A short Insight into Joshua, Chapter 18 By Rabbi Nisson Dov Miller

With the establishment of the Mishkan in Shiloh, the Sh'china dwelled amongst B'nei Yisroel once more. A prerequisite for this momentous occasion, clearly, was the concept intimated by the first word of our chapter - “vayikahalu", they gathered. As the possuk describes, “The entire assembly of B'nei Yisroel gathered at Shiloh and erected the Tent of Meeting there.” They all gathered together as a matter of unity - a vital ingredient for the hashra'as ha'Sh'china, the Divine Presence, resting in our midst. The Chofetz Chaim, z“tl, writes (Zachor L'Miriam 11), “Upon the building of the Mishkan, they all had a united heart to their Father in the Heaven to do His will. Upon the completion of the Mishkan and its dedication, was a time when each and every person had been vested with the wisdom how to fulfill the will of Hashem. There was Nesanel ben Zu'ar, the prince of the tribe of Yissachar, who advised them that each prince's donation for the dedication should be identical. No one should out give the other. Hashem had immense pleasure from this gesture. Hashem said, “You did this so that each one of you would love each other and so that there would not be jealousy and hatred between you. [Therefore,] I will let your sacrifices be brought on the My Shabbos. I will write a separate paragraph in the Torah for each of your identical sacrifices.”