Mussar zu Könige I 8:12

This is what Solomon referred to in his prayer in Kings 18,12: "Then Solomon declared: 'The Lord has chosen to abide in a thick cloud. I have now built for You a stately House, a place where You may dwell forever'" It is further written as part of Solomon's prayer in Kings I 8,26: "Now, therefore, O G–d of Israel, let the promise that You made to Your servant my father David be fulfilled. But will G–d really dwell on earth? Even the heavens to their uttermost reaches cannot contain You, how much less this House that I have built!" At this point David's prayer in Psalms 132,8-11 is invoked by Solomon in Chronicles II 6,40-41. When Solomon completed his prayer, fire descended from heaven and consumed the total offering and the meal offerings; the glory of G–d filled the House (Chronicles II 7,1). It was then that the relationship between G–d and earth (Man) was restored to the level prior to Adam's sin. The conduits from heaven poured their blessing on mankind via the Holy Temple. This is the true meaning of Psalms 133,3: "Like the dew of Hermon that falls upon the mountains of Zion. There the Lord ordained blessing, everlasting life." It is also written in Psalms 50,2: "From Zion, perfect in beauty, G–d appeared."

We must try and understand why Rabbenu Bachyah was so selective in his comparison of the creation with the construction of the Tabernacle. He could have cited additional parallels. A look at a lengthy Midrash in Shemot Rabbah 33,4 quotes Rabbi Berechyah as presenting a long list of parallels between the Tabernacle and מעשה בראשית. The list includes many items found in the heavens such as ערפל, זבול, עצי שטים, כרובים, אופנים and many others. In each case Rabbi Berechyah demonstrates that the Tabernacle contained something parallel.