Pikudei Special Oxygen

Elchanan Shoff
There are the accountings of the Mishkan, Mishkan of testimony. Shemos 38:21 The word mishkan which means tabernacle shares a root with the word mashkon, which means collateral. Our sages1 teach us that the repetition of the word Mishkan in our verse hints to the two temples that were taken from the Jewish people.2 The midrash then goes on to tell us that the designation mishkan of testimony is one that teaches us that the mishkan is the testament to the world that there is forgiveness for the Jewish people.3 And yet it was not the temporary mishkan that was destroyed twice for the sins of the Jews, but rather the temple. Our sages4 tell us that the mishkan is also called the mikdash, a temple, and the mikdash is also called the mishkan. They were one and the same. In fact, when Hashem told the Jewish people to build the mishkan, he said that if they were to build Him a home, we would dwell among them.5 The word used for dwell is vishochanti. Those who know secrets6 have written that word vishochanti can be broken up into, vishochan (and will dwell) and the letters tav and yod which add up to 410. The first temple stood 410 years. It also makes up the words vsheni meaning the second, and the letters tav and chof, which equal 420. The second temple stood 420 years. The very words telling us to build Hashem a temporary dwelling taught us about the temple itself. In fact, the temporary mishkan teaches us that even the permanent temple is only temporary. It is collateral that can be taken and given back. And somehow, that is something so fundamental to this Mishkan that its very name teaches us that lesson.
Shemos Rabbah 51:3, see Rashi to Shemos 38:21 s.v. mishkan See also Bamidbar Rabbah 12:14 that the mishkan in shilo was destroyed as well, and is also a collateral for the Jewish people. Rashi to Tehillim 74:8 writes that it was destroyed by the Philistines, but see Chasam Sofer (Yoreh Deah 264) who says that there is no indication that it was the Philistines. (See also Rinas Yitzchak of R. Sorotzkin to Pikudei 38:21 p. 429.) 3 See Shem Mishmuel Pikudei 5673 s.v. Eleh Pikudei who explains why this is taught specifically when the accounting was done by moshe 4 Eruvin 2a 5 Shemos 25:8 6 Tosafos Hashalem to Shir Hashirim 1:4 s.v. mashcheni
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Others have grown convinced that Hashem abandoned his people forever when he destroyed his temple. The temple brought forgiveness to the Jewish people from the Hadaggah7 it is even implied that this is the entire reason that we were given the temple! If the temple in the land of Israel was built by Moshe, our sages teach us,8 it would have been permanent and could never have been destroyed. In fact, when the temple was destroyed, it was nevertheless expressed in Tehillim as a joy because as the midrash9 teaches us, Hashem poured out his wrath on sticks and stones, rather than on us. You see, as long as there is a temple around that can atone for everything, there is a great danger in living in such a world. For what impetus can there be to change for the better, if at the end of it all there is just forgiveness. The temple was therefore created as collateral. It could always be taken away the forgiveness would not always be so evident. But a collateral is an important analogy. For a collateral is still around even when it is being held by the creditor. If someone is holding your watch until you pay them back, it is still you watch, and your watch is still around it is just where it used to be. The temple was meant to forgive our sins. The items in the temple each served to forgive a specific thing.10 And they still do, according to R. Elyakim of Magentza.11 He writes that the clothing of the kohen gadol each of which atoned for something else, are now in Rome, and since they are unharmed, they therefore still atone for the Jewish people. The temple was taken from us, but it is still there, atoning for us. But if the mikdash is still here, where is it? From the day that the mikdash was destroyed, all that Hashem has in this world are the four cubits of halacha.12 When a person is involved in Torah, thinking about torah, and studying it, he is connected to the temple. R. Tzadok of Lublin13 writes that the holiness of the land of Israel is to be found in the four cubits of halacha, and that wherever in the world a person is, he can breathe the air of the land of Israel, that makes a person wise,14 if he is in the four cubits of halacha. R. Pinchas Halevi Hurwitz15 similarly wrote that the divine presence is found in the four cubits of

Dayenu See Sotah 5a 9 Shocher Tov 79, Eicha Rabassi 4:14 see Rashi to Kiddushin 31b s.v. Istayah milsah, as Tosafos There. 10 Arachin 16 11 A contemporary of Rashi, in his Commentary to Yoma (Jerusalem 1965) to Yoma 72b. See however Chasam Sofers Commentary to Gitin 8a. 12 Brachos 8a 13 Tzidkas Hatzaddik 209, 232 14 Bava Basra 158b. 15 Haflaah to Kesuvos, end of Pischa Zeira
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halacha. In fact, Maharam of Padua16 writes amazingly that after the temple was destroyed, the land of Israel no longer makes people wise! It was once in the temple, now it can only be found in the Torah. The gentile world sees that we dont have a temple, and they think that we are finished. But in fact, if would have kept our temple, we would have been worse off. Though painful, the fact that we could have our temple shattered, and our source of forgiveness taken away causes us to have to grow up. We no longer can rely on the temple to clean up our messes. But in the end, we nevertheless have the temple all along. It is ours, it exists, we just do not know where it is. The mishkan was built to keep us connected to the day that the Torah was given, teaches the Ramban.17 When we connect to the Torah, we in fact circumvent the need to connect through the mishkan, and that is what we are forced to do in exile. When Yaakov slept in the place of the temple, he exclaimed, How awesome is this place, this is nothing other than the house of God, and the gate of Heaven.18 This is nothing other than is a funny way to talk. It would seem more appropriate to say directly this is the house of God. But in fact, our sages19 inform us that Yaakov at that time saw that this temple would be built, and destroyed and rebuilt. When he said ain zeh this is not, he was hinting to the reality that at some point, the temple would not exist. But that is what makes the place so awe inspiring. The very fact that the place could be destroyed is as important as that it would be built. It could be taken away for our sins, to teach us that life is something that we must take responsibility for, and our mistakes are ours to mend. The temple is gone, but still there. We are still able to achieve forgiveness, we just reach is slightly differently. The divine presence never left the western wall.20

Shut Ram Mipadua 29, see also Shut Darchei Noan (Venice 5446) Choshen Mishpat 23. This is not agreed upon by everyone. See my Vaani Bahashem Atzapeh to Tehillim 116:9. 17 Beginning of Parshas Trumah 18 Bereshis 28:17 19 Bereshis Rabbah 69:7 20 Shemosh Rabbah 2:2
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