What Came First the Command to Build the Mishkan or the Sin of the Golden Calf?

When we read the parshiot in order, first we read Trumah
followed by Tetzave and Ki Tisa. The commandment to build the Mishkan
is in Trumah and the Sin of the Golden Calf is in Ki Tisa. If we
follow the order in the Torah then the command to build the Mishkan
comes before the sin of the golden calf. 
According to Ramban, this is the order in which the events took place.

 

However, Rashi and Sforno both go by the principle of Ein
mukdam umeuchar BaTorah, the Torah is not necessarily in chronological
order.

 

According to Rashi (Shmot 31:14), the story of the Golden
Calf took place many days before the command to make the Mishkan, since
the tablets of stone were broken on the 17^th of Tamuz. On Yom Kippur
(the 10^th of Tishrei), God was reconciled with Bnei Yisrael and the
next day they began to bring voluntary offerings to the Mishkan which was
erected on the 1^st of Nisan.

 

Rashi continues (Shmot 33:11), on the 17^th of
Tamuz the tablets were broken, on the 18^th he burnt the calf and
meted out punishment to the sinners, on the 19^th he ascended Har
Sinai… He stayed there for 40 days and interceded…On the 1^st
of Elul he was told to receive the second tablets and stayed there for 40
days…On the 10^th of Tishrei God became reconciled to Israel in joy
and with a perfect heart and said to Moshe: “I have forgiven them”, handing him
the second tablets. Moshe then descended and began to give the order for the
construction of the Mishkan. They completed it on the 1^st of
Nisan.

 

Sforno feels that the Mishkan was an afterthought
that was only given once God saw that Bnai Yisrael sinned with the golden calf
and needed something tangible to help them relate to God.

 

In Yirmiyahu 7:22-23 we read: “For I spoke not to your
fathers, nor commanded them in the day that I brought them out of the land of
Egypt, concerning burnt offerings and sacrifices; but this thing I commanded
them saying: ‘Listen to My voice and I will be your God, and you shall be My
people; and walk in all the way that I commanded you, that it may be well with
you.’”

 

We learn from these psukim that the sacrifices were never
meant to be the most important part of the religion.

 

According to Abravanel, when Bnai Yisrael left Egypt, it was
more important to focus on faith in God and civil laws. However, after they
made the calf, God had to provide an antidote to their spiritual infirmity.
They would not have been commanded to sacrifice had they not sinned. At Har
Sinai they were not commanded concerning “burnt offering and sacrifice”
rather they were commanded to be obedient to Me that I may be your God and you
will be My people and steadfastly follow the faith I commanded you.

 

If this is so then the question is, when the Third Beit
HaMikdash is built speedily in our days will we still need the sacrifices?
If we follow the opinions of Rashi, Sforno and Abravanel that the sacrifices
are an antidote to the sin of the golden calf then maybe we won’t need them
anymore.

 

However, if we follow the view of Ramban that the events in
the Torah did in fact take place in chronological order and that the
commandment to build the Mishkan did come before the sin of the golden
calf then there is a good chance that the sacrifices will return.

 

Now we will just have to wait and see.