Mishkan, Ohel, What??

(ב) בְּיוֹם־הַחֹ֥דֶשׁ הָרִאשׁ֖וֹן בְּאֶחָ֣ד לַחֹ֑דֶשׁ תָּקִ֕ים אֶת־מִשְׁכַּ֖ן אֹ֥הֶל מוֹעֵֽד׃

(2) On the first day of the first month you shall set up the Tabernacle of the Tent of Meeting.

(לב) וַתֵּ֕כֶל כׇּל־עֲבֹדַ֕ת מִשְׁכַּ֖ן אֹ֣הֶל מוֹעֵ֑ד וַֽיַּעֲשׂוּ֙ בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל כְּ֠כֹ֠ל אֲשֶׁ֨ר צִוָּ֧ה יְהֹוָ֛ה אֶת־מֹשֶׁ֖ה כֵּ֥ן עָשֽׂוּ׃ {פ}

Exodus 39:32

(32) Thus was completed all the work of the Tabernacle of the Tent of Meeting. The Israelites did so; just as יהוה had commanded Moses, so they did.

שמות מ׳:ו׳

(ו) וְנָ֣תַתָּ֔ה אֵ֖ת מִזְבַּ֣ח הָעֹלָ֑ה לִפְנֵ֕י פֶּ֖תַח מִשְׁכַּ֥ן אֹֽהֶל־מוֹעֵֽד׃

Exodus 40:6

(6) You shall place the altar of burnt offering before the entrance of the Tabernacle of the Tent of Meeting.

במדבר ט׳:ט״ו

(טו) וּבְיוֹם֙ הָקִ֣ים אֶת־הַמִּשְׁכָּ֔ן כִּסָּ֤ה הֶֽעָנָן֙ אֶת־הַמִּשְׁכָּ֔ן לְאֹ֖הֶל הָעֵדֻ֑ת וּבָעֶ֜רֶב יִהְיֶ֧ה עַֽל־הַמִּשְׁכָּ֛ן כְּמַרְאֵה־אֵ֖שׁ עַד־בֹּֽקֶר׃

Numbers 9:15

(15) On the day that the Tabernacle was set up, the cloud covered the Tabernacle, the Tent of the Pact; and in the evening it rested over the Tabernacle in the likeness of fire until morning.

שמות ל״ח:כ״א

(כא) אֵ֣לֶּה פְקוּדֵ֤י הַמִּשְׁכָּן֙ מִשְׁכַּ֣ן הָעֵדֻ֔ת אֲשֶׁ֥ר פֻּקַּ֖ד עַל־פִּ֣י מֹשֶׁ֑ה עֲבֹדַת֙ הַלְוִיִּ֔ם בְּיַד֙ אִֽיתָמָ֔ר בֶּֽן־אַהֲרֹ֖ן הַכֹּהֵֽן׃

Exodus 38:21

(21) These are the records of the Tabernacle, the Tabernacle of the Pact, which were drawn up at Moses’ bidding—the work of the Levites under the direction of Ithamar son of Aaron the priest.

רש"י על שמות ל״ח:כ״א:ב׳

(ב) המשכן משכן. שְׁנֵי פְעָמִים, רֶמֶז לַמִּקְדָשׁ שֶׁנִּתְמַשְׁכֵּן בִּשְׁנֵי חֻרְבָּנִין עַל עֲוֹנוֹתֵיהֶן שֶׁל יִשְׂרָאֵל (תנחומא):

Rashi on Exodus 38:21:2

(2) המשכן משכן OF THE TABERNACLE, EVEN OF THE TABERNACLE — The word משכן is mentioned here twice in allusion to the Temple that was taken in pledge (משכן) — as it were — (as a security for Israel’s repentance) by being twice destroyed for Israel’s iniquities (Midrash Tanchuma, Pekudei 5).

מדרש תנחומא, פקודי ב׳:ד׳

וְלָמָּה מִשְׁכָּן מִשְׁכָּן שְׁנֵי פְעָמִים. אָמַר רַבִּי שְׁמוּאֵל, שֶׁבֵּית הַמִּקְדָּשׁ עָתִיד לְהִתְמַשְׁכֵּן שְׁנֵי פְּעָמִים, חָרְבַּן רִאשׁוֹן וְחָרְבַּן שֵׁנִי. וּלְפִיכָךְ אָמַר, מִשְׁכָּן שְׁנֵי פְעָמִים.

Midrash Tanchuma, Pekudei 2:4

Why is the word mishkan (“Tabernacle”) repeated (in Exod. 38:21)? R. Samuel said: The Holy One, blessed be He, would in the future seize it (the Temple) twice as a pledge (mashkon); at the time of its first destruction and again at its second destruction. Therefore He repeated the word mishkan.

רש"י על שמות ל״ח:כ״א:ג׳

(ג) משכן העדת. עֵדוּת לְיִשְׂרָאֵל שֶׁוִּתֵּר לָהֶם הַקָּבָּ"ה עַל מַעֲשֵׂה הָעֵגֶל, שֶׁהֲרֵי הִשְׁרָה שְׁכִינָתוֹ בֵּינֵיהֶם:

Rashi on Exodus 38:21:3

(3) משכן העדת THE TABERNACLE OF THE TESTIMONY — The Tabernacle was a testimony to Israel that God had been indulgent to them in respect to the incident of the golden calf, for through the Temple God made God's Shechinah dwell amongst them (Midrash Tanchuma, Pekudei 6).

מדרש תנחומא, פקודי ב׳:ה׳

דָּבָר אַחֵר, מִשְׁכַּן הָעֵדֻת עֵדוּת לְכָל הָאֻמּוֹת שֶׁנִתְרַצָּה הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא לְיִשְׂרָאֵל עַל מַעֲשֵׂה הָעֵגֶל. כֵּיצַד, כְּשֶׁעָשׂוּ אוֹתוֹ מַעֲשֶׂה, עָמַד מֹשֶׁה וְלִמֵּד עֲלֵיהֶם סַנֵּגוֹרְיָא, עַד שֶׁנִּתְרַצָּה לָהֶם הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּחַ הוּא. אָמַר מֹשֶׁה, רִבּוֹנוֹ שֶׁל עוֹלָם, וּמִי מוֹדִיעַ לָאֻמּוֹת שֶׁנִּתְרַצִּיתָ. אָמַר לוֹ: לֵךְ אֱמֹר לָהֶם, וְעָשׂוּ לִי מִקְדָּשׁ וְשָׁכַנְתִּי בְּתוֹכָם (שמות כה, ח). לְכָךְ כְּתִיב מִשְׁכַּן הָעֵדֻת, שֶׁהַמִּשְׁכָּן מֵעִד שֶׁהַשְּׁכִינָה בְּיִשְׂרָאֵל.

Midrash Tanchuma, Pekudei 2:5

Another comment on the Tabernacle of testimony. It bears testimony to all people that the Holy One, blessed be He, 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 He, forgave them. Then Moses cried out: But Master of the Universe, who will make known to the nations that Thou hast forgiven them? He 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.

Rashi's commentary and the connected midrashim add another layer of color to our understanding of the Mishkan. How do we understand it better/differently after exploring this meaning?

חזקוני, שמות ל״ח:כ״א:א׳

(א) אלה פקודי המשכן ואיזה משכן משכן העדת שלא תטעה במשכן אחר, כגון משכן קרח וכיוצא בו, אומר לך כאן שהוא משכן העדת שהלוחות שוכנות בו.

Chizkuni, Exodus 38:21:1

(1) אלה פקודי המשכן, “these are the accounts of the Tabernacle;” which “Tabernacle” does the Torah refer to? “The Tabernacle that is testimony to the covenant between God and Israel, משכן העדות.” Seeing that this is not the only time the Torah used the expression: Mishkan, as it also occurs in Numbers 16:27, when it referred to the mishkan of Korach, as well as several times in the Book of prophets, the Torah wished to be precise beyond doubt. There was never another Tabernacle in which the Holy Ark containing the Tablets was housed.

במדבר ט״ז:כ״ז

(כז) וַיֵּעָל֗וּ מֵעַ֧ל מִשְׁכַּן־קֹ֛רַח דָּתָ֥ן וַאֲבִירָ֖ם מִסָּבִ֑יב וְדָתָ֨ן וַאֲבִירָ֜ם יָצְא֣וּ נִצָּבִ֗ים פֶּ֚תַח אׇֽהֳלֵיהֶ֔ם וּנְשֵׁיהֶ֥ם וּבְנֵיהֶ֖ם וְטַפָּֽם׃

Numbers 16:27

(27) So they withdrew from about the abodes of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram. Now Dathan and Abiram had come out and they stood at the entrance of their tents, with their wives, their adult children, and their little ones.

Is this the same thing as we're talking about in other contexts? Why or why not?

What does Chizkuni's comments add to our understanding of the mishkan?

תהילים כ״ו:ח׳

(ח) יְֽהֹוָ֗ה אָ֭הַבְתִּי מְע֣וֹן בֵּיתֶ֑ךָ וּ֝מְק֗וֹם מִשְׁכַּ֥ן כְּבוֹדֶֽךָ׃

Psalms 26:8

(8) O Adonai, I love Your temple abode,
the dwelling-place of Your glory.

מלכים א ו׳:א׳

(א) וַיְהִ֣י בִשְׁמוֹנִ֣ים שָׁנָ֣ה וְאַרְבַּ֣ע מֵא֣וֹת שָׁנָ֡ה לְצֵ֣את בְּנֵֽי־יִשְׂרָאֵ֣ל מֵאֶֽרֶץ־מִצְרַ֩יִם֩ בַּשָּׁנָ֨ה הָרְבִיעִ֜ית בְּחֹ֣דֶשׁ זִ֗ו ה֚וּא הַחֹ֣דֶשׁ הַשֵּׁנִ֔י לִמְלֹ֥ךְ שְׁלֹמֹ֖ה עַל־יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל וַיִּ֥בֶן הַבַּ֖יִת לַיהֹוָֽה׃

I Kings 6:1

(1) In the four hundred and eightieth year after the Israelites left the land of Egypt, in the month of Ziv—that is, the second month—in the fourth year of his reign over Israel, Solomon began to build the House of the LORD.

The Mishkan was in the desert for 40 years. The Mishkan was then at Gilgal for 14 years, in Shilo for 369 years, in Nov and Givon for 57 years. The total number of years from the Exodus in Egypt to the building of the Temple as described in the book of Kings is 480.

תהילים ע״ח:ס׳

(ס) וַ֭יִּטֹּשׁ מִשְׁכַּ֣ן שִׁל֑וֹ אֹ֝֗הֶל שִׁכֵּ֥ן בָּֽאָדָֽם׃

Psalms 78:60

(60) He forsook the tabernacle of Shiloh,
the tent He had set among men.

This tent was erected in Shiloh, so after the time in the desert. Is this still referring to the Mishkan, or something else?

Plaut Torah Commentary, Pekudei, p. 635
The Wellhausen school considered the Ohel tradition the older and the mishkan passages as retrojections of the P-stratum and therefore as largely unhistorical. Another theory assigned ark and mishkan to a northern and the ohel-moed to a southern source and held that David, by putting the ark into the ohel (II Sam 6:17), united the tribes and traditions and that thereafter the term mishkan ohel-moed was coined. Traditional commentators suggested that the ohel-moed outside the camp was Moses' dwelling, and that in any case it was used only temporarily until the mishkan was set up. No complete resolution of these problems has so far been possible, especially since mishkan and ohel may in fact have been literary equivalents.

מדרש תנחומא, פקודי ד׳:א׳

‎דָּבָר אַחֵר, מִשְׁכַּן הָעֵדֻת. אָמַר רַבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן בֶּן יוֹחַאי, אֵין עֵדוּת אֶלָּא תוֹרָה, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: אֵלֶּה הָעֵדֹת וְהַחֻקִּים וְהַמִּשְׁפָּטִים (דברים ד, מה). מָשָׁל לְמֶלֶךְ שֶׁהָיָה לוֹ בַּת, וּבָנָה לָהּ פַּלְטְרִין וְהוֹשִׁיבָהּ לִפְנִים מִשִּׁבְעָה הֵיכָלִים. הוֹצִיא שֵׁם, כָּל מִי שֶׁיִּכָּנֵס עַל בִּתִּי כְּאִלּוּ הוּא נִכְנָס עָלָי. כָּךְ שְׁנֵי שֵׁמוֹת נִקְרְאוּ לַמִּשְׁכָּן, מִשְׁכַּן הָעֵדֻת, זוֹ תוֹרָה. וּבְמָקוֹם אַחֵר אָמַר, לִפְנֵי מִשְׁכַּן ה' (ויקרא יז, ד) אָמַר הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא, אִם בִּזָּה אָדָם אֶת בִּתִּי, כְּאִלּוּ הוּא מְבַזֶּה לִי. אִם נִכְנַס אָדָם לְבֵית הַכְּנֶסֶת וּבִזָּה אֶת תּוֹרָתִי, כְּאִלּוּ עָלָה וּבִזָּה אֶת כְּבוֹדִי. תֵּדַע לְךָ, אָמַר רַבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן בֶּן יוֹחַאי, כְּשֶׁנִּכְנַס אַנְדְּרִיָּאנוּס לְבֵית הַמִּקְדָּשׁ, הָיָה מְחָרֵף וּמְגַדֵּף. אָמַר דָּוִד, רִבּוֹנוֹ שֶׁל עוֹלָם, כָּךְ הַעֲלֵה עֲלֵיהֶם, כְּאִלּוּ הָיוּ עוֹלִים לָקוֹץ אֲרָזִים וְלַעֲשׂוֹת סֻלָּמוֹת לַעֲלוֹת לָרָקִיעַ וְהָיוּ עוֹלִים, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: יִוָּדַע כְּמֵבִיא לְמָעְלָה בִּסְבָךְ עֵץ קַרְדֻּמּוֹת (תהלים עד, ה), אֶלָּא שֶׁאֵין יְכוֹלִין, וּמַנִּיחִין אוֹתְךָ וּבָאִין עָלֵינוּ, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: אֱלֹהִים, בָּאוּ גוֹיִם בְּנַחֲלָתֶךָ טִמְּאוּ אֶת הֵיכַל קָדְשֶׁךָ וְגוֹ' (תהלים עט, א). וְכָל אֵלּוּ, עַל יְדֵי שֶׁנִּתְמַשְׁכֵּן עַל יָדֵינוּ,

Midrash Tanchuma, Pekudei 4:1

A new vessel filled with old wine. Another explanation of The Tabernacle of the testimony (Exod. 38:21). R. Simeon the son of Yohai said: There is no testimony other than the Torah, as it is said: These are the testimonies, and the statutes, and the ordinances (Deut. 4:45). This may be compared to a king who has a daughter for whom he builds a palace. He sets it in the midst of seven other palaces and then decrees: “Anyone who approaches my daughter will be considered as though he were approaching me.” The Tabernacle was called by two names: The Tabernacle of the testimony, which is the Torah, and elsewhere: A Tabernacle of the Lord (Lev. 17:4). The Holy One, blessed be He, said: Anyone who despises My daughter is considered as though he were despising Me. That is, if a man enters the synagogue and disparages My Torah, it is as though he arose and were disparaging My honor. You know this to be so from the fact that R. Simeon the son of Yohai said: When Hadrian entered the Temple he reviled and blasphemed against God. David said: Master of the world, it should be counted against them as though they had hewn cedars and built ladders in order to ascend into the firmament to wage war against You, as it is said: It seemed as when men wield upwards axes in a thicket of trees (Ps. 74:5). Since they are unable to accomplish this, they turned on You and attacked us, as it said: O God, the heathen are come into Thine inheritance; they have defiled Thy holy temple (Ps. 79:1). All of this transpired because the Temple was seized on account of our sins.

במדבר רבה י״ב:י״ג

(יג) דבר אחר: את המשכן, שהוא שקול כנגד העולם, שקרוי אוהל, כשם שמשכן קרוי אוהל. כיצד? כתיב: בראשית ברא אלהים וגו'. וכתיב (תהלים ק"ד): נוטה שמים כיריעה. ובמשכן כתיב: ועשית יריעות עזים לאוהל על המשכן וגו' כתיב בשני (בראשית א): יהי רקיע ויהי מבדיל וגו'. ובמשכן כתיב: והבדילה הפרוכת לכם. בשלישי, יקוו המים מתחת השמים. ובמשכן, ועשית כיור נחושת וכנו נחושת לרחצה וגו'. ברביעי, יהי מאורות ברקיע השמים. ובמשכן, ועשית מנורת זהב טהור וגו'. בחמישי, ועוף יעופף על הארץ וגו'. ובמשכן, והיו הכרובים פורשי כנפים. בששי, נברא אדם. ובמשכן, ואתה הקרב אליך את אהרן אחיך. בשביעי, כתיב (שם ב): ויכולו השמים וגו'. ובמשכן, ותכל כל עבודת משכן וגו'. בבריאת עולם כתיב: ויברך אלהים. ובמשכן, ויברך אותם. בשביעי, ויכל אלהים. ובמשכן, ויהי ביום כלות משה. בשביעי, ויקדש אותו. ובמשכן, ויקדש אותו הוי, את המשכן:

Bemidbar Rabbah 12:13

Another interpretation: The mishkan which is compared to the world which is called a "tent" just as the mishkan is a tent. How is this so? It is written in scripture, "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth...(Gn 1:1) and also it is written "who spreads out the heavens like a shawl/tent (Heb. yeria') (Ps 104:2). Regarding the Mishkan it is written, "you shall make coverings (Heb. yeriot) of goat's hair for the tent on the tabernacle. It is also written [in Genesis 1:6 for day 2] "Let there be an expanses in the midst of the water, that it may separate water from water" and about the mishkan it is written, "the curtain shall separate for you (between the holy and the holy of holies) (Ex 26:33). For the 3^rd day [of creation] it says "let the water below the sky be gathered into one area (Gn.1:9)" and for the mishkan [it says], "And you shall make a copper laver and a copper stand for washing (Ex.30:18)" On the fourth day [scripture says], "Let there by lights in the expanse of the sky (Gn.1:14)" and for the Mishkan it says, "You shall make a lampstand of pure gold (Ex. 25:31)." For the 5^th day of creation it is written, "And the birds that fly above the earth (Gn.1:20) and the mishkan says, "The cherubim shall have their wings spread out above (Ex. 25:20). On the 6^th day the human being was created. And in the mishkan [narrative it states] bring near Aaron your brother (Ex. 28:1). On the 7^th day [of creation] it is written, "the heavens and the earth and all their array were finished (Gn. 2:1)" and about the mishkan [it is written], "All the work of the mishkan was finished." In the story of creation it is written "And God blessed [the 7^th day]" and [regarding the mishkan] it is written "And Moses blessed them (Ex. 39:43)." On the 7^th day [of creation it is written] "And God finished" and for the Mishkan "On the day that Moses finished setting up the Mishkan (Num. 7:1). On the 7^th day, "God sanctifies it (Gn. 2:3)" similarly for the Mishkan!

This midrash connects the Mishkan to the word tent, and also connects our mishkan to the creation of the world. In Plaut (p. 635) we find a similar explanation:

"The sanctuary was part of God's all-encompassing as well as contracting structure of holiness: it proceeded from God to the creation and from there to Israel, and within the people from the mishkan and its court to the inner tent and the Holy of Holies. See Midrash Tanchmua, Pekudei 2:3 for more. Also see Plaut on the same page for further elucidation of the connection between creation and the mishkan.