The installation of the Mishkan was by far and away one of the most
momentous occasions in world history.
G-d, in all His Glory, would actually choose to allow His Holy Presence
to reside amongst the profane and mundane, in a specifically designed parallel
of the upper spheres His presence previously inhabited. To achieve this supreme accomplishment, the
instructions had to be incredibly rigorous and had to be followed with meticulous
precision. In order to ensure the
required level of exactitude Hashem showed Moshe an image of every component of
the Mishkan and was told “and make for Me a Mikdash and I will reside in them. In conformance with all that I show you, the
form of the Mishkan….and so you shall make”.
There are a number of questions on this directive, but to name just one,
we may ask for the reason for the double command “to make”, found at the beginning
and end of the quote above?
The explanation provided by the
Chasam Sofer questions the ability of a mortal being such as man, to ever
create something to match that which is found in the ethereal realms
above. In reality, he says, this is an
impossibility, were it not for the fact that when people sanctify themselves
sufficiently and make themselves a vessel for G-d, Hashem Himself becomes a
partner in all their actions. The first request to “make a Mikdash” refers to
this necessity to make oneself worthy of accepting Hashem into their personal
being. Once this is accomplished it
allows for the second command, to make the actual Mishkan, since now Hashem has
become an accomplice to the creation of this transcendent resting place for G-d’s
Presence amongst His people.
Given the ability to connect with
others provided by the technology of today, loneliness should be a near extinct
phenomenon, yet one might argue that it has never been so prevalent and shows
no signs of waning. For those of us
fortunate not to be in the clutches of loneliness our role is to try and
provide companionship and friendship where there is an absence of its warmth. Yet everyone encounters times when they feel without
someone to help shoulder their burden and share in their pain. At these times and for those who constantly feel
alone, the knowledge that Hashem is always with us no matter where we are and
no matter what are situation, can provide solace and hope. The more we follow His guidance, the more we
make ourselves G-dlike, the closer Hashem is to us and the more our every action
is performed in tandem with our Creator. No one wants to be alone, in fact no one is,
but if we choose to do the Will of Hashem we are bringing the most perfect Companion
to assist and elevate our every action. Now that’s the kind of friend we need!
May we Shabbos bring us closer to
the truest Friend we can have.
לעילוי נשמת לאה
בת אברהם
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