21These are the numbers of the Mishkan, the Mishkan of the Testimony, which were counted at Moses' command; [this was] the work of the Levites under the direction of Ithamar, the son of Aaron the Kohen.
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כאאֵלֶּה פְקוּדֵי הַמִּשְׁכָּן מִשְׁכַּן הָעֵדֻת אֲשֶׁר פֻּקַּד עַל פִּי משֶׁה עֲבֹדַת הַלְוִיִּם בְּיַד אִיתָמָר בֶּן אַהֲרֹן הַכֹּהֵן:
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In the very beginning of parshat vyakel we see these pasukim which is talking about the mishcan Moshe says Mishcan twice one right after the other. But why? Why does Moshe say it twice?
Rashi answers that it is an allusion to the fact that the bet hamkidash will be destroyed two times.
What are other explantions to why the mishkan is written twice?
Are there other places in the torah that also allude to the destruction of the bet hamikdash?
The Ibin Ezra says that Mishkan is repeated because the first refers to the actual building and the second refers to the Aron which served as a "home" for the the Tablets. Rabbeinu Bacheiyeh gives another answer which is that just as the world exists as a balance of Divine Mercy and Divine Judgment, the Mishkan served two purposes as well. One was from Betzalel, who was from Shevet Yehuda, which is associated with Mercy, while one was from Ohaliav, from Shevet Dan, associated with Judgement.
ReplyDeleteIt has been suggested that when Moshe sewed together the scrolls of the Torah he accidentally sewed in the same scroll twice. This is supposed to explain the repetition of the Mishkan passages. This suggestion, however, is not acceptable. First of all, Moshe was not a clumsy fool, which is what someone would have to be to do that. Even if he did sew in two copies of the same scroll, would he not have noticed it later and removed it? If he had two copies, he must have needed the second for some reason, probably for another Torah. He would certainly have realized that he was missing the passages of the Mishkan for the second Torah and realized that there were two in the first Torah. Also, when reading through the first Torah he would have noticed the repetition as well. Besides this, the two passages are not exactly the same. As we will see later, there are significant differences that explain the repetition.
ReplyDeleteRashi says in the name of the Midrash that the word “Mishkan” is repeated twice as a hint to the Beit Hamikdash, which was taken as a pledge in the two destructions for the sins of the Jewish people. But how does the word “Mishkan” hint at the Beit Hamikdash? The Rabbeinu BeChayei says that the first Beit Hamikdash lasted for a total of 410 years and the second Beit Hamikdash lasted 420 years. The word "Mishkan" has the numerical value of 410 and the word "HaMishkan" has the numerical value of 415. If we add five to the numerical value for the five letters of the word, we have 420.
ReplyDeleteRabbi Shimon Ben yochai says that the "double Mishkan' mimics how the creation of the world was written in the Torah. On:
ReplyDeleteday 1) God created the heavens and the earth and he spread the heavens like a curtain
and on:
day 7)he finished Heaven and Earth
God mentions heaven and earth at the beginning and conclusion of the creation of the world showing its completion. So too, it says "Mishkan" twice to show its similarity to the creation of the world.
Iben Ezra: The first time it says Mishkan is talking about the physical building and the second time it says Mishkan refers to the Aron which was the permanent place where the Luchot rested.
ReplyDeleteRabbi Mordechai Kornfeld says that Mishkan is repeated two times to show the love that Hashem has for Bnei Yisreol. Then Rabbi Kornfeld brings in proof with the story of Eliezer from Bereishit, when Eliezer goes to find Yizchack a wife. This story is repeated twice in the Torah to show that Hashem loves Benei Yisroel more than anything.
ReplyDelete