Purpose of the Mishkan/2/en

Purpose of the Mishkan

Exegetical Approaches

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An Ideal

Continuous Revelation

The Mishkan was built so that God would dwell amongst the people, thereby extending the experience of revelation at Mt. Sinai.

Sources: TanchumaPekudei 2Naso 11Naso 22About the Tanchuma, RambanShemot 25:2Shemot 40:34Introduction to VayikraIntroduction to BemidbarAbout R. Moshe Nachmanides, U. CassutoIntroduction to Shemot 25About U. Cassuto

Chronology – According to this approach, the command to build the Mishkan is in its rightful place. It preceded and is unrelated to the sin of the Golden Calf, but is rather a direct outgrowth of the revelation at Mt.Sinai.

Parallels – Ramban points to a number of linguistic and conceptual parallels between the description of the giving of the Decalogue at Mt. Sinai and the construction of the Mishkan.¹ These highlight how the Tabernacle was meant to enable a continuation of the Sinai experience,² transforming the initial one-time revelation into a continuous one.³

Does Hashem need a house? Cassuto asserts that though God can dwell amongst the people without the existence of any physical structure, it is the nation who needs to see a tangible building so as to feel and be sure of God's presence.

"וְשָׁכַנְתִּי בְּתוֹכָם" – This position maintains that these words provide God's explanation of the purpose of the building.

Focal point – The ark and the Tablets ("לֻחֹת הָעֵדֻת") it houses are the primary focus of the Mishkan, for it is here where God descends to speak to Moshe and commune with the nation. Ramban asserts that for this reason, the aron is the first vessel commanded to be made.⁴ This, too, is the source for referring to the Tabernacle as "מִשְׁכַּן הָעֵדֻת".

Altars for atonement –

Why now? – The command to build the Mishkan comes now, since it is an outgrowth of the revelation at Mt. Sinai. Perhaps, after hearing Hashem "face to face", God's presence in the form of the cloud and fire was no longer sufficient.

No mention before ascent –

Crux of the position –

Home for the Tablets

The Tabernacle was built to provide a place to safeguard the Tablets of the Covenant.

Sources:

Ancient Near Eastern parallels – In the Ancient Near East, copies of treaties were often stored in the Temple of the nations' god. One might see the Mishkan functioning similarly. It served to safeguard the tablets containing the covenant between man and Hashem.

Chronology – The command is chronological. Right after ascending to receive the Tablets, God commands Moshe to build an edifice in which to keep them.

Why now? – This is the logical place for the command, as this is when God gives the Tablets to Moshe.

No mention before ascent – According to this approach, God might have only mentioned the Tablets to Moshe, and not the Tabernacle, since the former is the primary purpose of his ascent. The Mishkan is simply a necessary container to hold the "לֻחֹת" once they were made.

Does Hashem need a house? The structure is not to house God as much as to protect the Tablets. It is not clear what was the need for all the other vessels and a second room. Perhaps the amishkan was simply built like other Temples of the time????

Focal point – The ark and tablets are the raison d'etre of the whole structure.

"וְשָׁכַנְתִּי בְּתוֹכָם" –

Altars for atonement – This approach might suggest that once the Tabernacle was built, it became the appropriate choice to serve as a sacrificial center as well.

Crux of the position –

Honoring Hashem

The Mishkan provided an opportunity for the people to give to and show respect for Hashem. It is the equivalent of the commandment to give of one's first fruits; in this case man's first creative work is consecrated back to God.

Sources: Midrash Aggadah (Buber)Shemot 27:1About Midrash Aggadah (Buber), BiurBiur End of ShemotAbout the Biur

Chronology – The command to build the Tabernacle is in chronological order.

Parallels – The Biur compares this commandment to that of bikkurim, the giving of first fruits. Just as one must give the first of one's womb, land, and animals, so too one must consecrate the first of one's creative actions to Hashem.

Does Hashem need a house?

• Midrash Aggadah asserts that it is the nation, not Hashem, who desires to build a "palace" for God. Looking to human models of relationship, the nation desired to honor God in the way that subjects glorify a king, by building him a palace with a candelabrum, table, and incense.⁵
• According to the Biur, Hashem commands the nation to build Him a house for their own good. In dedicating the first fruits of their building and creativity to God, the nation will learn to recognize Hashem's hand in all they do and make.⁶

"וְשָׁכַנְתִּי בְּתוֹכָם" – This approach would view this verse not as the ultimate purpose of the building but one of the practical benefits of the nation's gift to God.

Altars for atonement – These commentators do not explain the relationship between the building being a gift to God and its use as a site for sacrificial offerings and a means of atonement for sins.

Focal point – This position does not focus on any particular vessel or section of the Mishkan, but rather on the edifice as a whole.

Why now? – As the nation was about to enter the land and begin building an infrastructure, homes, and other institutions, it was incumbent on them to first consecrate their first building to Hashem.⁷

No mention before ascent –

Crux of the position –

National Center

The Mishkan ensured the unity of the nation, providing a centralized location for all to gather in their worship of God.

Sources: ShadalShemot 25:1Vayikra 1:2Shadal Yirmeyahu 7:22About R. S.D. Luzzatto,

Chronology – Hashem commanded Moshe regarding the Mishkan when he was on the mountain during the first set of forty days, before the sin of the Golden Calf. The story is in its chronological place.⁸

Does Hashem need a house? Shadal suggests that the house was for the people. It served as a unifying communal center, helping to keep tribal divisions at bay and instill feelings of brotherhood as the nation gathered together.⁹. In addition, it impressed upon the nation that God, their king, is in their midst. To properly appreciate God's presence, the masses needed a tangible sign of His dwelling. Thus the tabernacle was built in the likeness of a king's palace with all its trappings.¹⁰

"וְשָׁכַנְתִּי בְּתוֹכָם" – The fact that God chose to dwell in the Mishkan is what leads people to sacrifice and gather there.

Focal point – This approach might suggest that the sacrificial service on the altar is the main focus of the Tabernacle, for that is what brought people to gather together.

Altars for atonement – Though Shadal does not emphasize the role of atonement, he does believe that the institution of bringing sacrifices for atonement to one centralized location helped unify the nation.

Why now? Shadal asserts that God did not want to wait until the nation would finish the conquest so as to build this center, and thus commanded to build a portable house which could be set up anywhere.

No mention before ascent – Shadal does not address this point.

Crux of the position –

A Corrective Measure

Atonement for Sin of Golden Calf

The Tabernacle was built to atone for the sin of the Golden Calf specifically. Through the use of gold in constructing a house for God, the people effectively undid the original making of the Golden Calf, allowing God to dwell amongst them once again.

Sources: SifreDevarim 1About Sifre, TanchumaTerumah 8About the Tanchuma, Lekach TovBeginning of Parsahat VayakhelAbout R. Toviah b. Eliezer, R. BachyaShemot 25:6About R. Bachya b. Asher, Midrash Aggadah (Buber)Shemot 27:1About Midrash Aggadah (Buber), R. Yosef Bekhor Shor

Chronology –

• Achronological – Sifre and Tanchuma maintain that the command to build the Tabernacle is achronological. Though it appears before the Sin of the Golden Calf, it actually was first commanded after, and in response to, the sin.
• Chronological – Though Lekach Tov and R. Bachya agree that the building helped atone for the nation's error, they assert that the command, nonetheless, preceded the sin. God, in his mercy, provides a "cure" for "diseases" even before one gets sick.

Why now? According to these commentators, had the people not sinned, there would have been no need for the Mishkan. Once they erred, though, building a house for God was an essential part of their atonement process.¹¹

No mention before ascending – According to the Sifre and Tanchuma, God only mentions that he will give Moshe the Tablets (and said nothing about the Tabernacle) since that is all that occurred on the mountain during the first ascent.¹² It was only during the second ascent, after the sin, that Hashem directed Moshe to build the Mishkan.

Focal point –

"וְשָׁכַנְתִּי בְּתוֹכָם" – This verse describes the goal of the building. Though God had been in the people's midst before the sin, afterwards, the only way He was willing to dwell amongst them again, was if they built a house for Him.

Altars for atonement – Since the Tabernacle was built to atone for the nation's sin, it is appropriate that it becomes the site of sacrifical offerings that bring atonement for other sins as well.

Crux of the position –

General Atonement

The Tabernacle was built as a vehicle through which people could atone for their sins, regardless of the sin of the Golden Calf.

Sources: Midrash Aggadah (Buber)Shemot 27:1About Midrash Aggadah (Buber), R. Yosef Bekhor Shor

Chronology – Though R. Yosef Bekhor Shor follows Chazal and assumes achronology in the command, this position could easily hold that the story is in its proper place. God commanded to build an edifice to facilitate the atonement process, unrelated to the nation's specific blunder with the Calf.

Why now? If one asserts achronology, then one might suggest that the major offense of the nation made it evident that a site for atonement was necessary. Alternatively, if one maintains chronology, one might suggest that soon after giving the initial laws, Hashem instituted a process for atoning when one transgresses them.

Does Hashem need a house?

Why a house? – It is not clear why Hashem needed to institute a Tabernacle as a site for sacrifices rather than allowing individual altars.

No mention before ascending –

"וְשָׁכַנְתִּי בְּתוֹכָם" –

Focal point –

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Crux of the position –

Sign of Forgiveness

Sources: TanchumaTerumah 8Pekudei 2About the Tanchuma, RashiShemot 31:18Shemot 38:21Vayikra 9:23About R. Shelomo Yitzchaki,

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Crux of the position –

Concession to Human Foibles

Sources: R. Yehuda HaLeviKuzari 1:97About R. Yehuda HaLevi, RambamHilkhot Beit HaBechirah 1:1About R. Moshe Maimonides,

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Crux of the position –

Compromise

Shift in Purpose

Sources:

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Crux of the position –

Dual Focus

Mishkan / Sacrifices, Mishkan / Incense Altar

Sources: AbarbanelShemot 35Yirmeyahu7About R. Yitzchak Abarbanel, SefornoShemot 24:18Vayikra 11:2Kavanot HaTorah 6,13About R. Ovadyah Seforno,

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Crux of the position –

¹ He notes the mention of God's glory both descending on Mt. Sinai and filling the Mishkan, the prohibition against coming too close, and the boundaries that are set around each.

² The roots of this explanation can be found in the words of R. Shemuel b. Chofni GaonIbn Ezra Shemot Long Commentary 19:13About R. Shemuel b. Chofni Gaon who points out that Hashem's glory moved from the mountain to the Tabernacle. See also R. Yosef Bekhor Shor on Shemot 40:29 similarly.

³ See Cassuto similarly.

⁴ He explains that the different ordering of the making o fthe vessels in Parashat VaYakhel is pragmatic. One cannot construct the ark until there is a house to place it in; thus the physical structure is built first and only afterwards are the vessels made.

⁵ Cf. R. Yosef Bekhor Shor on Shemot 30:1 who similarly sees the Mishkan as modeled after a human palace, and to Shadal below. The outside altar and sacrifices are parallel to the palace kitchen, the table and menorah represent the inner rooms of the palace, while the inner sanctum with the ark is comparable to the king's own bedroom.

⁶ According to both the Midrash and the Biur, it is the act of building (and dedicating), more than the final product, which is important.

⁷ One might question why this was not done in Israel itself. Perhaps, God preferred the nation to dedicate as a collective, something which would be less practical upon arrival in Israel when the nation would be distracted by wars of conquest and subsequently dispersed to their individual inheritances in the Land.

⁸ Shadal emphasizes that the sin did not prompt the command, but, to the contrary, delayed its execution as God did not desire to dwell amongst a sinning nation.

⁹ In his explanation of several commandments, Shadal consistently points to their value in uniting the nation. For example, when explaining aspects of the sacrificial service, he asserts that one of the reasons for the prohibition of leaving over meat from an individual sacrifice was so that the person would be forced to share with others. Shabbat, too, he says, enables friends and neighbors to gather together to eat and drink. [See his comments on Shemot 20:11Shemot 20:11About R. S.D. Luzzatto.] The three pilgramage holidays provide similar opportunities.

¹⁰ See Midrash Aggadah above similarly. Shadal extends the analogy not just to the "furniture" (lamp, table, incense) of the palace but even to the need for the king's servants = kohanim.

¹¹ The gold of the Tabernacle was supposed to atone for the gold of the Calf. See Lekach Tov for other parallels.

¹² One might question why forty days were necessary just to engrave the Tablets.