Sponsored by Steven Toberman and Bonnie
and Mickey Kamel in honor of their Mother’s 15th yahrzeit
Miriam bat Ya’akov Hersh Halevi and Devora,
Marion Betty Tomsky Toberman
Born on Sept. 27 1922 in St. Paul Minnesota
The Mishkan (Tabernacle)
and the Beit HaMikdash (Temple) were destined to exist only in the Land of
Israel. Each time that the Beit HaMikdash was destroyed and the Jewish people
went out to exile, synagogues were built in the Diaspora, but they were not
substitutes for the Beit HaMikdash. If this is the case, then how did God allow
the Mishkan to exist in the wilderness for 39 years, from the time that it was
dedicated until B’nai Yisrael entered the Land of Israel?
We see in Parshat
Truma, Shmot 25:8 that God decided not to wait until B’nai Yisrael arrived in
the Land of Israel. Rather, He instructed them to build the Mishkan, a travelling
Mikdash (Sanctuary) already in the wilderness: “They shall make a Mikdash for
Me, and I will then dwell in their midst.”
The Talmud, Ketubot
62b brings a parable of why God decided to instruct B’nai Yisrael to build the
Mishkan in the desert immediately after they received the Torah:
Rebbi went to arrange
a match for his son in the house of Rabbi Yose ben Zimra. They agreed to give
the groom 12 years in between Kiddushin (engagement) and Nisuin (marriage) so
that he could go to study in the Torah academy. However, when the groom saw the
bride, he said, “Let the engagement be six years.” When the groom saw the bride
a second time, he said to them, “Let me first bring her under the chupa (get married)
and then I will go study.” He was a little bit embarrassed in front of his
father that he wanted to get married right away. His father said to him, “My
son, the mind of your Maker is within you. Originally it is written (Shmot
15:17) “You will bring them (to the Land of Israel) and implant them on the
mountain of Your inheritance, the foundation of your dwelling place…” But in
the end it is written (Shmot 25:8): “They shall make a Mikdash for Me, and I
will then dwell in their midst.”
Rashi explains that in
the end, God decided that B’nai Yisrael would build a temporary Tabernacle (the
Mishkan) in the desert, before they entered the Land of Israel.
The Revelation at
Mount Sinai is often compared to an engagement as it established the bond between
God and B’nai Yisrael through the Torah. The resting of the Shechina (Divine
Presence) in the Temple is like Nisuin when the bride and groom begin to live
together. According to Maharsha, out of God’s love for B’nai Yisrael and
inspired by their acceptance of the Torah, God decided to dwell among them
earlier than He had planned.
Rashi points out that
Rebbi’s son acted in a similar way. Although he originally intended to study
for 12 years between the engagement and the wedding, he loved his fiancee so
much that he decided to get married first and study later.
Although the Beit
HaMikdash will never reside outside of the Land of Israel, God made an
exception for the Mishkan due to His love for B’nai Yisrael.
May we merit that the
Third Temple be built in Jerusalem speedily in our days and may the Shechina
once again dwell in our midst.
