Shabbat Shalom: Hashem's Resting Place

From our weekly bulletin, by Danielle Goldstein.

Parshat Terumah begins the final chapters of Sefer Shemot in which Hashem commands Moshe to build the Mishkan as a resting place for Hashem's presence. This "home" is the place that B'nei Yisrael will come to in order to serve Hashem and sanctify his name. One of the most controversial and important ideas regarding the Mishkan comes up in this parsha. The main machloket amongst the Mefarshim regarding the Mishkan is the question of its necessity within the Jewish Camp.

Rashi, Sforno, and others maintain that there was never supposed to be a physical temple in which the Jews would go to serve Hashem. They explain that the only reason Moshe was commanded to build this physical structure was because after the sin of the Golden Calf, it was clear that the Jews were unable to serve Hashem with out some sort of physical manifestation. Had things gone according to plan, the Jewish people would have remained on a very high spiritual level and would be able to serve Hashem from anywhere.

Ramban and others completely disagree and they believe that the Mishkan was a necessary part of Jewish life and that it was Hashem's will to have this structure created as his dwelling place. This school of thought feels that the great redemption from Mitzraim would not have been complete without it culmination in the building of the Mishkan. This is because once Hashem took them out of Egypt and B'nei Yisrael accepted the Torah at Har Sinai they were ready for the permanent and central rallying point of their Jewish lives.

This Temple, which would be in the center of the Jewish camp, would be the place in which all Jews would gather to bring offerings to Hashem and serve him wholeheartedly.

Whether one believes that the Mishkan was not supposed to be built until the sin of the golden calf, or you believe that it was always the way in which B'nei Yisrael were supposed to serve Hashem, it is something that we are still lacking today. Although it is hard for us living so many years later to understand the kedusha of the Mishkan, we pray three times a day for the rebuilding of this holy Sanctuary. May we be zoche to see the building of the third Beit Hamikdash speedily in our day!