HOME BASE
In this week’s Parsha HaShem instructs Moshe “They shall build for Me a Mishkan and I will dwell within them”. Our Sages point out how these words indicate that although we are to build a Mishkan for the Shechina (His Presence) will rest within the people themselves.
The implication appears that the Shechinah’s primary residence will not be the Mishkan but rather the people and their homes. The construction of the Mishkan was only a prerequisite to having the Shechina to dwell among them. However, it is clear that the Mishkan contains the Kedusha because it carries HaShem’s Presence. From the laws of tumah it is evident that one who is tamei may not enter the environs of the Mishkan but is permitted to enter the Jewish homes. So was the Shechina dwelling in the Mishkan or in the midst of the people?
Tehillim chapter 90 was written by Moshe Rabbeinu. At the end of that Psalm Moshe turns to HaShem and requests “May You have nachas from us, and may our handiwork be based upon us and may our handiwork be His base.”
The Malbim explains this prayer as follows.
When a builder constructs a home, the builder is not the base of the house. The earth or the foundation upon which he built the house is the base. The builder only put together all the components.
In contrast, when a person performs a mitzvah he be-comes the base of that mitzvah. In other words, the existence of that mitzvah rests upon the one who per-formed it. The mitzvah actually rests upon the Jew himself. This explains “may our handiwork (the mitzvos we perform) be based upon us”. The second half of this prayer is that our mitzvah should be accepted by HaShem to the extent that the mitzvah should serve as the base of HaShem.
The fulfillment of the Moshe’s prayer comes when our performance of the mitzvah becomes the base of HaShem in this world and we are the base of that mitzvah. In other words, the Shechina is actually based upon us. We are the supporters of His Shechina!
Hence, when we build the Mishkan for HaShem, the Shechina will dwell in the Mishkan and the Mishkan will be built up on us, and it is we who support the Presence of HaShem.
Let us go back to the teaching of our Sages. HaShem instructed Moshe to build a Mishkan so that HaShem will dwell among us, meaning since we are the base of the Mishkan, and the Shechina is dwelling in the Mishkan by extension the Shechina is dwelling among us.
How fitting it is that after the Bnei Yisroel completed the Mishkan Moshe blessed the people with this very verse from Tehillim 90.
Have a wonderful Shabbos.
Paysach Diskind