[Parashat Pekudei]
[Siman 1]
These are the accounts of the tabernacle (Exod. 38:21). It is written elsewhere in allusion to this verse:
Thou throne of glory, on high from the beginning, thou place of our Sanctuary (Jer. 17:12). This verse indicates that the Throne of Glory is located directly opposite our Sanctuary.
1 That is why it says:
The place, O Lord, which Thou hast made for Thee to dwell in, the Sanctuary, O Lord, which Thy hands have established (Exod. 15:2). And you find that Jerusalem on high is situated directly opposite the earthly Jerusalem. It was because the earthly Jerusalem was exceedingly precious to Him that He fashioned another one on high, as it is said:
Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of My hands; thy walls are continually before me (Isa. 49:16). Why was it destroyed?
Because thy children make haste; thy destroyers and they that make thee waste shall go forth from thee (ibid., v. 17). That is why it was destroyed.
Similarly David said:
Jerusalem, thou art builded as a city that is compact together (Ps. 122:3); that is to say, like the city that the Lord built, a city that was destroyed called Jerusalem. It was built on high, directly opposite the one on earth, and concerning which He vowed that His Shekhinah would not enter the city above until the earthly Jerusalem was erected. How beloved was Israel in the sight of the Holy One, blessed be He. Whence do we know this? It is written:
The Holy One in the midst of thee, and I will not come in fury (Hos. 11:9),
2 and it says elsewhere:
Now, therefore, what do I here, saith the Lord, seeing that My people is taken away for nought? (Isa. 52:5). Our sages declared:
Now, therefore, what do I here, saith the Lord implies: Why should I desire to be here in Jerusalem now that My people have been taken away from it? For
nought would I be coming into it, therefore I will not come into it. May it be his will that it be rebuilt speedily in our day.
[Siman 2]
These are the accounts of the tabernacle (Exod. 38:21). Scripture states elsewhere:
Lord, I love the habitation of Thy house, and the place where Thy glory dwelleth (Ps. 26:8).
This refers to the Temple, which is directly opposite the place where Your glory resides. R. Simeon the son of Yohai said: This verse indicates that the earthly Temple is directly opposite the heavenly Temple, since it is said: The place, O Lord, which Thou hast made for Thee to dwell in, the Sanctuary, O Lord, which Thy hands have established
(Exod. 15:17).
R. Jacob the son of Issi asked: Why does it say;
I love the habitation of Thy house, and the place where Thy glory dwelleth? Because the Tabernacle is equal to the creation of the world itself. How is that so? Concerning the first day, it is written:
In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth (Gen. 1:1), and it is written elsewhere:
Who stretched out the heavens like a curtain (Ps. 104:2), and concerning the Tabernacle it is written:
And thou shalt make curtains of goats’ hair (Exod. 26:7). About the second day of creation it states:
Let there be a firmament and divide between them, and let it divide the waters from the waters (Gen. 1:6). About the Tabernacle it is written:
And the veil shall divide between you (Exod. 26:33). With regard to the third day it states:
Let the waters under the heavens be gathered (Gen. 1:9). With reference to the Tabernacle it is written:
Thou shalt also make a laver of brass … and thou shalt put water therein (Exod. 30:18). On the fourth day he created light, as is stated:
Let there be lights in the firmament of heaven (Gen. 1:14), and concerning the Tabernacle it is said:
And thou shalt make a candlestick of pure gold (Exod. 25:31). On the fifth day He created birds, as it is said:
Let the waters swarm with swarms of living creatures, and let the fowl fly above the earth (Gen. 1:20), and with reference to the Tabernacle. He directed them to offer sacrifices of lambs and birds, and it says as well:
And the cherubim shall spread out their wings on high (Exod. 25:20). On the sixth day he created man, as it is said:
And God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him (Gen. 1:27), and about the Tabernacle it is written:
A man who is a high priest who has been anointed to serve and to minister before God.
3 On the seventh day
The heaven and the earth were finished (Gen. 2:1), and with regard to the Tabernacle it is written:
Thus was completed all the work of the Tabernacle (Exod. 39:32). Concerning the creation of the world it is written:
And God blessed (Num. 2:3), and of the Tabernacle it is said:
And Moses blessed them (Exod. 39:43); with regard to the creation it is said:
And God finished (Gen. 2:2), and of the Tabernacle it is written:
On that day Moses made an end (Num. 7:1); of creation it says:
And hallowed it (Gen. 2:2), and of the Tabernacle:
And had anointed it and sanctified it (Num. 7:1). Why is the Tabernacle equal to heaven and earth? Because even as heaven and earth bear witness concerning Israel, as it is written:
I call heaven and earth to witness against you this day (Deut. 30:19), so the Tabernacle bears witness in behalf of Israel, as is said:
These are the accounts of the Tabernacle, even the Tabernacle of the testimony (Exod. 38:21). Hence it is said:
Lord, I love the habitation of Thy house, and the place where Thy glory dwelleth (Ps. 26:8).
Why is the word mishkan (“Tabernacle”) repeated (in Exod. 38:21)? R. Samuel said: The Holy One, blessed be He, would in the future seize it (the Temple) twice as a pledge (mashkon); at the time of its first destruction and again at its second destruction. Therefore He repeated the word mishkan.
Another comment on the Tabernacle of testimony. It bears testimony to all people that the Holy One, blessed be He, would be reconciled with Israel despite the episode of the calf. How did that happen? When they made the calf, Moses arose and pleaded, as their advocate, until the Holy One, blessed be He, forgave them. Then Moses cried out: But Master of the Universe, who will make known to the nations that Thou hast forgiven them? He replied: Go tell them.
Let them make Me a Sanctuary that I may dwell among them (Exod. 25:8). Hence it is written:
The Tabernacle of the testimony, for the Tabernacle testifies to the fact that the Shekhinah is with Israel.
Another comment on
The Tabernacle of the testimony. It informed Israel that if they should deny Him and neglect His commandments and statutes, it would be seized twice as a pledge. As we have explained previously, He equated the Tabernacle you erected to the creation of heaven and earth. And just as the Tabernacle bears witness, so He said:
I will bear witness against you today (Deut. 4:26). He did so again when the prophet appeared in heaven, after Israel renounced the Holy One, blessed be He. He exclaimed:
Hear, O heavens, give ear, O earth, for the Lord hath spoken: “Children I have reared, and brought up and they have rebelled against Me” (Isa. 1:2). That is to say, when My testimonies were before you, you were a witness that they would not reject Me, yet
Hear, I have reared and brought up and they have rebelled (ibid.).
How did they examine the witnesses? It is written:
Then thou shalt inquire, and make search, and ask diligently, and behold if it be true (Deut. 13:15). At the time they examined the witnesses concerning a sin an individual had committed, the Sanhedrin and all the Israelites would go out into the public square. They brought there the individual who had been charged with the offense which required stoning or one of the four death penalties that were imposed by the Beth Din. Two or three of the most distinguished leaders of the community would come forth and would question the witness. After they returned from the cross-examination, a member of the Sanhedrin would say to them: “What is your decision?” They would announce whether he was to live or to die. If he were to be sentenced to stoning, they would bring a pleasant-tasting but potent wine, and give it to him to drink so that he would not suffer pain from the stoning. Then the witnesses would come, bind his hands and feet, and place him where the stoning was to occur. The witnesses would then take a large stone, (large) enough to kill him, and would place it upon his heart. How did they place it on his heart? They did so simultaneously in order that no one of them might lower his portion of the stone before his companion.
4 They would place it on his heart together to conform to the verse:
Thy hand shall be first upon him to put him to death (Deut. 13:10). After that all the Israelites were free to pelt him with stones. They did this to everyone condemned to death by the Beth Din.
Similarly, when the representative of the community held the Kiddush or Havdalah cup in his hand he would say: “Have you agreed, what is your decision?”
5 And the congregation would respond: “To life”; that is to say, May this cup be for the living. R. Levi discussed the words
Tabernacle of testimony. It is written elsewhere:
For the mouth of them that speak lies shall be stopped (Ps. 63:12), that is to say, the mouths of the peoples of the world, who say to Israel that the Shekhinah will never return to Israel, should be stopped, as it is said:
Many there are that say of My soul: “There is no salvation for him in God.” Selah (Ps. 3:3). Before they built the golden calf, the Holy One, blessed be He, dwelt among them, but when He became angry at them they would say: “He will never return to them.” What did He do? He said:
Let them make Me a Sanctuary that I may dwell among them (Exod. 25:8). Then all the inhabitants of the world will know that I have pardoned Israel. Therefore it is written;
The Tabernacle of the testimony. It hath already been6 (Eccles. 1:10).
[Siman 3]
For example, Bezalel, who built the ark, was extolled before the Holy One, blessed be He, and the angels. He was praised in the upper regions and in the terrestrial regions, as it is said:
See, I have called by name Bezalel (Exod. 31:2) and
See, the Lord hath called by name Bezalel (ibid. 35:30). The word
see in the former verse speaks of the upper regions, and the word
see in the latter verse refers to the terrestrial regions. Thus Scripture says:
So shalt thou find grace and favor in the sight of God and man (Prov. 3:4).
A faithful man shall abound with blessings (ibid. 28:20). This refers to Moses, who was appointed treasurer of the Tabernacle. Our sages tell us that no less than two men must be appointed as overseer of a community, but regarding Moses, who was most trustworthy, it is said:
My servant Moses is not so; he is trusted in all My house (Num. 12:7).
Another explanation of
It hath been already (Eccles. 1:10). It is written:
The Lord by wisdom founded the earth (Prov. 3:19) and also:
I have filled him with the spirit of wisdom (Exod. 31:3). This teaches us that the Tabernacle was equal both to all the world and to a human embryo, which is a world in miniature.
7 How is that so? When the Holy One, blessed be He, created His world, He did so just as a child is born to a woman. A child starts to grow at the navel and then develops in all directions, and the Holy One, blessed be He, began the creation of His world at the foundation stone, and built the world upon it. Why was it called a foundation stone? Because the Holy One, blessed be He, began the creation of His world upon it. Then He created the celestial Temple, as it is said:
The place, O Lord, which Thou hast made to dwell in (Exod. 15:14). Do not read the word as
makom (“foundation”), but as
mekuvan (“exactly opposite”). Your dwelling place above is directly opposite Your dwelling place below. The formation of the embryo is like the formation of the world, for just as the embryo is formed in the womb of its mother, so too the world was formed at the foundation stone.
R. Johanan asked: Why is it written:
Who doeth great things past finding; yea, marvelous things without number (Job 9:10)? You should know that every soul, from Adam to the end of the world, was formed during the six days of creation, and that all of them were present in the Garden of Eden and at the time of the giving of the Torah, as it is said:
With him that standeth here with us this day, and also with him that is not here with us this day (Deut. 29:14). What is the meaning of
Great things past finding out? It refers to the great deeds the Holy One, blessed be He, did in the formation of the embryo. At the time that a man is about to have intercourse with his wife, the Holy One, blessed be He, informs the angel in charge of conception, whose name is Lailah.
8 The Holy One, blessed be He, says to her: Know that on this night a person will be formed from the semen of a certain individual known to you. Guard this drop of semen, take it into the palm of your hand, and sow it on the threshing floor, in three hundred and sixty-five parts. And she would do so. She took it into her hand and brought it at once to Him who had said
It hath been already (Eccles. 1:10) and said to Him: “I have done all that You have commanded. Here is the drop, what have You decreed concerning it?” The Holy One, blessed be He, forthwith decreed concerning the semen what its end would be, whether male or female, weak or strong, poor or rich, short or tall, ugly or handsome, heavy or thin, humble or haughty. He decreed concerning everything that would happen to it except whether it would be righteous or wicked.
9 That choice alone he left to the individual, as it is said:
See, I have set before thee this day life and good, and death and evil (Deut. 30:15).
The Holy One, blessed be He, would summon the angel in charge of souls10 and say to him: Bring Me a certain soul which is in the Garden of Eden, whose name is so-and-so, and whose form is such-and-such. All the souls that would exist in the future were fashioned with the first man, and they will exist to the end of the world. All of them were created on the sixth day of creation. They were designated to be the descendants of Adam, as it is said: Whatsoever cometh into being, the name thereof was given long ago (Eccles. 6:10).
Then the angel departed to bring the soul to the Holy One, blessed be He. When the soul was brought in, it prostrated itself before the King of Kings, the Holy One, blessed be He. At that time the Holy One, blessed be He, says to the soul: Enter the semen that is in this one’s hand. The soul opens its mouth and cries out: “Master of the Universe, I have always been satisfied with the place in which I dwelt from the day you created me, why do You desire that I enter this putrid drop? Now I am holy and pure, but then I will be cut off from the place of Thy glory.” Thereupon the Holy One, blessed be He, replied: The place which you are to enter is better for you than where you have dwelt. From the moment I created you it was only for this drop of semen. Then the Holy One, blessed be He, forced him to enter there though against his will. After that the angel turned around and placed the soul in the womb of his mother, and two angels were assigned to guard it lest it go out and fall. He placed a lighted candle at his head, as it is said:
Oh, that I were as in the months of old, as in the days when God watched over me; when His light shined over my head (Job 29:2).
He looked about and peered from one end of the world to the other. The angel took him and led him into the Garden of Eden and showed him the righteous ones sitting there in honor, with crowns on their heads. The angel said to him: “O soul, do you know who these are?” And the soul replied: “No, my master.” Whereupon the angel told him: “These that you see were formed at first, like you, in the womb of their mothers, and then went out into the world. They observed the Torah and the commandments, and therefore were deserving and were selected for this beautiful place that you see. Know that when you leave this world, if you are worthy and keep the law of the Holy One, blessed be He, you will merit sitting among these. But if not, be assured, you will be assigned to another place.”
That evening he led him to the netherworld and showed him the wicked ones whom the demons were smiting with brands of fire and who were crying: “Woe is me, woe is me,” and none had mercy for them. The angel then said to the soul: “Do you know who these are?” And he replied: “No, my master.” Whereupon the angel told him: “These are the ones who will be consumed. They were formed like you and went out into the world, but they did not keep the Torah and the statutes of the Holy One, blessed be He, and that is why they have come to this disgraceful end that you are witnessing. Be assured that you will ultimately leave this world, but if you are righteous and not wicked, you will be worthy to enjoy life in the world-to-come.” How do we know that this is so? From the fact that it is said: For I was a son unto my father, tender and an only one in the sight of my mother. And he taught me, and said unto me: “Let thy heart hold fast upon My words, keep My commandments and live” (Prov. 4:3–4).
For I was a son unto my father indicates that before I left my mother’s womb I was the son of the Holy One, blessed be He, who rebuked me as a father rebukes his son.
Tender and an only one in the sight of my mother alludes to the time I was tender and alone and no one was with me in my mother’s womb. Then the angel instructed me and told me: “Take my words to heart, keep my commandments and it shall be as described above.” The Holy One, blessed be He, then warned him concerning everything that would transpire, and the angel led him about from morning until evening. He showed him where he would die and where he would be buried. Then he led him about and walked with him through the world, showing him the righteous and the wicked and everything else. In the evening he brought him back to his mother’s womb. The Holy One, blessed be He, fashioned
bolts and doors (Job 38:10) before him, as it is said:
Or who shut up the sea with the doors? (ibid., v. 8), and
I have put My words in thy mouth, and have covered thee in the shadow of My hand (Isa. 51:6). Then He said to him:
Thus far shalt you come, but no farther (Job 38:11).
The child remains in the womb of his mother for nine months. The first three months the child dwells in the lowest part of the mother’s womb; the next three months he dwells in the middle part; and the last three months he dwells in the upper part. When the time arrives for him to enter the light of the world, he rolls downward and descends in a single moment from the upper to the middle and from the middle to the lower part of the womb. He eats and drinks what his mother eats and drinks from the very beginning, so that he will not depart from her hungry. Hence Scripture says:
Who doeth great things and unsearchable, marvelous things without number (Job 5:9).
When at last the time arrives for his entrance into the world, the angel comes to him and says: “At a certain hour your time will come to enter the light of the world.” He pleads with him, saying: “Why do you wish me to go out into the light of the world?” The angel replies: “You know, my son, that you were formed against your will; against your will you will be born; against your will you will die; and against your will you are destined to give an accounting before the King of Kings, the Holy One, blessed be He”. Nevertheless, he remained unwilling to leave, and so the angel struck him with the candle that was burning at his head. Thereupon he went out into the light of the world, though against his will. Upon going out the infant forgot everything he had witnessed and everything he knew. Why does the child cry out on leaving his mother’s womb? Because the place wherein he had been at rest and at ease was irretrievable and because of the condition of the world into which he must enter.
Then the seven stages in the life of man begin for him. In the first stage he is like a king, for everyone inquires about his health and is eager to look at him. They hug him and kiss him, since he is only one year old. In the second stage he is like a swine that grovels in dunghills, for a child waddles in the dirt when he is two years old. In the third stage he is like a kid who skips about in the pasture. He is a delight in the eyes of his mother and a joy to his father. He skips about here and there, while laughing, and everyone takes delight in him. In the fourth stage he acts like a horse about to run in a race. When is that? At the time of maturity, when he is eighteen years old. Just as the horse prances about and preens himself, so the youth preens himself before his companions. In the fifth stage he is like an ass upon which a saddle has been placed. Men place a saddle upon him by giving him a wife who bears him sons and daughters. He roams hither and yon to obtain food and sustenance for his children. They pile additional burdens upon him, and he is overwhelmed with problems because of his sons and daughters. When is that? When he is forty years old. In the sixth stage he is like a dog, who intrudes here and there, and takes from one and gives to another and is not embarrassed. In the seventh stage he resembles a monkey, who is different from all other creatures. He asks about everything, he eats and drinks like a youngster and laughs like a child. He returns to his childish ways in discernment but not in other things. Even his children and the men of his household mock him, curse him, and hate him. When he offers an opinion they say: “Ignore him, for he is an old fool.” He behaves like an ape in all situations and in whatever he says. Even the children laugh at him and mock him, and the wild birds can awaken him from his sleep.
Finally, as his end draws near, the angel comes to him and asks: “Do you not recognize me?” And he answers: “Yes, but why do you come to me on this day of all days?” The angel replies: “To take you from this world; the time of your departure has come.” He begins to cry out immediately, and his voice can be heard from one end of the earth to the other, but no one recognizes or heeds his voice except a crowing cock. He says to the angel: “Have you not already taken me out of two worlds and brought me into this one?” And the angel responds: “Did I not tell you that you were formed against your will, that you were born against your will, that you would live against your will, and that ultimately you will have to render an accounting before the Holy One, blessed be He, against your will?”
These are the four camps that the Holy One, blessed be He, revealed to Elijah of blessed memory, as it is said:
Go forth, and stand upon the mountain before the Lord and behold, etc.
(I Kings 19:11). Elijah said to Him: “What are they?” These are the four camps that you will see. He told Him: “Master of the Universe, I do not know what they are.” The Holy One, blessed be He, replied: These are the four experiences a man undergoes. They are: The strong and mighty winds of this world, for man’s days are as a wind that passeth by. After the wind comes the earthquake, which corresponds to the day of death, for death is like an earthquake, causing the body of man to quake. After the earthquake comes fire, and after death comes the judgment of the netherworld, which is composed of fire. Following the fire there is a still, small voice, and after the judgment of the netherworld there is this great day of judgment, as is said.
For great is the day of the Lord (Joel 2:11). And none shall remain in His world except the Holy One, blessed be He, as it is said:
And the Lord alone shall be exalted on that day (Isa. 2:11).
This is explained in the tradition by David, king of Israel, as is said:
My frame was not hidden from Thee, when I was made in secret and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth (Ps. 139:15). This refers to the lowest portion of the mother’s womb.
Another comment on
Curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. Blessed be He, who fashioned man with wisdom just as He created the earth with wisdom, as is said:
The Lord with wisdom founded the earth (Prov. 3:19). Concerning Bezalel it is stated:
He hath filled him with the spirit of God, in wisdom and understanding, and in knowledge (Exod. 35:31). The very attributes with which the Holy One, blessed be he, created His world and fashioned man were possessed by Bezalel. And he constructed the Tabernacle. Furthermore it is stated:
The Lord by wisdom founded the earth; by understanding He established the heavens; by His knowledge the depths were broken up (Prov. 3:19–20). And about Bezalel it is written:
And he hath filled him with the spirit of God, in wisdom and in understanding, and in knowledge (Exod. 35:31). The three attributes mentioned in the verse are referred to in the other:
Therefore who doeth great things and unsearchable, marvelous things without number (Job 5:9).
When the Holy One, blessed be he, contemplated fashioning man, he said to the Torah:
Let us make man (Gen. 1:26). It replied: Master of the Universe, the man You wish to make
is of few days, and full of trouble (Job 14:1), and he will sin. If You are not forbearing with him, it would be better that he should not come into the world. He retorted: Is it for nothing that I am described as
Slow to anger and plenteous in loving-kindness (Num. 14:18)? Whereupon He began to collect the dust for the body of the first man from the four corners of the earth, so that no one part of the earth might say: “The dust of the body of man is mine.” If he took the dust from the east and the man passed away to the west, the earth of the west might say: “The dust of your body did not come from me, I will not welcome you.” Therefore He took the dust from the four corners of the world, so that wherever man passes away the earth would welcome him, as it is written:
For dust thou art (Gen. 3:19).
There were twelve hours in that day. During the first hour He collected the dust for the body of man; in the second hour He kneaded the dust of the east and the west together, as it is said:
Thou hast hemmed me in behind and before (Ps. 139:4).
Behind refers to the west, and
before to the east, as is said:
Before the east side (Exod. 38:13). The creatures of the earth saw him and feared him. They believed that he was their creator. They came and bowed down before him, and he said to them: “Why do you come to bow before me?” “All of us have come because we have seen all the creatures that the Holy One, blessed be he, has created.” And his heart was filled with wonder. He began to praise and extol his Creator, saying:
Oh, how abundant is Thy goodness, which Thou hast laid up for those that fear Thee (Ps. 31:20), and also
How manifold are Thy works, O Lord (Ps. 104:24). He arose and had the appearance and the likeness of God; he was tall in stature and was clothed with majesty and glory, and he ruled over them for His creator. And they said:
The Lord reigneth; he is clothed in majesty (Ps. 93:1).
[Siman 4]
A new vessel filled with old wine. Another explanation of
The Tabernacle of the testimony (Exod. 38:21). R. Simeon the son of Yohai said: There is no testimony other than the Torah, as it is said:
These are the testimonies, and the statutes, and the ordinances (Deut. 4:45). This may be compared to a king who has a daughter for whom he builds a palace. He sets it in the midst of seven other palaces and then decrees: “Anyone who approaches my daughter will be considered as though he were approaching me.” The Tabernacle was called by two names:
The Tabernacle of the testimony, which is the Torah, and elsewhere:
A Tabernacle of the Lord (Lev. 17:4). The Holy One, blessed be He, said: Anyone who despises My daughter is considered as though he were despising Me. That is, if a man enters the synagogue and disparages My Torah, it is as though he arose and were disparaging My honor. You know this to be so from the fact that R. Simeon the son of Yohai said: When Hadrian entered the Temple he reviled and blasphemed against God. David said: Master of the world, it should be counted against them as though they had hewn cedars and built ladders in order to ascend into the firmament to wage war against You, as it is said:
It seemed as when men wield upwards axes in a thicket of trees (Ps. 74:5). Since they are unable to accomplish this, they turned on You and attacked us, as it said:
O God, the heathen are come into Thine inheritance; they have defiled Thy holy temple (Ps. 79:1). All of this transpired because the Temple was seized on account of our sins.
These are the accounts of the Tabernacle (Exod. 38:21). R. Hiyya said: To what may the heathens be compared? They may be compared to a man who hates the king and decides to rebel against him, but is unable to do so. What does he do? He goes to the king’s statue and tries to topple it. However, he becomes fearful that the king might kill him. What does he do then? He takes an iron digging tool and wedges it beneath the statue. He says to himself: “If I weaken the base of the statue, it will topple.” Similarly, when the heathens sought to do battle with the Holy One, blessed be He, they were not able to do so, and so they attacked Israel. David said:
The kings of the earth stand up (Ps. 2:2); that is to say, One who is unable to smite the ass smites the saddle. That was the case with the idolatrous nations. When they were unable to ascend to attack God, they turned against Israel. When did that occur? When they had nothing to serve as a pledge (Temple). However, now the Tabernacle is their pledge, as it is said:
These are the accounts of the Tabernacle, even the Tabernacle of the testimony.
[Siman 5]
These are the accounts of the Tabernacle (Exod. 38:21). Scripture states elsewhere:
A faithful man shall abound with blessings; but he that maketh haste to be rich shall not be unpunished (Prov. 28:20).
A faithful man shall abound with blessings refers to Moses, who was appointed treasurer of the Tabernacle, and all things were blessed because of his faithfulness. While
He that maketh haste to be rich shall not be unpunished alludes to Korah the Levite, who desired priesthood though, as a Levite, he was not eligible for priesthood.
Another explanation of
A faithful man shall abound with blessings. This refers to Moses, who was appointed sole custodian over the affairs of the Tabernacle. Our sages inform us that no less than two men should be appointed to control the affairs of a community, yet Moses was appointed as the sole custodian because he was extremely trustworthy, as is written:
He is trusted in all My house (Num. 12:7). Nevertheless he summoned others to audit the accounts with him, as is said:
By the hand of Ithamar the son of Aaron the priest (Exod. 38:21).
Scripture states elsewhere:
Moreover, they reckoned not with the men, into whose hand they delivered the money to give to them that did the work; for they dealt faithfully (II Kings 12:16). This verse refers to the generation of Joash. Our sages teach us: One should not enter the Sanctuary with an offering while wearing a bordered cloak, a money belt, or felt shoes, for the people may say of him: “If he becomes wealthy, he acquired his wealth from the Temple treasury.” Just as a man must be morally pure in the sight of heaven, so must he be above suspicion among his fellowmen, as it is said:
Then ye shall be clean before the Lord, and before Israel (Num. 3:22). Yet Moses alone was in charge of the Tabernacle treasury. At the time that the Holy One, blessed be He, told Moses:
Let them make Me a Sanctuary, that I may dwell among them (Exod. 25:8), it is written:
And Moses assembled all the congregation and said: “Take ye from among you an offering unto the Lord” (
Exod. 35:1,
5).
R. Johanan stated: On two mornings they brought everything required, as it is written:
And they brought unto him free-will offerings every morning (Exod. 36:3),
11 and they were sufficient. Thereupon Moses issued the order that was announced through the camp, that said:
For the stuff they had was sufficient (ibid., vv. 6–7).
Moses said: Master of the Universe, we have completed the work, what shall we do with the balance of the offering? He replied: Build a Tabernacle for the testimony with it. He went and did so. When he came to give the accounting, he told them: Such-and-such was used for the Sanctuary, and with the balance I made the Tabernacle for the testimony. R. Samuel said: Why was the word mishkan (“Tabernacle”) repeated twice? Because it was seized twice on account of their sinfulness. That is why the men of the Great Synagogue said: We have dealt (habal habalnu) very corruptly against Thee (Neh. 1:7).12 Hence the Temple was seized twice as a pledge.
[Siman 6]
These are the accounts of the tabernacle, even the tabernacle of the testimony (Exod. 38:21). The Tabernacle bears testimony to the entire world that He forgave them for the episode of the golden calf. This may be likened to a king who marries a woman he loves dearly. After some time he becomes angry with her and leaves her. Her neighbors ridicule her, saying: “Repent or your husband will not return to you.” After some time he returned to her palace and ate and drank with her. Still her neighbors were not convinced that the king had become reconciled with her. However, after they experienced the fragrance of spices ascending from the house, all of them realized that he had become reconciled with her. Similarly the Holy One, blessed be He, loved Israel and gave them the Torah and called then a holy nation:
A kingdom of priests and a holy nation (Exod. 19:6). But when they sinned after forty days, the nations exclaimed: “He will not return to them.” Moses arose then and pleaded for mercy in their behalf. And He replied:
I have pardoned according to thy word (Num. 14:20). Moses asked: Who will make it known to the nations? And He replied to him:
Let them make Me a Sanctuary. When the nations smelled the fragrance of the smoke as it ascended from the midst of the Sanctuary, they knew that the Holy One, blessed be He, had become reconciled with them.
These are the accounts of the Tabernacle. It is written elsewhere:
Now these are the names of the sons of Israel (Gen. 46:8). Observe how very precious the Tabernacle was to the Holy One, blessed be He, that He left the upper sphere to dwell in the Tabernacle. R. Simeon held that He dwelt in the lower sphere (at first), as is said:
And they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden (ibid. 3:8), but that after Adam sinned He ascended from earth to heaven. When Cain arose and killed his brother, He ascended from the first firmament to the second; when the generation of Enoch angered Him, He ascended from the second to the third; when the generation of the flood perverted His teaching, He ascended from the third to the fourth; when the generation of the separation (i.e., the Tower of Babel) became arrogant, He went from the fourth to the fifth sphere; when the Sodomites behaved immorally, He went from the fifth to the sixth; and when Amraphel and his companions appeared, He ascended from the sixth to the seventh. However, after Abraham came and performed good deeds, the Shekhinah descended from the seventh to the sixth firmament; after Isaac He went from the sixth to the fifth; after Jacob from the fifth to the fourth; after Levi, his son, from the fourth to the third; after Kohath the son of Levi, from the third to the second; after Amram from the second to the first; and on the day that Moses erected the Tabernacle:
The glory of the Lord filled the Tabernacle (Exod. 40:34). Scripture states:
For the upright shall dwell in the land (Prov. 2:21). This should be read: “They caused the Shekhinah to dwell in the land.”
[Siman 7]
These are the accounts of the tabernacle (Exod. 38:21). Scripture states elsewhere:
Thou hast also delivered Me from the contentions of My people (II Sam. 22:44), and it is written elsewhere:
Thou hast delivered me from the contentions of the people (Ps. 18:44).
The contentions of the people refers to the nations of the world, and
the contentions of My people alludes to Israel. David said: Master of the Universe, the Israelites are a contentious lot; do You wish them to murmur against me amongst themselves? A proof of this is that after the Tabernacle was erected, though everything was done according to numbers and weights, as it is written:
The whole by number and by weight; and all the weight was written at that time (Ezra 8:34), they became contentious, as is said:
And the people spoke against God, and against Moses (Num. 21:15). Hence, it says:
Thou mayest deliver me from the contentions of My people (II Sam. 22:44). This verse alludes to Moses. At the time he erected the Tabernacle, Moses said: I know that the Israelites are a troublesome lot. They speak against their brothers and their mothers, as it is said:
Thou sittest and speakest against thy brother; thou slanderest thine own mother’s sons (Ps. 50:20). What is meant by
Thou sittest and speakest against thy brother? R. Johanan said: You must not believe that one is permitted to speak against a brother born of one’s father, but not against a brother born of one’s mother, for if you should speak against your brother born of your father, you will eventually speak against your brother born of your mother, as it is said:
Thou sittest and speakest against thine own brother; thou slanderest thine own mother’s sons.
R. Joshua the son of Levi said: David has stated that if you should speak against Esau, who is your brother (by your father), you will ultimately speak against the son of your mother. This refers to Moses, the foremost of our prophets, against whom they spoke, as it is said:
And the people spoke against God, and against Moses (Num. 21:15).
Moses declared: I am aware that Israel is contentious; therefore, I shall give them an accounting of the construction of the Tabernacle. He began to make the accounting with them: These are the accounts of the Tabernacle. He accounted for everything, the gold, the silver, and the brass: And the silver of them that were numbered of the congregation was a hundred talents, and a thousand seven hundred … and the hundred talents of silver were for casting the sockets of the Sanctuary … and the brass of the offering was seventy talents (Exod. 38:25–29). While he was doing the accounting and going over everything that had been made for inside the Sanctuary, he forgot, because they were not visible, the one thousand seven hundred and seventy-five shekels with which he had fashioned the hooks for the columns. He became distressed and said to himself: “Now the Israelites will grasp the opportunity to say that I have taken them.” He began to review every aspect of the work. The Holy One, blessed be He, thereupon opened his eyes and caused him to lift them upward, and he saw the hooks of the columns. He told them loudly that the one thousand seven hundred and seventy-five shekels of gold had been used for the hooks for the columns. Then the Israelites were satisfied.
What prompted him to sit down and give an accounting:
These are the accounts of the Tabernacle? Why did he trouble to render an accounting, since the Holy One, blessed be He, trusted him, as it is said:
He is trusted in all My house (Num. 12:7)? He gave them an accounting because he heard the scoffers of that generation whispering behind his back, as is said:
And it came to pass, when Moses entered into the tent … and they looked after Moses (Exod. 33:8). What were they saying? R. Isaac explained: When one person would praise him, his companion would retort: “Fool, do you imagine that a man in charge of the work of building a Sanctuary, with weights of silver and gold that are not examined, nor weighed or accounted for, will not become wealthy!” When he heard that he said: “Be assured, when the work of the Tabernacle is completed, I will give them an accounting.” When it was completed he said to them:
These are the accounts of the Tabernacle.
[Siman 8]
The tabernacle of the testimony (Exod. 38:21). This refers the Torah in which they labored. The Holy One, blessed be He, said: Because of the Torah and the sacrifices, I will rescue you from Gehinnom. You may know this from the fact that the Holy One, blessed be He, revealed to Abraham the Torah, the sacrifices, Gehinnom, and the servitude experienced by the exiles. The Torah:
A flaming torch (Gen. 15:17), for it is written:
At this hand was a fiery law unto them (Deut. 33:2),
and the people perceived the thunder and lightning (Exod. 20:15); the sacrifices:
Take me a heifer of three years (Gen. 15:9); Gehinnom:
A smoking furnace and a flaming torch (ibid., v. 17); the servitude at the hands of the nations:
For, behold, there was thick darkness (ibid.).
The Holy One, blessed be He, told Abraham: Whenever your descendants occupy themselves with two of these, they will be saved from the other two, but since sacrifices will be abolished in the future and the Temple will be destroyed, do you prefer that your sons should be enslaved in Gehinnom or in exile? Abraham began to ponder the matter, but did not know which to choose. R. Hanina the son of Pappa held that Abraham chose the rule of foreign kingdoms and said: It is better that my descendants shall be enslaved in exile than that any one of them should descend into Gehinnom. The Holy One, blessed be He, agreed with him, as is said:
Except their rock had given them over, and the Lord had delivered them up (Deut. 32:30).
Except their rock had given them over refers to Abraham, as is written:
Look unto the rock whence ye were hewn (Isa. 51:1). And
The Lord delivered them signifies that the Holy One, blessed be He, concurred with him.
This is what David said:
Thou hast caused man to ride over our heads; we went though fire and through water; but Thou didst bring us out unto abundance (Ps. 66:12).
Thou hast caused men to ride over our heads refers to the kingdoms, and
We went through fire and through water alludes to Gehinnom.
But Thou didst bring us out unto abundance indicates that the Holy One, blessed be He, said: In this world you shall be oppressed by various kingdoms, but in the time-to-come I will remove the kingdoms, which are likened to water,
13 from you. Since they were likened to water, indicates: I will rescue you from Gehinnom, as it is said:
When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee, and through rivers, they shall not overflow thee; when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned, neither shall the flame be kindled upon thee (Isa. 43:2).
