Measurements of the Mishkan

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  1. Concerning the Mishkan

    Rabbi Yaakov Medan

    The terms used to describe the Mishkan have specific meanings. Mikdash is another word for the Holy Ark; Mishkan refers to the fabrics covering the Mishkan; and the Ohel is the topmost goatskin covers. Placing the goatskins above the fabric coverings is symbolic of the Mishkan as a reflection of the relationship between God and Am Yisrael, as described in Shir Hashirim. This article discusses the symbolism of the structure, and the lengthiness of the Torah’s description of the measurements of the Mishkan.

  2. Noah's Ark and the Mishkan

    Rabbi David Silverberg

  3. Parashat Vayakhel Pekudei - Why the Repetition?

    Rabbi Alex Israel | 30 minutes

    Vayakhel - Pekudei contains the precise dimensions of the Mishkan, but these already appeared in Teruma and Tetzaveh. Why did "Moshe followed the instructions" not suffice? We try to understand the secrets behind this "list - repetition" phenomenon in Vayakhel - Pekudei. 

    We relate to the question of the detailed language and repetition of our parsha by looking at the wider context of the latter part of the Book of Shemot.
    Is this repetition part of the emphasis on the possibility of Israel's atonement for the Sin of the Golden Calf? Ultimately, the structure of the parasha and Sefer Shemot is such that it ends off with the message that God has come back to dwell within the midst of Israel, as the Mishkan is filled with a Divine cloud.
     

  4. The Architecture of Holiness

    Rabbi Jonathan Sacks

    From Parshat Teruma to the end of the book of Exodus the Torah describes, in painstaking detail and great length, the construction of the Mishkan, the first collective house of worship of the Jewish people. Precise instructions are given for each item – the Tabernacle itself, the frames and drapes, and the various objects it contained – including their dimensions. 

    But why do we need to know how big the Tabernacle was? It did not function in perpetuity. Its primary use was during the wilderness years. Eventually it was replaced by the Temple, an altogether larger and more magnificent structure. What then is the eternal significance of the dimensions of this modest, portable construction?

    Through an analysis of the purpose of the Mishkan, we can understand that it was a micro-cosmos, a symbolic reminder of the world God made. The fact that the Divine presence rested within it was not meant to suggest that God is here not there, in this place not that. It was meant to signal, powerfully and palpably, that God exists throughout the cosmos. It was a man-made structure to mirror and focus attention on the Divinely-created universe. It was in space what Shabbat is in time: a reminder of creation.

     

    This article is part of the Covenant & Conversation series.

    To read more from Rabbi Sacks or to subscribe to his mailing list, please visit http://www.rabbisacks.org/. You can also follow him on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.