February 23, 2023 / 2 Adar, 5783 • Parshat Terumah
Issue 758
Dedicated in loving memory of Mrs. Miriam Friedman

Studying the Tabernacle

You [Moses] shall construct the Mishkan {Tabernacle) in its proper order, as you will have been shown [by Me] on the mountain.

Exodus. 26:30


The purpose of the Tabernacle was to enable and inspire us to reveal G-d's presence in our mundane lives, to make the world into G-d's home. This is no simple task, and one that we cannot accomplish without G-d's help

This is why G-d showed Moses How the Tabernacle was to be erected while he was still on Mount Sinai. Seeing the "celestial" Tabernacle did not only help Moses understand G-d's instructions for its construction; it also enabled Moses to construct the physical Tabernacle in such a way that it would serve its intended purpose, to be a physical resting place for the Divine presence.

Similarly, by studying the construction and operation of the Tabernacle (and its successor, the holy Temple in Jerusalem), we can tap the Divine power that enables us to fulfill our own spiritual potential, transforming our portion of the world into G-d's ultimate home.

—from Daily Wisdom 3