Building a Home for God - Parshat Pekudei

(31) And God saw all that had been made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day. (1) The heaven and the earth were finished, and all their array. (2) On the seventh day God finished the work that had been undertaken: [God] rested on the seventh day from doing any of the work. (3) And God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it —having ceased on it from all the work of creation that God had done.

And Moses saw all the work, and behold—just as the Eternal had commanded, so they had done— and Moses blessed them.

Thus was completed all the labor of the Tabernacle of the Tent of Meeting. The Israelites did so; just as יהוה had commanded Moses, so they did.

(16) The Presence of יהוה abode on Mount Sinai, and the cloud hid it for six days. On the seventh day [God] called to Moses from the midst of the cloud.

And he set up the enclosure around the Tabernacle and the altar, and put up the screen for the gate of the enclosure. When Moses had finished the work,

And Moses saw all the work, and behold—just as the Eternal had commanded, so they had done— and Moses blessed them.

Make Me a sanctuary that I may dwell among you.

R. Ya'akov 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 menorah 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.3You write that this is not a direct quote from the Bible. 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).

(5) When at last they completed the work of the Tabernacle, they sat waiting for the Shekhinah to descend and hover over it. However, they were distressed because the Shekhinah failed to hover over it. What did they do then? They went to the wise-hearted men and said to them: “Why do you sit by idly? Erect the Tabernacle and the Shekhinah will come to rest among us.” They tried to erect the Tabernacle, but did not know how. They were unable to make it stand. Whenever they thought they had assembled it, it would fall apart.

They went to Bezalel and Oholiab and said: “Come, erect the Tabernacle that you have constructed, perhaps you will be worthy to erect it.” They too tried to assemble it but were unable to do so. They began muttering and complaining, saying: “See what the Son of Amram did to us when he took our possessions for this Tabernacle, and made us assume this burden while promising us that the Holy Blessed One would descend from the heavenly sphere and would dwell within the curtain of goats’ hair, as is said: That I may dwell among them (Exod. 25:8).”

Why were they unable to erect it? Because of the fact that Moses was distressed at not having participated in the construction of the Tabernacle. Why did that happen? The offerings were given by the Israelites, and the work was performed by Bezalel, Oholiab, and the wise-hearted. Because Moses was distressed, the Holy One, blessed be He, concealed the way to erect it from them, and that is why they were unable to do so. After they had tried in every way to do so and still were unable to set it up, all the Israelites approached Moses saying: “Moses, our master, everything you told us we have done, and everything you asked us to bring and to give, we have given: Behold, all the work of the Tabernacle (Exod. 39:32). Perhaps we have overlooked something, or perhaps something else should be added to what you told us. See, everything is here,” and they showed it all to him, as it is said: And they brought the Tabernacle unto Moses (ibid., v. 33) and Moses saw all the work (ibid., v. 43).

(7) They said to him: “Did you not tell us to do such-and-such?” He replied: “Yes, indeed.” And so they pointed to everything that had been done. They said: “If that is so, why does it not stand? We tried to have Bezalel, Oholiab, and the wise-hearted erect it, but they were unable to do so.” Moses was troubled by all this until the Holy One, blessed be He, told him: Moses, because you were unhappy over the fact that you did not share in the work of the building of the Tabernacle, these wise men are not able to erect it. Now Israel will know that if you do not erect it, it will never be set up. Have I not written previously that it would be done by you, as it is said: And Moses reared up the Tabernacle (Exod. 40:18)? And it says also: And the Lord spoke unto Moses, saying: And the first day of the first month (Nisan) shalt thou rear up the Tabernacle of the Tent of Meeting (ibid., v. 2). Moses replied: Master of the Universe, I do not know how to erect it either. He said to him: Apply yourself to it and it will stand up of itself, for I have written concerning you that you will raise it, as is said: And it came to pass in the first month in the second year on the first day of the month, that the Tabernacle was reared up (ibid., v. 17). Who finally set it up? Moses, as it is said: And Moses raised up the Tabernacle.