Terumah: ועשו לי מקדש

(2) R. Judah the son of Simon stated: Moses heard three things from the lips of the Mighty One that confused and startled him. When the Holy One, blessed be God, said to him: Let them make Me a Sanctuary, that I may dwell among them (Exod. 25:8), he replied: Master of the Universe, the heavens and the heavens of the heavens cannot contain Thee. God responded: Moses, it is not as you think. Erect twenty boards on the northern side and twenty boards on the southern side and eight on the eastern side and eight on the western side, and I will compress My Shekhinah and dwell within them; as it is written: And there I will meet with thee, and I will speak with thee (ibid., v. 22).

(9) Said Rabbi Shmuel bar Ami - from the beginning of Creation the Holy One of Blessing desired to have partnership with the beings in the lower realm. How can you say this? If it was just a question of the accounting [of days] it only needed to say "one, two, three" OR "first, second, third" - this is indeed surprising, since [the account of creation beginning with] one and then second and third. When did the Holy One of Blessing solve this? In the setting up of the Mishkan, as it says: "And the gifter, on the first day, their offering" - this is the first of the creation of the world. Said the Holy One of Blessing: it is as if on that day I created My world. It is taught: twelve tiaras [measures of beauty] that day received - it was first for the creation of the world, first for kings, first for princes, first for the kohanim, first for the Shechinah, as it says (Ex. 25:8) 'And they shall make Me a sanctuary", first for blessing, first for worship, first for forbidden animals, first for laws of slaughtering on the north, first for lowering of fire, as it is said (Lev. 9:24): 'And a fire came forth from God etc'

(1) [Another interpretation (of Lev. 26:3:) IF YOU WALK IN MY STATUTES. What is written there (in vs. 11)? THEN I WILL SET MY DWELLING PLACE IN YOUR MIDST. If you fulfill my commandments, I will leave the heavenly beings and come down to dwell among you, as stated (in Exod. 29:45): AND I WILL DWELL IN THE MIDST OF THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL. So they came forth from Egypt on this condition: That they build the dwelling place, so that the Divine Presence might dwell among them, as stated (in vs. 46): AND THEY SHALL KNOW THAT I AM THE LORD THEIR GOD WHO BROUGHT THEM OUT FROM THE LAND OF EGYPT, SO THAT I MIGHT DWELL IN THEIR MIDST. Now if they have done my will, my Divine Presence shall not move from their midst. Why? R. Samuel bar Abba said: The Holy One desired that, just as God has an abode above, so God would have an abode below, for so God said to the first Adam: If you are worthy, just as I am ruler over the heavenly beings, so I will make you ruler over the lower beings.¹⁴Cf. Tanh., Numb. 2:16; Gen. R. 3:19. It is so stated (in Gen. 2:15): THEN THE LORD GOD TOOK THE HUMAN BEING < AND PUT IT IN THE GARDEN OF EDEN TO WORK IT AND PRESERVE IT >. Now the word TOOK can only be a word of exaltation, just as you say (in Gen. 12:15): AND THE WOMAN WAS TAKEN TO PHARAOH'S HOUSE.¹⁵Cf. Gen. R. 16:5. And it also says (in Esth. 2:16): SO ESTHER WAS TAKEN UNTO KING AHASUERUS, UNTO HIS ROYAL PALACE. But God (the Holy One) did not do so. Rather, when Adam sinned, God removed God's Divine Presence from him. Then when Israel arose, the Holy One said to them: You shall only go forth from Egypt on condition that you make a dwelling place for me, so that my Divine Presence may dwell among you, as stated (in Exod. 25:8): LET THEM MAKE ME A SANCTUARY < THAT I MAY DWELL AMONG THEM >.

"and they shall make for Me a sanctuary, etc." What is the intent of this? Is it not written (Jeremiah 23:24) "Do I not fill heaven and earth?" What, then, is the intent of "And they shall make for Me a sanctuary"? For the sake of receiving reward for making it.

R. Judah bar Il‘a’i told the parable of a king who had a young daughter. Before she was old enough to show the signs of puberty, he felt free to talk to her wherever he saw her— whether in the market, in alleys or in lanes, he felt free to talk to her. But after she came of age and showed the signs of puberty, he said: It does not suit the deference owed to my daughter that I speak to her in public. Make a pavilion for her, and I will speak to her in privacy within the pavilion. So [was it between God and Israel]. At the beginning when Israel was a child in Egypt, then in My love of them, I used to cry out [wherever I saw them], “O child of Mine” (Hos. 11:1). Thus it came about that the children of Israel saw Me in Egypt when I said I will go through the land of Egypt (Exod. 12:12); they saw Me at the Red Sea, when Israel saw the great Hand (Exod. 14:31); they saw Me at Sinai when, according to Scripture, The Lord spoke with you face to face (Deut. 5:4). But once they accepted the Torah and hence were regarded by Me as a people come of age, I said, It no longer suits the deference owed to My children that I speak to them in public. Make you the Tabernacle for Me, and then I shall speak to them [in privacy] from within the Tabernacle.

(1) And let them make Me a sanctuary, that I may dwell among them (Exod. 25:8). On which day did God relate to Moses the portion relating to the Temple? It was on the Day of Atonement. That was so despite the fact that the Torah portion describing the Sanctuary precedes the incident of the golden calf. R. Judah the son of R. Shalum said: There is actually no such thing as preceding or following in the Torah, as is said: Lest she should walk the even path of life, her ways wander, but she knoweth it not (Prov. 5:6). This verse refers to the arrangement of the Torah and its sections. Hence, it was on the Day of Atonement that God told Moses: Make Me a Sanctuary.

(5) Another comment on the Tabernacle of testimony. It bears testimony to all people that the Holy One, blessed be God, would be reconciled with Israel despite the episode of the calf. How did that happen? When they made the calf, Moses arose and pleaded, as their advocate, until the Holy One, blessed be God, forgave them. Then Moses cried out: But Master of the Universe, who will make known to the nations that Thou hast forgiven them? God replied: Go tell them. Let them make Me a Sanctuary that I may dwell among them (Exod. 25:8). Hence it is written: The Tabernacle of the testimony, for the Tabernacle testifies to the fact that the Shekhinah is with Israel.

(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 (A disrespectful reference to Moses) did to us when he took our possessions for this Tabernacle, and made us assume this burden while promising us that the Holy One, blessed be God, 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).”

(9) He blessed them forthwith, as is said: And Moses blessed them (ibid.). What blessing did he confer upon them? Our sages said: O Lord, God of our fathers, etc. (Deut. 1:11). R. Meir held that he said: “May it be God's will that the Shekhinah will rest within the labors of your hands,” and (that) they replied: And let the graciousness of the Lord our God be upon us (Ps. 90:17). Why is it stated so many times: According to all the Lord commanded Moses (Exod. 39:1)? Because the Israelites criticized Moses at the time they strove to erect the Tabernacle but could not do so. They said: “Perhaps the Holy One, blessed be God, told Moses some simple thing to do to erect the Tabernacle, and (thus) Moses alone is responsible for all this difficulty.” Therefore the Holy One, blessed be God, said: Since you have criticized him, I will attach My name to whatever I command him. Thus it is written: According to all the Lord commanded Moses.