In this week’s Parsha Hashem commands Bnei Yisroel to build the Mishkan.
Why does the Torah tell us that the Mishkan is to be “one”?
The Ibn Ezra states that just as the Shulchan needs every section in order to be complete, so too Hashem’s world needs every component in order to be complete. All of Hashem’s creations that were listed in Breishit contribute to the makeup of the world. Each creation is significant in its own way. Without each creation the world would not be complete.
What are other reasons that the Torah tells us that the mishkan must be “one”? What are other meanings of this commandment?Why is this significant?
The Maharal explains that thirteen is the gematria value of the word "echad". Bnei Yisroel are split into 13 tribes and it represents that we are all one including the tribe of Levy who was separated. All the tripes are united as one under Hashem.
ReplyDeleteHashem brought about the miracles in Egypt not only to punish the Egyptians but also for the Jews to understand who He is - as it says in the pasuk, "And You will know that I am G-d." As a result of the sum total of all the miracles and supernatural events that took place at this time, Hashem revealed to the Jews that He is the Omnipotent Being. All that exists is only a manifestation of His Will. This was demonstrated through the thirteen acts of kindness to communicate to the Jewish people that G-d is Echad.
ReplyDeleteMoshe was taken aback when he was told by Hashem to build the Mishkan for the purpose of having a "dwelling place" among the Jewish people. Moshe asked G-d, "How is it possible that Your Presence can be contained in such a limited location when all existence cannot contain Your Presence?" Hashem responded to Moshe," You concern yourself with your responsibilities (building the Mishkan) and let Me concern Myself with My responsibilities (how to dwell within it)."
The Mishkan was the medium through which G-d had a relationship with every Jew. In order for this special location to accommodate G-d's Presence it was necessary for it to reflect His essence which is unity - Echad. Unity - Echad (One). Thus since Hashem is Echad the number of the materials used to build His dwelling place needed to be numerically echad.
Mr. Uriel Rosenheim brings an interesting point to look at the first times the word “echad” is in the Torah. The first echad refers to the "oneness" of time: “And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night, and the evening and the morning were the first day." The second echad refers to the "oneness" of place: “And God said, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place." And the third echad refers to the "oneness" of man: “Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife, and they shall be one flesh." So the first three instances of oneness in the Torah refer to time, place and man. In those examples, they include the world's creation.
ReplyDeleteHowever, all of these oneness concepts deal with pairs: day-night, water-land and man-woman. So in this sense, the oneness expressed in the story of creation is not a oneness of uniqueness- instead it's a oneness of unification. Hashem’s creation is the unification of opposites- creating a world that is “many” but operating as “one”.
We are commanded to do the same with the Mishkan. In building this mishkan we are unifying the sheets together to create one place for Hashem to live in, one place for us to worship him. But at the same time we cannot forget that this unification doesn't create a oneness that is truly unique, because this oneness can only be attributed to Hashem as it says in Shema, "Shema Israel, HaShem Elokenu, HaShem Echad." As the Rambam taught us, is it a mitzvah to constantly remember that there is only one God and that the characteristic of “unique oneness” is only His.
The Maharal says that thirteen is the numerical value of the word echad (One). This is also the same number that the Jews are made up of. Thirteen tribes- twelve who were given a share in the Land of Israel and one (Levy), which was not. The Maharal explains that the thirteen tribes of the Jewish people reflect the Unity of Hashem (echad). Therefore, what may have seemed like a strange addition to the pasuk, the word "one" actually has a vital lesson.
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ReplyDeleteEchad represents the unity of G-d and the thirteen materials of the Mishkan were the prerequisite for the location to contain Hashem's Presence. Although the Jewish people are comprised of thirteen tribes nevertheless they are one people. The Second Temple was destroyed because of lack of unity among the Jewish people - "sinaas cheenam" (unwarranted hate). In order for the Jewish people to be qualified to be taken as G-d's people at Sinai we needed to be likened to, "one man with one heart." As it is stated in the Torah," They camped at the foot of the mountain." (with "camped" written in the singular). Therefore in order for us to reinstate our intimate relationship with G-d who is Echad and the ultimate redemption, we must become echad - a unified people.
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