#mishkan

וְעָשׂוּ לִי מִקְדָּשׁ וְשָׁכַנְתִּי בְּתוֹכָם׃

דַּבֵּר אֶל בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וְיִקְחוּ לִי תְּרוּמָה (שמות כה, ב) SPEAK TO BNEI YISRAEL AND HAVE A CONTRIBUTION TAKEN FOR ME. (SHEMOS 25:2) 

The command to build the Mishkan, and Bnei Yisrael’s donation of materials for its construction, took place immediately after the Giving of the Torah, before the episode of the Golden Calf, according to one opinion in the Zohar. Because the Golden Calf was made from molten earrings (Shemos 32:2-3) rather than from the plentiful supply of gold that Bnei Yisrael took from the Egyptians, we can deduce that they had already given most of their gold to the Mishkan. (Zohar, vol. 2, p. 224a)

Per this chronology of events, when G-d commanded Bnei Yisrael to build the Mishkan they were in their most elevated, pure state, having just been spiritually cleansed at Mount Sinai (see Talmud, Shabbos 146a). Yet, at that very point G-d instructed them to build a physical Mishkan, demonstrating that using our mundane possessions to create a home for G-d is man’s highest calling, even if he is already perfect in all other areas.

Moreover, according to this opinion, had Bnei Yisrael not already consecrated the bulk of their gold for a higher purpose—for use in the Mishkan, all that gold would have contributed toward their most grievous sin—the Golden Calf. This teaches us that only by wholly dedicating the material aspects of our lives to the goal of creating a home for G-d, can we ensure that we will remain anchored in our righteousness.

I was thinking about hope chests. Do young women even do this anymore? None of the girls I went to school with did (at least, not that they admitted to). But in my early 20s, I was in a serious relationship and I knew we'd be moving in together at some point. I'd only ever lived with my parents. At the time I was working in a large department store. And sometimes I'd find cool stuff in housewares for really cheap, but I had no purpose for it being at my parents house.

Eventually I decided I would buy those items and save them for when I moved out, so I could start my home. And sure enough, the time came and I loaded the orange Rubbermaid container full of glasses, and measuring cups, silverware, and spatulas into the car to move across the country. My parents also gave me a cast iron skillet and a sewing machine (with a box is thread and needles and whatnot).

The Israelites who build the mishkan are like me, when I moved into my first apartment. They had come from Egypt, through the sea like a birth. They were children. Then they moved into a new stage in life, and received revelation at the mountain. But how can you leave a place so special? A place where you formed an identity? A place you know where God is, and where you feel safe?

I think the answer is the mishkan. In the desert, they were not yet ready for "maturity" - going into the land. Similarly, I was not ready to have my own house, to be fully independent. In having a hope chest, these gifts from my parents were like a lifeline. And even though they were far away from me, if I needed them I knew I could call. And in those items I brought, I knew I'd have a basis to begin.

Transition is always strange and frequently difficult. The Israelites must have been scared and excited, and worried about making it out there alone. So what did God do? God had us build a mishkan, something portable that we could take with us on the journey from adolescence to adulthood. From wanderers to settled. A piece of home we could depend on, and a way to communicate when we needed guidance.