We are pleased to supplement this week's parasha mailing with this shiur by Prof. Yonatan Grossman. Shabbat shalom. [1]
Introduction
In Parashat Teruma, Israel embarks on a journey that extends until the end of the Book of Exodus and brings us into a wondrous and unique realm – a journey in which Israel is commanded and constructs a great house, or tent, for God, so that the Shekhina (Divine Presence) can "dwell among them" (Shemot 25:8). This has profound and far-reaching hsignificance: the Holy One, blessed be He, does not merely watch over His people from the heavens but desires to actually reside among them.
Naturally, this concept as a whole carries immense meaning regarding the establishment of a measured and intimate relationship with God. But beyond this, it is clear from the outset that the individual vessels that Israel is commanded to make and place in the Mishkan (Tabernacle) cannot be understood merely in their concrete, functional sense – such as needing a lamp (menora) in order to have light, or needing a table (shulchan)on which bread can be placed. This is a house for God, for the Shekhina; there is no real need for light or bread there, for the One who dwells in this house sees without light and subsists without eating. Therefore, all the vessels and all the commandments associated with them must be interpreted on a symbolic, allegorical, or metaphorical level as well – symbolizing the presence of the Shekhina and representing humanity's standing before God.
The Dual Revelation at Sinai
Before we examine the inner vessels of the Mishkan as commanded in our parasha, I wish first to recall the preparation for the commandment of Parashat Teruma found at the end of the previous parasha:
And Moshe ascended the mountain, and the cloud covered the mountain. The glory of God rested upon Mount Sinai and the cloud covered it for six days, and He called to Moshe on the seventh day from within the cloud. And the appearance of God's glory was like a consuming fire at the mountaintop, in the eyes of the Children of Israel. Moshe entered into the cloud and ascended the mountain, and Moshe was on the mountain forty days and forty nights. (Shemot 24:15-18)
These words conclude Parashat Mishpatim, and immediately – what does Moshe hear on the mountain for forty days and forty nights? According to the order of the verses before us: "God spoke to Moshe, saying: Speak to the Children of Israel and they shall take for Me a contribution... and they shall make Me a sanctuary, and I will dwell among them" (ibid. 25:1-8).
Why do I wish to begin a discussion of Parashat Teruma with the end of the previous parasha? Because an interesting distinction is expressed there, which is actually realized in the structure of the Mishkan itself – a distinction regarding the revelation of God's glory.
How does the Holy One reveal Himself? On one hand, there is extensive emphasis on the cloud: "Moshe ascended the mountain, and the cloud covered the mountain." And immediately again: "The glory of God rested upon Mount Sinai and the cloud covered it for six days, and He called to Moshe on the seventh day from within the cloud." The glory of God dwells upon Mount Sinai within the cloud, and from there God calls to Moshe. And then, "Moshe entered into the cloud." There is a revelation that is concealed within a cloud, and which is designated only for Moshe. Moshe is invited to enter the cloud, while the rest of Israel is apparently not permitted to see the glory of God revealed within the cloud.
However, amid these descriptions, we suddenly read something very different: "The appearance of God's glory was like a consuming fire at the mountaintop, in the eyes of the Children of Israel" (v. 17). Alongside the cloud covering God's glory, into which only Moshe is invited, there is also a revelation through fire, and this revelation is also "at the mountaintop." Not only is it at the mountaintop, the same location where the cloud is found, into which Moshe now enters, but it is explicitly stated that this revelation is "in the eyes of the Children of Israel."
Thus, alongside the revelation within the cloud, there also exists a revelation in fire that is visible to all the Children of Israel. This relates to what we discussed in Parashat Yitro[2] regarding the dual movement of the Sinaitic revelation: all of Israel experience revelation, but they also all recognize a need for Moshe and his special prophetic distinction. So too here, all the people of Israel merit revelation, but it is also clear that only Moshe ascends the mountain and enters into the cloud, after God calls specifically to him: "He called to Moshe on the seventh day from within the cloud." Only then does "Moshe enter into the cloud and ascend the mountain."
As on Mount Sinai, So in the Mishkan
The Ramban comments in several places – in his introduction to Sefer Shemot, at the beginning of Parashat Teruma, and at the end of Sefer Shemot – that the Mishkan constitutes a kind of portable Mount Sinai. God reveals Himself and brings His presence down at Mount Sinai, and His presence does not return afterwards to the heavenly heights; rather, Israel builds a great tent, the Mishkan, and the Shekhina enters it directly from the mountain and continues to be revealed in the Mishkan as it was revealed at Mount Sinai.
The Ramban demonstrates this through compelling literary and linguistic comparisons, between the Sinaitic revelation and the establishment of the Mishkan and between the conclusion of the Sinaitic revelation (the verses we just read) and the conclusion of establishing the Mishkan in Shemot 40. From this perspective, just as God revealed Himself at Mount Sinai, so He continues to reveal Himself in the Mishkan. And thus, if indeed we saw that God reveals Himself in both cloud and fire at Mount Sinai, this distinction continues and is realized in the Mishkan as well.
In the Mishkan, the revelation through fire has two foci. The more visible focus, before the eyes of Israel, is the perpetual fire on the mizbeach (altar) – the fire that descended on the eighth day of the Mishkan'sinauguration, consumed the offerings, and remained. This is God's fire, the glory of God as it is revealed upon the mizbeach. Thus, as on Sinai, in the Mishkan as well there is a fire that is not hidden; the mizbeach is located outside and its fire is truly intended for the eyes of the entire nation of Israel. There is also another revelation through fire – the revelation through the menora – which we will discuss below. In any case, both represent revelation through fire, which is one form of revelation.
We also find revelation through cloud in the Mishkan – at the end of Sefer Shemot, when the Torah describes how God enters the house: "The cloud covered the Tent of Meeting, and the glory of God filled the Mishkan. Moshe could not enter the Tent of Meeting because the cloud rested upon it, and the glory of God filled the Mishkan" (Shemot 40:34-35). There is a cloud inside, which is apparently designated for a very specific place – as implied, at least, in the verses that describe the Yom Kippur service, where we learn that even the priest may not simply enter whenever he wishes: "He shall not enter at all times into the holy [place] within the curtain" (Vayikra 16:2) – rather, "with this shall Aharon enter the holy [place]" (v. 3).
Why is the Torah so insistent that Aharon not enter whenever he wishes? "He shall not enter at all times into the holy [place] within the curtain, before the cover that is upon the ark… for in the cloud I appear upon the cover." This expression indicates that the divine revelation within the house is a concealed revelation: God's glory is found within a cloud, whatever this phrase actually means. There is revelation through fire upon the mizbeach outside, and revelation through cloud inside. When Aharon wishes to enter the Kodesh Hakodashim, he must bring cloud with him; there, the revelation of God's glory must be concealed.
The Two Rooms and their Vessels
This distinction between fire and cloud, between these two modes of revelation, is particularly interesting because when examining the vessels that give shape to the Mishkan, we again encounter a kind of distinction between fire and cloud, or between fire and keruvim (cherubim). Here, however, it has a somewhat different meaning: the distinction is not only between outside and inside, but within the "inside" as well, between the most inner chamber and the less inner chamber – for, like any house, the Mishkan has two rooms.
Why do I say, "like any house"? Certainly, there are houses with more than two rooms; it might even be accurate to say that most houses have more than two rooms. Nevertheless, I think it is clear that the core, the essence, of a house is shaped by two rooms. One room is the public room, where guests enter, where people sit and eat, where they sit and study – this is the living room, the room of life's occurrences, of the daytime. But there is another room as well, whose door is usually closed. This is a more hidden room of truth, a bedroom – where a person ceases from the pace of the day, pauses the intense rhythm of life, removes his daily garments, and goes to sleep.
Similarly, the Mishkan has an outer room, the Kodesh ("the Holy [place]"), where there is a table with food, illuminated by a lamp. The priests are invited to enter this room and move about in it; they are the ones who arrange the shulchan and light the menora. This is a living room, a room of daily activity. It also has an inner room, hidden from the eye. The curtain closes upon this room, sealing it, and it is forbidden to look and see what occurs inside. Even when the High Priest does enter, once a year, he must bring a cloud with him; he cannot enter in the full light of day. One does not enter the bedroom, the sleeping chamber where, in a regular house, the person is exposed, without his garments. So too in the Mishkan – again, as a symbol or allegory, of course – this is the inner room, where God is revealed.
In what sense is God revealed in the innermost room more than in the outer room? We have only to think about the vessels located there to understand why this is the room that represents divine revelation.
Regarding the keruvim, located in the Kodesh Hakodashim, in the inner chamber, God says to Moshe: "There I will meet with you, and I will speak with you from above the cover, from between the two cherubim that are upon the ark of testimony, all that I will command you for the Children of Israel" (Shemot 25:22). It is in the Kodesh Hakodashim, from between the two keruvim, that God reveals Himself to Moshe, speaking with him and conveying His commands for the people.
The aron, also located in the Kodesh Hakodashim, symbolizes and represents divine revelation to humanity. Just before the above verse, the Torah tells us what is in the aron: "You shall place in the ark the testimony that I will give you" (ibid. 21). "That I will give you" – just as regarding the keruvim, God said to Moshe, "all that I will command you," this is the same movement of divine address to humanity. God gives testimony, i.e., tablets, which are located in the aron and perhaps represent the permanent, fixed word of God. God also sometimes arranges a meeting with Moshe to speak with him and teach him further commandments, beyond the covenant tablets that were already sealed. Both of these revelations occur in the Kodesh Hakodashim.
In light of this, if we pause and summarize, it becomes clear that the Mishkan is built as a house with two rooms that represent two opposite movements. The Kodesh Hakodashim represents the inner room, the room of truth, where revelation typically happens; God, too, reveals Himself in this room. This inner room of the Mishkan contains the two keruvim, which Chazal tell us had male and female faces. It is a chamber of truth, representing revelation, where God bestows from His abundance upon humanity. Therefore, the tablets of testimony are there, as well as the keruvim, representing God's throne.
Corresponding to the inner room of revelation is the outer room, the living room of the Mishkan. What occurs in the living room is what humanity does in God's presence. The movement is the opposite of that which is found in the inner sanctum. Humanity – i.e., the priests, as representatives of the nation – arrange light before God in His house. They set a table with bread before God. God reveals Himself in the inner room, while in the outer room, humanity stands before God and serves Him.
The Structure of the Vessels
In order to understand how this relationship between the two rooms relates to the relationship between cloud and fire, we must consider how the Torah presents the design of the four vessels that make up God's house in our parasha.[3]
The four vessels are split between the two rooms: The aron, upon which is placed the cover (kaporet) with the two keruvim – these are the two vessels inside. The two vessels in the Kodesh, in the more outer room, are the menora and the shulchan. Each pair of vessels – the two in the inner room and the two in the outer room – maintain some kind of dialogue, some kind of connection with each other.
The cover, meaning the keruvim, must rest directly upon the aron, as the Torah says: "You shall place the cover upon the ark from above" (Shemot 25:21). They can be seen as one vessel – the cover with the keruvim is a lid for the aron – so the connection between the aron and the keruvim upon it is a direct, visual connection. What we have here is one large vessel with two parts, two halves.
But it turns out that there is also an interesting connection between the shulchan and the menora, the two vessels located in the Kodesh. Here the connection is not as obvious, because the vessels are not stacked one on top of the other, but it also relates to the placement of the vessels. When Moshe sets all the vessels in their places, the Torah states: "He placed the lamp in the Tent of Meeting, opposite the table, on the south side of the Tabernacle" (Shemot 40:24). For some reason, the menora and shulchan must face each other and be able to "see" each other. This has halakhic implications: the Sages learned that the incense altar cannot stand exactly between the shulchan and menora, because the shulchan and menora must face each other without any interruption; therefore, the incense altar is drawn slightly toward the entrance, so as not to break up the line of sight between the shulchan and menora.
From this perspective, we still find ourselves within the atmosphere of distinction between the two rooms: there is the inner room, where there are two vessels, one atop the other; and there is the outer room, where there are also two vessels, and they too converse with each other. There are, as it were, two separate systems here.
A New Distinction: Cross-Room Pairings
However, the Torah seems to also create other distinctions, through new connections – not the two vessels in the Kodesh opposite the two vessels in the Kodesh Hakodashim, but one of each pair opposite each other: the keruvim from the Kodesh Hakodashim correspond to the menora in the Kodesh, and the aron in the Kodesh Hakodashim corresponds to the shulchan in the Kodesh.
I will begin with what seems obvious – the relationship between the shulchan and the aron, which seem to be given almost the same description. Regarding the aron, the Torah says: "They shall make an aron of acacia wood" (Shemot 25:10), and regarding the shulchan: "You shall make a table of acacia wood" (ibid., 23). The measurements are different – "two and a half cubits its length and a cubit and a half its width" for the aron, versus "two cubits its length and a cubit its width" for the shulchan – but these are seemingly minor details.
When we consider the method of construction, it becomes even more clear that there is a real connection between these two vessels. Corresponding to what is said regarding the aron – "You shall overlay it with pure gold, inside and outside shall you overlay it" (v. 11) – it is also said regarding the shulchan: "You shall overlay it with pure gold" (v. 24). The same two verses instruct, regarding each of these vessels, "You shall make a gold molding all around." In each case as well, four golden rings are to be made, through which will be placed poles made of acacia wood and overlaid with gold (verses 12-13 and 26-28, respectively). And so on, until finally, regarding the aron it states: "You shall place in the aron the testimony that I will give you" (v. 16), and regarding the shulchan: "You shall place on the table showbread before Me always" (v. 30).
These descriptions are very similar, primarily reflecting very similar construction details. Both vessels are made of acacia wood but overlaid with gold, with a gold molding all around and four gold rings cast for them in which to later insert poles of acacia wood, which are also overlaid with gold.
Note that the two vessels in the other pair are not made of acacia wood overlaid with gold, and do not have four gold rings around them. That is, it is not inherently necessary for the vessels of the Mishkan to look this way. Rather, the design of the shulchan and aron are deliberately similar, as are the commandments concerning them.
The even greater surprise is that there is also a close relationship, a similar connection, between the menora and the keruvim. Regarding the keruvim it states:
You shall make two cherubim of gold; of hammered work shall you make them, from the two ends of the cover. Make one cherub from one end and one cherub from the other end; from the cover shall you make the cherubim, on its two ends. … And their faces shall be toward one another; toward the cover shall the faces of the cherubim be. (Shemot 25:18-20)
The Torah describes the cover as having two ends: one keruv emerges from each end, and the faces of the keruvim face toward one another and toward the cover.
In a very similar manner, we also read about the menora:
You shall make a lamp of pure gold; of hammered work you shall make the lamp – its base and its shaft, its cups, its knobs, and its flowers shall be of [one piece with] it. Six branches shall go out from its sides: three branches of the lamp from one side, and three branches of the lamp from the other side. (Ibid., 31-32)
Here is another vessel that, for some reason, the Torah describes as having two ends, with something emerging from each end. The keruvim emerge from the cover and three branches emerge from each side of the menora, for a total of six branches.
And here too, it is not merely a matter of similarities in the linguistic or literary description. Here too, we are dealing with a similar structure in terms of the vessels' components, architecturally, because these are the only two vessels in the Mishkan made entirely of pure gold. These are the only vessels commanded to be made of one hammered piece, not of separate parts which are then joined together.
Furthermore, not only are these two vessels both described as having something emerging from each end, but what emerges from both must look toward the center. Regarding the keruvim, the Torah states: "Toward the cover shall the faces of the cherubim be," and so too regarding the menora: "Toward the front of the lamp shall the seven lamps give light" (Bamidbar 8:2). This could mean eastward, but many have explained it to mean that the six branches are all to face toward the central shaft.
The Symbolic Meaning of the Pairings
Thus we find that the very clear distinction between the two rooms of the Mishkan is broken into another distinction, such that both the cover and the menora represent something unified – a representation made both in the Kodesh Hakodashim and in the Kodesh – while the shulchan and aron apparently represent something else, something that is represented well by the form of wood overlaid with gold rather than pure gold, and this representation is also made both in the Kodesh Hakodashim and in the Kodesh.
Where does this lead us? It appears that on one hand, the Mishkan must represent the presence of God in the house – the fact itself, that God dwells among Israel – and this is accomplished through the keruvim and the menora. On the other hand, it also seeks to represent the result, or implications, of this fact; hence, the aron and shulchan seek to represent the meaning, the relevance of the Shekhina's presence.
What is it about the construction of each pair of vessels that gives this impression? The keruvim and the menora are each made of one hammered piece of pure gold, and are thus apparently connected to some world of unity, to a world of revelation of the One God. Not only are they made without joined parts, using just one piece of one material, but each is formed with two ends that face one foundation, or root point of origin: the branches of the menora face the central shaft from which they all emerge, and the keruvim face the cover from which they emerge.
There is a circular movement in each of these vessels that conveys a sense of unity – unity in the sense of lack of multiplicity, and also in the sense of representing one direction, one shared purpose, one appearance. Consequently, both the keruvim and menora relate to the manifestation of God in a world of unity.
We then come to the meaning, or ramifications, of this manifestation. In the Kodesh Hakodashim, the tablets of testimony are found within the aron, and in the Kodesh, the loaves are found on the shulchan. This already indicates that, unlike the menora and keruvim, the primary purpose of the aron and shulchan is not found in the vessels themselves. The menora itself gives light, and the keruvim themselves represent God's throne in the world, while the purpose of both the shulchan and aron is to serve as vessels for something else. The tablets and the bread are the main things, while the aron and shulchan are more technical vessels, serving as a place to put these essential items. In this way, they represent the impossibility of total divine manifestation in the world. There is some need for mediators; vessels must be built to contain divine manifestation.
If we remix these pairs and consider for a moment the two vessels in the Kodesh Hakodashim – one that represents divine revelation itself and one that holds the tablets He gave us – I think the symbolism becomes very beautifully clear. God reveals Himself, as if He is sitting upon a throne – that is the keruvim. The keruvim represent the very revelation of God. And what unfolds from this revelation? God turns to the concrete world via laws and norms, and these results of His revelation are contained in the aron. Thus, we first have the keruvim above, representing divine unity and divine appearance, and beneath the keruvim is the aron, containing the ramifications in our lives of this revelation – tablets that tell us how to behave in the world.
Moving outward, it seems we can say something similar regarding the other cross-pairing – the menora and the shulchan. The Torah relates to the shulchan as the place where the loaves are set. In contrast, although the menora's function is to produce light, the Torah does not characterize it merely as a vessel for holding oil. Instead, it relates to the menora as if the menora itself gives light. That light, like the Voice emerging from between the two keruvim, symbolizes something fully spiritual, something very abstract. There is a striking gap, I think, between light and bread. The menora's light provides a continual representation of divine revelation – the one revelation, symbolized by this vessel formed of one hammered piece. The result of this revelation finds expression in the Kodesh in something more tangible than light, even more physical, and this relates to the fact that there is bread in the world.
From the perspective of divine providence for humanity, the loaves in the Mishkan represent the Master of bread, reminding us who it is that brings forth bread from the earth. At the same time, from the other direction, the result of the fact that God reveals Himself in the world is that humanity seeks to set a table before Him. Either way, bread represents something already more physical, more concrete, that results from of God's revelation in the light of the menora.
Concealment and Revelation
By nature, these are concepts that can be appreciated much more on one side, while they will always remain somewhat symbolic and obscure on the other side: we are dealing with divine appearance within the world, a phrase that is in itself already difficult to grasp.
But to summarize, I wish to return to the symbols of revelation with which we opened. At the end of the previous parasha, God reveals Himself in a cloud – the concealing cloud, into which only Moshe is invited to enter – but also reveals Himself before the eyes of all the people, in fire.
Let us consider, according to this model, the relationship between the keruvim and the menora. The keruvim are located in a place hidden from the eye. They are in the category of revelation within cloud, into which only Moshe is invited to enter. As God says in the commandment concerning the keruvim: "There I will meet with you from between the cherubim." God tells Moshe that what emerges from between the keruvim is designated specifically for him.
In contrast, alongside the concealed, hidden revelation, there is also a revelation to which the priests are invited. Aharon is the one who lights the menora – not Moshe, but Aharon. Aharon, as priest and representative of Israel, stands before the menora and encounters the revelation designated for all of Israel.
Thus, the revelation and concealment that occur in the same breath within the Mishkan are actually divided between the two different rooms, the Kodesh Hakodashim and the Kodesh. The keruvim in the former, and the menora in the latter, both seek to present revelation. But even within revelation, there is concealed revelation and there is revelation that is more public. There is a hidden revelation, and there is also an inviting revelation – revelation before which humanity is invited to stand and receive the illumination it carries.
The Reciprocal Relationship
The Mishkan thus contains both concealment and revelation. It has a chamber into which all the priests are invited, and also an inner, more restricted chamber, but as we have seen, there is a deep parallel between the two vessels in each chamber that teaches us about the reciprocal relationship the Mishkan seeks to reflect.
The Holy One, from His side, reveals Himself to humanity through the keruvim and aron. Humanity, from its side, stands before God via menora and shulchan.
In the Kodesh Hakodashim, the relationship between the keruvim and the aron is a very simple and harmonious relationship – the vessels stand one atop the other in simplicity. In the Kodesh, where humanity stands before God, there is perhaps some sense of distance between divine revelation (the menora) and humanity's service of God in light of this revelation (the shulchan). They do not sit neatly one upon the other. However, there is still a deep connection between them; they are positioned facing each other, with nothing in between.
Thus, ultimately, the reciprocity in the relationship between the Holy One and Israel is given powerful emphasis through the structure of the Mishkan and its two rooms, each of which holds two vessels, and all correspond to one another – Israel on one side and the Shekhina on the other.
(Edited by Sarah Rudolph)
[1] Based on an audio shiur given in 5770.
[2] https://etzion.org.il/he/tanakh/torah/sefer-shemot/parashat-yitro/yitro-hametah-hanistar-bemaamad-sinay.
[3] For some reason, the Torah ignores the incense altar in our parasha and mentions it only at the end of the next parasha; after the topic of the Tabernacle has apparently concluded, suddenly the Torah says, "Oh, there's also an incense altar." The early commentators – such as Ibn Ezra and Sforno – explained that the incense altar is not an intrinsic part of defining the house as a house, and therefore it is postponed from our parasha. Whether we adopt this explanation or another explanation, in any case, from our perspective in Parashat Teruma, there are four vessels representing God's house.
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