In this week’s parsha, God commands the nation to “make me a sanctuary – so that I may dwell among them” (Shemot 25:8). The people are inspired and contribute to the cause.
The Psikta recounts an amazing occurrence. When the decree came down to Moshe for the nation to build a sanctuary, Moshe shook and exclaimed, “How can man make a house for G-d?!” And God answered, “Not according to My capabilities do I ask, rather according to man’s capabilities.” From this the Chofetz Chaim concludes, that G-d does not unfairly critique man for his shortcomings, rather He asks only that we try, to the best of our abilities.
I would like to focus on the intriguing back-and-forth between Hakadosh Baruch Hu and Moshe. Firstly, why is Moshe “shaken”? What is so shocking about Hashem’s request to build a Mishkan? If one were to answer that the reason for Moshe’s great astonishment was that he found it so difficult to fathom the concept of G-d manifesting Himself in this world, then we can still ask: why he so shocked now? Didn't the Shechina previously come down at Har Sinai (19:20)? Furthermore, we can ask: what did Hashem respond to Moshe that resolved his question? And finally, what can we glean from G-d’s response?
I would like to suggest that Moshe's shock was rooted in a deep and fundamental question of the essence of G-d. The Greek and Roman philosophers wrestled with a question: if G-d is so holy and lofty, how can He be concerned with the “lowly” ways of man? Man is inherently physically limited, debased with desires and selfish needs. Aristotle's concept of G-d, “The Prime Mover,” was that of an unfeeling, removed Power that was involved in deep Self-contemplation, (The Middle Platonism by John Dillon - Cornell University Press 1977) something totally disconnected from the base thoughts of man.
The overarching question of the time was: How can G-d, who is יושב במרום, and dwells in the supernal realms, be “concerned” with the ways of man? Different philosophers of the era arrived at two separate and distinct responses: either that G-d is in fact so holy that He is removed from the lowly activities of man, or that the gods were made in the image of man, and were just as debased, selfish and petty as man as well.
Obviously, Judaism has a wholly different understanding of the essence of G-d. This understanding is from G-d Himself. And we can see this totally divergent idea from the Psikta quoted above. In responding to Moshe G-d says: “Not according to My capabilities do I ask, rather according to man’s capabilities.” G-d was in essence telling Moshe that not only does He not ask more from what man is capable of, and not only is He interested in our actions, but He desires to dwell among us too! This is, I believe, the depth and beauty of G-d’s call to man “Make me a sanctuary.”
This idea can perhaps elucidate for us another issue once raised by a student of mine. Human civilizations have for millennia been engaged in building centers of worship, altars, and great monuments to their idols. Some archeological digs have even unearthed ruins that have had a similar floor plan to the Mishkan. The student was bothered by this, wondering what makes the endeavor of the Jewish people so unique? Perhaps the Jews in the desert were just like any other developing nomadic tribe that felt a bond through building a communal altar to worship, similar to Stonehenge in England, or the Ziggurats in Mesopotamia and other similar feats of architecture. What made the Mishkan, and by proxy the Jewish people, any different?
I heard from the Rosh Yeshiva, Rav Yechiel Perr Shlit”a the following idea: The history of mankind is rife with man’s desire to reach out to G-d, as evidenced through the buildings, monuments and altars that they made. However, the Mishkan marked the first time that G-d reached out to man with “Make me a sanctuary.” This made the Mishkan a different structure entirely, at its core; for while the building is coming from man’s actions, it is due to G-d’s directive. The call to build G-d a sanctuary infuses its every vessel with sanctity. Now it becomes elevated to a G-dly level. So while it may look the same as other “sanctuaries”, and it may have been built similarly, its essence was not anything of this world.
This is an important lesson for us, as we should know and strengthen this idea that G-d is not only interested in our lives, but wishes to “dwell” within them. As Alshich states:
ועשו לי מקדש ושכנתי בתוכם: בכל אחד ואחד
G-d desires to dwell within each of us.
We would be wise to open the door to let Him in.
Shabbat Shalom
