וְנוֹעַדְתִּ֣י לְךָ֮ שָׁם֒ וְדִבַּרְתִּ֨י אִתְּךָ֜ מֵעַ֣ל הַכַּפֹּ֗רֶת מִבֵּין֙ שְׁנֵ֣י הַכְּרֻבִ֔ים אֲשֶׁ֖ר עַל־אֲרֹ֣ן הָעֵדֻ֑ת אֵ֣ת כָּל־אֲשֶׁ֧ר אֲצַוֶּ֛ה אוֹתְךָ֖ אֶל־בְּנֵ֥י יִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃ (פ)
A stawiać się będę dla ciebie tam, i przemawiać do ciebie z ponad wieka, z pośród dwu cherubów, co nad arką świadectwa, o wszystkiém, co ci polecę do synów Israela.
Pesikta DeRav Kahana
"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."
"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."
Ein Yaakov (Glick Edition)
There was one more who used to say: "When our love was strong, we found room to sleep on the broad side of a sword; now when our love is gone a bed of sixty [yards] is not sufficient for us." R. Huna said: We find this in the Scriptures. At first [when Israel was good] it is written (Ex. 25, 22) I will speak with thee from above the cover. And we are taught in a Baraitha that the ark measured nine spans, and the cover one; hence, altogether, it measured ten, and it is written (I Kings 6, 2) And the house which was built by Solomon unto the Lord was sixty cubits in length. And finally there is a passage (Is. 66, 1) Thus hath said the Lord, the heavens are My throne, and the earth is My foot-stool; where is there a house that ye can build unto Me?"
Sifra
2) The limitations: (Bamidbar 7:89): "And when Moses came to the ohel moed (for the L–rd) to speak to 1 him, that he heard the voice speaking to 2 him … and He spoke to him." (Shemoth 25:22): "And I will be appointed for you there, and I will speak to you … all that I will charge you with to the children of Israel." (Shemoth 29:42): "… where I shall appoint a time for you (plural) to speak to you (singular) there." (Shemoth 30:6):