(18) When He finished speaking with him on Mount Sinai, He gave Moses the two tablets of the Pact, stone tablets inscribed with the finger of God.
(א) ויתן אל משה וגו'. אֵין מֻקְדָּם וּמְאֹחָר בַּתּוֹרָה – מַעֲשֶׂה הָעֵגֶל קוֹדֶם לְצִוּוּי מְלֶאכֶת הַמִּשְׁכָּן יָמִים רַבִּים הָיָה...
(1) ויתן אל משה וגו׳ AND HE GAVE UNTO MOSES etc. — There is no “earlier” or “later” (no chronological order) in the events related in the Torah: in fact the incident of the golden calf happened a considerable time before the command regarding the work of the Tabernacle was given....
(ג) משכן העדת. עֵדוּת לְיִשְׂרָאֵל שֶׁוִּתֵּר לָהֶם הַקָּבָּ"ה עַל מַעֲשֵׂה הָעֵגֶל, שֶׁהֲרֵי הִשְׁרָה שְׁכִינָתוֹ בֵּינֵיהֶם:
(3) משכן העדת THE TABERNACLE OF THE TESTIMONY — The Tabernacle was a testimony to Israel that God had shown Himself indulgent to them in respect to the incident of the golden calf, for through the Temple He made His Shechinah dwell amongst them (Midrash Tanchuma, Pekudei 6).
(א) אֵלֶּה פְקוּדֵי הַמִּשְׁכָּן מִשְׁכַּן הָעֵדֻת. עֵדוּת לְכָל בָּאֵי הָעוֹלָם, שֶׁנִּמְחַל לָהֶם עַל מַעֲשֵׂה הָעֵגֶל. לְמָה הַדָּבָר דּוֹמֶה, לְמֶלֶךְ שֶׁנָּשָׂא אִשָּׁה וְהָיָה מְחַבְּבָהּ. כָּעַס עָלֶיהָ וְהָלַךְ לוֹ. הָיוּ שְׁכֵנוֹתֶיהָ אוֹמְרוֹת, שׁוּב בַּעְלִיךְ אֵינוֹ חוֹזֵר לָךְ. לְיָמִים בָּא וְנִכְנַס, עָמַד בַּפַּלְטְרִין וְאָכַל וְשָׁתָה עִמָּהּ. וַעֲדַיִן שְׁכֵנוֹתֶיהָ לֹא הָיוּ מַאֲמִינוֹת שֶׁנִּתְרַצָּה לָהּ. וּמִתּוֹךְ כָּךְ, רָאוּ רֵיחַ בְּשָׂמִים עוֹלֶה מִן הַבַּיִת, יָדְעוּ הַכֹּל שֶׁנִּתְרַצָּה לָהּ. כָּךְ הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא חִבֵּב אֶת יִשְׂרָאֵל וְנָתַן לָהֶם אֶת הַתּוֹרָה, וְקָרָא אוֹתָם מַמְלֶכֶת כֹּהֲנִים וְגוֹי קָדוֹשׁ. לְאַחַר אַרְבָּעִים יוֹם סָרְחוּ. אָמְרוּ הַגּוֹיִם, שׁוּב אֵינוֹ חוֹזֵר עֲלֵיהֶם. עָמַד מֹשֶׁה וּבִקֵּשׁ רַחֲמִים, וְאָמַר לוֹ: סָלַחְתִּי כִּדְבָרֶךָ (במדבר יד, כ). אָמַר מֹשֶׁה, מִי מוֹדִיעַ לָאֻמּוֹת. אָמַר לוֹ: וְעָשׂוּ לִי מִקְדָּשׁ. כֵּיוָן שֶׁרָאוּ אֻמּוֹת הָעוֹלַם הָרֵיחַ שֶׁל קְטֹרֶת מְתַמֵּר וְעוֹלֶה מִתּוֹךְ הַמִּשְׁכָּן, יָדְעוּ שֶׁנִּתְרַצָּה לָהֶם הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא.
(1) These are the accounts of the tabernacle, even the tabernacle of the testimony (Exod. 38:21). The Tabernacle bears testimony to the entire world that He forgave them for the episode of the golden calf. This may be likened to a king who marries a woman he loves dearly. After some time he becomes angry with her and leaves her. Her neighbors ridicule her, saying: “Repent or your husband will not return to you.” After some time he returned to her palace and ate and drank with her. Still her neighbors were not convinced that the king had become reconciled with her. However, after they experienced the fragrance of spices ascending from the house, all of them realized that he had become reconciled with her. Similarly the Holy One, blessed be He, loved Israel and gave them the Torah and called then a holy nation: A kingdom of priests and a holy nation (Exod. 19:6). But when they sinned after forty days, the nations exclaimed: “He will not return to them.” Moses arose then and pleaded for mercy in their behalf. And He replied: I have pardoned according to thy word (Num. 14:20). Moses asked: Who will make it known to the nations? And He replied to him: Let them make Me a Sanctuary. When the nations smelled the fragrance of the smoke as it ascended from the midst of the Sanctuary, they knew that the Holy One, blessed be He, had become reconciled with them.
So that I shall dwell in your midst to speak with you and receive the prayers and service of Israel, not as it was before the Golden Calf as it says in every place (where I shall cause my Name to be mentioned) I will come to you (and bless you).