VOLUME 119 NUMBER 7
Adar 3, 5786
February 20, 2026
Parshas Terumah
Candlelighting Time 5:24
The Mishkan was an architect’s dream. Everything was measured and ‘clicked’ together perfectly. Tapestries and beautifully woven embroideries adorned the ceiling of the Mishkan. The inner altar was made of pure gold and the draperies that surrounded the external area of the Mishkan were exquisite. The vessels that were contained in the Mishkan was also golden and handcrafted with extreme precision. Perhaps one might question about the need for such a majestic piece of property when the real purpose of the Mishkan was to serve Hashem with the order of sacrificing. Would the caliber of the daily routine be impacted negatively if the Mishkan was not so impressively built. Sforno comments in his explanation to Chumash and in Shir Hashirim that the amount of gold and silver that was employed in the construction of the Mishkan paralleled to the first and second Batei Mikdash was not comparable. Yet the Cloud of Glory hovered over the Mishkan, an obvious display of Hashem’s presence which did not occur with the same intensity by the first Beis Hamikdash and was totally absent by the second. Although their beauty out shown that of the Mishkan, but the Mishkan’s core of spirituality and essence of sanctity was far beyond what they exhibited.
However, still there was an emphasis on the external beauty and workmanship of the Mishkan. Could it have been just as functional and effective were it not for its attention to its aesthetic presentation? The obvious answer is no but the fundamental understanding requires a profound explanation.
The answer is complex and intricate but with a distinct and elemental basis. Nachmonides prefaces that the Mishkan was not simply a fabulous and magnificent structure. It definitively incorporated the very manifestation of Hashem, the Shechinah. The spectacle displayed at Mt. Sinai when the Torah was conveyed to the people was integrated into the very nucleus of the Mishkan. It granted us the incredible potential to relate with Hashem, echoing and denoting that very momentous revelation that we merited at Mt. Sinai. Indeed, the Midrash states that the Mishkan and later the Beis Hamikdash here in this world actually correlate to the elevated Beis Hamikdash which exists esoterically in the dimension of the higher celestial regions. The commentators explain that as the nation donated their valuables of gold, silver and copper, they actually promoted those corporal elements to a level that surpassed their physical limitations. Gold, silver and copper allude to certain characteristics that were implanted in the very essence of the Mishkan. When the people donated these exceptional metals for the erection of the Mishkan it was imbued with energy and dynamism that was unique since the Shechina was residing in the Mishkan.
Additionally, we must realize that not only were the materials utilized in the Mishkan endowing it with unique ability to ‘contain’ the Shechina in its midst but the nature of the donation was extremely instrumental in that process. The people gave their gold, silver and copper with absolute and passionate desire that Hashem would positively ‘dwell’ in the camp. As our Sages eloquently articulate that the Shechina dwells within the recesses of each and every person’s heart and the Mishkan is the external quintessence of that remarkable relationship that we have with Hashem.
A BYTE FOR SHABBOS
Moshe was selected to lead the nation and not Korach despite his extreme wealth. Although Korah donated an inordinate amount for the Mishkan, he assumed that the Shechina present in the nation entitled everyone the same access to the sanctity of the Mishkan and Hashem therefore Moshe need not assume the role of leadership, and that was incorrect. Moshe was head and shoulders about the rest of the nation in his spiritual greatness, as we know that upon his birth a special aura entered the house even though they lived amidst the degradation that existed in Egypt. K’SAV SOFER
GOOD SHABBOS
