Perhaps you noticed the name Mishkan Avraham? The Mishkan, also known as the Tabernacle, was the portable sanctuary. The Israelites used it during their desert journey from Egypt to the Promised Land. It was a sacred space. God’s presence dwelled among the people. They offered sacrifices and prayers there. The Mishkan was built to precise specifications. It used materials considered holy. It was a symbol of God’s covenant with His people. It was a reminder of their time in the wilderness.
The word “Mishkan” comes from a Hebrew root. It means “to dwell.” The Mishkan was a physical representation of God’s covenant. It pointed to the ultimate fulfillment of that covenant in the Temple in Jerusalem.
According to Exodus, God commanded the Israelites to build a Mishkan. It would be an earthly dwelling place for the Divine. God requested each person donate as much as they wished to construct it. The Sages point out that God will dwell in them not in it. The sanctuary was not a literal abode for the Infinite God. It was a conduit between the physical and spiritual worlds. It was a channel through which holiness and spirituality can imbue our planet. Every piece of the Mishkan held tremendous significance. Every pillar and curtain held meaning. Every altar and basin mattered. Even the littlest vessel used inside of it represented something greater in the cosmos. The whole Mishkan was a microcosm of Creation.
Mystical texts reveal the Mishkan was far more than just a temple. The actions required to construct and maintain the Mishkan are the same ones we must abstain from on the Sabbath. There are 39 such melakhot in all. On a more mystical level, these 39 works mirror those performed by God in creating the universe.
The Zohar comments that the ingredients of the Mishkan symbolize the Jewish holidays. Gold corresponds to Rosh Hashanah. Silver corresponds to Yom Kippur. Copper corresponds to Sukkot. The special blue dye called techelet corresponds to Pesach. Purple dye called argaman is Shavuot. Red or crimson wool corresponds to Tu b’Av. The remaining nine ingredients correspond to the nine days after Rosh Hashanah through Yom Kippur. They are the Days of Repentance.
Though we do not have the ability to offer Terumah today, and there is no Mishkan for us to build, we nonetheless have an opportunity to spiritually offer up these ingredients when we celebrate the holidays associated with them. When one wholeheartedly observes Rosh Hashanah, it is as if they offered up gold in the Heavenly Temple. During Yom Kippur one’s soul brings up silver. Over the days of Sukkot, there is an offering of copper up Above. On Pesach it is techelet. On Shavuot, argaman. On Tu b’Av, tola’at shani. On the Days of Repentance the remaining ingredients. On these special days, we help to construct the Heavenly Abode. Jewish tradition maintains the Third Temple will not need to physically be built as were the first two, but will descend entirely whole from Heaven.
The Mishkan represents more than just a building. It represents an invitation to the presence of God through normative religious structures. The perfection of the world is a constant work of cocreation and collaboration between us all on a daily basis. Shabbat and our community’s experience of God gives us hope and courage.
So as you stand here at Mishkan Avraham, remember it is more than just a building. It is a place to dwell with the Divine.