The Bilding of the Mishkan

1. Echoes of Eden
Rabbi Ari Kahn
Parashat Terumah 5775
The View From Above
As Parashat Terumah begins, we are somewhat taken aback: Out of
nowhere (or so it seems), instructions for a major construction project are
handed down. Coming on the heels of the very practical list of torts that
makes up much of Parashat Mishpatim - laws that serve as the framework
for a just and elevated society – the instructions conveyed in Parashat
Terumah seem to be of a different order altogether. Here, the people are
given extremely precise and detailed instructions for building an edifice.
The focus has clearly shifted from building society, to the service of God.
While these concepts need not be mutually exclusive, the dramatic shift
should not be overlooked.
In fact, the shift between these two different spheres is not as abrupt as we
might think. The concluding verses of Parashat Mishpatim contain an
important segue that alerts us to the shift in focus that will follow; it is a
short, and thus easily overlooked group of verses. Following the Israelites’
commitment to observe and uphold the laws they have just been taught,
Moshe climbs the mountain in preparation for his rendezvous with God.
The mountain is covered by a cloud that represents God’s presence, and
Moshe waits there until, on the seventh day, God calls out to him and
invites him to ascend into the cloud itself. This is the final scene of Parashat
Mishpatim, which is immediately followed by the communication Moshe
receives at the summit of Mount Sinai: Parashat Terumah, the instructions
for building the Mishkan (Sanctuary or Tabernacle).
Despite the fact that our tradition of weekly Torah reading separates these
two sections, they are intrinsically of one and the same piece: Moshe’s
ascent continues with the instructions to build the Mishkan. Perched in the
ethereal clouds, from a vantage point closer to heaven than to earth, Moshe
is instructed to teach the people how to build the Mishkan, a structure that
would serve as a link between heaven and earth.
1

2. In a sense, this scene is reminiscent of Yaakov’s vision of the ladder, with its
feet on the ground and its head in the sky, creating an image of the
connection between heaven and earth. How fitting, then, that when Yaakov
awakens from his dream he vows to build a sanctuary: His vow is the logical
conclusion of the vision he has just seen.
Yaakov awoke from his sleep. He said, 'God is truly in this place, but I
did not know it.' He was frightened. 'How awe-inspiring this place
is!' he exclaimed. 'It must be God's Temple, for this is the gate to
heaven!' (Bereishit 28:16,17)
Yaakov sees angels ascending a ladder that reaches up into heaven. He sees
the view from above; apparently, he sees exactly what Moshe saw: The place
at which heaven and earth meet, The Temple.
The connection between these two
visions speaks to the very heart of the
Beit HaMikdash (The Holy Temple in
Jerusalem) and the Mishkan that was its
precursor. According to rabbinic
tradition, Yaakov saw this vision as he
lay in the vicinity of Jerusalem, where the
Temple would eventually stand, whereas
Moshe saw this vision when he climbed
Mount Sinai, the place that made the
Temple itself possible.
Sinai was the place where the people
experienced unparalleled unity. Only because of this unity were they able to
receive the Torah. This is reflected in the laws regarding the Torah scroll: If
even one letter is missing or incomplete, the Torah scroll becomes invalid,
“un-kosher.” The Torah itself represents the totality of the Jewish people.
Thus, in a very real sense, when we lack unity, we deny something
fundamental about the Torah, perhaps even destroy it, as it were.
The Temple also represents the unity of the Jewish People. When the nation
is divided, the very walls of the Temple crumble; the edifice cannot stand.
The Temple, the Beit HaMikdash, was destroyed because of “unwarranted
hatred” between Jews. Perhaps this is why Yaakov was unable to fulfill his
Echoes of Eden
Yaakov
…
sees
the
view
from
above;
apparently,
he
sees
exactly
what
Moshe
saw:
The
place
at
which
heaven
and
earth
meet,
The
Temple.

3. vow and build the House of God: The hatred that sprung up among his sons
made it impossible for his vision to be brought to fruition.
At Sinai, the Children of Israel stood as one and accepted the Torah. They
entered into a covenant that would bind them to one another and to God,
and they accepted upon themselves the rules that would create an elevated
society. Only then, as they stood united and accepted the Torah, a new
opportunity arose to build a Temple. “They shall make Me a Mishkan, and I
will dwell among them.” (Shmot 25:8)
Their newfound unity had taken generations to
achieve, and it was the very bedrock of the
Mishkan. The experience of peoplehood at Sinai
was what gave them the ability to accept the
Torah, and to live with God in their midst.
Without unity, the Mishkan could not exist, nor
would God’s presence be among them. Both the
Torah and the Mishkan are given to the Jewish
People as a whole; both are contingent upon
unity, both represent unity, and both are means
of fostering and nurturing unity.
Standing above the clouds, half way between
heaven and earth, everything became perfectly
clear: We have the ability to connect the sacred
and the mundane, heaven and earth - but before
we do so, in order to do so, we must connect ourselves to one another, as
one united People. The first step is not the building of a temple; it is the
building of the bonds between us. Only with unity as its foundation will the
ladder of Yaakov’s vision become a reality, allowing us to link heaven and
earth and to bring God’s presence into our lives.
For
a
more
in-­‐depth
analysis
see:
http://arikahn.blogspot.co.il/2015/02/audio-­‐and-­‐essays-­‐parashat-­‐terumah.html
Echoes of Eden
Standing
above
the
clouds,
half
way
between
heaven
and
earth,
everything
became
perfectly
clear:
We
have
the
ability
to
connect
the
sacred
and
the
mundane…