the Talmud from the juxtaposition of Shabbat to both the beginning and end of the Torah's account of the building of the Mishkan.
First of all, the Mishkan itself is a micro-world. Each and every detail, along with the 39 types of labor necessary for its construction, model the 7 days of creation. It should now makes sense why the Torah forbids us to do those very same 39 classes of labor on Shabbat. Just as HaShem completed His activities of creation on the 7th day, so too we must stop our acts of labor on the seventh day. We are emulating the Creator!
From this we should understand that the Mishkan is a miniature version of Gan
Eden. This suggests that the
Shabbat is an opportunity to enter that world, for a delightful twenty-five hour period. The Mishkan is creating that home of HaShem in a specific space, as Shabbat is creating that home of HaShem in a specific time. The work done to create the Mishkan is for the purpose of creating a "Shabbat" in a specific location (the Mishkan). On Shabbat, we have our Mishkan. Those 39 creative actions, for the construction of the Mishkan, have no place during Shabbat.
Shabbat is a Mishkan in time, where the Bnei Israel and HaShem encounter each other as the beloved and lover of Shir HaShirim (the Song of Songs) (which explains the custom to read this beautiful love song every Friday evening at the onset of Shabbat).
The Mishkan was a miniature replication of the entire universe, Just like the world is the physical expression of the Torah, which is the "blueprint" for creation, so too was the Mishkan, albeit on a smaller scale.
The
Wall
Gan Eden had a wall around it. Har Sinai had a wall around it. So, too, does the Mishkan have a wall around it:
Shemot
(Exodus) 26:1-6 Moreover thou
shalt make the tabernacle [with] ten curtains [of] fine twined linen, and blue,
and purple, and scarlet: [with] cherubims of cunning work shalt thou make them.
The length of one curtain [shall be] eight and twenty cubits, and the breadth
of one curtain four cubits: and every one of the curtains shall have one
measure. The five curtains shall be coupled together one to
another; and [other] five curtains [shall be] coupled one to another. And thou
shalt make loops of blue upon the edge of the one curtain from the selvedge in
the coupling; and likewise shalt thou make in the uttermost edge of [another]
curtain, in the coupling of the second. Fifty loops shalt thou make in the one
curtain, and fifty loops shalt thou make in the edge of the curtain that [is]
in the coupling of the second; that the loops may take hold one of another. And
thou shalt make fifty taches of gold, and couple the curtains together with the
taches: and it shall be one tabernacle.
HaShem intended that the walls keep that which is evil from polluting that which was good. Additionally, the wall was to preserve that which was holy and good.
One of the most striking parallels between
the Mishkan and Har Sinai relates to the concept of boundaries (walls). At Har
Sinai, the Bnei
Israel
must remain at the foot of the mountain while the Priests
are permitted to come a bit closer. Only Moshe (and possibly Aharon) is granted
access to the top of the mountain. Similarly, the Bnei Israel may
proceed only as far as the outer courtyard of the Mishkan.
The Priests are allowed into the
The following table summarizes this parallel:
|
Group |
Har Sinai |
Mishkan |
Function |
|
Moshe |
Top of Sinai |
Holy of Holies |
Represent the people |
|
Priests |
Mid-Sinai |
Kodesh (ohel moed) |
Meeting |
|
People |
foot of Sinai |
hatzer (courtyard) |
Sacrifices |
Light
The Mishkan had a very special light that accompanied the Bnei Israel in the wilderness:
Shemot
(Exodus) 13:21-22 And HaShem went
before them by day in a pillar of a cloud, to lead them the way; and by night
in a pillar of fire, to give them light; to go by day and
night: He took not away the pillar of the cloud by day, nor the pillar of fire
by night, [from] before the people.
This was very strange fire. It was light without consuming fuel and it stood like a pillar. The presence of HaShem is again made manifest with light.
Dust
The Luchot were made out of stone, mineral dust packed tightly together. The Torah commands that we are to write the Torah on our hearts of flesh:
Devarim
(Deuteronomy) 6:4-9 Hear, O
Mishlei
(Proverbs) 7:2-3 Keep my
commandments, and live; and my law as the apple of thine eye. Bind them upon
thy fingers, write them upon the table of thine heart.
When the Luchot are transferred to the
heart, then the dust will become alive. The Luchot, the Tablets of the
Testimony, were made out of stone, but they were to be written on the heart.
This transformation of stone to flesh is the transformation that the
In the Mishkan, the Luchot will be preserved in the Ark of the Covenant.
Unity
In the Mishkan, and in the
Shemot
(Exodus)
In the Mishkan we have a portable Gan Eden, a portable Har Sinai. In the Mishkan we were one with HaShem.
A name, to the Hebrew mind, describes the intrinsic quality of an item. If we look closely at the name given by the Torah, to an item, we will see a description of amazing perception!
The most common names given to the Mishkan (literally a “dwelling”), The Tabernacle, are:
"The House of HaShem"
1
Shmuel (Samuel) 1:7 And [as] he
did so year by year, when she went up to the house (bayith) of HaShem, so she
provoked her; therefore she wept, and did not eat.
Strong’s defines this bayith as:
1004
bayith, bah'-yith; prob. from 1129 abbrev.; a house (in the greatest var. of
applications, espec. family, etc.):-court, daughter, door, + dungeon, family, +
forth of, X great as would contain, hangings, home [born], [winter] house (-hold), inside
(-ward), palace, place, + prison, + steward, + tablet, temple, web, + within
(-out).
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1129
banah, baw-naw'; a prim. root; to build (lit. and fig.):-(begin to) build
(-er), obtain children, make, repair, set (up), X surely.
“The
Sanctuary”
Shemot
(Exodus) 25:8 And let them make
me a sanctuary(Miqdash); that I may dwell among them.
In the Sefer HaChinuch (in Mitzvah 95) we find that this verse is the source for the positive commandment "to build a house for the sake of HaShem... "This mitzva applies when the majority of Jews [dwell] in their Land, and it is one of those mitzvot which is not incumbent upon the individual, rather it is incumbent on the community." This hints to the fact that the sanctuary is intimately bound up with the whole community.
Strong’s defines this Miqdash as:
4720
miqdash, mik-dawsh'; or miqqedash (Exod.
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6942
qadash, kaw-dash'; a prim. root; to be (causat. make, pronounce or observe as)
clean (ceremonially or morally):-appoint, bid, consecrate, dedicate, defile,
hallow, (be, keep) holy (-er, place), keep, prepare, proclaim, purify, sanctify
(-ied one, self), x wholly.
“The Tabernacle – The
Shemot
(Exodus) 25:9 According to all
that I shew thee, [after] the pattern of the tabernacle (Mishkan), and the
pattern of all the instruments thereof, even so shall ye make [it].
Strong’s defines this Mishkan as:
4908
mishkan, mish-kawn'; from 7931; a residence (includ. a shepherd's hut, the lair
of animals, fig. the grave; also the
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7931
shakan, shaw-kan'; a prim. root [appar. akin (by transm.) to 7901 through the
idea of lodging; comp. 5531, 7925]; to reside or permanently stay (lit. or
fig.):-abide, continue, (cause to, make to) dwell (-er), have habitation,
inhabit, lay, place, (cause to) remain, rest, set (up).
“The
Vayikra
(Leviticus) 17:4 And bringeth it
not unto the door of the tent of meeting, to offer an offering unto HaShem before the tabernacle (Mishkan) of HaShem;
blood shall be imputed unto that man; he hath shed blood; and that man shall be
cut off from among his people:
“The Tent of Meeting –
The Tent of Appointment”
Shemot
(Exodus) 28:43 And they shall be
upon Aaron, and upon his sons, when they come in unto the tent (ohel) of
appointment (moed), or when they come near unto the altar to minister in the
holy [place]; that they bear not iniquity, and die: [it shall be] a statute for
ever unto him and his seed after him.
Strong’s defines this Ohel as:
168
'ohel, o'-hel; from 166; a tent (as clearly conspicuous from a
distance):-covering, (dwelling) (place), home, tabernacle, tent.
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166
'ahal, aw-hal'; a prim. root; to be clear:-shine.
Strong’s defines this Moed as:
4150
mow`ed, mo-ade'; or mo`ed, mo-ade';
or (fem.) mow`adah (2 Chron.
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3259
ya`ad, yaw-ad'; a prim. root; to fix upon (by agreement or appointment); by
impl. to meet (at a stated time), to summon (to trial), to direct (in a certain
quarter or position), to engage (for marriage):-agree, (make an) appoint
(-ment, a time), assemble (selves), betroth, gather (selves, together), meet
(together), set (a time). ^ Ye'dow.
See 3260.
“The Dwelling Tent of Meeting”
Shemot
(Exodus) 39:32 Thus was all the
work of the tabernacle (Mishkan) of the tent (ohel) of the meeting (moed) finished: and the children
of Israel did according to all that HaShem commanded
Moses, so did they.
The Mishkan is called both a Miqdash and a Mishkan. Hakham Shimshon Raphael Hirsch explains that Miqdash refers to our role and Mishkan refers to the role of HaShem. Miqdash refers to the sanctification that we must do in order to make ourselves and thereby the Miqdash a place worthy and deserving of HaShem’s presence. Once that has been successfully accomplished, then we can hope for Mishkan, HaShem’s holy presence descending to and dwelling in this physical world.
Gan Eden with HaShem, Adam, and Chava was the ideal. When we failed we were given a substitute: the Mishkan.
The manifest presence of HaShem in the desert was therefore like Gan Eden. Surrounding clouds, pillars of fire, Manna from heaven, water from rocks, and the Voice of HaShem Himself made HaShem's presence impossible to ignore.
The Beit HaMikdash, "The Sanctified House",
is a permanent sanctuary (a
Herod's
The first Beit HaMikdash endured some 420 years.
The Midrash records that the
Midrash Rabbah - The Song of
Songs I:68 R. ‘Azariah said in the name of R. Judah b. R. Simon: It
is as if a king went out into the desert and they brought him a short bed,
which he found very uncomfortable and cramping for the limbs. When he got to
the city they brought him a longer bed, and he began to stretch himself and
loosen his limbs. So until the Temple was built the Shechinah was confined
between the two staves of the ark, but when the Temple was built, then, as we
are told, And the staves were prolonged
(I Kings VIII, 8).
The second Beit HaMikdash also endured some 420 years. It was destroyed in 70 A.D. by the Romans.
Midrash Rabbah - Lamentations
Prologue XXIV Another interpretation of ’And in that day did the
Lord, the G-d of hosts, call to weeping and to
lamentation’: at the time when the Holy One, blessed be He, sought to destroy
the Temple, He said, ' So long as I am in its midst, the nations of the world
will not touch it; but I will close My eyes so as not to see it, and swear that
I will not attach Myself to it until the time of the
end arrives.’ Then came the enemy and destroyed it. Forthwith the Holy One,
blessed be He, swore by His right hand and placed it behind Him. So it is
written, He hath drawn back His right hand from before the enemy (ib. II, 3).
At that time the enemy entered the Temple and burnt it. When it was burnt, the
Holy One, blessed be He, said, 'I no longer have a dwelling-place
in this land; I will withdraw My Shechinah from it and ascend to My former
habitation; so it is written, I will go and return to My place, till they
acknowledge their guilt, and seek My face’ (Hos. V, 15). At that time the Holy
One, blessed be He, wept and said, ‘Woe is Me! What
have I done? I caused My Shechinah to dwell below on earth for the sake of
Israel; but now that they have sinned, I have returned to My former habitation.
Heaven forefend that I become a laughter to the
nations and a byword to human beings! 'At that time Metatron came, fell upon
his face, and spake before the Holy One, blessed be He: ‘Sovereign of the
Universe, let me weep, but do Thou not weep.’ He replied to him, ' If thou
lettest Me not weep now, I will repair to a place which thou hast not
permission to enter, and will weep there,’ as it is said, But if ye will not
hear it, My soul shall weep in secret for pride (Jer. XIII, 17).
The Holy One, blessed be He, said to
the Ministering Angels, ' Come, let us go together and see what the enemy has
done in My house.’ Forthwith the Holy One, blessed be He, and the Ministering
Angels went, Jeremiah leading the way. When the Holy One, blessed be He, saw
the Temple, He said, ‘Certainly this is My house and this is My resting-place
into which enemies have come, and they have done with it whatever they wished.’
The Third Beit HaMikdash will be an enduring dwelling:
Yeshayahu
(Isaiah) 2:2-3 “And it shall come
to pass in the End-of-Days, That the mountain of HaShem House shall be
established As the tops of the mountains, And shall be exalted above the hills;
And all nations shall flow into it.” “And many peoples shall go and say: ’Come,
and let us go up to the
The
The Golden Altar, upon which incense was offered, representing pleasantness in relationships, corresponds to the nose. The entrance way to the Heichel, where the Kohanim stood to give the blessing, represents the mouth. And it might be added that the outer Mizbeach, the Altar upon which offerings were burnt, corresponds to the stomach of a man.
At this place – the
The Wall
Midrash Rabbah - Exodus II:2
R. Aha said: The Divine Presence will never depart from the Western Wall, as it
is said: Behold, He standeth behind our wall
(Song of Songs II, 9)
Midrash Rabbah - Numbers XI:2
‘Behold, he standeth behind our wall.’ 'Wall’ alludes to the Western Wall of
the Temple, which will never be destroyed. Why? Because the Shechinah is in the
west.
Light
The presence of HaShem was manifest in the
Shabbath 22b But it is
a testimony to mankind that the Divine Presence rests in Israel. What is the
testimony? — Said Rab: That was the western branch [of the candelabrum ] in
which the same quantity of oil was poured as into the rest, and yet he kindled
[the others] from it and ended therewith.
Shabbat 21b "Therefore it would seem that the crux of the miracle was that it
was performed only to show G-d's love for them ... For this reason this
miracle, too, was performed for them concerning the lights, which was testimony
for Israel that the Shechinah dwelt amongst them, as we have explained with
regard to the western light. But after the death of Shimon Ha-Tzadik, even the
western light sometimes was extinguished. Therefore a miracle was performed
regarding this exact matter, at that time which was a time of Divine favor, in
order to show that they had returned to their original status of being beloved
in G-d's eyes. This appears to me the correct interpretation."
We also know that the miracle of the rededication of the altar at Chanukah, was that the one day supply of oil lasted for eight days.
Shabbath
21b What is [the reason of]
Hanukkah? For our Rabbis taught: On the twenty-fifth of Kislev
[commence] the days of Hanukkah, which are eight on which a lamentation for the dead and fasting are
forbidden. For when the Greeks entered the Temple, they defiled all the oils
therein, and when the Hasmonean dynasty prevailed against and defeated them,
they made search and found only one cruse of oil which lay with the seal of the
High Priest, but which contained sufficient for one
day's lighting only; yet a miracle was wrought therein and they lit [the lamp]
therewith for eight days. The following year these [days] were appointed a Festival with [the recital of] Hallel and
thanksgiving.
The presence of HaShem is again
manifest in the
Midrash Rabbah - Genesis III:4 ‘There is a verse which states it explicitly:
Who coverest Thyself with light as with a garment (Ps. CIV, 2), yet you say it
in a whisper!’ ‘Just as I heard it in a whisper, so have I told it to you in a
whisper,’ he rejoined. R. Berekiah remarked: Had not R. Isaac taught it, could
we have said it! Before this, what did they say [on the matter]? R. Berekiah
said in R. Isaac's name: The light was created from the place of the Temple, as
it is said, And, behold, the glory of the G-d of Israel came from the east; and His voice was like the sound of many waters; and
the earth did shine with His glory (Ezek. XLIII, 2). Now ’ His glory ' is
nought else but the Temple, as you read: Thou throne of glory, on high from the
beginning, Thou place of our sanctuary (Jer. XVII, 12).
Dust
Jewish tradition relates that the
Adam HaRishon was created from the
matter of The Place where the
It is well known that the
I
Melachim (Kings)
These stones are nothing more than mineral dust formed into
stones. Since Adam was made from the same material it is fitting that the
The Sages make an amazing statement in the Midrash:
Midrash Rabbah - Leviticus VII:2
The other said: Whence do we know that if a man repents it is accounted unto
him as if he had gone up to Jerusalem and built the
Temple and the altars and offered thereon all the sacrifices ordained in the
Torah?-From these verses: ’The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, etc.’
It seems that when we fix up ourselves we are also building
the
Now let us look at the names given to The Place where HaShem dwells.
The most commonnames
for The Temple, found in the
Tanakh, are:
"The House of
HaShem"
I Melachim (Kings) 3:1
And Solomon made affinity with Pharaoh king of Egypt, and took Pharaoh's
daughter, and brought her into the city of David, until
he had made an end of building his own house, and the house (bayith) of HaShem,
and the wall of Jerusalem round about.
"The House of G-d"
Daniel 1:2 And the
Lord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand, with part of the vessels of
the house (bayith) of G-d: which he carried into the
"The
Yonah (Jonah) 2:4 Then
I said, I am cast out of thy sight; yet I will look again toward thy holy
temple (heykal).
Strong’s defines this Moed as:
1964 heykal, hay-kawl'; prob. from 3201 (in the sense of capacity); a large public building, such as a palace or temple:-palace, temple.
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3201 yakol, yaw-kole'; or (fuller) yakowl, yaw-kole'; a prim. root; to be able, lit, (can, could) or mor. (may, might):-be able, any at all (ways), attain, can (away with, [-not]), could, endure, might, overcome, have power, prevail, still, suffer.
"The
II Melachim (Kings) 24:13 And he
carried out thence all the treasures of the house of HaShem,
and the treasures of the king's house, and cut in pieces all the vessels of
gold which Solomon king of Israel had made in the temple (heykal) of HaShem, as
HaShem had said.
"The Sanctuary"
Yehezechel (Ezekiel) 45:4
The holy [portion] of the land shall be for the priests
the ministers of the sanctuary (Miqdash), which
shall come near to minister unto HaShem: and it shall be a place for their
houses, and an holy place for the sanctuary (Miqdash).
“The House”
1 Divrei Hayamin (Chronicles)
22:19 Now set your heart and your soul to seek HaShem your G-d;
arise therefore, and build ye the sanctuary of HaShem G-d, to bring the ark of
the covenant of HaShem, and the holy vessels of G-d, into the house that
is to be built to the name of HaShem.
“House of The Holy One – Beit
HaMiqdash”
2 Divrei Hayamin (Chronicles)
36:17 Therefore he brought
upon them the king of the Chaldees, who slew their young men with the sword in
the house of their sanctuary (Miqdash), and had no compassion upon young man or
maiden, old man, or him that stooped for age: he gave [them] all into his hand.
In the Oral Torah we also find
various names for the
Midrash Rabbah - Genesis XCIII:12
AND HE FELL UPON HIS BROTHER BENJAMIN'S NECKS (XLV,
14). Did Benjamin then have two necks? In fact, said R. Eleazar, he foresaw
through the Holy Spirit that two Temples would be built in Benjamin's portion,
and both would be destroyed. AND BENJAMIN WEPT UPON
HIS NECK: he saw that the Tabernacle of Shiloh would be built in Joseph'sYes portion and would be destroyed.
Bereshit
(Genesis) 45:14 And he fell upon
his brother Benjamin's necks, and wept; and Benjamin wept upon his neck.
(As a side note, Rambam suggests that the three phrases in Bereshit 33:12 refer to HaShem's
relationship to the three
The Midrash also explains the Torah when it tells us that
the
Midrash Rabbah - Genesis XCIII:6
Here that it is on account of a man, the beloved of the eyes, the one who gives
hospitality to the Holy One, blessed be He-as it says, Of Benjamin he said: The beloved of the Lord shall dwell in safety by Him; He covereth him all the day,
and He dwelleth between his shoulders (Deut. XXXIII, 12) --how much the more
so!’
Devarim
(Deuteronomy) 33:12 Of Benjamin
he said, The beloved of HaShem shall dwell in safety
by him; shall cover him all the day long, and he shall dwell between his
shoulders.
The
Rashi explains: "necks" means the two
This explanation is amplified by the Maharal, who explains
how a person's neck connects his head, the seat not only of the intellect but
also of spirituality, to his body, which carries out
the wishes of the head. The Maharal quotes passages to show that the
So the
The Midrash explains this
connection between the neck and the
Midrash Rabbah - The Song of
Songs IV:12 THY NECK IS LIKE THE TOWER OF DAVID: this refers to the
Temple. Why is it compared to a neck? Because so long as the Temple was
standing, Israel's neck was stretched out among the nations of the world, but
when the Temple was destroyed, then, if one may say so, Israel's neck was
bowed; and so it is written, And I will break the pride of your power (Lev.
XXII, 19), namely, the Temple. Another explanation: Just as a man's neck is in
the highest part of him, so the Temple was in the highest part of the world.
And just as most ornaments are hung round the neck, so the priests were attached to the Temple, the Levites were
attached to the Temple. And just as, if the neck is removed, a man cannot live,
so since the Temple was destroyed there has been no life for the enemies of
Israel.
Let’s list the things that we know about the neck:
Mashiach is called “The Word” which originates in the neck:
Yochanan
(John) 1:1-5 In the beginning was
the Word, and the Word was with G-d, and the Word was G-d. The same was in the
beginning with G-d. All things were made by him; and without him was not any
thing made that was made. In him was life; and the
life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness
comprehended it not.
Mashiach is also a Kohen Gadol (High Priest). The Kohen Gadol serves to connect the higher and the lower worlds:
Hebrews
3:1-2 Wherefore, holy brethren,
partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our
profession, Mashiach Yeshua; Who was faithful to him
that appointed him, as also Moshe [was faithful] in all his house.
In the midrash of Matityahu we find a yoke which is attached to the neck:
Matityahu
(Matthew)
Mashiach says that we should take His yoke upon us. This infers that Mashiach is the neck because this is the organ which bears the yoke.
Gan Eden with HaShem, Adam, and Chava was the ideal. When we failed we were
given a substitute: the Mishkan. The Mishkan was
eventually replaced with the
The manifest presence of HaShem in the
HaShem has said that we are to bring our burnt offerings only to the place where He will put His name:
Shemot
(Exodus) 20:24 An altar of earth
thou shalt make unto me, and shalt sacrifice thereon thy burnt offerings, and
thy peace offerings, thy sheep, and thine oxen: in all places where I record my
name I will come unto thee, and I will bless thee.
At the dedication of the Mishkan, we have burnt offerings on the altar of the Mishkan. This shows that HaShem has put His name in that place:
Shemot
(Exodus) 29:18 And thou shalt
burn the whole ram upon the altar: it [is] a burnt offering unto HaShem: it
[is] a sweet savour, an offering made by fire unto
HaShem.
Devarim
(Deuteronomy) 12:5 But unto the
place which HaShem your God shall choose out of all your tribes
to put his name there, [even] unto his habitation shall ye seek, and thither
thou shalt come:
Devarim
(Deuteronomy) 12:11 Then there
shall be a place which HaShem your God shall choose to cause his name to dwell there; thither shall ye bring all that I command
you; your burnt offerings, and your sacrifices, your tithes, and the heave
offering of your hand, and all your choice vows which ye vow unto HaShem:
Devarim
(Deuteronomy) 12:21 If the place
which HaShem thy God hath chosen to put his name there be too far from thee, then
thou shalt kill of thy herd and of thy flock, which HaShem hath given thee, as
I have commanded thee, and thou shalt eat in thy
gates whatsoever thy soul lusteth after.
Devarim
(Deuteronomy) 16:2 Thou shalt
therefore sacrifice the passover unto HaShem thy
God, of the flock and the herd, in the place which HaShem shall choose to place
his name there.
Devarim
(Deuteronomy) 26:2 That thou
shalt take of the first of all the fruit of the earth, which thou shalt bring
of thy land that HaShem thy God giveth thee, and shalt put [it] in a basket,
and shalt go unto the place which HaShem thy God shall choose to place his name
there.
HaShem has explicitly stated that
He put His name in the
1
Melachim (Kings) 9:3 And HaShem
said unto him, I have heard thy prayer and thy
supplication, that thou hast made before me: I have hallowed this house, which
thou hast built, to put my name there for ever; and mine eyes and mine heart
shall be there perpetually.
1
Melachim (Kings) 11:36 And unto
his son will I give one tribe, that David my servant
may have a light always before me in Jerusalem, the
city which I have chosen me to put my name there.
1
Melachim (Kings)
2
Melachim (Kings) 21:4 And he
built altars in the house of HaShem, of which HaShem said, In
2
Melachim (Kings) 21:7 And he set
a graven image of the grove that he had made in the house, of which HaShem said
to David, and to Solomon his son, In this house, and in Jerusalem, which I have
chosen out of all tribes of Israel, will I put my name for ever:
2
Divrei Hayamim (Chronicles) 6:20
That thine eyes may be open upon this house day and night, upon the place
whereof thou hast said that thou wouldest put thy name there; to hearken unto
the prayer which thy servant prayeth toward this place.
2
Divrei Hayamim (Chronicles)
2
Divrei Hayamim (Chronicles) 12:13
So king Rehoboam strengthened himself in Jerusalem, and reigned: for Rehoboam
[was] one and forty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned seventeen
years in Jerusalem, the city which HaShem had chosen out of all the tribes of
Israel, to put his name there. And his mother's name [was] Naamah an
Ammonitess.
2
Divrei Hayamim (Chronicles) 33:4
Also he built altars in the house of HaShem, whereof HaShem had said, In
2
Divrei Hayamim (Chronicles) 33:7
And he set a carved image, the idol which he had made, in the house of God, of
which God had said to David and to Solomon his son, In this house, and in
Jerusalem, which I have chosen before all the tribes of Israel, will I put my
name for ever:
Ezra
6:12 And the God that hath caused
his name to dwell there destroy all kings and people, that shall put to their
hand to alter [and] to destroy this house of God which [is] at
Nechemiah
(Nehemiah) 1:9 But [if] ye turn
unto me, and keep my commandments, and do them; though there were of you cast
out unto the uttermost part of the heaven, [yet] will
I gather them from thence, and will bring them unto the place that I have
chosen to set my name there.
Putting His name on the B’nei
HaShem also specifically commanded that His Name should be put on the Bnei Israel:
Bamidbar
(Numbers)
Midrash Rabbah - Numbers XI:8 SO SHALL THEY PUT MY NAME UPON THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL. (VI. 27). This informs us that the
blessing bestowed upon them contained the Ineffable Name.
It might be thought that within the boundaries the blessing bestowed upon them
was also to contain the Ineffable Name. Scripture therefore states, SO SHALL
THEY PUT MY NAME, and elsewhere it says, To cause My name to dwell
there (Neh. I, 9): as in the latter case the Sanctuary is meant, so in the
former also the Sanctuary is meant. When, however, unprincipled men increased,
the custom was altered, so that the Name was henceforth confided to the pious
of the priesthood. R. Tarfon said: It once happened that I was in a row with my
fellow priests, and when I inclined my ear towards
the High Priest I heard that he uttered it in the
midst of the chanting of the other priests. Or again, it might be supposed that
the benediction was pronounced in the Sanctuary but
that it was not to be pronounced within the boundaries. It says therefore, In
every place where I cause My name to be mentioned I will come unto thee and
bless thee (Ex. XX, 21), thus showing that it must be said also within the
boundaries. The only difference is that within the boundaries it was recited as
three blessings,1 while in the Sanctuary it was recited as one.
Midrash
Rabbah - Numbers XI:4 It says
here, ' They shall put My name’ and it says elsewhere, To put His name there
(Deut. XII, 5); as that case refers to the Temple so the present text also
refers to the Temple. From this the Sages have inferred that in the Temple the
benediction was accompanied by the pronunciation of the Ineffable
Name, while in the province it was accompanied by one of its substitutes.
Bamidbar
(Numbers) 6:22-27 And HaShem spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto Aaron and
unto his sons, saying, On this wise ye shall bless the children
of Israel, saying unto them, HaShem bless thee, and keep thee: HaShem make
his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee: HaShem lift up his
countenance upon thee, and give thee peace. And they shall put my name upon the
children of
Thus we see a direct connection between the Bnei Israel and
the
Tehillim
(Psalms) 132:13 For HaShem hath
chosen
Does HaShem have an arm? Surely one must answer yes to this question! Moshe wrote of this arm:
Devarim
(Deuteronomy) 11:2-3 And know ye
this day: for [I speak] not with your children which have not known, and which
have not seen the chastisement of HaShem your G-d, his greatness, his mighty
hand, and his stretched out arm, And his miracles, and his acts, which
he did in the midst of Egypt unto Pharaoh the king of Egypt, and unto all his
land;
What is the difference between HaShem’s arm and your arm?
Surely you must say that the arm of HaShem is REAL whilst your arm is merely PHYSICAL. With His arm, HaShem can move the heart of man. We can not do this with our arm.
The Mishkan and the
This concept is required in order to understand the concept
that HaShem is NOT concerned about physical stones. HaShem is concerned about
His people. A “stone” is simply an allusion to man, and a
The dwelling place of HaShem began with the Mishkan, the Tabernacle. In fact, the beginning of the
On the face of it, building the Mishkan is a strange thing to do. HaShem, who is transcendent, certainly has no need of a "dwelling" and it would be mistake to understand the Divine decree, to build the Mishkan, as an attempt to find haven for the ineffable transcendent One. A careful reading of the text indicates the objective of the construction:
Shemot
25:8-9 (TORAH) Ve'asu [and let
them make] li [for me / me for] mikdash
[a sanctuary] veshachanti [that I may dwell] betocham [in their
midst]. Kekhol [according to all] asher [which] ani [I am]
mar'eh [going to reveal] otcha [to you] et tavnit [the
plan of] haMishkan (the Ten Sefirot) [the tabernacle] ve'et [and] tavnit
[the plan of] kol-kelav [all its vessels] vechen [and so] ta'asu
[you will do].
TARGUM And they shall make a Sanctuary to My Name, that My Shekinah may dwell among them. According to
all that I show thee, the likeness of the tabernacle and the likeness of all
its vessels, so shalt thou make.
The verse describes the result of the building of the Mishkan: HaShem will live within the Jewish nation, "I will dwell in them", rather than the more obvious result of HaShem "residing" in the Sanctuary. Clearly, the objective of the building was not to provide HaShem with shelter, but to provide an avenue for man to take HaShem into his life.
Notice that HaShem has commanded His people to build a Mishkan and then instead of saying that He would “dwell in it”, He says He will “dwell in their midst”. This verse suggests that HaShem will dwell in the midst of His people. This could be a physical building, but it also implies that He will dwell in his people. This concept becomes more understandable if we recall that the body of Mashiach includes all of the righteous. This body is called “the bride”. HaShem will dwell in His bride. This is exactly the same terminology which is applied to a normal bride and groom.
At the wedding ceremony, the bride while under the chupah, makes seven trips around her husband. She surrounds him seven times in order that she should become his “house”, his place. Throughout the Torah and Rabbinic literature a wife is called a “house”. She is the house that her husband dwells in.
From the marriage ceremony we can see that when HaShem dwells in us, that He dwells as a husband dwells with his wife. The husband dwells in his wife.
The Beit HaMiqdash, the
The Mishkan and the Beit HaMiqdash are built according to a similar pattern. There is an outer chamber (Kodesh) where the Kohanim, the priests, may enter, arrange the bread on Shulchan before HaShem and kindle the lights in His "home." At the same time there is an inner chamber where no-one may enter, a chamber concealed behind a closed door (the parokhet, the curtain). This is the inner chamber of "He Who sits with the keruvim".[15]
This suggests that the inner room is a place of intimacy. This also suggests that HaShem will dwell in us with the same intimacy that exists between a husband and a wife.
Ibn Ezra’s comments on Shemot 26:6:
"They
(the curtains for the Mishkan) were formed of
separate pieces, yet they were so arranged that when they formed the covering
of the Tabernacle they were a single whole. Similarly, the community of Israel, comprising different tribes and families, must be linked together in peace
and solidarity." As separate pieces of material, the curtains were
useless. It was only when they came together that they could serve as a
covering for the Mishkan. The same applies to the Children of Israel. The
Divine Presence dwells amongst them only when they are united and as one.
Today, as well, we must find ways to ensure the unity of the Jewish people.
Every chance that we have to educate the greatest number of people about
Judaism should be taken. In our time, when morality, discipline and deference are
apparently on the decline, we have to teach our youth our beliefs and
traditions, and hence communicate to them the enduring values by which we live.
The ketuvim, the writings, also convey this concept of the
I Melachim (Kings)
How can the infinite dwell in the finite? This profound question is at the
root of several interesting statements in the Torah:
Shemot (Exodus)
4:10 And Moses said unto
HaShem, O my Lord, I [am] not eloquent, neither heretofore, nor since thou hast
spoken unto thy servant: but I [am] slow of speech, and of a slow tongue.
Those who are anti-semitic or ignorant will say that Moshe had a speech
impediment and that is why He could not talk. Nothing could be further from the
truth. According to the Midrash, Moshe had his speech purified while he was a
baby. The Sages teach that the reason why Moshe had difficulty with his speech
is that he was trying to convey the infinite within finite words. Later, after
HaShem gave the Torah, we find that Moshe spoke “normally”, that is, after
HaShem put the infinite into finite words, He also gave Moshe the ability to do
so as well.
Just as we have an infinite soul contained within a finite body, so too, HaShem, The
Infinite One, will dwell in us, the finite ones. We can see that King Solomon
saw that the stone Temple was not the issue. The people of HaShem would be the dwelling place of HaShem:
1 Melachim
(Kings) 8:27 But will G-d indeed
dwell on the earth? behold, the heaven and heaven of
heavens cannot contain thee; how much less this house that I have builded?
The Prophets also spoke of this Temple:
Isaiah (Yeshayah) 66:1-2 Thus said Ha-Shem: The heaven is My throne and the earth is My
footstool; what house could you build for me, and what place could be My
resting place? My hand created all these things and thus all these things came
into being – the word of HaShem – but it is to this that I look: to the poor
and broken-spirited person who is zealous regarding My word.
As Yeshayahu spoke of the stone Temple he said it could
not contain The Infinite One. Then he alludes to the true dwelling place for
HaShem: His righteous ones.
The Nazarean Codicil speaks very forthrightly on this
subject and declares:
2
Luqas (Luke)
Even in the mystical writings we
see that the body of Mashiach, the righteous with Mashiach
as the head, IS the
Revelation
The Prophets had
also seen this corner / foundation stone. They too understood that it was the
essence of the
Yehshayah (Isaiah)
1
Tsefet (Peter) 2:4-8 If so be ye
have tasted that the Lord [is] gracious. To whom coming, [as unto] a living
stone, disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of G-d, [and] precious, Ye also, as
lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up
spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to G-d by Yeshua Mashiach. Wherefore also it is contained in the
scripture, Behold, I lay in Sion a chief corner stone, elect, precious: and he
that believeth on him shall not be confounded.
Once we understand
this basic concept, we can see it throughout the Nazarean Codicil.
I have inserted the purple words
in parenthesis () to indicate Strong’s concordance definition or my own
understanding of the Greek word.
Lets begin with a “sod” level verse:
Yochanan
(John)
This passage, when properly understood, suggests several things:
Y Yeshua is referring back to something that
“was” and He is referring forward to something that “will be”.
Y This
passage has nothing to do with a
Y This passage is speaking of something that can be “awakened”, that is,
a living organism that was “sleeping”.
Y “Days” infers more than a 24 hour period.
That which “was”, alludes to Adam HaRishon, the first Adam who was composed of male and female parts. In Adam, also, were all of the seeds for the physical part of the human race (c.f. Bereshit 26:46).
Midrash Rabbah - Exodus XL:3
What is the meaning of And it is foreknown what man is (ib.)? While Adam was
still a lifeless mass, God showed him all the righteous people that would
descend from him; some there were that hung on Adam's hair
and others on his head; some on his forehead, on his
eyes, nose, mouth, ear; some on his ear-laps. The proof is that when Job sought
to dispute with God, saying: ’ Oh that I knew where I might find Him, that I
might come even to His seat. I would order my cause before Him’ (XXIII, 3 f),
God answered him: ‘You wish to dispute with Me. Where (eyfoh) wast thou when I
laid the foundations of the earth?’ (ib. XXXVIII, 4).
According to the sod tradition of the Sages, prior to the fall, Adam was a far greater person than he was afterwards. Prior to the fall, Adam was more of a spiritual being than a physical one.
Soncino
Zohar, Bereshith, Section 1, Page 9a In the heavenly Academy, however, the words ish middah (man of
dimension) were explained as “one whose dimensions extended from one end of the
world to the other”, which were the dimensions of the first man, Adam.
Soncino
Zohar, Bereshith, Section 1, Page 13b We have seen the following mystical observation in the Book of King
Solomon. He who of his own impulse shows pity to the poor will retain for ever
unchanged the original form of the first man, and by that impress of the
likeness of Adam he will exercise dominion over all
creatures of the world. This is implied in the words: “And the fear of you and
the dread of you shall be upon every beast of the earth, etc.” (Gen. IX, 2),
that is, all and every one will be in fear and in dread of that image which
characterises man. For this is a noble precept, by means of which man can rise
in the image of Adam above all other creatures. This we know from
Nebuchadnezzar who, in spite of the dream that he had
seen, as long as he showed mercy to the poor suffered no evil effects; but as
soon as he selfishly neglected the poor, what do we read about him? “While the
word was in the King's mouth, etc.” (Dan. IV, 28), his image changed and he was
driven from men....
Soncino
Zohar, Bereshith, Section 1, Page 27b In a word, when the “mixed multitude” are mingled with Israel, the letters of the
name Tetragrammaton cannot be joined and linked together; but as soon as they
are removed from the world, then it is said of the letters of G-d's name that “On that day the Lord shall be one and his name
one” (Zech. XIV, 9). This is why Adam, who is
Also included within him, were all of the souls of mankind. This does not only mean that all souls would come forth from him, but rather that each and every cell of his body was an individual, conscious soul. Adam was thus the collective soul of all mankind. It is of no wonder then that the Hebrew word for mankind and the name of the father of mankind is one and the same: Adam.
1 Corinthians
Romans
5:12-15 Wherefore, as by one man
(the first Adam) sin entered into the world, and death
by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned: (For until
the law sin was in the world: but sin is not imputed
when there is no law. Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over
them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam's transgression, who
is the figure of him that was to come. But not as the offence, so also [is]
the free gift. For if through the offence of one many be dead, much more the grace of G-d, and the gift by grace, [which is] by one
man, Yeshua Mashiach,
hath abounded unto many.
Further, the fact that Mashiach and Adam are related,
suggests that the “
Yochanan (John) 2:19-21 Yeshua answered and said unto them, Destroy
this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.
Then said the Jews, Forty and six
years was this temple in building, and wilt thou rear it up in three days? But
he spake of the temple of his body.
The fact that they are “awakened” suggests that they were “asleep”, which is how the Tanach refers to the righteous who have died:
1
Melachim (Kings)
The “three days”, or time periods, suggests that it could mean:
Y A literal three day time period, alluding
to the length of time that Yeshua would be in the grave.
Y A three thousand
year time period, alluding to the three thousand year time from the days of Yeshua till the days of the “second Adam”
when the righteous will become the body of Mashiach.
Y Three two-thousand year periods, alluding
to the time from the first Adam till the second Adam.
Y
Three periods of darkness, alluding to three exile
periods of the Jewish people.
Since the book of Yochanan (John) is written at the “sod” level, which is the mystical level, we know that the number three (3) also means something more than a count. Three is the minimum number of judges in a Bet Din (a court). Three, therefore, suggests a time of judgment or of justice.
Sanhedrin 6b R. Nahman
said, reporting R. Jonathan: A judge who delivers a
judgment in perfect truth causes the Shechinah to dwell
in Israel, for it is written: G-d standeth in the
Congregation of G-d; in the midst of the judges He judgeth. And he who
does not deliver judgments in perfect truth causes the Shechinah to depart from
the midst of Israel, for it is written: Because of the oppression of the poor,
because of the sighing of the needy, now will I arise, saith the Lord.
Now Israel was the name of both the man and the nation, signifying that the nation stands as a man and that as the Shekhina dwells in the man it also dwells IN the nation.
2
Thessalonians 2:1 Now we beseech (interrogate) you, brethren (and those of the same womb), by the coming (near advent) of our Lord (The
Judge) Yeshua HaMashiach, and [by] our gathering (synagoging) together unto him,
2
Thessalonians 2:2 That ye be not
soon (briefly) shaken (wavering) in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit (breath), nor by word, nor by letter
(written message) as from us, as that the day
(time period) of
Mashiach is at hand. (We
did not in any way convey that the day of Mashiach is at hand.)
2
Thessalonians 2:3 Let no man
deceive you by any means: for [that day shall not come], except there come a
falling away (an apostasy) first, and that
man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition (a
damnable son);
2
Thessalonians 2:4 Who opposeth
and exalteth himself above all that is called G-d (judge),
or that is worshipped; so that he as G-d (a judge)
sitteth in the temple of G-d (Bet Din Gadol),
shewing himself that he is G-d (judge).
Y This womb suggest a common origin in Adam. It also suggests that we may have a common heritage:
Galatians
Y This temple passage reveals that we are speaking of a House of Judgement, a Bet Din. (Palal is the root of tefilah, prayer. Our prayer is a judgment of ourselves. So this house of prayer is a house of judgment.)
A synagogue is also a house of prayer, judgement, and study, because a synagogue is composed of kindred souls who form a community. The synagogue is an organic entity.
Now, a Bet Din is commonly composed of three men who are
extensively trained in Torah law. These three men
figuratively represent the entire congregation. This passage is dealing with
the Bet Din Gadol which sat in judgment in the
2 Thessalonians 2:1
Now we beseech (interrogate) you, brethren (and those of the same womb), by the coming (near advent) of our Lord (The Judge) Yeshua HaMashiach, and
[by] our gathering (synagoging) together unto him,
We can also see that Hakham Shaul is telling the folks in
The Sanhedrin was the Bet Din which
sat in the chamber of hewn stone, IN THE TEMPLE.
This imposter judge will promote himself to Rosh Bet Din Gadol,
and presume to rule (judge) the entire nation of
Ephesians 2:17
And came and preached peace to
you which were afar off, and to them that were nigh.
Ephesians
Ephesians
Ephesians
[See also: Synagogue)
Ephesians
Ephesians
In this passage, Hakham Shaul is describing a “
The “feminine structure” alludes to the bride who is a
“house” to her husband even as the
Again, we see that we are not speaking of a
Shemot
(Exodus) 25:8 And let them make
me a sanctuary; that I may dwell in them.
1 Corinthians
1
Corinthians
This passage spells out clearly that the righteous ARE the
stones of the
1
Tsefet (Peter) 2:5 Ye also, as
lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up
spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to G-d by Yeshua Mashiach.
The righteous are being built into a dwelling place for HaShem.
2
Corinthians
2
Corinthians 6:17 Wherefore come
out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the
unclean [thing]; and I will receive you.
Revelation
21:9-27 And there came unto me
one of the seven angels which had the seven vials full
of the seven last plagues, and talked with me,
saying, Come hither, I will shew thee the bride, the
Lamb's wife. And he carried me away
in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and shewed me that great city, the
holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven
from G-d, Having the glory of G-d: and her light [was] like unto a stone most
precious, even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal; And had a wall great and
high, [and] had twelve gates, and at the gates twelve
angels, and names written thereon, which are [the names] of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel: On the east three gates; on the north
three gates; on the south three gates; and on the west three gates. And the
wall of the city had twelve foundations, and in them the names of the twelve
apostles of the Lamb. And he that talked with me had a golden reed to measure
the city, and the gates thereof, and the wall thereof. And the city lieth foursquare,
and the length is as large as the breadth: and he measured the city with the
reed, twelve thousand furlongs. The length and the breadth and the height of it
are equal. And he measured the wall thereof, an hundred [and] forty [and] four
cubits, [according to] the measure of a man, that is, of the angel. And the
building of the wall of it was [of] jasper: and the city [was] pure gold, like
unto clear glass. And the foundations of the wall of the city [were] garnished
with all manner of precious stones. The first foundation [was] jasper; the
second, sapphire; the third, a chalcedony; the fourth, an emerald; The fifth,
sardonyx; the sixth, sardius; the seventh, chrysolyte; the eighth, beryl; the
ninth, a topaz; the tenth, a chrysoprasus; the eleventh, a jacinth; the
twelfth, an amethyst. And the twelve gates [were] twelve pearls: every several
gate was of one pearl: and the street of the city [was] pure gold, as it were
transparent glass. And I saw no temple therein: for
the Lord G-d Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it. And the
city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of G-d did lighten
it, and the Lamb [is] the light thereof. And the nations of them which are
saved shall walk in the light of it: and the kings
of the earth do bring their glory and honour into it. And the gates of it shall
not be shut at all by day: for there shall be no night there. And they shall
bring the glory and honour of the nations into it. And there shall in no wise
enter into it any thing that defileth, neither [whatsoever] worketh
abomination, or [maketh] a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb's book
of life.
As a side note: HaShem can not dwell with an unrighteous bride:
Mishlei
(Proverbs) 21:9 [It is] better to
dwell in a corner of the housetop, than with a brawling woman in a wide house.
Mishlei
(Proverbs)
Mishlei
(Proverbs) 25:24 [It is] better
to dwell in the corner of the housetop, than with a brawling woman and in a
wide house.
HaShem can dwell in the house of the righteous. Righteousness is the only thing that can bring unity:
Tehillim
(Psalm) 133:1 Behold, how good
and how pleasant [it is] for brethren to dwell together in unity!
Our synagogues are also known as
"Batei Mikdash Meat," or
The synagogue, however, was a
structure of people just as the
Sanhedrin 39a The
Emperor said to Rabban Gamaliel: ‘Ye maintain that upon every gathering of ten
[Jews] the Shechinah rests: how many Shechinahs are
there then?’ Rabban Gamaliel called [Caesar's] servant, and tapped him on the neck, saying, ‘Why does the sun enter into Caesar's
house?’ ‘But,’ he exclaimed, ‘the sun shines upon the whole world!’ ‘Then if
the sun, which is but one of the countless myriads
of the servants of the Holy One, blessed be He, shines on the whole world, how
much more the Shechinah of the Holy One, blessed be He, Himself!’
Ten are required in order for the Shechinah to dwell on them. Thus ten form an organic entity which is different from the individual and they become a fit resting place for HaShem.
The
Now that we understand that the synagogue, the Mishkan, and the Temple of stone are a picture which illustrates the reality, now we can begin to explore the ‘pictures’ that are contained within the furniture and implements in