Mishkan - Compared to the Creation

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  1. A Return to the Garden of Eden

    Rabbi Amnon Bazak

    There are many similarities between the Mishkan and the creation of the universe. What is the significance of this comparison?

  2. The Mishkan - A Reflection of Revelation, or of Creation

    Rabbi Menachem Leibtag

    תאריך פרסום: תשע"ו | | Hour and 6 minutes

    The Ramban, in his introduction to Parshat Terumah, proves how the Mishkan serves as an eternal reflection of the key events that took place at Har Sinai. In our discussion, we will show how the daily service in the Mishkan may also reflect the key message of the story of Creation, and will enlighten our understanding of one of the key themes of the Bible in regard to God’s relationship
    with mankind.

  3. The Architecture of Holiness

    Rabbi Jonathan Sacks

    From Parshat Teruma to the end of the book of Exodus the Torah describes, in painstaking detail and great length, the construction of the Mishkan, the first collective house of worship of the Jewish people. Precise instructions are given for each item – the Tabernacle itself, the frames and drapes, and the various objects it contained – including their dimensions. 

    But why do we need to know how big the Tabernacle was? It did not function in perpetuity. Its primary use was during the wilderness years. Eventually it was replaced by the Temple, an altogether larger and more magnificent structure. What then is the eternal significance of the dimensions of this modest, portable construction?

    Through an analysis of the purpose of the Mishkan, we can understand that it was a micro-cosmos, a symbolic reminder of the world God made. The fact that the Divine presence rested within it was not meant to suggest that God is here not there, in this place not that. It was meant to signal, powerfully and palpably, that God exists throughout the cosmos. It was a man-made structure to mirror and focus attention on the Divinely-created universe. It was in space what Shabbat is in time: a reminder of creation.

     

    This article is part of the Covenant & Conversation series.

    To read more from Rabbi Sacks or to subscribe to his mailing list, please visit http://www.rabbisacks.org/. You can also follow him on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. 

  4. Kiyor, Shabbat, and Betzalel - Creativity and the Mishkan

    Rabbi Moshe Taragin | 33 minutes

    Vayakhel and Pekudei details the materials and the rituals of the Mishkan. One of the most fascinating vessels described in at the end of Vayakhel is the kiyyor (the washbasin) at the intersection of the sacred and the mundane. The washbasin was constructed from copper from the “mar’ot ha-tzov’ot”- assumed to refer to an ancient form of mirrors. Where did these mirrors come from? Who donated them? We see conflicting opinions among the commentators. We also look at the Divine inspiration of Betzalel, and the section about prohibiting melakha on Shabbat. All of these topics come together to send a message about the value of creativity and how it contributes to, and fits in with the Mishkan.

  5. Where Does the Divine Presence Live?

    Rabbi Jonathan Sacks

    Like many other passages in the description of the making of the Mishkan, the completion of the building echoes a line from the creation narrative: “God saw all that He had made, and behold – it was very good”

    The literary parallels between the Divine creation of the universe and the Israelites’ construction of the Tabernacle are intentional and consequential. The Tabernacle was a micro-cosmos, a universe-in-miniature. In creating the universe, God made a home for humanity. In building the sanctuary, humanity made a home for God. And just as, at the beginning of time, God had blessed creation, so Moses blessed those who had a share in its human counterpart. What is the nature of the similarities between the creation and the building of the Mishkan? Through an examination of the text we can learn about the concept of holiness, and that it is not objects that are holy. It is human action and intention in accordance with the will of God that creates holiness.

     

    This article is part of the Covenant & Conversation series.

    To read more from Rabbi Sacks or to subscribe to his mailing list, please visit http://www.rabbisacks.org/. You can also follow him on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. 

  6. Tazria: Back to the Beginning

    Rabbi Jay Kelman

  7. The Secret of the Keruvim: Creation and the Mishkan

    Rabbi David Fohrman | Hour and 3 minutes

    How do we read the story of creation of the world from the perspective of scientific advancements? How do we, as people living in the modern world, read the story of the six days of creation? How do we answer the questions that arise from the first chapter of Bereshit? The text describing the construction of the Mishkan can shed light on the text of creation and through a close examination of both texts we can gain a deeper understanding of the story of creation.