Kaisipang Hudyo sa Ezekiel 3:12: Akeidat Yitzchak, Olat Reiyah, Guide for the Perplexed & HaEmunot veHaDeot

Shemot Rabbah Exodus 23, comments on the verse "This is my Lord, I will glorify Him," (15,2) that this shows that the people who descended into the sea were of high moral stature. Moses had extreme difficulty in obtaining a visual image of the Lord, as we see from the verse "please show me Your glory!", (Exodus 33,18) to which G-d replied "you cannot see My face," and finally showed him a reflection, since it is written "when My glory passes and I remove My palm, you will see My rear."

Since the Torah has gone to some considerable length to underline that the Jewish people never saw an image at the revelation, meaning that G-d is completely abstract, the idea of building a tabernacle for such an abstract entity, seems completely baffling. The Rabbis moreover have made a point of referring to G-d as makom, place, on occasion. They wanted to drive home the point that G-d is not bound by space "place," but that He is the Maker of everything spatial, everything connected with "space" or "place." When we recite in the kedushah, emulating the angels in Ezekiel 3, 12, "blessed the majesty of G-d mi-mekomo," this may be understood as "because He is the foundation, basis of all." The word does not mean "from His place" as we commonly translate it in other contexts. It follows that the sanctuary we build here on earth is purely symbolic, though governed by the strictest halachot, rules of conduct. If the concept of the sanctuary is one that embodies ideas expressed symbolically, then details of the construction and everything else connected with it are also full of symbolism. The author treats the subject in detail. We summarise only some of the highlights.

Psalms 92,2, "it is good to pay homage to G-d and to sing praises to Your name, most High." This is the conclusion reached by David after having overcome doubts in this matter. Cognition of G-d’s works is our primary task. Glorifying His works in song and music is the natural corollary of such cognition. The song the Jewish people sang after their deliverance from the army of Pharaoh by G-d’s miraculous personal intervention, is a prime example of this.