וְעָשׂוּ לִי מִקְדָּשׁ וְשָׁכַנְתִּי בְּתוֹכָם.
And let them make Me a sanctuary, that I may dwell among them.
ספר האלשיך שמות
:למה נאמר בלשון רבים: "ושכנתי בתוכם"? הרי מן הדין היה לכתוב: "ושכנתי בתוכו"?
: "כי נפשותם הם המשכן האמיתי, ומהם יתפשט אל המקום המיוחד ההוא, כי אין חפץ השם לשכון בארץ כי אם על-ידי השראתו בנפשות ישראל שמהם עושה עיקר ובהינשאם מהיותם מרכבה אל השכינה, ינשאו משכנות לאביר יעקב לעומתם, כי מהם ימשך ובהעדרם מהיות ראויים לכך עזוב יעזוב את המשכן או המקדש אשר בחר לשכן את שמו שם". עכ"ל.
The Notion that G-d will dwell “in their midst” invests the physical tabernacle with special meaning. Its sanctity is not due to its structure or to the materials from which it is built, but to the fact that the Jewish people reside around it.
How does this change the way we view holy objects?
In essence, this is true of every sacred object. Every holy vessel presents an opportunity to establish a holy connection, but this does not happen automatically. The sanctity exists only when the object is used. The sanctity becomes meaningful only in connection with a member of the Jewish people; if that factor is missing, while the object must still be treated with respect, it has no sanctity.
Story to illustrate this point- There was once young rabbi who was imprisoned and tortured by the Russians. When after a while he was unexpectedly released it was discovered that one of the reasons given for release was that he was insane. They had seen him putting on tefillin, and when they asked him what this was, his answer was that it was a communication device to which he spoke with God. Aafter examining the tefillin inside and out and not finding any batteries or antennas and particularly after seeing him put this device on his head and begin to talk, they came to the conclusion that he was definitely insane
Obviously, the tefillin themselves are not some kind of magical communication device. But the truth is that, like every sacred instrument, tefillin are instruments for connection with G-d, but they only receive their inner essence when combined with one’s performance of the mitzvot associated with them.
What is true of a sacred object is equally true of the tabernacle. The real meaning of the tabernacle, in essence, is God's presence in the midst of the Jewish people: "I will dwell in them." It is the interaction between G-d, the object and Israel.
מחזור ליום כיפור
חמול על מעשיך ותשמח במעשיך ויאמרו לך חוסיך בצדקך עמוסיך, תוקדש אדון על כל מעשיך כי מקדישיך בקדושתך קידשת נאה לקדוש פאר מקדושים''
(א) וַיְדַבֵּ֥ר ה' אֶל־מֹשֶׁ֥ה לֵּאמֹֽר׃ (ב) דַּבֵּר֙ אֶל־בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל וְיִקְחוּ־לִ֖י תְּרוּמָ֑ה מֵאֵ֤ת כָּל־אִישׁ֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר יִדְּבֶ֣נּוּ לִבּ֔וֹ תִּקְח֖וּ אֶת־תְּרוּמָתִֽי׃
(ג) וְזֹאת֙ הַתְּרוּמָ֔ה אֲשֶׁ֥ר תִּקְח֖וּ מֵאִתָּ֑ם זָהָ֥ב וָכֶ֖סֶף וּנְחֹֽשֶׁת׃ (ד) וּתְכֵ֧לֶת וְאַרְגָּמָ֛ן וְתוֹלַ֥עַת שָׁנִ֖י וְשֵׁ֥שׁ וְעִזִּֽים׃ (ה) וְעֹרֹ֨ת אֵילִ֧ם מְאָדָּמִ֛ים וְעֹרֹ֥ת תְּחָשִׁ֖ים וַעֲצֵ֥י שִׁטִּֽים׃ (ו) שֶׁ֖מֶן לַמָּאֹ֑ר בְּשָׂמִים֙ לְשֶׁ֣מֶן הַמִּשְׁחָ֔ה וְלִקְטֹ֖רֶת הַסַּמִּֽים׃ (ז) אַבְנֵי־שֹׁ֕הַם וְאַבְנֵ֖י מִלֻּאִ֑ים לָאֵפֹ֖ד וְלַחֹֽשֶׁן׃
(ט) כְּכֹ֗ל אֲשֶׁ֤ר אֲנִי֙ מַרְאֶ֣ה אוֹתְךָ֔ אֵ֚ת תַּבְנִ֣ית הַמִּשְׁכָּ֔ן וְאֵ֖ת תַּבְנִ֣ית כָּל־כֵּלָ֑יו וְכֵ֖ן תַּעֲשֽׂוּ׃ (ס) (י)
וְעָשׂ֥וּ אֲר֖וֹן עֲצֵ֣י שִׁטִּ֑ים אַמָּתַ֨יִם וָחֵ֜צִי אָרְכּ֗וֹ וְאַמָּ֤ה וָחֵ֙צִי֙ רָחְבּ֔וֹ וְאַמָּ֥ה וָחֵ֖צִי קֹמָתֽוֹ׃
(ח) וְעָ֥שׂוּ לִ֖י מִקְדָּ֑שׁ וְשָׁכַנְתִּ֖י בְּתוֹכָֽם׃
(1) And the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying: (2) ’Speak unto the children of Israel, that they take for Me an offering; of every man whose heart maketh him willing ye shall take My offering. (3) And this is the offering which ye shall take of them: gold, and silver, and brass; (4) and blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine linen, and goats’hair; (5) and rams’skins dyed red, and sealskins, and acacia-wood; (6) oil for the light, spices for the anointing oil, and for the sweet incense; (7) onyx stones, and stones to be set, for the ephod, and for the breastplate. (8) And let them make Me a sanctuary, that I may dwell among them. (9) According to all that I show thee, the pattern of the tabernacle, and the pattern of all the furniture thereof, even so shall ye make it. (10) And they shall make an ark of acacia-wood: two cubits and a half shall be the length thereof, and a cubit and a half the breadth thereof, and a cubit and a half the height thereof.
(ב) תקחו את תרומתי. אמרו רבותינו שלש תרומות אמורות כאן, אחת תרומת בקע לגלגלת, שנעשו מהם האדנים, כמו שמפורש באלה פקודי (שמות לח כו כז) , ואחת תרומת המזבח בקע לגלגלת לקפות לקנות מהן קרבנות צבור, ואחת תרומת המשכן נדבת כל אחד ואחד. שלשה עשר דברים האמורים בענין כלם הצרכו למלאכת המשכן או לבגדי כהנה, כשתדקדק בהם:
- the case of the gifts given to the Cohen-Levi for example the process of giving is defined and obligatory one must give a certain percentage of ones produce
- another possible option was a gradual taxation on who one who has a certain amount of assets paid 2% one was more pastry precendence on the collection of fun for the tabernacle could have been done in any of these ways of God requires that each person is not according to specific prescribed measure but according to his generosity.
(ה) הפסח נשחט בשלש כתות, שנאמר (שמות יב) ושחטו אתו כל קהל עדת ישראל, קהל ועדה וישראל. נכנסה כת הראשונה, נתמלאת העזרה, נעלו דלתות העזרה. תקעו והריעו ותקעו. הכהנים עומדים שורות שורות, ובידיהם בזיכי כסף ובזיכי זהב. שורה שכלה כסף כסף, ושורה שכלה זהב זהב. לא היו מעורבין. ולא היו לבזיכין שולים, שמא יניחום ויקרש הדם.
(5) The Pesach sacrifice was slaughtered in three groups, as it is stated (Exodus 12:6), "The whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall slaughter it," [i.e. three groups according to the three different terms used to refer to the Jews:] assembly, congregation, and Israel. The first group entered, [until] the [Temple] courtyard was filled, [and then] the gates of the courtyard were closed. [And then] Tekiah [a long uninterrupted call], Teruah [a long staccato call] and Tekiah were sounded. The Kohanim [members of the priestly caste, a subgroup of tribe of Levi, which is uniquely responsible for maintaining and carrying out the sacrificial services in the Temple] would stand in double rows and in their hands were beakers of silver and beakers of gold, [namely] one row which was completely silver, and one row which was completely gold; they would not mix [them]. And there were no [flat] bottoms to the beakers, lest they would put them down, and the blood coagulate.
we see then that there's nothing precluding service vessel from being made of silver. Hence the fact that none of the service vessel in the tabernacle are made of the shekel silver which was brought as a requirement, brings us to an essential statement:
There is a difference between money that a person donates out of generosity and money that he is obligated to pay.
It appears that there is a limit to how far money that is collected and not donated can reach in the realm of holiness. Why?
It is not that people were not willing to make the obligatory payment; never the less, a service vessel cannot be made from this silver
(ח) במראת הצובאת. בנות ישראל היו בידן מראות, שרואות בהן כשהן מתקשטות, ואף אותן לא עכבו מלהביא לנדבת המשכן, והיה מואס משה בהן, מפני שעשויים ליצר הרע, אמר לו הקדוש ברוך הוא קבל, כי אלו חביבין עלי מן הכל, שעל ידיהם העמידו הנשים צבאות רבות במצרים כשהיו בעליהם יגעים בעבודת פרך, היו הולכות ומוליכות להם מאכל ומשתה ומאכילות אותם ונוטלות המראות, וכל אחת רואה עצמה עם בעלה במראה ומשדלתו בדברים, לומר אני נאה ממך, ומתוך כך מביאות לבעליהן לידי תאוה ונזקקות להם, ומתעברות ויולדות שם... ונעשה הכיור מהם, שהוא לשום שלום בין איש לאשתו, להשקות ממים שבתוכו את שקנא לה בעלה ונסתרה...
"from every person whose heart moves him" means: for example, , that the laver was made from the mirrors of the dedicated woman and as a result the
laver actually assumed the character of those mirrors.
According to our sages, it is no coincidence that the sota, was made to drink from the water of this very laver which was made by women who are dedicated to holiness and it is, therefore fitting that it was used to reveal the truth in cases of women who deviated from holiness
Here is a story to illustrate this point: A Rebbe was once asked why he conducts his court with such pompous and splendor considering that his forebears who were great men lived frugally and in poverty. The Rebbe answered, there are people who give a Pidyon Nefesh for the sake of heaven and with great holiness and their intention is that it should truly serve as redemption for their soul. when I receive such a gift I use it only for actual good deeds- Torah study and charity. There are also people who giving is tinged with other intentions as well and in that case the money goes towards food drink and clothing. However, there are donations that people give as a bribe- if not to bribe me then to bribe God and such money can only be used to buy horses.
my grandfather's Chassidim were for the most part holy people and most of the money they gave was for the sake of heaven. Hence, it went to charity. My followers are mostly of the sort whose money can only be used to buy horses
Every donation has a certain character that depends on the nature of the giver, and this character determines its destination.
In the plans of he Tabernacles construction a specific order had to be followed. Certain materials we meant for the roof and others were meant for the floor; some Some materials belonged inside the sanctuary while others remained outside. Each item was assigned a particular function, depending on the giver.- see verse 3
(ב) דַּבֵּר֙ אֶל־בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל וְיִקְחוּ־לִ֖י תְּרוּמָ֑ה מֵאֵ֤ת כָּל־אִישׁ֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר יִדְּבֶ֣נּוּ לִבּ֔וֹ תִּקְח֖וּ אֶת־תְּרוּמָתִֽי׃
(2) ’Speak unto the children of Israel, that they take for Me an offering; of every man whose heart maketh him willing ye shall take My offering.
When it came to the donations for the tabernacle, no one was approached and asked to give more than he desired. Since this was a gift there is no specific gift that could be demanded of everyone equally. This was to allow each person to give not only something, but an actual part of themselves.
If a person's heart moved him to donate a piece of wood that is the man of a piece of wood and apparently that is what he can and should give.
Each person was asked what he, according to his standards, wanted to give. A person could say "I want to give gold" and he can also say "I wanted to give a piece of wood." Another person might have given three simple copper coins, while still another person might have donated hides and precious stones.
Midrash HaGadol
Gold, silver, and copper... (25:3-7)
The materials donated for the Mishkan correspond to the components of the human being. "Gold" is the soul; "silver," the body; "copper," the voice; "blue," the veins; "purple," the flesh; "red," the blood; "flax," the intestines; "goat hair," the hair; "ram skins dyed red," the skin of the face; "tachash skins," the scalp; "shittim wood," the bones; "oil for lighting," the eyes; "spices for the anointing oil and for the sweet incense," the nose, mouth and palate; "shoham stones and gemstones for setting," the kidneys and the heart.
Rabbi Shmuel said: The materials donated for the Mishkan correspond to the heavens. "Gold" is the sun; "silver," the moon; "copper," the western horizon at sunset; "blue," the sky; "purple," the clouds; "red," the rainbow; "flax," the seraphim; "goat," the constellation of capricorn; "ram skins dyed red," thunder; "tachash skins," lightening; "shittim wood," shooting stars; "oil for lighting," the seven planets; "spices for the anointing oil and for the incense," dew and rain; "shoham stones and gemstones for setting"--hail and snow. Said G‑d: "My dwelling is in the heavens; if you make Me a Sanctuary on earth, I shall dwell in it."
A glance at the list of donations indicates the gifts range greatly in value.
On the one hand some gave precious stones, some of which, considering the required size were no doubt priceless. On the other hand some gave materials that were almost worthless including dyed wool and goat's hair, the coursest material that can still be considered a garment
The construction of the tabernacle required a whole range of materials. There was no one equal standard for measuring the value of a person's donation
It required not only the precious stones but the goat hair as well. It required rare materials for which one must search deep underground or travel all over the world, but it also required acacia wood which can be found near one's home.
The entire community of Israel participated in building it and each person contributed his share, from the simplest materials to the most precious.
This notion- that no one member of the Jewish people could claim a disproportionate role in the construction of the tabernacle is precisely what enabled G-d to truly do well in their mist
...גבי משכן... רב אחא בר יעקב אמר אין עניות במקום עשירות
Why then does G-d need goats wool, from which sacks were made? We could instead use three covers of scarlet wool and over them another 30 processed hides?
Because when people gave, they were actually giving what G-d wanted, not objects, but of themselves.
Apparently, the tabernacle was based precisely on the totality of what the people have inside them; on each person's generosity and capacity for giving: the small and the great the rich and the generous. From the combination of all of them together, from top to bottom, a sanctuary is made, and in the entirety of what is built: God's glory resign
(יב) אמר רבי שמעון בן חלפתא: לא מצא הקדוש ברוך הוא כלי מחזיק ברכה לישראל אלא השלום, שנאמר (תהלים כט, יא) ה' עז לעמו יתן ה' יברך את עמו בשלום.
(12) Rabbi Shimon ben Chalafta said: The Holy One, blessed be He, found no vessel that can [sufficiently] hold the blessing for Israel, save for peace, as the verse says, (Psalms 29:11) "Hashem will give strength to His nation, Hashem will bless His nation with peace."