Friday, February 24, 2012

Pulling Both Ends

בס"ד

While the entire tabernacle was also called the "משכן" or dwelling place for the Divine Presence, the passuk ascribes this lofty title to one particular part, the first layer of cloth coverings.

There were three (or four) layers that covered the mishkan. The first was made up of multiple strands of dyed wool, linen and gold and was woven into a pattern of cherubs. The second was called the "אהל" or tent and was made out of goat hairs woven together. The final layer of curtain was either a singular layer that incorporated both the dyed ram skins and the skins of the miraculous tachash (a rainbow colored animal that resembled a unicorn – see Talmud Shabbos 28a), or two individual curtains – one made up of each material, respectively.

It is interesting to note, however, that the lower two layers were not whole curtains. Hashem instructs Moshe to make these layers out of individual strips that would later be sewn together to form two curtains and those two curtains would be connected by a series of hooks called "קרסים". Both sections of curtain ended in fifty loops and fifty double edged hooks attached the two edges together.

Two questions stand out rather starkly.

Firstly, if the strips were to be sewn together permanently – why weave them as different strips at all? Secondly, if the two section were to be connected – why not have the hooks woven into one section and the loops in the other, so that they could hook each other easily? It seems more intuitive that having loops on both edges and a separate, double-edged, hook to hold them together.

One question is answered by the kli yakar. The innermost layer of curtain, the "mishkan" itself, was made of exactly ten strips. These were sewn into two sections of five strips each, and they represented the Ten Commandments. The Ten Commandments had two parts, one dealing with the obligations of man to his Creator and one dealing with man's duties to his fellow man. Similarly, the "mishkan" was split, one side to cover the Holy of Holies which contained the Word of G-d, and one side to cover the Holy which contained the offerings of man.

So why use the cumbersome double loop structure? To teach us that neither side has precedence. If we would have crafted the sections to latch one onto the other, we have been tempted to view one part of the curtain as central and the other as merely hitching a ride. In light of the symbolism of the Ten Commandments we can assess just how tragic such a misunderstanding would be. Neither the obligations of man to his fellow nor the duties of man to G-d, take priority over each other. Rather, they both represent the fulfillment of the Divine will.

By latching them equally, G-d is teaching us the secret to achieving Divinely inspired harmony. When we assist our fellow man with the same fervor and piety usually reserved for service to G-d, and when we approach our divine duties with the same goodwill and generosity that we manage to garner for our fellow, we will have truly fulfilled the message of the "mishkan". And in doing so, we will merit the blessing "ועשו לי מקדש ושכנתי בתוכם" [שמות כה:ח] "And they shall make me a sanctuary and I shall dwell amongst them" [Shemos 25:8] And hosting the Divine Presence is a harmonious experience indeed.

Haztlacha !!

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