5 Reasons Why People Like the History of The Tabernacle

Since the beginning of COVID, to lessen my anxiety, I'm immersing myself into online learning by studying Torah with rabbis from the U.S. and Israel by listening to podcasts.  Also, two courses, I'm taking are an investment to grow my jewelry business: building a Jewelry Business, and a workshop about Pinterest.  

I hope you'll join me on my journey. My mission is to ignite the divine spark within you. 

This post is inspired by colors and their meaning with a pinch of Torah. My sources are various talks by rabbis and a few articles I found online. It's interesting that most of the images I found are from Christian sources. 

1. The Tabernacle, a beautiful creation, designed by G-d, no longer exists and we're curious 

The Tabernacle was to be essential in the relationship (connection) between God and Israel. 

Exodus 25:1 - 40:38 depicts God's command to Moses to build a tabernacle for Him to dwell amongst His people in the wilderness. This word, "tabernacle" (mishkan), literally translates as "a dwelling place". In its original form in Exodus, it is a tent. It was to be God's dwelling place among Israel in the wilderness. 

hoshanarabba

2. "G-d created heaven & earth for man to live, and the Tabernacle is created by man for G-d to dwell on earth 

God instructs (Exodus 25:8): “let them make me a mishkan and I will dwell (shakhanti) within them (betokham).” The Sefat Emet, a Polish Hasidic master, reads this as “within them truly” (betokham mamash). That is, G-d will dwell within the very essence of each Israelite. 

"However, according to RambaN, the purpose of the Tabernacle and later the Bet Hamikdash was to recreate the revelation that occurred at Sinai."

3. The Israelites gave freely their valuables and creative talents to help build the mishkan

The Torah states regarding the building of the Mishkan (Tabernacle), “Hashem spoke to Moshe saying, ‘Speak to the children of Israel and let them take for Me a portion (terumah), from every man whose heart motivates him you shall take My portion."

Moses summons the Israelites to give of their material wealth and human skill towards building the Mishkan, the Tabernacle. And the Israelites respond with a collective passion. The only materials that were qualified to be given for the building of the Mishkan were those that were given selflessly and out of the generosity of one’s heart.  

Clker.com

 

4. What are the colors in the soul? 

Colors represent good qualities ... “Though I am black with sin, I am beautiful [i.e., not black, but multi-colored] with virtue.” Each Jew has a unique color, i.e., virtue. Moshe’s task was to find the virtue within each Jew and to combine those virtues into an abode for the Shechinah. (R’ Nosson Sternhartz z”l [1780-1845, foremost student of R’ Nachman of Breslov]) 

Blue: expresses our awe at the infinite greatness of the Divine. G‑d, is boundlessly Infinite, beyond the world.  

Scarlet: encourages a passionate thirst to connect with G‑d (per the kabbalists).

The combination of these two feelings, awe and fiery love, leads to a sense of how tiny we are compared to G‑d's infinite grandeur. 

Purple: combines blue and scarlet associated with royalty and meditation.

White:  symbolizes love flowing like pure water, aware of the intimate, caring closeness of G‑d and of G‑d's love for us. 

These are the colors in the soul, the emotions with which we relate to G‑d, in our own inner Sanctuary: blue, scarlet, purple, white... (Rabbi Yosef Yitzhak Schneersohn, the sixth Lubavitcher Rebbe) 

5. What is the significance of the tabernacle? 

Various commentaries interpreted the significance of the tabernacle in different ways:

• Maimonides saw the tabernacle as an image of a royal palace.
• The Zohar, a mystical text believed to have been written in the 13th century, saw the tabernacle as a reflection of the process of the creation of the universe. Indeed, the Zohar points out, the language used to describe how God created the universe in the Book of Genesis is identical to the language used to describe the artist Bezalel’s building of the tabernacle in the Book of Exodus.

Sources: chabad, israel-a-history, kdmanestreet, myjewishlearning, Rabbi Tom Samuels, torah.org

You can wear the colors of the Tabernacle and connect to Judaism with my designs. 

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Jewish Jewelry by Linda B