וַיֹּ֥אמֶר יְהוָ֖ה אֶל־מֹשֶׁ֥ה לֵּאמֹֽר׃
Et l’Éternel dit à Moïse ce qui suit:
Chizkuni
כאשר דבר ה, “just as Hashem had said.” (when He had said: “Pharaoh will not pay heed to you.” Verse 4)
Rabbeinu Bahya
It is also possible to understand the word משכן as derived from the word המשכה, “conduct, continuation, etc.” This would symbolise the fact that the terrestrial Tabernacle was an extension, a continuation of the Tabernacle in the celestial regions. The Temple in our regions draws on the spiritual input from the Temple in the celestial regions. The Temple in those regions is known as זבול, this is why Solomon said in his prayer at the consecration of the Temple he had built: בנה בניתי בית זבול לך, “I have most certainly built for You” (a house which parallels the בית זבול). This is also the mystical dimension of Judges 5,14 ומזבולון מושכים בשבט סופר, “and from Zevulun who so far were only engaged as scribes.” (In this instance they joined the battle against Siserah and his chariots, though they were basically not warriors. Ed.) The message Devorah conveys is that the spiritual inspiration which scribes such as the members of the tribe of Zevulun could draw on from celestial sources they employed in helping their people in that battle. The word סופר in that verse is an allusion to the ספירות, the emanations which G’d used in the creation of the universe. No doubt, Devorah referred to the lowest emanation, מלכות, the one which is part of the עולם העשיה, our own terrestrial universe.
Just as the Torah spoke of “the day on which the Lord G’d made (finished) the universe” (Genesis 2,4), saying also that when G’d reviewed His handiwork at the end of the six days “He saw that it was very good” (Genesis 1,31), so when the Tabernacle was completed the Torah writes: “It was on the day Moses completed the Tabernacle” (Numbers 7,4), as well as 39,43 “when Moses took a look at all the work and here they had performed it (i.e. it was good).”
Just as the creation of the world did not interfere with the Sabbath, the day of rest, so the building of the Tabernacle was not allowed to interfere with the Sabbath legislation, i.e. no work was performed for it on the Sabbath. This is the reason the Torah wrote in connection with the report about the construction of the Tabernacle that “work shall be performed (on it) during six days,” (excluding the Sabbath). Just as the world as we know it is slated to be destroyed before it is going to be renewed after a period our sages describe as 1000 years of Sabbath (Sanhedrin 96), so both the Tabernacle and the Temple were slated to be destroyed only to be rebuilt in due course.
Just as after the creation of man and his having been placed in the garden G’d commanded him to observe certain rules and not to eat from the tree of knowledge, so we find that Moses issued certain instructions in 36,6. Just as G’d had told the universe to stop continuing to expand, i.e. He said די, “enough” (Bereshit Rabbah 46,2), so Moses also declared the contributions for the Tabernacle as being sufficient and ordered the people to stop bringing more, the Torah saying והמלאכה היתה דים, “and there were sufficient materials, etc.” (36,7). According to a kabbalistic interpretation the word מלאכה instead of something more appropriate, meant that it referred to the מלאכת שמים וארץ, the work of constructing heaven and earth, i.e. the Tabernacle was a replica of the creation of heaven and earth.
Just as the Torah spoke of “the day on which the Lord G’d made (finished) the universe” (Genesis 2,4), saying also that when G’d reviewed His handiwork at the end of the six days “He saw that it was very good” (Genesis 1,31), so when the Tabernacle was completed the Torah writes: “It was on the day Moses completed the Tabernacle” (Numbers 7,4), as well as 39,43 “when Moses took a look at all the work and here they had performed it (i.e. it was good).”
Just as the creation of the world did not interfere with the Sabbath, the day of rest, so the building of the Tabernacle was not allowed to interfere with the Sabbath legislation, i.e. no work was performed for it on the Sabbath. This is the reason the Torah wrote in connection with the report about the construction of the Tabernacle that “work shall be performed (on it) during six days,” (excluding the Sabbath). Just as the world as we know it is slated to be destroyed before it is going to be renewed after a period our sages describe as 1000 years of Sabbath (Sanhedrin 96), so both the Tabernacle and the Temple were slated to be destroyed only to be rebuilt in due course.
Just as after the creation of man and his having been placed in the garden G’d commanded him to observe certain rules and not to eat from the tree of knowledge, so we find that Moses issued certain instructions in 36,6. Just as G’d had told the universe to stop continuing to expand, i.e. He said די, “enough” (Bereshit Rabbah 46,2), so Moses also declared the contributions for the Tabernacle as being sufficient and ordered the people to stop bringing more, the Torah saying והמלאכה היתה דים, “and there were sufficient materials, etc.” (36,7). According to a kabbalistic interpretation the word מלאכה instead of something more appropriate, meant that it referred to the מלאכת שמים וארץ, the work of constructing heaven and earth, i.e. the Tabernacle was a replica of the creation of heaven and earth.