Have we already ticked the box, as it were, for building the Beit HaMikdash withour realizing it? Our member Rabbi Steve Ettinger looks behind the Mishkan's construction plans and asks some probing questions.
The Mishkan/Bet Hamikdash is likely the
single most holy place in the Jewish religion. It is the focal point for our
service of Hashem. In its heyday, it was the resting place of the Shechinah,
the Divine presence, and was filled with miracles. Today, millions flock to the
site where the first two Temples stood, to pray and to feel a greater
connection to God’s “home.” However, if we delve into how Hashem described this
structure (the Mishkan) and, more specifically, its special vessels, it could
well be that, in fact, none of what many may think and believe about the
function of this structure and this place is relevant. Hashem may have had a
very different lesson in mind when He commanded us to build the Mishkan.
When you stop and think, Hashem certainly
does NOT need or require a home. Before the Chet Ha’egel, according to
some opinions, He might not have even commanded that Moshe build it. Maybe it was
merely a part of the atonement process or a concession to the fact that the Bnei
Yisrael were acculturated in a pagan world. For most of history, our religion
has functioned and survived quite well without a Temple and without its
service. In fact, His very command to construct it hinted at a spiritual rather
than physical dwelling: וְעָ֥שׂוּ לִ֖י
מִקְדָּ֑שׁ וְשָׁכַנְתִּ֖י בְּתוֹכָֽם (“And
let them make Me a sanctuary that I may dwell among them”). Effectively, He wants to dwell “within” each Jew, not in some
structure.
It is possible that the building or place
itself is NOT at all important. Perhaps it is NOT intended to be or to
represent Hashem’s abode on Earth or where He dwells. Rather, He may be giving
an example of how and where the Jewish religion should primarily be observed.
He is providing a visual representation so we can create homes where He can
live with us and with our families.
This notion may seem radical but, before
examining the minutiae of the Mishkan, stop and consider: we might be a nation,
but it might be more accurate to characterize the Jewish People as a family.
Our foundation is not built on rabbis, kings and priests but on Avot and
Imahot, fathers and mothers.
Note that the laws of Mishkan construction
are juxtaposed with the command to observe the Shabbat (Shemot Chapter 35). Accordingly,
we derive all of the laws of prohibited work on the Shabbat (the 39 categories)
from how the Jews built the Mishkan. Thus, it should be no mystery why the
command to observe the Shabbat is listed on the tablet with the first five
Commandments—those reserved for the relationship between Man and God. This
placement illustrates this same connection between the holy day and Hashem’s
“place.”
However, the commandment to honor our
parents is also on that first Tablet. In fact, THIS is the commandment that is juxtaposed
to the Shabbat! Parents – family on the Luchot – are in the
same relative position to the Mishkan and the Mikdash as Shabbat was in the
Torah – they are identified as part of the Man-God relationship.
Homes, of course, require illumination. For
centuries the source of this light was candles and oil lamps. The menorah,
an oil candelabra, provided this light. Families must also eat. The staples of
the human diet have historically been bread and meat. Two of the other primary vessels
found in the Mishkan/Mikdash are the shulchan (table) upon which the kohanim
placed the lechem hapanim (show bread) every week and the outer mizbe’ach
(altar) where animals (meat) were sacrificed. A home, of course, requires
sanitary facilities. A large water basin called the kiyor was likewise situated
within the confines of the Mishkan/Mikdash complex.
As mentioned above, people sleep in their
homes. It certainly would not have been appropriate to situate beds or couches
within the structure. In the presence of Hashem, one must be completely alert.
However, sleep is the most intangible or ephemeral human state. A person is simply
breathing when asleep and he is most closely connected his subconscious. A
great metaphor for this could be the burning of the ketoret (incense). It
is basically intangible, it is diffuse, one can only breathe it in -- yet it
has so many physical components -- and it soars freely heavenward.
Finally, we turn to the Kodesh Kodashim.
In the Mishkan and the Mikdash this is the abode of the Aron HaKodesh
(the Holy Ark) that contains the two sets of tablets – both the broken ones and
the complete ones. The Ark is topped with the two Cheruvim, child-faced
angels (asexual), that are turned toward each other.
Every time we complete the Amidah (and at other times, as well), we pray for Hashem to rebuild of the Bet HaMikdash speedily and in our days. However, it could be that we have overlooked that He has already built one for each of us and that He already dwells in it. Our homes should be the true Batei Mikdash. Our homes copy the blueprints that He commanded. However, they can either be empty shells (eitzim ve’avanim – wood and stone) or they can be places where the Shechinah resides. The difference is whether we perceive our homes as a Mishkan or Mikdash, or as mere shelter. Hashem does NOT require shelter. He will choose to dwell in a Mikdash that follows his blueprint. There is no need to wait – you can build it!
