Tabernacle

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The Tabernacle (Hebrew: משכן‎, mishkan, "residence" or "dwelling place"), according to the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament, was the portable dwelling place for the divine presence from the time of the Exodus from Egypt through the conquering of the land of Canaan. Built to specifications revealed by God (Yahwe) to Moses at Mount Sinai, it accompanied the Israelites on their wanderings in the wilderness and their conquest of the Promised Land, and was eventually placed in the First Temple in Jerusalem, which superseded it as the dwelling-place of God among the Israelites. It is not mentioned after the destruction of Jerusalem by the Babylonians.

The fullest description of the Tabernacle describes an inner shrine named Kodesh Hakodashim (Holy of Holies) housing the Ark and an outer chamber (Holy Place), with a golden lampstand, table for showbread, and altar of incense.[1] This description is generally identified as part of the Priestly source (P),[1] written in the 6th or 5th century BC. Many scholars contend that it is of a far later date than Moses, and that the description reflects the structure of the Temple of Solomon, while some hold that the description derives from memories of a real pre-monarchic shrine, perhaps the sanctuary at Shiloh.[1] According to the 19th century "Higher Criticism" school of Julius Wellhausen, an earlier, pre-exilic source (E) describes the Tabernacle as a simple tent-sanctuary.[1]

Meaning

The English word "tabernacle" is derived from the Latin word tabernāculum meaning "tent." Tabernāculum itself is a diminutive form of the word taberna, meaning "hut, booth, tavern." The word sanctuary is also used as its name, as well as the phrase the "tent of meeting". The Hebrew word Mishkan implies "dwell", "rest", or "to live in", referring to the "[In-dwelling] Presence of God", the Shekhina (or Shechina, based on the same Hebrew root word as Mishkan), that dwelt within this divinely ordained structure. The commandments for its construction are taken from the words in the Book of Exodus when God says to Moses: "They shall make me a sanctuary, and I will dwell (ve-shakhan-ti) among them. You must make the tabernacle (mishkan) and all its furnishings following the plan that I am showing you." (Exodus 25:8-10). Thus the idea is that God wants this structure built so that it may be a "dwelling", so to speak, for his presence within the Children of Israel following the Exodus. It is a crucial component for understanding many of the foundations of Judaism, such as the Shabbat (Jewish Sabbath), the Jewish priesthood who were commanded to serve in it, and the meaning and atonement of the sin of the Golden calf.

Description

There are two accounts of the Tabernacle in Exodus, a briefer account and a longer one. Scholars of the "Higher Criticism" school cite the briefer one as earlier and the longer one as later.

Elohist account

The first written description of the tabernacle is in Exodus 33:7-10.[1] The tabernacle would be set up outside of camp, and the pillar of cloud, symbolizing the divine presence, was visible at its door.[1] The people directed their worship toward this center.[1] "Higher Criticism" scholars attribute this description to the Elohist source (E),[1] which was written about 850 BC.[2]

Priestly account

The more detailed description is in Exodus 25-31 and 35-40. This description of the Tabernacle describes an inner shrine (Holy of Holies) housing the Ark and an outer chamber (Holy Place), with a seven-branched lampstand, table for showbread, and altar of incense.[1] An enclosure containing the sacrificial altar surrounded these chambers.[1] This description is generally identified as part of the Priestly source (P),[1] written in the 6th or 5th century BC. Many scholars contend that the description is of a far later date than Moses, and that it reflects the structure of the Temple of Solomon, while some hold that the description derives from memories of a real pre-monarchic shrine, perhaps the sanctuary at Shiloh.[1]

The detailed outlines for the Tabernacle and its leaders are enumerated in the Book of Exodus:

• Chapter 25 [4] : Materials needed, the Ark, the table for 12 showbread, the Menorah.
• Chapter 26 [5] : The Tabernacle, the beams, partitions.
• Chapter 27 [6] : The copper altar, the enclosure, oil.
• Chapter 28 [7] : Vestments for the priests, ephod garment, ring settings, the breastplate, robe, head-plate, tunic, turban, sashes, pants.
• Chapter 29 [8] : Consecration of priests and altar.
• Chapter 30 [9] : Incense altar, washstand, anointing oil, incense.

Builders

In chapter 31 [10] the main builder and architects are specified:

"God spoke to Moses, saying: I have selected Bezalel son of Uri son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, by name. I have filled him with a divine spirit, with wisdom, understanding and knowledge, and with all types of craftsmanship. He will be able to devise plans as well as work in gold, silver and copper, cut stones to be set, carve wood, and do other work. I have also given him Oholiab son of Achisamakh of the tribe of Dan. I have placed wisdom in the heart of every naturally talented person. They will thus make all that I have ordered, the Communion Tent, the Ark of the Covenant, the ark cover to go on it, all the utensils for the tent, the table and its utensils, the pure menorah and all its utensils, the incense altar, the sacrificial altar and all its utensils, the washstand and its base, the packing cloths, the sacred vestments for Aaron the priest, the vestments that his sons wear to serve, the anointing oil, and the incense for the sanctuary. They will thus do all that I command." (Exodus 31:1-11)

Organization

The tabernacle of the Hebrews, during the Exodus, was a portable worship facility consisting of a tent draped with colorful curtains (see [first] diagram according to Talmud). It had a rectangular, perimeter fence of fabric, poles and staked cords. This rectangle was always erected when they would camp, oriented to the east. In the center of this enclosure was a rectangular sanctuary draped with goats'-hair curtains, with the roof made from rams' skins, (see [second] diagram according to Talmud). Inside, it was divided into two areas, the Holy Place and the Most Holy Place (see [third] diagram according to Talmud). These two compartments were separated by a curtain or veil. Entering the first space, one would see 3 pieces of sacred furniture: a seven-branched oil lampstand on the left (south), a table for twelve loaves of show bread on the right (north) and straight ahead before the dividing curtain (west) was an altar for incense-burning. Beyond this curtain was the cube-shaped inner room known as the (Holy of Holies) or (Kodesh Hakodashim). This sacred space contained a box or cabinet called the Ark of the Covenant (aron habrit) (see diagram according to Talmud), inside of which were the two stone tablets brought down from Mt. Sinai by Moses, on which were written the "10 Commandments."

Incorporated into Temple in Jerusalem

According to the Bible, when the Israelites settled in Canaan they set up the Tabernacle on Mount Shiloh. There it stayed until God requested a stationary abode: "And it came to pass that night, that the word of the LORD came unto Nathan, saying, Go and tell my servant David, Thus saith the LORD, Shalt thou build me an house for me to dwell in? Whereas I have not dwelt in [any] house since the time that I brought up the children of Israel out of Egypt, even to this day, but have walked in a tent and in a tabernacle"..."And when thy days be fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will set up thy seed after thee, which shall proceed out of thy bowels, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build an house for my name, and I will stablish the throne of his kingdom for ever." (2 Samuel 7:4-6, 12-13). Although King David himself was not allowed to build this temple, because he was a man of war, God promised that his son would build it. After King David died at Jerusalem his son King Solomon built the first Holy Temple known as Solomon's Temple, following the pattern revealed to Moses and incorporating all the elements of the Tabernacle into the newly built Temple in Jerusalem.

Significance for Sabbath

The concluding instructions for the Tabernacle's construction are stated at the end of the Book of Exodus, chapter 31 [11], and in that same chapter, immediately following the words about the Tabernacle, God reminds Moses about the importance of the Jewish Sabbath:

"God told Moses to speak to the Israelites and say to them: You must still keep my sabbaths. It is a sign between me and you for all generations, to make you realize that I, God, am making you holy. Keep the Sabbath as something sacred to you. Anyone doing work shall be cut off spiritually from his people, and therefore, anyone violating it shall be put to death. Do your work during the six week days, but keep Saturday as a Sabbath of Sabbaths, holy to God. Whoever does any work on Saturday shall be put to death. The Israelites shall thus keep the Sabbath, making it a day of rest for all generations, as an eternal covenant. It is a sign between me and the Israelites that during the six weekdays God made heaven and earth, but on the seventh day, he ceased working and rested." (Exodus: 31: 12-17). [12]

The rabbis of the Mishna derive from this juxtaposition of subject-matter, the fact that the commandment to rest on the Sabbath day, as stated in Genesis 2:1-3 "Heaven and earth, and all their components, were completed. With the seventh day, God finished all the work that He had done. He ceased on the seventh day from all the work that he had been doing. God blessed the seventh day, and he declared it to be holy, for it was on this day that God ceased from all the work that he had been creating to function." [13] is not pushed aside by the commandments to construct the Tabernacle. Not only that, but the very definition of what constitutes "work" or "activity" that must not be done by any Israelite, on pain of death (only when there was a Sanhedrin, and only with acceptable witnesses present), is defined by the 39 categories of activity needed for the construction of the Tabernacle and for its functioning as the center of the sacrifices enumerated in the Book of Leviticus.