There is one marked difference between the account of God’s instruction to build the Sanctuary, and Moses instruction to the people. In the first case, the command of the Sabbath appears at the end, after the details of the construction. In the second, it appears at the beginning, before the details. Why so? Through a close examination of the text we can learn about the Mishkan and Shabbat as symbolic prototypes of the building of a society in carefully calibrated order and harmony. 

 

This article is part of the Covenant & Conversation series.

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