Midras Keluaran 26:31: Pesikta DeRav Kahana, Midrash Tanchuma Buber, Shir HaShirim Rabbah & Bamidbar Rabbah

"King Solomon made for him a palanquin" (Songs 3:9). "Palanquin" -- that is the Tent of Meeting. "King Solomon (Shlomo) made for him" -- the King to whom the peace (shalom) belongs (i.e., God Himself). Said Rabbi Yehuda bar Ilai: There was a king who had a young daughter. Before she had grown up and developed signs of puberty, he would see her in the marketplace [and] speak with her, in alleyways [and] speak with her. As soon as she grew up and developed signs of puberty, he said, "It is not honorable to my daughter that I speak with her in public; rather, make for her a partition and I will speak with her from within the partition." Thus in the beginning [it says], "When Israel was a youth, then I loved him" (Hos. 11:1). In Egypt they saw Me -- "and I will pass through the land of Egypt [on that night]" (Ex. 12:12). At the Sea they saw Me -- "and Israel saw the great hand [that God had wrought against Egypt]" (Ex. 14:31). At Sinai they saw Me -- "face to face the word of God was with you" (Deut. 5:4). And as soon as they received the Torah and became a full-fledged (sheleimah) nation to Me, I said, "It is not honorable to My children that I should speak with them in public; rather, make for Me a Tabernacle and I will speak from within the Tabernacle." Therefore it says, "When Moses would come to the Tent of Meeting [to speak with Him, he would hear a voice speaking to him from above the cover that was atop the Ark of Testimony]" (Num. 7:89).
"Of wood from Lebanon" (Songs 3:9) -- [those are] "[the boards of] acacia wood, standing upright" (Ex. 26:15); "Its posts he made of silver" -- "the hooks of the columns" (Ex. 27:10); "Its back-support of gold" (Songs 3:10) -- "the boards you shall overlay with gold" (Ex. 26:29). "Its seat of purple gold" (Songs 3:10) -- "and you shall make a curtain of blue and purple" (Ex. 26:31). "Inside it was joined together with love" -- Rabbi Yudan says, that is the merit of Torah and the righteous. Rabbi Azariah in the name of Rabbi Yehuda b'Rabbi Simon says, that is the Shekhinah. Said Rabbi Acha bar Kahana, it is written, "I will meet with you at appointed times there" (Ex. 25:22), to teach that even that which is behind the Ark-cover is not unoccupied by the Shekhinah.
A certain Gentile inquired of Rabban Gamaliel. He said to him, "For what reason did the Holy One Blessed be He conceal Himself from Moses in a bush?" He said to him, "If He would have concealed Himself on a certain carob tree or on a certain fig tree, what would you have said? Rather, [it was to show] that thee is no place on Earth that is unoccupied by the Shekhinah.
Rabbi Yehoshua of Sakhnin in the name of Rabbi Levi: To what can the Tent of Meeting be compared? To a cave that is situated on the seashore, and the sea rose up and overflowed, and the cave became filled up by the sea, but the sea was not lacking. Thus is the Tent of Meeting -- it is filled up by the radiance of the Shekhinah. Therefore it is said, "And it was on the day that Moses completed (or 'fulfilled'), etc."

[(Gen. 24:1:) NOW ABRAHAM WAS OLD.] This text is related (to Prov. 31:10): WHO CAN FIND A GALLANT WIFE?¹¹Cf. Tanh., Gen. 4:4. About whom were the words spoken? < They were spoken about Sarah > since it is written above (in Gen. 23:2): AND ABRAHAM PROCEEDED TO MOURN FOR SARAH AND WEEP FOR HER, < i.e., > he began to weep and eulogize. So he said: When shall I be able to get < another wife > like you?¹²The midrash is interpreting Prov. 32:10ff. as Abraham’s eulogy over Sarah. (Prov. 31:10:) A GALLANT WIFE. This was Sarah, as stated (in Gen. 12:11): SEE HERE NOW, I KNOW THAT YOU ARE A BEAUTIFUL-LOOKING WOMAN. (Prov. 31:10, cont.:) HER VALUE WAS FAR BEYOND THAT OF RUBIES, in that you came from afar. Thus it is stated (in Is. 46:11): SUMMONING A BIRD OF PREY FROM THE EAST, MY CONFIDANT FROM A FAR COUNTRY. (Prov. 31:11:) HER HUSBAND'S HEART HAD CONFIDENCE IN HER: This was Sarah, as stated (in Gen. 12:13): [PLEASE SAY YOU ARE MY SISTER] SO THAT IT MAY BE WELL WITH ME BECAUSE OF YOU. (Prov. 31:11, cont.:) AND HE HAS NO LACK OF PROFIT. This refers to our father Abraham, of whom it is stated (in Gen. 13:2): NOW ABRAHAM WAS VERY RICH. (Prov. 31:12:) SHE DID GOOD FOR HIM AND NOT EVIL. This refers to Sarah, since it is stated (in Gen. 12:16): AND BECAUSE OF HER, IT WENT WELL WITH ABRAHAM. (Prov. 31:13:) SHE LOOKS FOR WOOL AND FLAX, < in choosing > between < flaxen > Ishmael and < the pure wool of > Isaac. Thus it is stated (in Gen. 21:9f.): THEN SARAH SAW THE SON OF HAGAR THE EGYPTIAN … AND SAID TO ABRAHAM: CAST OUT THIS SLAVE WOMAN < AND HER SON >…. (Prov. 31:14:) SHE WAS LIKE THE MERCHANT SHIPS, in that she was moving from place to place and from country to country. Like such a vessel which goes from place to place on the sea (according to Prov. 31:14, cont.): SHE BRINGS HER FOOD FROM AFAR. Thus it is stated (in Gen. 20:16): THEN HE SAID UNTO SARAH: SEE, I HAVE GIVEN YOUR BROTHER A THOUSAND SILVER PIECES. (Prov. 31:15:) SHE ALSO AROSE WHILE IT WAS STILL NIGHT AND GAVE FOOD TO HER HOUSEHOLD. When? (In Gen. 22:3:) SO ABRAHAM AROSE EARLY IN THE MORNING…. (Prov. 31:15, cont.:) AND GAVE FOOD TO HER HOUSEHOLD, EVEN A STATUTE¹³The usual translation here is PORTION, but STATUTE better fits the Tanhuma context. FOR HER YOUNG WOMEN. (Gen. 17:26:) ON THAT VERY DAY ABRAHAM WAS CIRCUMCISED…. Now STATUTE can only mean circumcision, as shown (in Ps. 105:10): AND HE ESTABLISHED IT (i.e., Abraham's covenant) FOR JACOB AS A STATUTE, FOR ISRAEL AS AN EVERLASTING COVENANT.¹⁴Of course, Abraham’s EVERLASTING COVENANT meant circumcision. (Prov. 31:16:) SHE SET HER MIND ON A FIELD AND BOUGHT IT. Thus, while she was alive, she had her mind on obtaining the cave of Machpelah AND BOUGHT IT, for here she is buried in it (cf. Gen. 23). (Prov. 31:16, cont.:) FROM THE FRUIT OF HER HANDS SHE PLANTED A VINEYARD, as stated (in Gen. 21:33): AND HE PLANTED A TAMARISK TREE. What is the meaning of AND HE PLANTED? < It is > as you say (in Gen. 9:20): AND HE PLANTED A VINEYARD. (Prov. 31:17:) SHE GIRDED HER LOINS WITH VIGOR, when Abraham said to her (in Gen. 18:6): HURRY UP WITH THREE SEAHS OF FINE MEAL…. (Prov. 31:18:) SHE PERCEIVED THAT HER MERCHANDISE WAS GOOD; AND (in Gen. 21:7) SHE SAID: WHO WOULD HAVE SAID TO ABRAHAM THAT SARAH WOULD SUCKLE CHILDREN? (Prov. 31:18, cont.:) HER LAMP WOULD NOT GO OUT AT NIGHT. When? (In Gen. 14:15:) THEN HE DEPLOYED < HIS FORCES > AGAINST THEM BY NIGHT.¹⁵The verse assumes that Sarah was waiting up for Abraham to return from battle. (Prov. 31:21:) SHE WOULD NOT BE AFRAID FOR HER HOUSEHOLD BECAUSE OF SNOW. When? When the Holy One showed him Gehinnom (with its snow), she foretold that none of her children would go down into its midst. Thus it is stated (in Gen. 15:17): THERE APPEARED A SMOKING OVEN AND A FLAMING TORCH. Why? Because they fulfilled two commandments, (as shown in Prov. 31:21, cont.): BECAUSE ALL HER HOUSEHOLD ARE CLOTHED TWOFOLD,¹⁶The traditional text vocalizes TWOFOLD to mean CRIMSON. i.e., with the Sabbath and with circumcision. (Prov. 31:22:) SHE MADE COVERINGS FOR HERSELF. When? When they said to him (in Gen. 18:9): WHERE IS YOUR WIFE SARAH? He said to her: You have received good news that you are to bear < children >, and from them will go forth high priests who will serve in the Tent of Meeting. (Prov. 31:22, cont.:) HER CLOTHING IS LINEN AND PURPLE, as stated (in Exod. 26:31): < AND YOU SHALL MAKE A VEIL OF > {LINEN} [BLUE] AND PURPLE…. (Prov. 31:23:) HER HUSBAND WAS KNOWN IN THE GATES. When Sarah died, old age sprang upon Abraham and he was called elderly. Now it is stated (in Gen. 23:6, after the report of Sarah's death): HEAR US, MY LORD, YOU ARE A PRINCE OF GOD IN OUR MIDST. Ergo, HER HUSBAND WAS KNOWN IN THE GATES; < and the verse continues > immediately: AS HE SAT AMONG THE ELDERS OF THE LAND. He had become old; therefore, it is stated (in Gen. 24:1): NOW ABRAHAM WAS OLD.

“He made its pillars of silver, its cushion of gold, its seat of purple wool; its interior is plated with love, from the daughters of Jerusalem” (Song of Songs 3:10).
“He made its pillars of silver,” these are the pillars, as it is stated: “The hooks of the pillars and their bands, silver” (Exodus 27:11). “Its cushion of gold” as it is stated: “You shall plate the planks with gold” (Exodus 26:29). “Its seat of purple wool,” as it is stated: “You shall make a curtain of blue wool and purple” (Exodus 26:31). “Its interior is plated with love,” Rabbi Yudan says: This is the merit of the Torah and the merit of the righteous who engage in it. Rabbi Azarya said in the name of Rabbi Yuda in the name of Rabbi Simon: This is the Divine Presence.
One verse says: “The priests were unable to stand and serve [due to the cloud]” (I Kings 8:11), and one verse says: “And the courtyard was filled with the aura of the glory of the Lord” (Ezekiel 10:4). How can the two verses be reconciled? Rabbi Yehoshua of Sikhnin [said] in the name of Rabbi Levi: To what was the Tent of Meeting comparable? To a cave that was adjacent to the sea. The sea raged and inundated the cave. The cave was filled [with water], but the sea was missing nothing. So too, the Tent of Meeting was filled with the aura of the Divine Presence, but the world was missing nothing of the Divine Presence. When did the Divine Presence rest in the world? On the day that the Tabernacle was erected, as it is stated: “It was on the day that Moses finished [erecting the Tabernacle]” (Numbers 7:1).