Illustration Credit: Dov Smiley
Commentary פַּרְשָׁנוּת
וְעָ֥שׂוּ לִ֖י מִקְדָּ֑שׁ וְשָׁכַנְתִּ֖י בְּתוֹכָֽם׃
They will make Me a mikdash (holy place)
and I will dwell be-tokham (in them).
Our פַּרְשָׁנִים (parshanim, commentators) wonder: If this pasuk is talking about the mikdash, wouldn’t it make more sense for it to say that God will dwell בְּתוֹכוֹ (be-tokho, in it)—in singular? Why does it say be-tokham, in plural?
וַדַּאי עִקַּר עִנְיַן הַקּוֹדֶשׁ וְהַמִּקְדָּשׁ, וּשְׁרִיַּת שְׁכִינָתוֹ יִתְבָּרַךְ, הוּא הָאָדָם, שֶׁאִם יִתְקַדֵּשׁ עַצְמוֹ כָּרָאוּי, בְּקִיּוּם הַמִּצְווֹת כֻּלָּן... אָז הוּא עַצְמוֹ הַמִּקְדָּשׁ מַמָּשׁ, וּבְתוֹכוֹ ה' יִתְבָּרַךְ שְׁמוֹ...
וּכְמַאֲמָרָם זִכְרוֹנָם לִבְרָכָה "וְשָׁכַנְתִּי בְּתוֹכָם" - בְּתוֹכוֹ לֹא נֶאֱמַר אֶלָּא בְּתוֹכָם.
Certainly the main idea of the mikdash and God’s presence having a place in the world is about people. If people make themselves holy through observing all the mitzvot…then they themselves can actually become a mikdash, and God will dwell inside them…
This is what the Sages meant when they explained “I will dwell be-tokham (in them)”—it’s that God will dwell in them (the people), not just in it (the mikdash).
וְשָׁכַנְתִּי בְּתוֹכָם – וְלֹא אָמַר "בְּתוֹכוֹ" לוֹמַר שֶׁהַמָּקוֹם אֲשֶׁר יַקְדִּישׁוּ לְשַׁכְּנוֹ יִהְיֶה בְּתוֹךְ בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל שֶׁיַּקִּיפוּ הַמִּשְׁכָּן בד' דְּגָלִים.
The Torah says that God will dwell be-tokham (in them), and not be-tokho (in it). This teaches us that the place that they sanctify for God’s presence should be within Benei Yisrael. It should be surrounded by the four camps of Benei Yisrael.
- Where exactly is God’s presence—according to the Nefesh Ha-Hayyim, and according to the Or Ha-Hayyim?
- Consider the Nefesh Ha-Hayyim: How could the mishkan help people to achieve the goal of having God dwell inside them?
- Consider the Or Ha-Hayyim: What kinds of things do people need near their homes? Can you think of things in your neighborhood that are practical, fun, interesting, or serve other purposes? According to this pasuk, what is supposed to be in the center of our communities?
- As you learn more about the mishkan, what do you notice in the Torah that supports each way of understanding be-tokham?
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