Of Parts and Pieces: The Instructions and Assembly of the Mishkan
Parshat HaShavua
Yeshivat Har Etzion
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PARASHAT VAYAKHEL-PEKUDEI
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In loving memory of Rabbi Lawrence J Hordes z"l, dedicated by his family.
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Of Parts and Pieces:
The Instructions
and Assembly of the Mishkan
By Rav Chanoch Waxman
I
Sefer Shemot
closes with the assembly of the Mishkan. After God
commands Moshe to set up the Mishkan and instructs him
with regard to the order of its assembly (40:1-16), the Torah reports that
Moshe accomplished the divine command.
And it
was in the first month in the second year, on the first day of the month, the Mishkan was erected. (40:17)
In apparent emphasis of Moshe's
faithful accomplishment of God's instructions, the Torah continues to detail
Moshe's carrying out of God's instructions. Following the verse above, it
presents eight mini-parashiyot, each detailing the
assembly by Moshe of some part of the Mishkan
mentioned in the original instructions section (40:1-16) and each bracketed by masoretic text breaks known as "stumot"
(40:17-33). Each of the first seven sections ends with the refrain, "just
as God had commanded Moshe," and the eighth ends with the claim that,
"Moshe finished the work" (40:33). The point cannot be missed. Moshe,
ever the faithful servant, has fulfilled God's word to a T. He has not missed a
step.
At this point, after the
"instructions" and "accomplishment" sections of the
narrative, we arrive at what might be thought of as the third stage in the
process of assembling the Mishkan: the divine aspect,
the descent of God's presence onto the Mishkan.
Then a
cloud covered the Mishkan and the glory of the Lord
filled the Mishkan. And Moshe was not able to enter
the Tent of Meeting, because the cloud rested upon it, and the glory of the
Lord filled the Mishkan. And when the cloud rose from
upon the Mishkan, the Children of Israel went onward
in their journeys: but if the cloud did not rise, they did not set out until
the day it rose. For the cloud of the Lord was upon the Mishkan
by day, and fire by night, in the view of all the
house of
As Rashbam points out (40:35), God descends to inaugurate and
sanctify the newly built Mishkan with His very
presence.
If so, we might think of the
penultimate chapter of Sefer Shemot,
the story of the assembly of the Mishkan, as
possessing a simple linear structure. This can be mapped as follows:
Section
One (40:1-16) - the instructions
Section
Two (40:17-33) - the accomplishment
Section
Three (40:34-38) - the public descent of the divine presence and divine
sanctification of the newly completed Mishkan.
However,
things are not as simple as they appear.
II
The "command-execution" relationship outlined above -
"instructions" (40:1-16) and "accomplishment" (40:17-33) -
leads to a very simple expectation. Everything that happens in the
"instructions" should happen again in the "accomplishment."
This expectation gains strength from some of the phrases and literary devices
utilized in the "accomplishment" section, such as the reference to
Moshe "finishing the work" (40:33) and the seven-fold refrain of
"just as God had commanded him."
Moreover, the eight mini-parashiyot,
each describing the assembly of a particular vessel or structure in the Mishkan, parallel in number, content and order the
eight verses that command the assembly of the vessels and structures of the Mishkan (40:1-8). Finally, the overall
"instructions" section closes with a forward-looking verse that
serves as a transition to the upcoming "accomplishment" section.
And Moshe
did in accord with ALL that the Lord had commanded him, so he did. (40:16)
This brings us to the nub of the
matter. For those who have been following the numbers, the
"instructions" section contains seven verses (40:9-15) that find no
parallel in the "accomplishment" section. A quick glance at the text
yields the following. After God commands Moshe about assembling the structure
and vessels of the Mishkan (40:1-8), He commands him
to anoint the various parts of the Mishkan and
thereby sanctify them (40:9-11). At this point, God commands Moshe regarding
the preparation of the priests, including bringing them to the door of the tent
of meeting, washing them, dressing them and anointing them for divine service
(40:12-15). None of this is mentioned in the "accomplishment"
section! The following chart should illustrate the problem:
|
Moshe's Task |
Instructions |
Accomplishment |
|
Assembly of structure and vessels |
40:1-8 |
40:17-33 |
|
Anointing and Sanctification |
40:9-11 |
? |
|
Preparation, anointing and sanctification of priests |
40:12-15 |
? |
While much space is given to the physical arranging of the Mishkan, no mention is made of the procedures necessary for
its actual operation. This leads to the following dilemma. If Moshe did not
carry out the commands of sanctification and priest-preparation at this point,
why does the Torah emphasize that Moshe did "according to all that God
commanded him" (40:16)? Alternatively, if he did carry out the
sanctification and priest preparation at this point, why does the Torah omit
them from the "accomplishment" narrative of Chapter Forty?
The mystery of the missing
sanctification and priest-preparation accomplishment sections should help us
uncover another problem with the structure and story line of Chapter Forty. Let
us take a look at the first time that the Torah mentions priest preparation and
arrangements for the daily functioning of the Mishkan.
Back in Parashat
Tetzave the Torah detailed the process of "miluim," the ordaining or consecration of Aharon and his sons. Besides involving various sacrifices
over a seven-day period, the process of sanctification also involves Moshe
preparing Aharon and his sons in a very particular
way (see 29:1). God commands Moshe to bring them to the door of the tent of
meeting, wash them, dress them and anoint them (29:4-9). In other words, here
we have the identical instructions once again given in Chapter Forty and
omitted from the "accomplishment" section at the end of the book.
The lengthy instructions in Chapter
Twenty-nine - regarding the "miluim"
process, the process of priest-preparation, sanctification and transition to
daily operation of the Mishkan - end with the orders
for daily sacrifices at the door of the Tent of Meeting and the following
proclamation by God:
This
shall be a regular burnt offering throughout the generations, at the entrance
of the Tent of Meeting before the Lord… And there I will meet with the Children
of Israel, and it shall be sanctified by My glory. And
I will sanctify the Tent of Meeting, and the altar, and Aharon
and his sons I will sanctify to serve Me. And I will
dwell among the Israelites and I will be their God. And they shall know that I
am the Lord their God who brought them out of
Apparently, the presence of God in
His house, the "dwelling of the glory of God" in the Tent of Meeting,
depends upon the daily functioning of the Mishkan. As
a consequence of priestly activity and sacrifices, God's "glory"
appears at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting, sanctifies the tent,
"meets" with the Children of Israel and dwells amongst them. This
constitutes the message of Chapter Twenty-nine.
In fact, chapters Eight and Nine of Sefer Vayikra, which recount the
eventual accomplishment of "parashat ha-miluim," confirm this point. Chapter Eight details the
bringing of Aharon and his sons to the Tent of
Meeting and the other details of priest-preparation and sanctuary
sanctification (see 8:1-13). In completing the story, Chapter Nine concludes
with the appearance of the "glory of God" in front of all the people
at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting and God's fiery consumption of a
sacrifice (9:23-24).
All of this should lead us to
question our assumptions about the end of Sefer Shemot. Previously, it seemed obvious that section three of
Chapter Forty, the filling of the newly erected Mishkan
by the glory of God (40:34-38), constituted the natural consequence and
culmination of setting up the Mishkan. God's purpose
in commanding the building of the Mishkan was to
dwell amongst the Israelites (see 25:8). Alternatively, the event comprised an
act of divine sanctification of the newly constructed sanctuary (Rashbam). However, as of now, all of this seems difficult.
The meeting between God and
In other words, what is the purpose
of the public divine revelation at the end of Sefer Shemot? If it is not about fulfilling the expectations of
"parashat miluim"
and the transition from preparation to operation, what is it about? If the theophany is not for the purpose of sanctifying and
inaugurating the Tent of Meeting, what is the purpose of this unusual public
revelation?
III
The solution to our dual problem, the problem of the missing priest-preparation
and sanctification "accomplishment" sections, and the problem of the
nature of the divine revelation that closes Sefer Shemot, may lie in a close analysis of the literary
structure of the third section of Chapter Forty. Previously, we defined this
section as the public descent of the divine presence, and divine sanctification
of the newly completed Mishkan. The second half of
this definition clearly needs some work. Let us return to the text.
Then a
cloud covered the Mishkan and the glory of the Lord
filled the Mishkan. And Moshe was not able to enter
the Tent of Meeting, because the cloud rested upon it, and the glory of the
Lord filled the Mishkan. And when the cloud rose from
upon the Mishkan, the Children of Israel went onward
in their journeys: but if the cloud did not rise they did not set out until the
day it rose. For the cloud of the Lord was upon the Mishkan
by day, and fire by night, in the view of all the
house of
As argued above, no mention is made
of divine sanctification of the Mishkan. Moreover, in
place of this "expected" sentence, we are informed of the strange
fact that Moshe could not enter the tent, an altogether unexpected situation
(40:35).
To add to the perplexity, the Torah terminates its discussion of the
Moshe, Mishkan and cloud situation on the day that
the Mishkan was set up. In a radical shift of place,
time and theme, the Torah digresses to another Mishkan
and cloud context. It elaborates on the travel arrangements of the Children of
Israel during their wanderings in the desert. God signaled
them to journey onwards by raising the cloud, which appeared to the eyes of
Realizing that these last three closing verses of Sefer
Shemot are more appropriate for the story of
"travel arrangements," the story of Bemidbar
9:15-23 that prefaces the Israelites' first journey from Sinai,
should highlight this point. Bemidbar teaches the
following:
And on the
day the Mishkan was erected, the cloud covered the Mishkan, the Tent of the Testimony, and at evening there
was upon the Mishkan the appearance of fire, until
the morning. So it was always: the cloud covered it by day, and the appearance
of fire by night. And when the cloud rose from upon the Mishkan,
then the Children of
Just as at the end of Shemot a cloud covered the Mishkan
on the day it was erected (40:17, 34), so too according to Bemidbar
9:15, a cloud covered the Mishkan on the day it was
erected. However, in Bemidbar, a story concerned with
traveling, the ensuing discussion of the cloud and
fire seen by the Israelites and the rising cloud signal constitutes a natural
continuation of the reference to the cloud of the first day. By contrast, in Shemot, the cloud, fire and signal passages seem a bizarre
digression, an inexplicable foreshadowing of a passage and journey that will
not take place until deep into Sefer Bemidbar.
Finally, a quick glance at the
beginning of Vayikra should complement the argument
above. Sefer Vayikra opens
with God calling Moshe.
And the
Lord called to Moshe, and spoke to him from the Tent of Meeting. (Vayikra 1:1)
As
pointed out by most commentaries (see Ibn Ezra and Seforno 1:1), God's unusual act of summoning Moshe picks up
on the fact that Moshe was prevented from entering the Tent of Meeting at the
very end of Shemot (40:35). Consequently, God summons
Moshe and invites him in (Ibn Ezra). If so, the last
three verses of Sefer Shemot,
the story of the cloud signal and vision of cloud and fire, constitute not just
a shift in time and space, a foreshadowing of later events, but a parenthetical
comment, a deliberate disruption in the flow of the text. What are we to make
of this? Is the Torah attempting a literary flourish, a high note on which to
finish the book?
In fact, this deliberate digression
creates an intricate parallel between the end of Sefer
Shemot and an earlier part of the book. Let us
consider another end in Sefer Shemot,
the last verses in the story of Sinai.
And Moshe
went up onto the mountain and the cloud covered the mountain. And the glory of
the Lord dwelled upon
This last Sinai scene, Moshe's
ascent to receive "the tablets of stone, the Torah and commandments"
(24:12), may be thought of as consisting of the following five elements:
1)
Moshe acts alone (see 24:12-15).
2)
God's glory embodied in a cloud covers the mountain and dwells upon it.
3)
Moshe is held back. He cannot enter and must await the divine summons.
4)
God calls Moshe and Moshe enters to be with God.
5)
The Children of
The point should be relatively clear. These are the five elements
present in our story, the seam between Sefer Shemot and Sefer Vayikra. Just as Moshe acted alone at
Sinai, so too he assembles the Mishkan, seemingly
unaided (see 40:17, 33). Just as the cloud of God's glory covered and
dwelled upon the mountain, so too the cloud of God's glory covered and dwelled
in the Mishkan (40:34-35). Just as Moshe was held
back at Sinai, and only entered when called by God, so too here he cannot enter
the area of God's glory until summoned by God (40:38, Vayikra
1:1). Finally, by virtue of the "digression" foreshadowing their
travels, the Children of Israel are depicted as seeing the Mishkan
enveloped in cloud and fire, just as at Sinai.
All our questions about the
structure and story line of the third section of Chapter Forty should be
answered. Moshe's inability to enter the Mishkan
should no longer surprise us and the shift of the last three verses should no
longer shock us. The Torah arranges the events and verses to remind us of Sinai.
The Sefer ends not with a mere literary flourish, but
with a reminder of Sinai, a deliberate echoing of Moshe's ascent to receive the
stone tablets, Torah and commandments.
IV
To close the circle, let us return
to the questions raised earlier: the problem of the missing priest-preparation
and sanctification "accomplishment" sections, and the problem of the
nature of the divine revelation that seals Sefer Shemot.
Hopefully, our analysis has
uncovered the fact that the "dwelling" of the divine presence in the
Tent of Meeting constitutes a complex and multifaceted phenomenon. On the one
hand, it constitutes a means of immanent connection to God. Through the service
of the priests, the sacrifices, the consumption of the sacrifices by signs of
the divine presence, and the overall structure of the House of God, the Mishkan provides an almost material meeting between God and
All of this should help us resolve
our outstanding problems. Quite simply, the end of Shemot
is concerned with Mishkan as Sinai rather than Mishkan as a place of meeting (entailing priests and
sacrifices). As such, the end of Shemot is carefully
structured to emphasize the Sinai-Mishkan parallel.
As such, the last chapter of Shemot fails to mention
the inauguration of the priests, the sanctification of the sanctuary and the
transition to standard functioning.
To close, I would like to argue that
the emphasis on Mishkan as Sinai, i.e. communication
and covenant, as opposed to Mishkan as sanctuary,
i.e. a religious technology for meeting with God comprised of priests, cult and
atonement, constitutes a fitting end for Sefer Shemot. As Ramban famously
emphasizes, the overarching theme of the Book of Shemot
is redemption. But, of course, redemption constitutes more than just a physical
state. Not until the Israelites stood at Sinai, heard God's word and entered
into a covenant with Him, were they both physically and spiritually redeemed.
Hence, the end of Shemot, the Book of Redemption,
harks back to Sinai and reminds us that the spiritual redemption of Sinai was
not an isolated moment in time for the Children of Israel. It was captured and
continued in the Mishkan, the portable Sinai.
FOR
FURTHER STUDY
The shiur
above has followed the opinion of Ibn Ezra that the
events of Chapter Forty all take place on the first day of the eight days of miluim. In other words, the miluim
process began on the first day of the first month (Nisan). Ramban
disagrees and adopts the rabbinic position maintaining that the eighth day of
the "miluim" process coincided with the
first day of the first month, the day Moshe was commanded to set up the Mishkan (40:1, 17). On this reading, the miluim process began on the twenty-third of Adar. The
events of Chapter Forty more or less take place on the eighth day of the miluim. This disagreement, the proofs and counterproofs,
deserve further investigation.
1)
See Bemidbar 7:1. Reread Shemot
40:1, 17. What seems to be the relationship between the two verses and the
simple explanation of Bemidbar 7:1? Read Ramban 40:2. How does he interpret Bemidbar
7:1?
2)
Read Vayikra 8:33-9:1 and Bemidbar
7:1-3, 11. Try to work out the reason for the position of Chazal
and Ramban that moves the beginning of the miluim back to the twenty-third of Adar. See Ibn Ezra's discussion of the overlap between the miluim and chag ha-matzot in his comments to 40:2. Take a look at Shemot 13:5-6. Might Ibn Ezra be
correct?
3)
Read Ramban on 40:17. Can we view his dating
as a response to some of the problems discussed in the shiur?
Does his dating fully resolve these problems? Reread Vayikra
9:22-24. What constitutes the problem in viewing 40:34-38 as occurring on the
eight day of the miluim?
4)
See Bemidbar 7:89 and Vayikra
1:1. Read Rashi, Shemot
40:35. Did Moshe enter the Tent of Meeting freely or only when invited by God?
Are the events of 40:34-36 an exception or a rule?
What is the opinion of Rashi/Torat Kohanim on these issues? How does this connect to the
fundamental thesis of the shiur?