Terumah: When Was the Mishkan Built?

And behold, they are holy and it is fitting that there should be a temple among them for His presence to dwell among them. And hence He first commanded about the matter of the tabernacle that He should have a house among them that would be dedicated to His name - and there would He speak with Moshe and [continue to] command the Children of Israel.

And behold the main object in the tabernacle is the place that the Divine presence would rest, which is the ark...

And the secret of the tabernacle is that the glory of God that dwelt on Mount Sinai, [also] hiddenly dwells upon it...

(1) ונתת אתו על עבדת אהל מועד AND THOU SHALT GIVE IT FOR THE SERVICE OF THE APPOINTED TENT — From this statement you may learn that he (Moses) was commanded to take their census when they began to contribute towards the building of the Tabernacle, after the incident of the golden calf, because the pestilence had befallen them, as it is said, (Exodus 32:35) “and the Lord plagued the people”. A parable: To what may this be compared? To a flock that is dear to its owner upon which there fell pestilence. As soon as it ceased he said to the shepherd, “I beg of you, count my sheep and ascertain how many of them are left”. He did this to show that it (the flock) was dear to him (Midrash Tanchuma, Ki Tisa 9).

(6) From Beeroth-bene-jaakan the Israelites marched to Moserah. Aaron died there and was buried there; and his son Eleazar became priest in his stead. (7) From there they marched to Gudgod, and from Gudgod to Jotbath, a region of running brooks. (8) At that time the LORD set apart the tribe of Levi to carry the Ark of the LORD’s Covenant, to stand in attendance upon the LORD, and to bless in His name, as is still the case. (9) That is why the Levites have received no hereditary portion along with their kinsmen: the LORD is their portion, as the LORD your God spoke concerning them. (10) I had stayed on the mountain, as I did the first time, forty days and forty nights; and the LORD heeded me once again: the LORD agreed not to destroy you.

[Moses merited rays of light] only during his third stay on the mountain when he was also instructed concerning the construction of the Tabernacle seeing that he was told to place the second set of Tablets in the Holy Ark (Exodus 25,21). This did not refer to an ark within which to place the shattered first set of Tablets. In fact, according to tradition, seeing that the letters written by G’d on the first set of Tablets had “flown” away, the remnants of those Tablets which were eventually placed in another ark are not referred to as “The testimony,” seeing they did not contain any writing anymore at that point. (compare Pesachim 87) Commencing with 25,8 where G’d says to Moses that He will take up permanent residence in the Tabernacle to be built, the first 2500 years of mankind’s history where G’d was equally accessible anywhere has come to an end, and there would be a centralised form of worship as part of the Jewish religion. Instead of G’d permitting the erection of altars anywhere it pleased man, and His coming to meet man at such sites, (Exodus 20,20) now the roles are reversed and He will be in residence in His palace on earth, and anyone who wishes to pray to Him effectively will have to do this at that Temple. There will be groups of people charged with the sacrificial service in the Temple, the priests, and laymen will not be allowed into the inner sanctum of this Temple at all. This, in short, is the message of Exodus 28,1 “and you (Moses) bring close (To Me) your brother Aaron.” Actually, the tribe of Levi had not yet been selected until after the affair of the golden calf. Moses recalls that event in Deuteronomy 10,8 and the events that had led up to it. In light of all this the fact that Moses spent 40 days and nights on the mountain each time he ascended there is very significant. The stage at which Moses‘ face radiated these rays of light was not achieved until the end of Moses’ third stay on the mountain after he had been commanded to erect the Tabernacle. After the building of the Tabernacle had been completed, as well as the making of the priestly garments, and the incense and oil anointing, Moses revealed the stages that preceded it, telling the people that at the end of the first forty days on the mountains he received the first set of Tablets. Any delay in the carrying out of G’d’s original timetable for these events was not due to G’d delaying His plan but to the conduct of the people in the interval that had forced Him to revise His timetable. Had the episode of the golden calf not intervened, Moses’ second and third stay on the mountain would have been totally superfluous. The episodes described in Exodus 32,7, 33,12 and 34,1 until 34 28-29 were only caused by the repercussions of the sin of the golden calf.

(9) Exactly as I show you—the pattern of the Tabernacle and the pattern of all its furnishings—so shall you make it...

(31) You shall make a lampstand of pure gold; the lampstand shall be made of hammered work; its base and its shaft, its cups, calyxes, and petals shall be of one piece...

(40) Note well, and follow the patterns for them that are being shown you on the mountain.

(1) As for the Tabernacle, make it of ten strips of cloth; make these of fine twisted linen, of blue, purple, and crimson yarns, with a design of cherubim worked into them... (30) Then set up the Tabernacle according to the manner of it that you were shown on the mountain.

(31) You shall make a curtain of blue, purple, and crimson yarns, and fine twisted linen; it shall have a design of cherubim worked into it. (32) Hang it upon four posts of acacia wood overlaid with gold and having hooks of gold, [set] in four sockets of silver. (33) Hang the curtain under the clasps, and carry the Ark of the Pact there, behind the curtain, so that the curtain shall serve you as a partition between the Holy and the Holy of Holies. (34) Place the cover upon the Ark of the Pact in the Holy of Holies. (35) Place the table outside the curtain, and the lampstand by the south wall of the Tabernacle opposite the table, which is to be placed by the north wall. (36) You shall make a screen for the entrance of the Tent, of blue, purple, and crimson yarns, and fine twisted linen, done in embroidery. (37) Make five posts of acacia wood for the screen and overlay them with gold—their hooks being of gold—and cast for them five sockets of copper. (1) You shall make the altar of acacia wood, five cubits long and five cubits wide—the altar is to be square—and three cubits high. (2) Make its horns on the four corners, the horns to be of one piece with it; and overlay it with copper. (3) Make the pails for removing its ashes, as well as its scrapers, basins, flesh hooks, and fire pans—make all its utensils of copper. (4) Make for it a grating of meshwork in copper; and on the mesh make four copper rings at its four corners. (5) Set the mesh below, under the ledge of the altar, so that it extends to the middle of the altar. (6) And make poles for the altar, poles of acacia wood, and overlay them with copper. (7) The poles shall be inserted into the rings, so that the poles remain on the two sides of the altar when it is carried. (8) Make it hollow, of boards. As you were shown on the mountain, so shall they be made.

(9) You shall make the enclosure of the Tabernacle: On the south side, a hundred cubits of hangings of fine twisted linen for the length of the enclosure on that side... (19) all the utensils of the Tabernacle, for all its service, as well as all its pegs and all the pegs of the court, shall be of copper.