Biblical Parallels Index – Shemot 25-27/0
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Biblical Parallels Index – Shemot 25-27
The Tabernacle and Creation
Classical and modern commentators note many parallels between the Torah’s descriptions of the construction of the Tabernacle and the creation of the world.
Primary Sources
Many sources connect the Tabernacle's construction with the creation of the world, either explicitly or implicitly:
- See Tanchuma Pekudei 2 which notes many linguistic parallels between the two accounts.
- Bavli Shabbat 87b and Bereshit Rabbah 3:9 note that the Tabernacle was built on the first day of Creation, while Bavli Megillah 10b compared the joy of building the Tabernacle with the joy of Creation.
- See also Shabbat 49b, which implicitly associates creation and the Tabernacle by ruling that work done to build the Tabernacle is the kind that may not be done on Shabbat, when we commemorate Hashem’s cessation of the work of creation.
Articles
- See The Architecture of Holiness, by R. Jonathan Sacks, which suggests that the parallels impart the idea that precision and order are essential both in the natural world God created and the moral and spiritual lives human beings create.
- See Making Space, by R. Jonathan Sacks, which develops the idea that the creation of the world represents God’s creation of a home for mankind by making space for the mundane, while the construction of the Tabernacle represents man’s creation of a home for God by making space for holiness.
- Listen to: The Mishkan - A Reflection of Revelation, or of Creation?, by R. Menachem Leibtag, which develops connections between the Tabernacle and the uniqueness of man as conveyed by the narrative of the creation of the world.
- Listen to: What is the Goal of the Mishkan? Two Understandings of the Connection between the Mishkan and the World’s Creation, by R. Yehuda Turetsky, for an analysis of the many parallels between the two stories, discussing the distinction between God’s creation and man’s creation.
- Listen to: Creation and Mishkan: The Shabbos Aspiration, by R. Reuven Brand, for comparison and contrast of the two narratives with attention to its relevance to the laws and meaning of Shabbat.
The Tabernacle and the Garden of Eden
Some commentators identify parallels between the Tabernacle and the Garden of Eden, interpreting the building of the Tabernacle as a repair of Adam’s sin.
Articles
- See A Return to the Garden of Eden, by R. Amnon Bazak, which draws a parallel between the construction of the Tabernacle and man’s role of dominion as described in Bereshit 1, and the service of the Tabernacle and man’s role of stewardship as described in Bereshit 2. Taken together, the construction and service of the Tabernacle serve as a means of repairing Adam’s sin.
- See פרשת ויקהל מול פרשת תרומה, by R. Menachem Leibtag, which suggests that the building of the Tabernacle serves as atonement both for the sin of the golden calf and the sin of Adam. Parallels between the stories include the image of cherubs which appear in both.
Terumah-Tetzaveh vs. Vayakhel-Pekudei
The pericopes of Vayakhel and Pekudei describe the fulfillment of commandments relating to the Tabernacle that are set forth in Terumah, Tetzaveh, and the beginning of Ki Tisa. Commentators seek to understand both the need for the detailed repetition and to explain the places where the execution does not appear to match the command.
Tools
- Use the Tanakh Lab to compare the two sets of chapters. The table highlights how the language used to describe the construction of the Tabernacle is almost identical to that used when issuing the original command.
Primary Sources
- See Ramban who suggests that the repetition is an expression of love, and betrays Hashem's great desire for the Tabernacle and its workers.
- R. Hirsch posits that the Tabernacle's construction is mentioned with so many details to highlight the the worker's recognition of their holy task and how they undertook it with this constantly in mind.
Articles Many modern scholars attempt to explain the repetition as well:
- See פרשת ויקהל מול פרשת תרומה, by R. Menachem Leibtag, who suggests that the differences between the units may be understood by virtue of the perspective from which each pericope is presented (the perspective of Hashem versus that of the people). The Torah devotes so much attention not only to the commands relating to the Tabernacle but to the people’s fulfillment of them because the building of the Tabernacle serves as atonement for the sin of the golden calf, and even for the sin of Adam.
- See Vayakhel: More than Repetition, by R. Yair Kahn, who suggests that Terumah represents a conceptual approach to the Tabernacle whereas Vayakhel reflects a pragmatic approach. Alternatively, as R. Leibtag notes, the seeming repetition in Vayakhel demonstrates Hashem’s forgiveness of the Jewish people for the sin of the golden calf.
- See Vayakhel Pekudei: Repetition in Context, by R. Avraham Walfish, for an explanation of the repetition that draws on the linguistic parallels between the story of the golden calf and the narrative of constructing the Tabernacle. R. Walfish suggests that the feelings of anxiety and urgency that motivated the people in worshiping the calf are channeled and sublimated through the construction of the Tabernacle, imparting a message about the importance of balance and self-control in spiritual life.
- See שתי הבחינות במשכן, by R. Yehuda Rock, which suggests that there are two conceptual streams in the Torah’s descriptions of the commandments relating to the Tabernacle. Hashem both gives Moshe detailed commands regarding every vessel and also shows him a general visual model. By understanding these different aspects, one can resolve seeming redundancies and arrive at a deeper understanding of the purpose of the Tabernacle.
