"And they shall make me a Temple- so that I may
dwell among them."
Pinchas Leiser
(translated by Janine Muller)
In Psalms (115:16), we read: "The heavens are God's, but the earth He has
given
to humankind". We are told that the Kotzker Rebbe (Rabbi Menachem Mendel of
Kotzk) was wont to interpret the latter half of this message according to
the drash:
".....but the earth He has given to human beings to tranfrom it into heaven".
Thus, in Parshat Yitro, we find that the Revelation on Mount Sinai
ends with the commandment of building an altar of earth. Rashi, following in
the tradition
of the Rabbis in the Mechilta, explains the juxtaposition of Parshat Yitro
to Parshat
Mishpatim in this manner: "Why does the section that deals with judicial
cases(Mishpatim)
immediately follow the passage that deals with the altar? To teach that you
should put the
Sanhedrin (the High Court) adjacent to the Temple." The Institutions of
Justice, according
to this approach, are an inextricable part of the temple, and historically,
the High Court in
Jerusalem was, in fact, situated in the section of the temple known as
"lishkat hagazit".
(or "The Chamber of Hewn Stone"). From this juxtaposition we learn that it
is impossible
to conceive of the existence of ritual in the absence of a judicial system.
A similar connection exists between the last passages of "Mishpatim" (24:
16-17)
"And the glory of God rested on Mount Sinai and the cloud enveloped the mountain
for six days, and God called to Moses on the seventh day from within the cloud
and the appearance of the glory of God was like a consuming fire at the peak of
the mountain before the eyes of Israel", to the passage in chapter 28:8,
"And they
shall make Me a temple so that I may dwell among them". We see here that
the glory
of God resting on Mount Sinai, that is revealed to Moses alone, passes from the
"heavens" to the "mountain", and from the "mountain" to the temple, which
was built
through the donations of the people of Israel, "from every man whose heart will
motivate him".
The textual and conceptual question that arises from this passage is:
What is the connection between the first half of the passage, ("And they
shall make
Me a temple") and the second half of the passage, ("so that I may dwell
among them")?
On the surface, it would seem from this passage, that we are obligated to
construct
a temple for God. Rashi, however, specifies in his interpretation that it
means that we
should make a "house of sanctity dedicated to my name", lest we think that
what we
build will automatically become a holy sanctuary wherein God dwells. We are
able to
fulfill this commandment to construct a temple only if the following two
conditions are
met: that we have the proper intentions ("to My name") and that we proceed
to build
according to the specific dimensions outlined in the Torah. The second half
of the
passage, "so that I may dwell among them" is contingent upon our fulfillment
of the
first half of the passage. However, it is still unclear whether our
fulfillment of the first
half of the passage guarantees that God will fulfill His role (and dwell in
our midst)
or whether it merely enables God to do connect to us in this manner. In any
case, it
is important that we understand the connection between our actions and the
possibility
for the glory of God or the "Shechina" revealing itself in our world, or in
the words
of the Kotzker Rebbe: "how we can transform the heaven into earth".
The Rabbis ("Avot de Rabbi Natan" 11:1) view human effort as a necessary
precondition for God revealing His presence in the world and condemn
idleness (as casting
God away) In their words: "The Holy One Blessed be He Himself likewise did
not cause
his Shechina to rest upon Israel before they did work, as it is written
(Shmot 25): "And
they shall make for me a temple, so that I may dwell among them". Rabbi
Yehuda ben
Betaira says: "What should one do who is not preoccupied with work? If he has
a neglected yard or field, he should go and occupy himself with it as it says:
"For six days you may labour and do all your work". Why is it written "And
do all your
work?" (Apparently, this statement appears redundant). So that he who
has neglected yards or fields should occupy himself with them. Rabbi Tarfon
says:
"A man only dies only through idleness, as it is said (Bereishit 49) "And he
expired
and was gathered unto his people." (Gen. 49: 33)
In the Mechilta, the Rabbis take a different approach to explaining the
importance of work, (Mechilta, Parshat Bo, Masechet D'Pascha: 16): "And
they shall
make Me a temple" Why is this written (i.e. Why is this commandment
necessary?) For it
has already been written: "The Heavens and the earth I fill". So how can it
be that "they
shall make Me a temple" (since my Presence encompasses the heavens and the
earth)? In
order to grant an award for the doing! Thus the Divine presence does not
among us as a
result of the mere construction of the temple, for God's presence fills the
entire heaven
and earth("There is no place devoid of His presence"). We are commanded to
build a
temple and to perform other mitzvot in order to earn a reward for fulfilling
them.
Professor Nechama Leibowitz, of blessed memory, in her "New Studies
in Shemot", presents an overview of the classic commentaries on the tabernacle
(the Mishkan) and includes the commentary of the "Tzeida Laderech" who draws
our attention to the precise wording of our text: "And let them make Me a
santuary
that I may dwell among them"--The text does not say "that I may dwell in its
midst " (be-tocho) but "among them" (be-tocham), to teach you that the Divine
Presence does not rest on the sanctuary by virtue of the sanctuary but by
the virtue
of Israel "for they are the temple of the Lord."
Furthermore, Nechama Leibovitz poses the question asked in the Mechilta
in the name of the Abarbanel:"Why did God command us regarding the construction
of the tabernacle saying: "I shall dwell among them", as if he were a corporeal
being limited in space---which is the opposite of the truth, for He is not
corporeal
and is not related to space. Of Him it is said in Isaiah (66:1): "The heaven
is My
throne and the earth My footstool---where is the house that you may build for
Me? and where is the place of My rest?" King Solomon likewise said: "Behold,
the heavens and highest heavens cannot contain You and surely not the Temple
that I have built!"
Abarbanel answers his question thus: "God desired the construction of
the temple and its vessels so that people would not come to believe that "God
has abandoned the earth"...and that His throne is in the heavens far from
humanity.
In order to remove this mistaken belief from their hearts, God commanded that
Israel construct for Him a tabernacle as if he were dwelling among them so
that they would believe that the living God is in their midst and that His
Presence rests upon them. And that is the essential message emerging
from several similar passages, "And I shall dwell in the midst of
Israel"..."And
I will walk in their midst..."...He who dwells in the midst of their
impurity"...
all of which are metaphors for the Divine presence resting upon Israel
and Providence binding Itself to them.
It would seem that the allegorical approach of the Abarbanel is close
to that of the Mechilta (mentioned above) that views the tabernacle as a
concrete
structure required by man in order to deepen his relationship with God. In this
way, one can view this commentary as following in the tradition of those who
maintain that the sin of the Golden Calf preceded the building of the
tabernacle,
and that the tabernacle itself was God's concession to the human need for
concrete symbols in relating to the Divine.
Rabbi Shimshon Raphael Hirsh introduces his commentary on the building
of the temple with these words:
"The meaning of "So that I may dwell among them" extends far beyond the
actual resting of God's presence on the tabernacle itself but emerges from
His covenant with the people of Israel, which is expressed through His
safeguarding
and blessing of individuals and of the community as a whole.
Moreover, God does not rest His presence, protection and blessings upon us as
a result of our meticulous construction of the Temple alone but rather
as a consequence of our maintaining lives of holiness in the private and public
spheres. Thus we find historically that God removed his Shechinah (presence)
from the tabernacle at Shiloh and from both of the temples in Jerusalem once
the people of Israel ceased to conduct themselves as a holy people and
specifically
transgressed the three most serious sins of idol worship, sexual immorality and
murder.
Nevertheless, according to the text "I will dwell among them" will come
only on the condition that "They will make Me a temple". Therefore, we
must explain
"mikdash" or "temple" as a concept that includes within it the necessary
preconditions
for the resting of the Shechinah upon Israel, as promised. The verse: "And
they shall
make Me a temple so that I may dwell among them" includes two concepts for which
the actual building of the Temple will be their symbolic expression. The
concepts
are: "Mikdash" and "Mishkan". "Mikdash" expresses the totality of the tasks
that we
must fulfill in the service of God; "Mishkan" conveys the rewards that we will
achieve through the fulfillment of our duties. "Mikdash" points towards the
sanctification of our private and public lives in the service of God on the
altar
of His Torah, while "Mishkan" conveys the presence of God that will be
designated for us and revealed through God's blessings of prosperity. The
"Tent of
Meeting" is the "Mikdash", the place of holiness, while the "Mishkan" is
the place in
which God brings His presence close to us".
The Rabbis, who lived after the destruction of the Second Temple and
faced the challenge of developing a life of the spirit in the absence of a
physical temple
commented: "From the day that the temple was destroyed, God only exists within
the "four amot" of halacha".
(Berachot: 8:71)
It is possible to see these "four amot" as restrictive and confining if we
relate to them in the technical sense alone. However, these same four amot
can also encompass an entire world, if we demand of ourselves, in the spirit of
Rabbi Hirsch and the "Tzeida La'derech", to view every aspect of our
lives--and all
our interactions with others, with our children, our peers, our colleagues-- as
opportunities for creating a "temple", for infusing our lives with a holiness,
that has the ability to transform, in the words of the Kotzker Rebbe, our earth
into heaven.
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