Shemot

Parashat Ki Tisa, First Aliyah, an excerpt from Abravanel’s World of Torah by Zev Bar Eitan

“And God said to Moshe saying: For the sake of your taking a census of the Children of Israel according
to their count, each man shall give atonement for his soul to the Almighty in reckoning them so that
plague does not befall them by dint of having been numbered.”

"Divine wisdom foresaw that the Hebrews would not donate sufficient quantities of silver to the holy
national enterprise. This attested to its versatile usefulness, making demand for it practically
ubiquitous. In fact, during the forty-year trek, silver was the preferred commodity for buying or selling
merchandise.

Silver coins came in either shekel or half-shekel denominations…"

Page 156 Shemot vol. II: Assembled at Sinai

“And Moses wrote all the words of God, and rose up early in the
morning, and built an altar under the mountain, and twelve pillars for the
twelve tribes of Israel.”

Bible studies with Don Isaac Abravanel’s commentary (also spelled Abarbanel) has withstood the test of
time. For over five centuries, Abravanel has delighted – and enlightened – clergy and layman alike,
offering enduring interpretations of the Bible.

Don Isaac Abravanel (1437-1508) was a preeminent Jewish thinker, scholar, and prolific Biblical
commentator. To provide backdrop, when we get to Exodus chapter 24, the Hebrews have already
heard the Ten Commandments directly from God. The ultra-intense experience left the people
overwhelmed, and petrified. In efforts to regain their equilibrium, they distanced themselves from the
base of the mountain. In addition, they pleaded with Moses to be their intermediary with the Almighty
so to avoid any more hair-raising encounters with the divine. The Hebrews also pledged that whatever
God asked of them, they would “do and obey.”

What happened next, Abravanel asks? That evening, Moses ascended Sinai and relayed the Hebrew’s
stance. God then conveyed a raft of statutes to the prophet. At the crack of the following dawn, Moses
“rose up early in the morning, and built an altar under the mountain, and twelve pillars…” Namely, after
he descended the mountain, he erected an altar of earth at Sinai’s base, beside “twelve pillars for the
twelve tribes of Israel.”

Abravanel continues, explaining that at this juncture God and the Jewish people entered into a new
covenant, one sanctified with blood to commemorate the Hebrew’s acceptance of the Torah. “And he
sent the young men of the Children of Israel, who offered burnt offerings, and sacrificed peace offerings
of oxen unto God.” Abravanel posits that the verse speaks of strapping youngsters who could lift the
heavy loads of animal sacrifices, in assisting the encampment. Burnt offerings consisted of sheep. They
were burnt on the altar. Peace offerings, on the other hand, were oxen. People ate and enjoyed the
roasted beef.

At this juncture, the Jews entered into a covenant with the divine. “And Moses took half of the blood,
and put it in basins, and half of the blood he dashed against the altar.”Another verse describes how
“Moses took the blood, and sprinkled it on the people, and said: Behold the blood of the covenant
which God has made with you in agreement with all these words.”

Abravanel wonders: how did Moses sprinkle blood upon myriads of Jews? He suggests that half of the
blood was flicked upon the main altar, while the other half of blood had been dashed upon the twelve
pillars, each pillar corresponding to distinct Hebrew tribes. In that way, Abravanel teaches, it was as if
blood had been sprinkled upon each Jew.

For the full discussion of the covenant, see Abravanel’s World.

Don Isaac Abravanel (1437-1508) was a preeminent Jewish thinker, scholar, and prolific Biblical
commentator. In Exodus Chapter 16 we read about the Hebrews one month into their desert sojourns.
By that time, the nation began to experience extreme hardships due to dwindling food and water
supplies.

“And they journeyed from Elim, and all the congregation of the Children
of Israel came unto the wilderness of Sin, which is between Elim and
Sinai…And the whole congregation murmured against Moses and Aaron
in the wilderness. Then God said unto Moses: Behold I will cause to rain
bread from heaven…”

Abravanel poses two questions on our verses. The firsthas to do with the Bible’s chronicling of the
places where the Jews encamped. Why, Abravanel asks, are some venues omitted from our chapter?
Second, why didn’t the Maker lead His people along friendlier desert pitstops that offered basic
amenities, like potable water? People and animals can only survive three days without that most basic
of all provisions.

Abravanel puts the nation’s first, post-Exodus travels into perspective. God was about to reveal Himself
to the entire encampment at Mount Sinai. There, the Hebrews would receive the Five Books of Moses
and divine precepts. Given that impending rendezvous with the Maker, it was deemed necessary to
keep the early desert rest stops bare and desolate. In a word, God wanted the Hebrews to arrive at Sinai
with the requisite religious sensibilities.

Dependency on God started the intimate relationship on the right foot, per se. It also instilled within the
body politic the need to plead for relief before the Almighty. God would heed the cries, delivering
provisions. Belief in the compassionate, and attentive, Creator would be etched in Jewish souls. He is the
One Who causes water to flow from flint. He is the One Who drizzles bread from heaven. Gradually, the
Chosen People would acknowledge God’s omnipotence.

In brief, God meticulously planned the pre-Sinai setting. The main thing was planting a religious mindset.
When Jews hurt, they call to Heaven for help. The God of Israel will be there; He is forever reliable. That
explains why our chapter does not chronicle each venue, but rather only identifies those places where
the nation got schooled in divine faith. Bible students also learn why God hadn’t punished the Jews for
speaking out. Acute hunger had triggered injudicious speech and conduct.

See Abravanel’s World for the full discussion.

Don Isaac Abravanel (1437-1508) was a preeminent Jewish thinker, scholar, and prolific Biblical
commentator. Chapter 17 finds the Hebrews trudging along desert dunes, increasingly becoming road
weary. Unbearable thirst made them more than cantankerous; they totally lost it.

“And God said unto Moses: Pass on before the people, and take with
you the elders of Israel, and your staff wherewith you smote the river,
and take in your hand, and go. Behold I will stand before you there upon
the rock in Horeb and you shall smite the rock, and there shall come
water out of it, that the people may drink. And Moses did so in the sight
of the elders of Israel.”

God came to fix matters. He instructed Moses to take his staff, and perform a miracle with it. A tap with
the rod on rock would cause water to flow, fresh water with which to supply Moses’ brethren. Bible
students are not strangers to the miracles wrought by the staff of Moses.

Abravanel wonders: What ever happened with Moses’ staff? To expand the discussion, we know that
after Aaron passed away, the staff he used to perform miracles had been ceremoniously placed next to
the Ark of Testimony for good safekeeping. There it rested together with the jar that contained heaven-
sent manna. Moreover, Aaron’s staff had a prominent place next to a container of anointing oil. During
the period of Jewish kings, King Josiah hid these holy artifacts, along with the Holy Ark.

But, when it comes to the staff of Moses, the Bible is mum. So is Jewish tradition. Not a word. Not a
peep.

Abravanel shares his hypothesis. He believes that when Moses ascended Mount Nebo – to die there –
he had brought his staff with him. Together, the prophet and the staff of God were buried. Neither, the
Bible makes explicit, will ever be found and unearthed.

The Creator would not sanction any mortal to wield the hallowed staff. This is testimony to Moses’
greatness, and uniqueness. Just as no man will ever reach his prophetic achievement, and just as no
man will ever perform such wonders, so too did Heaven decree that no man will ever lay his hand on the
staff of Moses.

See Abravanel’s Worldfor the full discussion.

Bible studies with Don Isaac Abravanel’s commentary (also spelled Abarbanel) has withstood the test of
time. For over five centuries, Abravanel has delighted – and enlightened – clergy and layman alike,
offering enduring interpretations of the Bible.

“And it came to pass on the morrow, that Moses sat to judge the people.
And the people stood about Moses from the morning unto evening.”

Don Isaac Abravanel (1437-1508) was a preeminent Jewish thinker, scholar, and prolific Biblical
commentator. Chapter 18 speaks of Moses’ reunion with his wife, two sons, and father-in-law.
Abravanel notes that due to the leader’s inordinately busy schedule, he only managed to take one day
off to spend with family. After that, Moses was back at the grind.

Jethro observed his son-in-law’s arduous hours serving the Hebrews, and asked him: “What is this thing
that you do to the people? Why do you sit alone, and all the people stand about you from morning unto
evening?” Abravanel fills in the details regarding Moses’ intense workload, listing the prophet’s manifold
duties that gave him no respite. A close reading of the verses reveals much, as we shall now illustrate.

“And Moses said unto his father-in-law: Because the people come unto me to inquire of God.” This,
according to Abravanel, stresses Moses as man of God. That is, the Jews waited in line to speak with
Moses in order to learn of the future. Hence, if someone was sick, he would ask if the disease would
subside, or kill him? Perhaps, someone might inquire of the prophet if he could tell him to where his
animals scampered off? Seeing that Moses was privy to “inside information”, if you will, those
individuals who were distressed waited in cue to get answers to pressing, personal needs.

Moses also advised people who worked in the camp’s administration or tribal councils. They sought
sagely counsel from their leader concerning travel logistics, for example, or other administrative issues.

Still others required Moses’ legal mind to sort out folk’s quarrels and questions of torts etc., as it says:
“When they have a matter, it comes unto me, and I judge between a man and his neighbor.”

In addition, Moses attracted another category of visitors. We refer to students who sought to learn
God’s teachings. “And I make them know the statutes of God and His law.” Although Jethro and the
family arrived prior to the Law giving event at Sinai, still Moses had received some divine statutes at
Marah. Eager pupils desired to grasp God’s ethos, His law.

Abravanel ties the discussion all together. Moses, he writes, wore four hats, per se. In his role as a
trusted prophet, he revealed the future. As leader par excellence, he advised others how to govern
wisely. Sitting on the court’s bench, he mediated judiciously. Finally, as a pedagogue, Moses
disseminated Torah, educating students in the intricacies of law.

Abravanel’s World discusses more of Jethro’s concerns and solutions, so that Moses and the Hebrews
would function maximally and smoothly.

Bible studies with Don Isaac Abravanel’s commentary (also spelled Abarbanel) has withstood the test of
time. For over five centuries, Abravanel has delighted – and enlightened – clergy and layman alike,
offering enduring interpretations of the Bible.

Don Isaac Abravanel (1437-1508) was a preeminent Jewish thinker, scholar, and prolific Biblical
commentator. Exodus chapter 19 sets the backdrop for mankind’s defining moment: The transmission of
the Torah on Mount Sinai.

“In the third month after the Children of Israel were gone forth out of the
land of Egypt, the same day came into the wilderness of Sinai.”

Abravanel asks about the timing of the watershed event: Why did God wait so long? Consider, the
Hebrews left Egypt three months earlier. Why now? Abravanel probes further, asking why the Creator
hadn’t transmitted the Pentateuch to Adam, the first man? Or perhaps, Abravanel writes, the Torah
should have been given to Noah, when the Maker entered into a covenant with mankind. As for
exemplary individuals, certainly the patriarchs – Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob – ranked as worthy
recipients. Hence, why didn’t God communicate the Torah to them, as He does now with Moses?

At length, Abravanel answers this intriguing question. See Abravanel’s World for the full treatment.
Here, we will touch on the three main points of the essay. But here is the starting premise. The Torah
should not be mischaracterized as a religious text concerning conduct, a guidebook of dos and don’ts.
Rather it is a divinely-crafted and heavenly-honed system for mastering true faith, divine belief. Now let
us return to the question: Why was God’s Torah transmitted at this particular juncture in history?

One, it wouldn’t befit the Pentateuch to be given to a special individual or even a cadre of holy people.
Torah demands throngs or myriads of gathered, quality folk. Only in the midst of the Chosen Nation can
Torah be transmitted.

Two, the intermediary or transferor of the Torah needed to be a unique soul, a noble personage. With
all due respect to the phenomenal patriarchs and their illustrious ancestors (including Adam and Noah),
Moses was cut from a different cloth. Of course, we are speaking about highly unusual traits. Abravanel
lists ten. To give a sampling, first on the list is moderation of physical or spousal comforts, like sexual
intimacy. In a word – detachment. Second is disinterest in eating and drinking, illustrated by Moses’
forty-day periods without food or drink.

Three, context and orchestration are key. Thunder and lightning and shofar blasts contributed to Sinai’s
ambience and mood, promoting the proper prelude. The lead-up miracles wrought in Egypt and the
splitting of the Red Sea, too, were all indispensable.

In sum, Abravanel teaches that God’s Torah needed a specific combination or conflation of diverse
elements to perfectly fall into place, before it could be wrested from heaven and brought down to earth.
A critical mass of huddled Hebrews, under the tutelage of the greatest of all prophets – Moses, on the
heels of the wonders the Creator performed in Egypt and in the desert proved to be the requisite and
rich ensemble.

Don Isaac Abravanel, also spelled Abarbanel (1437-1508) was a preeminent Jewish thinker, scholar, and prolific Biblical
commentator. Exodus chapter 26 continues to discuss the Tabernacle, a topic introduced in the previous
chapter. Abravanel draws our attention to a grammatical inconsistency in our lead verse (“Moreover,
you shall make…”) when compared to the verb’s conjugation in chapter 25 (“Make an ark…and you
shall overlay it with pure gold”, “Make a table…and you shall overlay it with pure gold”, and “Make a
menorah of pure gold…”).Our verse is conjugated in future tense; whereas last chapter’s verbs are
written in the imperative or command form.

Abravanel sheds light on the linguistic discrepancy after phrasing the question. Why, he asks, doesn’t
our lead verse use the command form for literary consistency: “Make the Tabernacle…” instead of the
future tense “You shall make the Tabernacle…?”

Here is the answer. The previous chapter introduces the commandment to construct the Tabernacle,
“Make Me a Tabernacle.” It uses the command form. That creates a divine fiat to build a Tabernacle.
That earlier chapter then launches into the “how to” aspect of the first three fixtures in the sanctuary:
“Make an ark…of pure gold”, “Make a table…with pure gold”, and “Make a menorah of pure gold…”

Bible students will readily understand that the common – and most valuable – building material for the
ark, table, and menorah is gold. Gold, recall, was the first of several building materials that Hebrews
offered in order to finance the sacred enterprise, some others being silver, copper, wool etc.

Now to the point. After the last chapter listed those three fixtures made of gold, our chapter provides
the “how to” concerning the Tabernacle itself. What materials went into the Tabernacle’s walls and
partitions? “Moreover, you shall make the Tabernacle with ten curtains…” As our chapter proceeds, we
shall see that parts of the Tabernacle had also been constructed with gold, silver, copper, wool etc.

In summary, the earlier chapter foreshadows – in general terms – an impending commandment to build
a Tabernacle, hence the verb is conjugated in the future tense. Our present chapter follows up with the
“how to” manual, including dimensions and the requisite building material to get the job done,
necessitating the command form of the verb.

See Abravanel’s World for the full discussion of the Tabernace and its fixtures.

Bible studies with Don Isaac Abravanel’s commentary (also spelled Abarbanel) has withstood the test of
time. For over five centuries, Abravanel has delighted – and enlightened – clergy and layman alike,
offering enduring interpretations of the Bible.

Don Isaac Abravanel (1437-1508) was a preeminent Jewish thinker, scholar, and prolific Biblical
commentator. In Exodus Chapter 8, Bible students read about the third plague to attack Egypt with a
vengeance: lice.

“And God said to Moses: Say to Aaron – stretch out your rod, and smite
the dust of the earth, that it may become lice throughout the land of
Egypt.”

Abravanel observes that this third plague, unlike the first two (bloodied Nile and frogs), came with no
forewarning to Pharaoh. This is particularly noteworthy, Abravanel says, because subsequent plagues
revert back to the earlier models, whereby Moses does caution Pharaoh about upcoming plagues. What
does the deviation signify here?

Abravanel gives readers a better understanding of the ten plagues. He teaches that the first three
plagues were designed to convey to Pharaoh a fact of life: God exists. When it came to the bloodied Nile
and frogs, the Maker instructed Moses to caution Pharaoh and his advisers. Afterward, Moses repeated
those warnings, but with a caveat. The prophet uttered them to Pharaoh in private.

As a result of Pharaoh’s oath to let the Hebrews go, Moses stopped the plagues. No sooner had the king
received a breather from the plagues, than he reneged on his word. At that juncture, God changed His
tune and tactics. “And God said to Moses: Say to Aaron – stretch out your rod, and smite the dust of the
earth, that it may become lice throughout the land of Egypt.”

Abravanel explains. Moses told Aaron to bypass Pharaoh. The Maker told His prophet to skip the
warning to the king. Instead, Aaron was to take to the streets, relaying a harsh message directly to the
Egyptians: Pharaoh lies through his teeth and doesn’t keep his promises. “And Aaron stretched out his
hand with his rod, and smote the dust of the earth. And there were lice upon man, and upon beast…”

Aaron’s actions manifested indignance at a king who breaks promises. “And Aaron stretched out his
hand…”,Abravanel suggests, was an object lesson: This land is accursed on account of its leader.
Previously, the land of Egypt was luscious and fertile. But now, Pharaoh’s prevarications pock the soil.
Lice abound.

In brief, we have explained why God commanded Moses to forego the warning to Pharaoh. It was an
expedient employed to publicly humiliate the king and expose the ugly truth about his lies. Thus, Aaron
zapped the ground of a once prosperous country and turned the landscape into a vast, maddening
fleabag.

See Abravanel’s World for the in-depth treatment of the Ten Plagues.

Don Isaac Abravanel (1437-1508) was a preeminent Jewish thinker, scholar, and prolific Biblical
commentator. The subject of the three major Jewish festivals is broached in Exodus chapter 23.
Attendance in Jerusalem’s Holy Temple during those holidays is compulsory: “Three times in the year all
your males shall appear before God Almighty.”

“Three times you shall keep a feast unto Me in the year.”

Abravanel writes, as we have ascertained in an earlier blog, that the Ten Commandments are really a
start place for many more divine commandments. In that vein, when the Bible obligates Hebrews to
observe Sabbath, it also alludes to the observance of the three major Jewish festivals.

Passover comes first: “The feast of unleavened bread shall you keep. Seven days you shall eat
unleavened bread…”Abravanel explains that, in fact, the eating of unleavened bread is only compulsory
on the first day of Passover. The verse just cited means that should a Hebrew desire to eat bread during
the seven-day holiday, that bread must be unleavened.

Another detail about Passover emerges: timing. “At the time appointed in the month of Aviv, for in it
you came out from Egypt.”Aviv, in Hebrew, means springtime. The genius of the Jewish calendar
combines the lunar and solar months in order to safeguard that Passover will always be celebrated in
the spring. When the Hebrews ascended Jerusalem’s holy mountain, they did not arrive empty-handed.
Each visitor brought animal sacrifices to the Temple.

The feast of harvest came next, followed by the third and last holiday – the feast of ingathering. “And the feast of harvest, the first fruits of your labor, which you sow in the field, and the feast of ingathering,at the end of the year, when you gather in your labors out of the field.”

Abravanel teaches that the second festival coincides with the wheat harvest. Hence, Jews must offer the
first fruits of grain to the attending priestly class in Jerusalem.

As for the third major festival, it refers to the feast of ingathering. At that time, Hebrews brought wine,
oil, plus a vast array of produce to the Temple. Lest readers get the wrong idea, Abravanel warns, and
assume that the major festivals were celebrated in people’s hometowns, an explicit verse disabuses that
false notion: “Three times in the year all your males shall appear before God Almighty.”

“Before God Almighty” requires clarification. What does the phrase impart? It stresses the main point of
visiting the Holy Temple. That is, the major festivals are not for the purpose of gorging on food and
delighting in other mundane activities. Rather, visitors to Jerusalem were meant to foster an intimate
relationship with the Maker, cleaving to Him. Proper demeanor toward God resembles a servant before
his master.

How appropriate, then, to celebrate each festival in otherworldly repose and devotion to the One
Above! Priests and Levites residing in Jerusalem assisted their brethren to better understand holy
teachings, further enhancing the Holy City’s spiritual experience for all visitors.

See Abravanel’s World for a full discussion of the Jewish festivals, including one of Abravanel’s most
resourceful efforts to find a connection between the third festival (“the feast of the ingathering”) and a
seeming unrelated commandment pertaining to dietary laws – “You shall not boil a kid in its mother’s
milk.”

“And Moses assembled all the congregation of the Children of Israel,
and said unto them: These are the words which God has commanded,
that you should do them.”

Abarbanel notes that the lead verse requires explanation. If Moshe gathered the Hebrews for the
purpose of issuing a command to build the Tabernacle, as it says, “These are the words which God has
commanded, that you should do them”, why does he first start with the mitzvah to observe Shabbat:
“Six days shall work be done?”

The question looms larger, Abarbanel asks, because the obligation to keep Shabbat had been broached
in an earlier section, the one discussing manna. Further, the Jews heard a repeat of the Shabbat
mitzvah, later on Sinai. Moreover, four chapters earlier, yet another reference to Shabbat observance
was mentioned. Hence, Abarbanel’s glaring question here: Why bring up Shabbat again?

One final point. In last week’s section, Ki Tisa, we find the Torah issued a warning to heed Shabbat after
wrapping up a broad discussion on the Mishkan. Yet, here we find the order reversed. Shabbat gets
mentioned prior to verses speaking about the Mishkan.

Abarbanel supplies a timeline. After Moshe descended from Sinai, he commanded the entire nation,
men and women, to gather outside of the camp, specifically in his lecture hall, or the Tent of Assembly.
The prophet intended to inform the masses what God had commanded. That is, each person should
donate to the Tabernacle enterprise. This follows the opinion of the classic Biblical scholar, the Ramban.

Likely, this assembly took place the day after Moshe had descended from Sinai. He conveyed to his
brethren that the Maker had forgiven and pardoned them for their iniquity. Moreover, the Shechinah
would rest in their midst. Wonders, stupendous wonders, would He do for them, beyond the likes of
which had ever been performed – anywhere or anytime.

Of course, the Hebrews delighted in the news. Ecstatic. That is when Moshe saw fit to teach them about
the Mishkan. To be clear, the prophet had learned of this divine commandment as he sat upon Sinai,
before his co-religionists had built a Molten Calf. When the Creator reconciled with His nation,
evidenced by the giving of the second set of Tablets, God entered into a covenant: the Shechinah would
dwell among the Hebrews.

The loving and intimate relationship between the Jews and God had been repaired, restored. Reclaimed
affection expression may be summed up in an earlier verse: “Build Me a Tabernacle that I may dwell in
your midst.” Thus, after divine anger subsided, a time of renewed intimacy had been ushered in.

That is precisely when Moshe bid his brethren to build the Tabernacle: “These are the words which God
has commanded, that you should do them.” At this juncture, the prophet cautioned the Hebrews to
observe Shabbat. This signaled that Mishkan’s and its vessels’ activities would take place during the six
work days of the week, Shabbat excluded, for it is a holy time for God. Put differently, Mishkan work
does not trump Shabbat sanctity, with its concomitant dos and don’ts.

This section’s third verse reads: “You shall kindle no fire throughout your habitations upon the Sabbath
day.” Prohibiting fire on Shabbat taught the Jews that the sanctity of the seventh day exceeded that of
the Jewish festivals, where fire is permitted (in certain cases of food preparation or ochel nefesh).

With this important element in place, Abarbanel answers his original question regarding the seeming
peculiar insertion of the Shabbat verse in a section otherwise dedicated to the building of the
Tabernacle. It conveys the sanctity of the Sabbath, one which ranked higher even than the other major
festivals, celebratory occasions where fire may be permitted under proper circumstances (ochel nefesh).

As for the words “throughout your habitations”, they teach another Shabbat rule. Namely, the Hebrews
are obliged to keep Shabbat wherever they reside, in the Holy Land or elsewhere. Major Biblical writers
learn something else about this prepositional phrase: “throughout your habitations.” The prohibition
does not apply to the priests engaged in Mishkan activities (at least some of the holy activities, but
that’s for another blog).

Don Isaac Abravanel (1437-1508) was a preeminent Jewish thinker, scholar, and prolific Biblical
commentator. In Exodus chapter 25, parshat Terumah, we read about the divine commandment to build for God a
sanctuary in the tabernacle. We also learn how this sacred structure was to be financed.

“And God spoke unto Moses saying: Speak to the Children of Israel, that
they take for Me an offering. Of every man whose heart makes him
willing, you shall take My offering….And let them make Me a sanctuary,
that I may dwell among them.”

Abravanel gets right to the point: Why did God command the Jews to build a sanctuary for Him? Is the
Creator a physical being, in need of shelter? Of course, any physicality attributed to the Maker ranks
preposterous, let alone despicable and untruthful. Wise Solomon, who built Jerusalem’s Holy Temple,
stated the thorny problem: “But will God in very truth dwell on earth? Behold, heaven and the heaven
of heavens cannot contain You. How much less this house that I have built?”

Here is a synopsis of Abravanel’s approach. “God forbid,” Abravanel categorically states, “that the
Creator is needful of a house with all its appurtenances.” Bible students, instead, should understand
this commandment as follows. The Tabernacle is an object lesson, a concrete reminder that God dwells
amidst the Hebrew encampment.

Each Jew must process and internalize that lofty message, so it becomes etched in his soul and fiber.
Song of songs alluded to God’s proximity this way: “He stands behind our wall. He looks through the
windows. He peers through the lattice.”The Creator watches every move, hears every thought.

The prophet Isaiah confirms this theological paradox of God’s infinitude and nearness. “Thus says God:
The heaven is My throne, and the earth My footstool. Where is the house that you may build unto Me?
And where is the place that may be My resting place? For all these things has My hand made…”

Abravanel puts his finger on the significance inherent in the Tabernacle. The divine edifice is designed in
order for Jews to know in their heart of hearts that the Creator’s providence cuddles the Chosen People.
Abravanel returns to Isaiah: “But on this man will I look, even on him that is poor and of a contrite spirit,
and trembles at My word.”

“And let them make Me a sanctuary, that I may dwell among them.” See Abravanel’s World for the full
impact of this divine directive.