The Infinite Dwelling Within The Finite- The Tabernacle (Mishkan)
Feb 17, 2019
The Mishkan
Setting Up A Dwelling Place Within The Finite
ืืจืืืช ื ืดื ื:ืืดื-ืกืดื ื"ืจ ืฉืืืื ืืจ ื ืืื ื ื"ืจ ืืื ืชื ืืฆืืื ืขื ืฉื ืืืืชื ื ืงืจื ืืฉืขื ืฉืืืจ ืื ืืงืืืฉ
ืืจืื ืืื ืืืฉื ืื ืืืืจ ืื ืืืฆืืื ืขืฉื ืื ืืฉืื ืืจืื ืืืืื ืืื ืืฉื ืืืคื ืืืืจ ืื ืขืฉื ืืจืื ืืืืื ืืืฉืื ืืืจ ืื ืืฉื ืจืืื ื ืื ืืื ืฉื ืขืืื ืืื ืืื ื ืืืช ืืืืจ ืื ืืื ืืก ืืชืืื ืืืื ืืืชื ืืืืจ ืขืฉื ืื ืืจืื ืืืืื ืืืฉืื ืืืื ืฉืื ื ืขืืฉื ืืืืื ืืื ืืกื ืฉืื ืื ืืืจ ืื ืืงื"ื ืขืฉื ืืฉืื ืืจืื ืืืืื ืืืจ ืื ืฉืื ืืฆื ืื ืืืืช ืืืืขืช
Berakhot 55a:12 R. Samuel the son of Nahmani said in the name of R. Jonathan: He was called Besalel
because of his wisdom: for at the time that the Holy One said to Moses, "Go, tell Besalel, 'Make for Me a tabernacle, an ark and vessels'," Moses went and inverted the order, saying to him, "Make an ark and vessels and a tabernacle." He replied, "Moses, our teacher, it is the way of the world for a man to build a house and afterwards furnish it ; but you said, 'Make for Me an ark, vessels and a tabernacle'! Where shall I place the vessels which I make? Perhaps this is why the Holy One, said, 'Make a tabernacle, an ark and vessels'." Moses replied, "Perhaps you were in the ".shadow of G-d (besel el literally translated, the shadow of G-d) and you understood this
ืืืืื ื ืืณ:ืืดื-ืืดื ืึผึดึื ืึทึฝืึปืึฐื ึธึื ืึตืฉืึตึฅื ืึฑืึนืึดึืื ืขึทืึพืึธืึธึืจึถืฅ ืึดึ ื ึผึตื ืึทืฉึผืึธืึทึืึดื ืึผืฉืึฐืึตึคื ืึทืฉึผืึธืึทึืึดืึ ืึนึฃื ืึฐืึทืึฐืึผึฐืึืึผึธ ืึทึืฃ ืึผึดึฝืึพืึทืึผึทึฅืึดืช
ืึทืึผึถึื ืึฒืฉืึถึฅืจ ืึผึธื ึดึฝืืชึดืื
I Kings 8:27-33
“But will God really dwell on earth? Even the heavens to their uttermost reaches cannot
contain You, how much less this House that I have built!”
ืืฉืขืืื ืกืดื:ืืณ )ื( ืึผึนึื ืึธืึทึฃืจ ื' ืึทืฉึผืึธืึทึฃืึดื ืึผึดืกึฐืึดึื ืึฐืึธืึธึืจึถืฅ ืึฒืึนึฃื ืจึทืึฐืึธึื ืึตืึพืึถึฅื ืึทึืึดืชึ ืึฒืฉืึถึฃืจ ืชึผึดืึฐื ืึผึพืึดึื ืึฐืึตืึพืึถึฅื ืึธืงึืึนื
ืึฐื ืึผืึธืชึดึฝืื
ืืฉื ื ืชืืจื, ืืืืืช ืืืช ืืืืืจื ืืณ:ืืณ
)ื( ืึดืฆึฐืึทืช ืขึฒืฉืึตื ืึทืขึฒืฉืืึนืช ืึผึทืึดืช ืึทื' ืืึผืึธื ืึดืึฐืืึนืช ืึทืงึฐืจึดืืึดืื ืึผืึน ืึทืงึผึธืจึฐืึผึธื ืึนืช. ืึฐืืึนืึฐืึดืื ืึตืึธืื ืฉืึธืึนืฉื
ืคึผึฐืขึธืึดืื ืึผึทืฉึผืึธื ึธื ืฉืึถื ึผึถืึฑืึทืจ )ืฉืืืช ืื ื( "ืึฐืขึธืฉืืึผ ืึดื ืึดืงึฐืึผึธืฉื". ืึผืึฐืึธืจ ื ึดืชึฐืคึผึธืจึตืฉื ืึผึทืชึผืึนืจึธื ืึดืฉืึฐืึผึธื ืฉืึถืขึธืฉืึธื ืืฉืึถื ืจึทืึผึตื ืึผ. ืึฐืึธืึธื ืึฐืคึดื ืฉืึธืขึธื ืฉืึถื ึผึถืึฑืึทืจ )ืืืจืื ืื ื( "ืึผึดื ืึนื ืึธืืชึถื ืขึทื ืขึธืชึผึธื" ืึฐืืึน':
Mishneh Torah, The Chosen Temple 1:1
It is a positive obligation to build a house for God where offerings may be brought and (1) to make pilgrimage to it three times a year as it says "and they shall make Me a sanctuary." The tabernacle which Moses made in the desert has already been described in the Torah, but ".it was a temporary measure, as it says "for you have not yet reached, etc
ืึฐืึตืึผืึผ ืึตื ืึทืึผึฐืึธืจึดืื ืฉืึถืึตื ืขึดืงึผึธืจ ืึผึฐืึดื ึฐืึทื ืึทืึผึทืึดืช. ืขืึนืฉืึดืื ืึผืึน ืงึนืึถืฉื ืึฐืงึนืึถืฉื ืึทืงึผึธืึธืฉืึดืื ืึฐืึดืึฐืึถื ืึดืคึฐื ึตื ืึทืงึผึนืึถืฉื ืึธืงืึนื ืึถืึธื ืึฐืืึผื ืึทื ึผึดืงึฐืจึธื ืืึผืึธื. ืึผืฉึฐืึธืฉึฐืชึผึธื ื ึดืงึฐืจึธืึดืื ืึตืืึธื. ืึฐืขืึนืฉึดืื ืึฐืึดืฆึผึธื ืึทืึถืจึถืช ืกึธืึดืื ืึทืึตืืึธื ืจึฐืืึนืงึธื ืึดืึผึถื ึผืึผ ืึผึฐืขึตืื ืงึทืึฐืขึตื ืึถืึธืฆึตืจ ืฉืึถืึธืืึผ ืึผึทืึผึดืึฐืึผึธืจ. ืึฐืึธื ืึทืึผึปืงึผึธืฃ ืึผึดืึฐืึดืืฆึธื ืืึน ืฉืึถืืึผื ืึผึฐืขึตืื ืึฒืฆึทืจ ืึนืึถื ืืึนืขึตื ืืึผื ืึทื ึผึดืงึฐืจึธื ืขึฒืึธืจึธื ืึฐืึทืึผื ื ึดืงึฐืจึธื ืึดืงึฐืึผึธืฉื:
The following are the major requirements for the Temple: It must have a sanctuary and an
and the (ืืืื) inner sanctum. There must be a space in front of the sanctuary called the Hall Another wall must be built around the Heichal away .(ืืืื) "three together are called "Heichal
Isaiah 66:1
Thus said the LORD: The heaven is My throne And the earth is My footstool: Where (1) ?could you build a house for Me, What place could serve as My abode
from the building itself, like the curtains around the courtyard of the tabernacle in the desert. Everything enclosed by this wall representing the yard of the tabernacle is called the Court ืขืืจื and the whole compound is called "Temple"ืืงืืฉ
Ramban on Exodus 25:2:1
The Mishkan is a continuation of the 'Sinai experience
...ืืกืื ืืืฉืื ืืื, ืฉืืืื ืืืืื ืืฉืจ ืฉืื ืขื ืืจ ืกืื ื ืฉืืื ืขืืื ืื ืกืชืจ. ืืืื ืฉื ืืืจ ืฉื )ืืขืื ืื ืื(: ืืืฉืื ืืืื ื' ืขื ืืจ ืกืื ื, ืืืชืื )ืืืจืื ื ืื(: ืื ืืจืื ื ื' ืืืืืื ื
ืืช ืืืืื ืืืช ืืืื, ืื ืืชืื ืืืฉืื ืืืืื ื' ืืื ืืช ืืืฉืื )ืืืื ื ืื(.
In Mishnat Chassidim written by HaRav Emanuel Chai Rikki, the pattern of the creation of the world is explained as follows:
ืืืืืจ ืื"ื ืืจื ืืจืืืช ืืขืืื ืืืฆื ืื"ืก ืฆืืฆื ืืืจื ืืคื ื ืืงืื ืฉืื ืืื ืฆืืืื .Gโd’s] infinite light contracted its radiance and vacated a space that is equal on all sides] ืืืื ืืงืื ืขืืื ืื'
.The space [thus created] is spherical
ืืืฉื ืืชืืื ืงื ืืืจ ืืง
Into [the empty space created by the contraction], He drew down a thin vector (kav) of .light
ืืืืจื ืืจืืืชื ืืืืจ ืืืื ืืืื ืขืืื ืืืจ ืฉื ืืืจ ืจืืืง ืืขื ืืื"ืก
In the process of its descent, [the kav] illuminated another sphere of light slightly distant from Gโd’s infinite light
ืืืจืืชื ืขืื ืืืืจ ืขืืื ืฉื ื
,and as it descended further, it illuminated another sphere —
ืขื ืขืฉืจื ืขืืืืื
and indeed, ten further spheres
ืฉืื ืื"ื ืื'
which are Kesser, Chochmah, Binah ืืืืจืืื ืืืื ื"ืก ืืืืฉืจ ืื'
After these, there come Ten Sefiros that are drawn down in a direct manner (Yosher).3 ืขื"ื ืืืกืืช ื"ื ืืกืืจ ืืจืขืื ืข"ืฉ,
This concludes [the] statements [of Mishnas Chassidim] in Maseches Alef-Beis in the Order of Zeraim
In Kabbalah, it is explained that there are two basic patterns in the emanation of the
Sefiros that exist simultaneously:
a) a series of concentric spheres (Iggulim), each one emanating independently from the kav; although these lights emanate from the kav, they share certain similarities with the or makkif, the encompassing light, and
b) a second series in which the Sefiros emanate forth in a pattern in which light is
transferred sequentially, from one Sefirah to another in a direct manner (yosher); these Sefiros function as an or pnimi, and the influence is internalized as it is transferred from one level to another.
To be elaborated upon in the class..
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