The Temple

By Rabbi Dr. Hillel ben David (Greg Killian)

I. Gan Eden – The Ideal Dwelling Place..............3

II. Bethel – The House of G-d............................10
III. Har Sinai.......................................................14
IV. The Mishkan – The Tabernacle....................17
V. Names given to the Mishkan.........................22
VI. The Beit HaMikdash – The Temple.............24
VII. Names given to the Temple........................27
VIII. Where HaShem put His Name...................29
IX. Physical versus Reality................................31
X. The Synagogue..............................................39
XI. Stones and Corner Stones.............................42
XII. Preceding Names........................................45
Preceding Names in the Nazarean Codicil. .50
XIII. Miracles.....................................................54
XIV. Keruvim (Cherubim).................................55
XV. King  War against Amalek  Temple...57
XVI. Time and Space.........................................58
XVII. Fit Vessels................................................60
XVIII. Mashiach.................................................63
XIX Eden - Back to the Future...........................65

Ya’aqov called the future site of the Holy Temple

a house:
In this paper I would like to examine some aspects
of the Temple, past and future.1 Let’s start by Bereshit (Genesis) 28:16-17 And Ya’aqov
examining what the Patriarchs called the future awaked out of his sleep, and he said, Surely
site of the Temple. HaShem is in this place; and I knew [it] not.
And he was afraid, and said, How dreadful
Avraham called the future site of the Holy Temple [is] this place! this [is] none other but the
a mountain, after the Akeida: house of God, and this [is] the gate of
heaven.
Bereshit (Genesis) 22:14 And Avraham
called the name of that place Adonai-Yireh: This dwelling, this “house” as Ya’aqov called it,
as it is said [to] this day, In the mount of will figure prominently in this study. It is
HaShem it shall be seen. important, therefore that we understand the
meaning of this word. Here is what the dictionary
Isaac called the future site of the Holy Temple a says:
field:
dwell (dw l)intr.v. dwelt, (dw lt) or dwelled
Bereshit (Genesis) 24:53 And Isaac went dwell·ing, dwells
out to meditate in the field at the eventide: To live as a resident; reside.
and he lifted up his eyes, and saw, and, To exist in a given place or state: dwell in
behold, the camels [were] coming. joy.
To fasten one's attention
1
Much of my understanding on this topic was taught to me
by my teacher, Hakham Dr. Yoseph ben Haggai. To speak or write at length
1
 Before giving the Torah, HaShem explains that the
The Encyclopedia Judaica gives us a bit more Children of Israel were to be "A kingdom of
insight into this “dwelling”: priests and a holy nation." Their mission was to
show the rest of society what it means to integrate
PRESENCE, DIVINE. The notion of the HaShem into a lifestyle. It was intended that the
Divine Presence is expressed in the Bible in Children of Israel would accomplish their mission
two different senses: 1) in the corporeal individually and collectively. It was HaShem's
sense, i.e., the actual dwelling (shakhan, ‫)שכן‬ original intent that every single Jew should attain a
of G-d in His abode; 2) in the abstract sense, level of understanding and integration equal to the
i.e., symbolic representation by means of High Priest on Yom HaKippurim as he entered the
calling or establishing His name (shikken Holy of Holies to serve HaShem and affect
shem, ‫ )שם שכן‬upon the Sanctuary or the forgiveness. It was intended that this assumed
people. sanctity would be self evident to all those who
desired to see living examples of divinity
G-d's presence, according to the ancient translated into reality! It was intended that the
view, is confined to the Tabernacle / sanctuary of HaShem would reside within each
Sanctuary and to other visible phenomena and every Jew, as stated in:
serving as the vehicles of G-d, such as the
Ark and the cherubim or the cloud Shemot (Exodus) 25:8 "Make for me a
enveloping the G-dhead in its movements. sanctuary that I may dwell within them.".
That the Tabernacle was considered an Israel was to be a dwelling or House for
indicator for G-d's presence in ancient Israel HaShem.
may be learned from the words of Nathan
the prophet to David: "... I have been Our Sages have pointed out that the Torah does
moving about [mithalekh] in a Tabernacle not say, "Make a Sanctuary for Me . . . so that I
and tent [be-ohel u-ve-mishkan]... All the may dwell in it [i.e., the Mishkan]," but rather, "So
time I was moving about among the that I may dwell among them [i.e., the People]."
Israelites..." (II Sam. 7:6–7). The same This is more than a nice expression. HaShem is
concept is given expression in the Priestly not primarily concerned with a temple of wood
source of the Pentateuch: "I will establish and stone; the purpose of the physical temple is to
My abode [mishkani] in your midst... and I inspire us to make ourselves into temples for the
will be moving about [i.e, be present] in Shechinah.
your midst: I will be your G-d and you shall
be my people" (Lev. 26:11–12). Similar The raison d’etre for the Temple is “dwelling”.
statements are found in other parts of the Adam knew that HaShem dwelt in him because
Priestly literature, where shakhan, the Ruach was blown into his nose and he could
"dwelling," is used instead of hithalekh, hear it when he breathed. The curtains in the
"moving about," as in Exodus 25:8: "Let Temple used to move as the Temple breathed.
them make me a Sanctuary that I may dwell
[we-shakhanti] among them," and at the end The term "Shekinah" means "dwelling" and is
of the inauguration of the Tabernacle in used to describe HaShem's presence in this world.
Exodus 29:45–46: "And I will dwell among The word Shekinah is not found in the Tanakh. Its
the Israelites and I will be their G-d." The earliest appearance is in the Targums where it
rabbinic term Shekhinah is actually an used with regard to HaShem dwelling among the
abstraction of this concept of "dwelling," B’nei of Israel.
which in the sources just quoted is
understood literally. Indeed the Tabernacle, Midrash Rabbah - Genesis III:9 R. Samuel
as depicted in the Priestly tradition, b. Ammi said: From the beginning of the
represents a royal house with all its world's creation the Holy One, blessed be
necessary facilities. He, longed to enter into partnership with the
mortals. For what will you: if it is a matter
2
 of time reckoning, it should say either one, Sanhedrin 97a The Tanna debe Eliyahu
two, three, or first, second, third, but surely teaches: The world is to exist six thousand
not, one, second, third! When did the Holy years. In the first two thousand there was
One, blessed be He, repay them? At the desolation; two thousand years the Torah
erection of the Tabernacle, as it says, And flourished; and the next two thousand years
he that presented his offering the first day is the Messianic era, but through our many
(Num. VII, 12), meaning, the first of the iniquities all these years have been lost.
world's creation, for God said, ' It is as
though on that day I created My world.’ The first two thousand years contained Gan Eden.
That day took ten crowns: it was the first of The second two thousand years contained Bethel,
the creation, first in respect of kings, the Har Sinai, the Mishkan, and both Temples. The
princes, the priesthood, and the Shechinah, last two thousand years contained Mashiach ben
(as it says, And let them make Me a Yosef. We are therefore close to the time of the
sanctuary, that I may dwell among them end. We can hear the footsteps of Mashiach ben
(Ex.XXV, 8)); it was first in respect of David.
blessing, sacrificial service, the prohibition
of high places, killing at the north [side of This Midrash should also tantalize those who wish
the Altar], and the descending of fire, as it to understand the Temple:
is said, And there came forth fire from
before the Lord (Lev. IX, 24).5 "As the navel is set in the center of the human
body, so is the land of Israel the navel of the
This study will look at several very mystical world... situated in the center of the world,
aspects of the Temple which correspond exactly to and Jerusalem in the center of the land of Israel,
what we read in the Nazarean Codicil. The and the sanctuary in the center of Jerusalem,
concept of the “Body of Mashiach” is directly and the holy place in the center of the sanctuary,
related to the Temple. Therefore, I think that this and the ark in the center of the holy place,
study should be of interest to all who wish to have and the foundation stone before the holy place,
a greater understanding of the design of HaShem because from it the world was founded."2
and His plans for the future. The future, however,
is rooted in the past. I. Gan Eden – The Ideal Dwelling Place

To understand the Temple as a dwelling place, it is The essence of the Beit HaMikdash, the Temple,
necessary to go back to the ideal which was as we shall see, is a dwelling place for HaShem.
created at Gan Eden, the Garden of Eden. This To understand this dwelling we must first go to
ideal represents the epitome of what HaShem that ideal world where HaShem placed man in
desires in a relationship with man. It also provides perfect fellowship with His Creator. This ideal
some significant clues about the Temple that will world was called Gan Eden, the Garden of Eden:
aid us in our study. As a final thought to whet the
appetite, consider what His Majesty King Shlomo Bereshit (Genesis) 3:8 And they heard the
said, and consider how it might apply to Gan voice of HaShem G-d walking in the garden
Eden: in the cool of the day: and Adam and his
wife hid themselves from the presence of
Kohelet (Ecclesiastes) 1:9 The thing that HaShem G-d amongst the trees of the
hath been, it [is that] which shall be; and garden.
that which is done [is] that which shall be
done: and [there is] no new [thing] under Here we see HaShem “walking” or dwelling with
the sun. Adam. Surely we must say that this was the ideal
place for HaShem to dwell with us. The Midrash
As the Talmud relates, history is divided into three tells us plainly that this verse indicates that the
equal periods of two-thousand years each:
2
Midrash Tanchuma, Qedoshim.
3
Shechinah3 of HaShem dwelt in Gan Eden, the HaShem wanted a place in this world to house His
Garden of Eden: presence. Gan Eden would have been that place,
had Adam and Chava not eaten from the Tree of
Midrash Rabbah - Numbers XII:6 AND IT the knowledge of good and evil. It represents the
CAME TO PASS (WAYYEHI) ON THE ideal. Therefore, any connections between Gan
DAY, etc. What is the implication of Eden and future events where we see the
WAYYEHI? R. Joshua said: The Holy One, Shechinah will need to be explored in order to
blessed be He, made a stipulation with understand the ideal.
Israel while they were yet in Egypt that He
would only bring them out from thence on Let’s look at some connections between Gan Eden
the understanding that they would build a and the Temple. Let’s start by looking at what the
Tabernacle for Him so that He might cause Torah has to say:
His Presence to dwell among them; as it
says, And they shall know that I am the Lord Bereshit (Genesis) 2:10 "A river issues
their G-d, that brought them forth out of the forth from Eden to water the garden, and
land of Egypt, that I may dwell among them from there it is divided and becomes four
(Ex.XXIX, 46); on this condition: ' That I heads."
may dwell among them.’ Now as soon as the
Tabernacle was erected and the Shechinah The holy Zohar4 says that the "river issues forth
descended and dwelt in their midst (all the from Eden" refers to the spiritual waters of the
conditions were fulfilled. Consequently it Torah, which nourish the world, just as water
says, WAYYEHI (AND IT CAME TO PASS), sustains vegetation. In like manner we know the
implying that what He had promised He Luchot, the tablets, of Torah are found in the Aron
performed). WAYYEHI: Rab expounded: Kodesh, the Holy Ark, in the Temple and The
Something that had never happened from Word of HaShem will go forth from Zion:
the time the world was created until then
took place on that day. From the time when Yeshayahu (Isaiah) 2:3 And many people
the world was created until that moment the shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up
Shechinah had never dwelt in this lower to the mountain of HaShem, to the house of
world. It only did this from the moment the G-d of Jacob; and he will teach us of his
when the Tabernacle was erected and ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out
thenceforward. For this reason it says, of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word
WAYYEHI; it was an innovation. R. Simeon of HaShem from Jerusalem.
b. Yohai said it was something that, having
already been in existence, had ceased and The Tablets of the testimony were kept in the ark
now returned to its previous state. You find in the Holy of Holies. The Luchot were the
that from the beginning of the world's representation of Torah.
creation the Shechinah had dwelt in this
lower world; as it says, And they heard the Similarly, the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and
voice of the Lord G-d walking in the garden, Evil was a living organism, but eating of its fruit
etc. (Gen.III, 8), but once the Shechinah brought death. Death is a state where flesh is
departed at the time when Adam sinned, it turned back into dust which is made of minerals
did not descend again until the Tabernacle just as stone is made of minerals.
had been erected. It is for this reason that
the expression WAYYEHI is used, signifying The tikkun for Adam's sin (eating un-kosher fruit)
that something which had already been in is the observance of the Torah's command to eat
existence, and had ceased for many years, only kosher food.
returned to its original state.

3
The Shechinah is a Rabbinic term used to descride HaShem 4
Soncino Zohar, Bereshith, Section 1, Page 26a
DWELLING with man.
4
Just as Adam and Chava did not have any work of Egypt, ye shall serve God upon this
except serving HaShem by tending the Garden. So mountain.
too the Priests and the Levites do not have a
designated portion in Eretz Yisrael. "HaShem is Shemot (Exodus) 19:12 And thou shalt set
their inheritance.": bounds unto the people round about, saying,
guard yourselves, [that ye] go [not] up into
Bamidbar (Numbers) 18:20 And HaShem the mount, or touch the border of it:
spake unto Aaron, Thou shalt have no whosoever toucheth the mount shall be
inheritance in their land, neither shalt thou surely put to death:
have any part among them: I [am] thy part
and thine inheritance among the children of And the duties in the Mishkan:
Israel.
Bamidbar (Numbers) 8:26 But shall
They do not depend upon standard economic minister with their brethren in the
interactions for their income. Their financial well tabernacle of the congregation, to guard the
being is gifted to them by HaShem. They spend charge, and shall do no service. Thus shalt
their days servicing the nation as teachers and thou do unto the Levites touching their
priests, effectively doing HaShem’s work; and the charge.
people, in turn, support them with specified gifts,
as per HaShem’s instructions. They live the ideal Thus we see that we are to guard and serve in Gan
life of Adam and Chava in the Gan Eden who Eden, at Har Sinai, and at the Mishkan and
should have spent their time exploring HaShem’s Temple. The words guard and serve connect these
intentions and being cared for by HaShem, rather three locations.
than struggling to make a living "from the sweat
of your brows". The Priests and the Levites are the There is another word which connects Gan Eden
model humans in HaShem’s model world teaching and the Mishkan, mithalek, in Gan Eden we see:
us by example how to behave. They model what
Adam and Chava should have been. Bereshit (Genesis) 3:8 And they heard the
voice of HaShem God walking (mithalek) in
The parallel between Gan Eden, Har Sinai, and the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam
both the Temple / Mishkan becomes especially and his wife hid themselves from the
apparent in the Midrashim that interpret Adam's presence of HaShem God amongst the trees
responsibility in Gan Eden of service. This are the of the garden.
same responsibilities we have when it comes to
Har Sinai, and the Mishkan in reference to the In the following passage we see the same word,
sacrifices and Torah study.5 Compare the duties in mithalek, used in reference to the Mishkan:
Gan Eden:
Vayikra (Leviticus 26:11-12) And I will set
Bereshit (Genesis) 2:15 And HaShem God my tabernacle among you: and my soul
took the man, and put him into the garden of shall not abhor you. And I will walk
Eden to serve it and to guard it. (mithalek) among you, and will be your
God, and ye shall be my people.
To the duties at Har Sinai:
We also see this methalek in reference to Har
Shemot (Exodus) 3:12 And he said, Sinai:
Certainly I will be with thee; and this [shall
be] a token unto thee, that I have sent thee: Devarim (Deuteronomy) 23:14 For
When thou hast brought forth the people out HaShem thy God walketh (mithalek) in the
midst of thy camp, to deliver thee, and to
5
See Pirkei D'Rabbi Eliezer 12, Bereshit Rabba 16, and
give up thine enemies before thee; therefore
especially Sifrei Ekev 41. shall thy camp be holy: that he see no
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 unclean thing in thee, and turn away from Eden Sinai Mishkan
thee. /Temple
Tree of Life Burning Tablets
Again we see that Methalek connects Gan Eden, (Torah) bush / Tablet (Torah)
Har Sinai, and the Mishkan. (Torah)
Separated Separated Separated
Another connection between Gan Eden and the (Holy) by (Holy) by (Holy) by
Mishkan is found in: Keruvim boundary curtains
markers
Tehillim (Psalms) 36:8 They shall be Ten statements Ten words Tablets w/ten
abundantly satisfied with the fatness of thy of creation. words
house; and thou shalt make them drink of 600K souls in 600K souls 600k letters in
the river of Your Edens. Adam at Sinai Torah (Black
fire and white
The Psalmist juxtaposes Gan Eden with Thy fire)
House to connect them for us. Keruvim at the Keruvim in Keruvim on
Tree of Life the chariot the ark.
Just as the world was first created and then Adam (2 Shmuel 22:11)
was introduced; so too, the Mishkan was first Wall around Boundary Curtain around
constructed and then the Priests were introduced! the garden around the the Mishkan
mountain
The tree of life was a vehicle for the communion "Hamin haetz HaMan from HaMan in the
between Adam and HaShem. This fruit is Torah. hazeh" (Did heaven Holy of
Communion involved the ruach – his breathing. you eat from (manna) Holies.
And through his eating of the tree of life. He was the tree?) (manna
left with the ruach though full partaking of the tree preserved)
was denied to Adam. Food connects the spiritual Adam and Israel went The Keruvim
to the physical. Chava were into the were naked.
naked and Mikveh
Since the Shechinah was present in Gan Eden, Har unashamed
Sinai, and in the Temple, it will be necessary to
compare the aspects of these three locations to get Gan Eden was the very antithesis of the wilderness
a better understanding of the Temple as a dwelling where Torah was given at Har Sinai. The Temple,
for HaShem. however, had some aspects of both places. When
we walked in obedience, the Temple was a place
The following chart equates some of the symbols of communion with HaShem. It was a place of
of Gan Eden with the symbols of Sinai and the abundant food, a place where all of our needs were
symbols of the Beit HaMikdash: met. When we walked in disobedience the Temple
was plowed under and became a howling
wilderness. At the end of Days, however,
Mashiach will restore this Temple-Eden:

Yeshayahu (Isaiah) 51:3 For HaShem shall

comfort Zion; he will comfort all her ruins;
and he will make her wilderness like Eden,
and her desert like the garden of HaShem;
joy and gladness shall be found in there,
thanksgiving, and the voice of melody.

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The Midrash suggests that Adam HaRishon was a Gan Eden was surrounded by walls. Adam was
hundred cubits tall just as the Temple was a responsible for guarding the walls against creepy
hundred cubits tall: crawlies. He failed and we all know the outcome
of the serpents machinations:
Baba Bathra 75a An objection was raised:
And I will lead you komamiyuth, R. Meir Bereshit (Genesis) 3:24 So he drove out the
says: [it means] two hundred cubits; twice man; and he placed Kerubim at the east of
the height of Adam. R. Judah says: A the garden of Eden, and a flaming sword
hundred cubits; corresponding to the which turned every way, to guard the way of
[height of the] temple and its walls. For it is the tree of life.
said: We whose sons are as plants grown up
in their youth; whose daughters are as The Midrash talks of this wall around the garden:
corner-pillars carved after the fashion of the
Temple. R. Johanan speaks only of the Midrash Rabbah - Genesis XXI:2 I went by
ventilation windows. the field of the slothful man (ish), and by the
vineyard of the person (Adam) void of
Finally, here are several phrase connections: understanding (Prov. XXIV, 30). R. Huna
said: Behold, if one buys a field or a
Bereshit (Genesis) 1:31 And God saw all vineyard and is designated person (ish) or
that he had made and behold it was very man, yet is dubbed lazy, what benefit has
good. one [from the title of ' man ‘]? ‘I went by
the field of the slothful man,’ however,
Shemot (Exodus) 39:43 Moses saw all the refers to Adam, while, ‘And by the vineyard
skilled work and behold they had done it; as of the person (Adam) void of understanding
God had commanded it they had done it. ’ refers to Eve. R. Huna said: Where do we
find that Eve is called Adam?-According to
Bereshit (Genesis) 2:1 The heavens and the beauty of Adam, to dwell in the house
earth and all of their array were completed. (Isa. XLIV, 13). And lo, it was all grown
over with thistles (Prov. XXlV, 31), as it is
Shemot (Exodus) 39:32 All the work of the written, ' Thorns also and thistles shall it
Tabernacle of the Tent of meeting was bring forth to thee’ (Gen. III, 18). The face
completed. thereof was covered with nettles (Prov. loc.
cit.): In the sweat of thy face, etc. (Gen. III,
Bereshit (Genesis) 2:2 And God completed 19). And the stone wall thereof was broken
all the work that He had done. down (Prov. loc. cit.):Therefore the Lord G-
d sent him forth from the garden of Eden
Shemot (Exodus) 40:33 And Moses (Gen. III, 23): having sent him forth He
completed his work. began to bewail him, saying, BEHOLD,
THE MAN WAS AS ONE OF US.
Bereshit (Genesis) 2:3 And God blessed
Today we are to learn Torah and make a fence
Shemot (Exodus) 39:43 And Moses blessed around Torah, according to the Sages in Pirkei
Avot 1:1, as quoted in this Midrash:
Bereshit (Genesis) 2:3 And sanctified it
Midrash Rabbah - Numbers X:8 Why did
Shemot (Exodus) 40:9 And you shall the Torah forbid ANY INFUSION OF
sanctify it and all its vessels. GRAPES, seeing that one does not get drunk
thereby, and it likewise prohibited the
The Wall eating of anything that proceeds from the
vine, even such things as do not intoxicate?
Why so? From this you can infer that it is a
7
 man's duty to keep away from unseemliness, (Gen. II,17); whereas she did not say thus,
from what resembles unseemliness and even but, G-D HATH SAID: YE SHALL NOT
from the semblance of a semblance. From EAT OF IT, NEITHER SHALL YE TOUCH
this you can infer that the Torah has put a IT; when he [the serpent] saw her thus
fence about its ordinances. We have learned lying, he took and thrust her against it. '
elsewhere: Be deliberate in judgment, raise Have you then died?’ he said to her; ‘just as
up many disciples, and make a fence round you were not stricken through touching it,
the Torah. How shall a man make a fence so will you not die when you eat it, but For
round his own affairs in the same way as the G-d doth know that in the day ye eat
Torah has made a fence round hers? thereof,’ etc. (ib. 5).
Behold, it says, And thou shalt not
approach unto a woman... as long as she is This section was an excerpt from Hakham Dr.
impure by her uncleanness (Lev. XVIII, 19). Yosef ben Haggai:
One might assume that he is allowed to
embrace her and kiss her or indulge in idle Everything in Torah is a teaching and a directive
conversation with her. Scripture therefore both in the service of HaShem and in our private
explicitly states, ‘Thou shalt not approach.’ lives. When we correct the breach in the wall of
It might be assumed that she may sleep with Yerushalayim in our own lives, we cause HaShem
him in her garments on the same bed. to rebuild Yerushalayim. The word Yerushalayim
Scripture therefore plainly states, ‘Thou in Hebrew is a composite of two words: Yirah,
shalt not approach.’ It might be assumed which means fear, and Shalem, which means
that she may wash her face, paint her eyes, complete. Our personal Yerushalayim represents
and let him take a, cup from her. Scripture our awe and fear of G-d. Fear of G-d is not only
therefore plainly states, Of her that is sick that the fear He can punish us. When we realize
with her impurity-niddathah (ib. XV, 33)1; that our greatest asset is our bond with G-d, and
all the time that she is sick she must remain that the strength of that bond is dependent upon
in isolation (niddui).1 From this it has been keeping his commandments, we fear damaging
inferred that the woman who makes herself that bond.
look repulsive during the period of her
impurity has the approval of the Sages, The Wall surrounding Yerushalayim represent the
while the woman who adorns herself during steps we take to avoid doing negative acts. When
the period of her impurity has not the we are afraid of something being damaged, we
approval of the Sages. take steps to protect it. Our love and fear of G-d
dictate that we not only carefully keep his
Adam was making a fence around the Tree of the commandments, but that we also take steps to
Knowledge of Good and Evil in order to help the prevent mistakes. This is the reason for most
woman avoid sin, instead of protecting the wall: Rabbinical ordinances. Similarly, in our private
lives, the wall of Yerushalayim represents the
Midrash Rabbah - Genesis XIX:3 BUT OF steps we take to protect our meaningful
THE FRUIT OF THE TREE WHICH IS IN relationships. The Seventeenth of Tammuz is a
THE MIDST OF THE GARDEN, G-D time when we reexamine our fences, making sure
HATH SAID: YE SHALL NOT EAT OF IT, to fortify that which is truly important.
NEITHER SHALL YE TOUCH IT, LEST YE
DIE (III, 3). Thus it is written, Add not unto Yerushalayim also represents the local Jewish
His words, lest He reprove thee, and thou be community / Esnoga to which we belong.
found a liar (Prov. XXX, 6). R. Hiyya Breaching its walls therefore implies that we have
taught: That means that you must not make no reverence for G-d or the community and that
the fence more than the principal thing, lest we do not value the deeps bonds between us and
it fall and destroy the plants. Thus, the Holy our fellow Jew in our local community. Much of
One, blessed be He, had said, For in the day the breaching of the community walls takes place
that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die via Lashon Hara (lit. “evil tongue” = gossip) and a
8
lack of nobility in behaviors and manners between maintain: His glory abode with him, but at
its members. As Pirke Avot makes it clear – the termination of the Sabbath He deprived
“where there are no noble manners there can be no him of his splendour and expelled him from
Torah, and where there is no Torah there can be the Garden of Eden, as it is written, Thou
no noble manners.” changest his countenance, and sendest him
away (Job XIV, 20). As soon as the sun set
The prophet Yeshayahu (Isaiah) related, "Zion on the night of the Sabbath, the Holy One,
will be redeemed through justice and her captives blessed be He, wished to hide the light, but
through charity". Justice in this verse refers to the He showed honour to the Sabbath; hence it
study of Torah. In these three weeks while we is written, AND G-D BLESSED THE
mourn the destruction of the Temple and pray SEVENTH DAY: wherewith did He bless it?
fervently for its rebuilding, it is customary to With light. When the sun set on the night of
study extra Torah and add in acts of charity, the Sabbath, the light continued to function,
particularly among the members of the whereupon all began praising, as it is
community. It is especially desirable to study the written, Under the whole heaven they sing
laws of the construction of the Temple. This year, praises to Him (ib. XXXVII, 3); wherefore?
as Yerushalayim is under siege, these directives Because His light [reaches] unto the ends of
are even more imperative in order to beseech the earth (ib.). R. Levi said in the name of
HaShem's protection for those who live in the son of Nezirah: That light functioned
Yerushalayim, the entire Israel, and the entire thirty-six hours, twelve on the eve of the
world. Sabbath [i.e. Friday], twelve during the
night of the Sabbath, and twelve on the
Interestingly, the number 17 is the equivalent of Sabbath [day]. When the sun sank at the
the word Tov, which means beneficial. This is termination of the Sabbath, darkness began
because underlying the destruction are the seeds to set in. Adam was terrified, [thinking,]
for an even greater future. When Mashiach ben Surely indeed the darkness shall bruise
David will come, the world will be in a higher and [E.V. ’envelop’] me (Ps. CXXXIX, 11): shall
more perfect state than the time of the Temple. he of whom it was written, He shall bruise
May we merit seeing that time now! thy head (Gen. III, 15), now come to attack
me! … R. Berekiah said in the name of R.
Light Samuel b. Nahman: Though these things
were created in their fullness, yet when
On day one of creation, G-d created light: Adam sinned they were spoiled, and they
will not again return to their perfection until
Bereshit (Genesis) 1:3 And G-d said, Let the son of Perez [viz. Mashiach] comes; [for
there be light: and there was light. in the verse] ’These are the toledoth
(generations) of Perez ‘, toledoth is spelled
This, however, was no ordinary light. After all, the fully, with a waw.
sun, moon, and stars will not be created until the
fourth day. The Midrash speaks of this light: Now, we also understand that there was a light
associated with Adam HaRishon. For as Moshe
Midrash Rabbah - Genesis XI:2 He blessed glowed when he was in the presence of HaShem
it in respect of the luminaries. R. Simeon b. and His Shechinah, so too did Adam HaRishon
Judah said: Though the luminaries were glow when he walked with HaShem:
spoilt on the eve of the Sabbath, yet they
were not smitten until the termination of the Shemot (Exodus) 34:29 And it came to
Sabbath. This agrees with the Rabbis but pass, when Moses came down from mount
not with R. Assi, who maintained: Adam's Sinai with the two tables of testimony in
glory did not abide the night with him. What Moses' hand, when he came down from the
is the proof? But Adam passeth not the night mount, that Moses wist not that the skin of
in glory (Ps. XLIX, 13). The Rabbis his face shone while he talked with him.
9
 and he slept: and he took one of his ribs,
The manifest presence of HaShem in Gan Eden and closed up the flesh instead thereof; And
was impossible to ignore. His presence was made the rib, which HaShem G-d had taken from
manifest through this unique light. man, made he a woman, and brought her
unto the man. And Adam said, This [is] now
As we shall see, light in intimately associated with bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she
the Temple. shall be called Woman, because she was
taken out of Man. Therefore shall a man
Dust leave his father and his mother, and shall
cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one
The Torah tells us that the first man was made flesh. And they were both naked, the man
directly from the dust: and his wife, and were not ashamed.

Bereshit (Genesis) 2:7 And HaShem G-d At this time the woman is still called “Adam”. The
formed man [of] the dust of the ground, and man and woman are still a unity called Adam.
breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; After the sin, the woman will be given a name to
and man became a living soul. demonstrate that they are no longer united:

The oral law relates that the Temple site was the Bereshit (Genesis) 3:19-20 In the sweat of
starting point of Creation. thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return
unto the ground; for out of it wast thou
Adam HaRishon was created from the matter of taken: for dust thou [art], and unto dust
The Place where the Temple altar would be built, shalt thou return. And Adam called his
according to our Sages6. In a manner of speaking wife's name Eve; because she was the
Adam was a “lively stone”. Therefore it should mother of all living.
come as no surprise that the Temple is symbol of
Adam HaRishon and the Last Adam. Gan Eden with HaShem and Adam was the ideal.
This idea of unity will permeate the purpose of the
Unity Temple.

When HaShem created Adam He created a perfect The manifest presence of HaShem in Gan Eden
unity. Adam and Chava were created as one: was impossible to ignore. HaShem “walked” in
the garden.
Bereshit (Genesis) 5:2 Male and female
created he them; and blessed them, and II. Bethel – The House of G-d
called their name Adam, in the day when
they were created. The Holy Temple was part of the blueprint of
creation because in the Kodesh Kodeshim, the
Yevamoth 63a R. Eleazar said: Any man Holy of Holies, was the Aron, the ark of the
who has no wife is no proper man; for it is covenant. Inside the Aron were the two sapphire
said, Male and female created He them and tablets carved by the finger of HaShem. These two
called their name Adam. stone tablets represented the Torah and the
covenant that HaShem made with His People. This
Adam = man. Only when the male and female Torah contained the blueprint or the genes of the
were united were they called Adam. Later the entire universe. These two tablets were like the
woman will be separated from Adam: seed of a male. They contained the essence of
reality and everything that was created.
Bereshit (Genesis) 2:21-25 And HaShem G-
d caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, This blueprint or genes, if you will, was described
in the vision of Ya'akov Avinu, the Patriarch Jacob,
6
Gemara Yerushalmi in Nazir who saw a ladder joining the earth to the heavens,
10
the Temple serves as a gateway to the heavenly each other. Man's worship ascends upwards,
realm: and the Divine Providence descends
thereby."
Bereshit (Genesis) 28:10-22 Jacob left
Beersheba and set out for Haran. When he Bethel, the place where Ya’aqov Avinu slept, is a
reached a certain place, he stopped for the Hebrew word which means “House of G-d”.
night because the sun had set. Taking one of Everything about the ‘future’ Temple depicts a
the stones there, he put it under his head house: The furnishings of the Temple itself were a
and lay down to sleep. He had a dream in table and a lamp (together with an incense altar).
which he saw a stairway resting on the The inner sanctum was called chadar mitot,
earth, with its top reaching to heaven, and "bedroom,":
the angels of G-d were ascending and
descending on it. There above it stood Melachim Bet (2 Kings) 11:2-3 But
HaShem, and he said: "I am HaShem, the Jehosheba, the daughter of king Joram,
G-d of your father Abraham and the G-d of sister of Ahaziah, took Joash the son of
Isaac. I will give you and your descendants Ahaziah, and stole him from among the
the land on which you are lying. Your king's sons [which were] slain; and they hid
descendants will be like the dust of the him, [even] him and his nurse, in the
earth, and you will spread out to the west bedchamber from Athaliah, so that he was
and to the east, to the north and to the not slain. And he was with her hid in the
south. All peoples on earth will be blessed house of HaShem six years. And Athaliah
through you and your offspring. I am with did reign over the land.
you and will watch over you wherever you
go, and I will bring you back to this land. I The outer courtyard of the Temple served the
will not leave you until I have done what I function of courtyards in those days, such as food
have promised you." When Jacob awoke preparation, washing etc. The Talmud expresses
from his sleep, he thought, "Surely HaShem the Divine bereavement as "Woe my house is
is in this place, and I was not aware of it." destroyed”.
He was afraid and said, "How awesome is
this place! This is none other than the house A house is a place where two very different
of G-d; this is the gate of heaven." Early the individuals come together and build a common
next morning Jacob took the stone he had life together. They leave out their traits which hurt
placed under his head and set it up as a the relationship and bring in the traits which build
pillar and poured oil on top of it. He called the relationship. So it is with this house. HaShem
that place Bethel, though the city used to be and His people come together in the Temple to
called Luz. Then Jacob made a vow, saying, have intimacy and to build their relationship.
"If G-d will be with me and will watch over
me on this journey I am taking and will give The presence of HaShem was manifested by the
me food to eat and clothes to wear So that I ten constant miracles that were found in the
return safely to my father's house, then Temple, as we shall see later.
HaShem will be my G-d And this stone that I
have set up as a pillar will be G-d's house, The Sages understood that Bethel is another name
and of all that you give me I will give you a for the place where the Holy of Holies would be
tenth." built in the days of King Shlomo. We can,
therefore, understand that Ya’aqov slept in an
The Malbim, a 19th century commentator, extremely holy place. It is no wonder that he had
remarks on this passage: such a vision that night.

"Jacob understood that this place was the HaMakom, “The Place” of the world IS the Beit
site for the future Temple ... for the Temple HaMikdash, the House of the Holy One. This is a
is the ladder, whereby heaven and earth kiss place of connection, a place of intimacy. This
11
place was called Bethel which means “The House prove his immorality.
of G-d”. This was HaMakom, THE PLACE,
where Jacob slept for the first time in fourteen All points of connection, in Hebrew, have
years: feminine names.

Bereshit (Genesis) 28:10-12 And Jacob The woman is called double because she can
went out from Beer-sheba, and went toward duplicate herself. That is why the connection
Haran. And he lighted upon a certain place, between worlds is always called double.
and tarried there all night, because the sun Machpelah (double grave) is a double cave and it
was set; and he took of the stones of that is the connection between the higher and the lower
place, and put [them for] his pillows, and worlds.
lay down in that place to sleep. And he
dreamed, and behold a ladder set up on the The word ‘Kever’ = ‘grave’ = ‘womb’ because the
earth, and the top of it reached to heaven: grave is the ultimate connection (portal) between
and behold the angels of God ascending and this world and the next just as the womb connects
descending on it. this world with the previous world.

Makom is used exclusively in the Tanakh to HaShem is the ultimate man, and the woman of
indicate The Place where the Temple was built. the world (the world), give birth to the world, thus
the concept of place is born.
“Makom” has a Gematria of 186. YHVH spelled
out and multiplied thusly: Yod (10) times yod Stones (ict - even) are always feminine gender in
(10), hay (5) time hay (5), vav (6) times vav (6), Hebrew. ict, even, can be separated into two
and hay (5) times hay (5) = 186. When we
words: ct, Av = Father, and ic, ben = Son.
multiply a letter times itself we describe what a
number does in the world. The YHVH when Where these two, ct and ic, intertwine, ict, we
express what it is, it means “makom”, The Place. have the feminine stone, the woman.
Mekayim (which means giving of existence) is the
root for makom. HaShem is the possibility for Unity and Dust
existence. He is The Place of the world.
The Midrash calls this “certain place”, “The
The Temple is The Place of intimacy. The Place”:
furnishings of the Temple itself were a table and a
lamp (together with an incense altar). The inner Midrash Rabbah - Bereshit (Genesis)
sanctum was called chadar mitot, "bedroom," (2 LXVIII:11 AND HE TOOK OF2 THE
Kings 11:2). STONES OF THE PLACE (XXVIII, 11). R.
Judah said: He took twelve stones, saying:
All duplicated parts of the body are always ‘The Holy One, blessed be He, has decreed
described in the feminine. (The brit HaLashon that twelve tribes should spring forth. Now
(tongue) and the Brit Mila (place of circumcision) neither Abraham nor Isaac has produced
are male structures.) In the Temple almost all of them. If these twelve stones cleave to one
the parts and utensils have feminine names. another, then I know that I will produce the
twelve tribes.’ When therefore the twelve
Incidentally, this is why the Arabs built a Mosque stones united,7 he knew that he was to
EXACTLY over the Holy of Holies. Arab produce the twelve tribes. R. Nechemiah
homicide murderers believe that there will be said: He took three stones, saying: 'The
seventy virgins awaiting them, to satisfy their lust. Holy One, blessed be He, united His name
This is a people soaked in immorality. A people
who goal is immorality. Where else would they
7
In v. 18 we read, and took the stone-one-and according to
the Rabbis they had miraculously become one. ' In the sense
attempt to be immoral, but in the place of intimacy that He is called the G-d of Abraham, G-d of Isaac, and G-d
between HaShem and His people. There he can of Jacob.
12
 with Abraham; with Isaac too He united His instrumental in Israel securing for themselves
name. If these three stones become joined, these tablets (the tablets of the Testimony).”10 This
then I am assured that G-d's name will be understanding clearly shows the connection
united with me too.’ And when they did thus between Mashiach and Israel/Ya’aqov.
join, he knew that G-d would unite His
name with him.’The Rabbis said: [He took] There are several points of connection between
the least number that ' stones ' can connote, Ya'aqov’s encounter at Bethel and Adam’s
viz. two, saying: ‘From Abraham there encounter in Gan Eden.
came forth Ishmael and the children of
Keturah; from Isaac there came forth Esau.  Adam’s “deep sleep” while Eve was being
As for me, if these two stones join, I will be created (Gen. 2:21, 22) corresponds to Ya’aqov’s
assured that nought worthless will come sleep at Bethel.
forth from me.’R. Levi and R. Eleazar in the
name of R. Jose b. Zimra said: He arranged  Ya’aqov is the “Adam” of the Jews. Adam was
them in the shape of a roof-gutter and put a father of the world, Ya’aqov the father of the
them under his head,8 because he was afraid Israelites.
of the wild beasts.
 Ya’aqov was fleeing his brother’s wrath when
The world was fashioned from the foundation he left for Mesopotamia but he also had a second
stone. At Bethel, The Place, the stones are motive: to find a wife and start a family. And in
feminine. Twelve (12) stones became one stone at the dream, HaShem assures him that he will have
the place of oneness. The 12 foundation stones descendants whose number will be like the “dust
became one. Here again we see that the unity we of the earth,” (28:14). In similar manner, Adam is
saw at Gan Eden and the unity we will see when given a wife so that he could be “fruitful and
we return to Gan Eden, is present here at the multiply, fill the earth” (1:28). Consequently for
Temple site. Unity is a hallmark of this place. both men – one in the Garden and the other at
Bethel – their sleep is associated with their wives
Remember that we are seeing physical stones, but and raising a family, 'building a house'. Adam
the reality is that those physical stones represent builds the world; Ya’aqov, national Israel, which
the “lively stones”9. Ya’aqov Avinu recognized is part of the world too. And all of this involves
that the stones represented his sons. These sons fertility, so we might say both men were super-
are called Israel, they are the body of Mashiach. fathers.
When the twelve, symbolizing perfect justice,
come together, they form the body of Mashiach.  Both were to produce children in G-d’s “image
This connection is described in: and likeness,” which means his inward character,
having his attributes. Otherwise the world and/or
Bereshit (Genesis) 49:24 But his bow abode Israel becomes corrupt and unredeemable, even by
in strength, and the arms of his hands were the Torah.
made strong by the hands of the mighty
[God] of Jacob; (from thence [is] the Bethel, the house of HaShem, is clearly related to
shepherd, the stone of Israel. Gan Eden. This “house” has another very
interesting aspect, however.
Rabbenu Bachya indicates that the stone is
Ya’aqov: “This teaches that Ya’aqov was also What is a house? The Midrash answer this
known as ict, even – stone, and is an allusion to question in a very poignant way which is very
the fact that it was his merit which was relative to our study:
8
I.e. one under and the others surrounding him. This is a Midrash Rabbah - Leviticus XX:9 Thus it is
natural reconciliation of the present verse with v. 18: in fact written, And Nadab and Abihu died... and
he took several stones, but put one only under his head
(‘E.J.). 10
“Torah Commentary”, page 1340, by Rabbi Bachya ben
9
I Tzefet (Peter) 2:5 Asher
13
 they had no children (Num. III, 4). Abba Thus we understand that the Beit MaMikdash
Hanin says it was because they had no merely represents Israel. HaShem could care less
wives, for it is written, And [he shall] make about stones, He only cares about people.
atonement for himself, and for his house
(Lev. XVI, 6), and ’his house’ signifies his Yehezekel equates Israel to a wife in an even more
wife. poignant manner:

The Mishna is written at the “pshat” level which Yehezekel (Ezekiel) 61:3-8 And say, Thus
indicates that a wife is literally a man’s house, his saith the Lord G-D unto Jerusalem; Thy
dwelling place: birth and thy nativity [is] of the land of
Canaan; thy father [was] an Amorite, and
Yoma 2a C H A P T E R I MISHNAH. thy mother an Hittite. And [as for] thy
SEVEN DAYS BEFORE THE DAY OF nativity, in the day thou wast born thy navel
ATONEMENT THE HIGH PRIEST WAS was not cut, neither wast thou washed in
REMOVED FROM HIS HOUSE TO THE water to supple [thee]; thou wast not salted
CELL OF THE COUNSELLORS AND at all, nor swaddled at all. None eye pitied
ANOTHER PRIEST WAS PREPARED TO thee, to do any of these unto thee, to have
TAKE HIS PLACE IN CASE ANYTHING compassion upon thee; but thou wast cast
HAPPENED TO HIM [THE HIGH out in the open field, to the loathing of thy
PRIEST] THAT WOULD UNFIT HIM person, in the day that thou wast born. And
[FOR THE SERVICE]. R. JUDAH SAID: when I passed by thee, and saw thee
ALSO ANOTHER WIFE WAS PREPARED polluted in thine own blood, I said unto thee
FOR HIM IN CASE HIS WIFE SHOULD [when thou wast] in thy blood, Live; yea, I
DIE. FOR IT IS WRITTEN, AND HE said unto thee [when thou wast] in thy
SHALL MAKE ATONEMENT FOR blood, Live. I have caused thee to multiply
HIMSELF AND FOR HIS HOUSE. ‘HIS as the bud of the field, and thou hast
HOUSE THAT MEANS ‘HIS WIFE’. THEY increased and waxen great, and thou art
SAID TO HIM: IF SO THERE WOULD BE come to excellent ornaments: [thy] breasts
NO END TO THE MATTER. are fashioned, and thine hair is grown,
whereas thou [wast] naked and bare. Now
In these two passages, the Midrash and the Mishna when I passed by thee, and looked upon
indicates that a man’s house IS HIS WIFE! What thee, behold, thy time [was] the time of love;
does it mean, therefore, when the Beit HaMikdash and I spread my skirt over thee, and covered
is called HaShem’s house? thy nakedness: yea, I sware unto thee, and
entered into a covenant with thee, saith the
2 Divrei HaYamim (Chronicles) 7:2 And Lord G-D, and thou becamest mine.
the priests could not enter into the house of
the HaShem, because the glory of the Thus we understand that the Beit HaMikdash is
HaShem had filled the HaShem's house. Israel and this noble edifice (Israel - Temple) is
HaShem’s wife. In the Nazarean Codicil we have
This passage, coupled with our Midrash and a very mystical portion which also alludes to this
Mishna, suggests that the Beit HaMikdash is relationship:
HaShem’s wife! Additionally, Israel is also called
a “house” in the context of a wife: Revelation 21:9-10 And there came unto me
one of the seven angels which had the seven
Yirmeyahu (Jeremiah) 3:20 Surely [as] a vials full of the seven last plagues, and
wife treacherously departeth from her talked with me, saying, Come hither, I will
husband, so have ye dealt treacherously shew thee the bride, the Lamb's wife. And he
with me, O house of Israel, saith the carried me away in the spirit to a great and
HaShem. high mountain, and shewed me that great

14
 city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of have habitation, inhabit, lay, place, (cause
heaven from G-d … to) remain, rest, set (up).

Torah Code11 Mount Sinai was an exact replay of Gan Eden

down to the smallest detail, including the actual
Jacob's dream of the ladder reaching to heaven characters. Adam was Moshe. Chava was the
people of Israel (Israel is the bride). The serpent
When Jacob awoke from his sleep he said, "Surely was the mixed multitude. The Tree of Life was
the L-rd is present in this place, and I did not embodied in the 1st set of tablets that Moshe
know it!" (Genesis 28:16). Where was this place? received on Sinai and the Mashiach, and the Tree
Rashi writes that it was Mount Moriah where the of the Knowledge of Good and Evil was embodied
Temple later was built. Relying on the in the 2nd set of Tablets.
commentaries, Dr. Moshe Katz decided to check
for the word ‫( מקדש‬Temple). Indeed, ‫ מקדש‬appears According to Devarim 20:19, “Man is as a tree of
through the important interval of -26, starting with the field”. Therefore, the Tree of Life being a
the ‫ מ‬of the word ‫( מקום‬Figure 4, letter 33) in the ‘man’ is not unexpected.
above verse. However, if we continue to count at -
26 intervals after the‫ ש‬of ‫מקדש‬, we find another When the Jews sinned with the golden calf, they
five-letter word,‫התורה‬ (the Torah) spelled altered the very essence of the world's potential to
forwards. Thus the two cornerstones of Judaism, reflect the presence of HaShem. It is said that the
‫ התורה‬and ‫מקדש‬, are spelled as one continuous aftermath of Revelation at Har Sinai was an
sequence of nine letters at an interval of 26 (which opportunity for the Jews to reverse the sin of
is, to repeat, the numerical value of the Adam and Chava and recreate the entire world
Tetragrammaton). The probability of such an into a Gan of Eden! Tragically, with the sin of the
event (for a fixed position of the first ‫ ) מ‬is about 1 golden calf, the world was incapable of supporting
in 17 billion! In the same story we also find‫ציון‬ the intensity and intimacy of HaShem's
(Zion) and ‫( מקום‬place) spelled out at 26-letter unrestricted and unbound presence. Instead,
intervals. HaShem had to restrict Himself to the tiny space
between the wingspread of the Cherubim, as it
III. Har Sinai says in

Har Sinai, Mt. Sinai, was another place where Shemot (Exodus) 25:22 "And I will speak to
HaShem dwelt: you ... from between the two Cherubim."

Shemot (Exodus) 24:16 And the glory of The Mishkan, and subsequently the Temple, the
HaShem abode upon mount Sinai, and the High Priest and the sanctity of Yom HaKippurim,
cloud covered it six days: and the seventh were a microcosm of what Adam and Chava in
day he called unto Moses out of the midst of Gan Eden, or Eretz Israel and the Jew should have
the cloud. been if they hadn't sinned with the golden calf.

Strong’s indicates that the word abode, in the The Midrash12 tells of Adam's manner toward
above passage is a word meaning “to dwell” in a HaShem when interacting before the sin. Adam
permanent fashion: would stand upright, without fear and 'converse'
with HaShem. Immediately after the sin, Adam's
7931 shakan, shaw-kan'; a prim. root [appar. manner changed drastically. Adam and Chava
akin (by transm.) to 7901 through the idea of "hide from in front of HaShem" showing their
lodging; comp. 5531, 7925]; to reside or obvious knowledge that they transgressed and did
permanently stay (lit. or fig.):-abide, wrong. It is this knowledge, the knowledge of
continue, (cause to, make to) dwell (-er), guilty, and wrongdoing that they gained. The

11
1987 English edition of B'OR HA'TORAH 12
Rabbi Yehuda Hanasi
15
perpetuation of this knowledge in men is exhibited  The Cloud created by the Incense Altar (30:1-
once again in the story of Matan Torah and the Sin 10) symbolizes the Cloud that covered Mount
of the Golden Calf. After Bnei Israel made the Sinai (19:9, 24:15-18);
golden calf, thereby sinning, Moshe descends
from Har Sinai. Rashi explains, that upon seeing  The Fire on the Altar (Vayikra [Leviticus] 6:6)
him, B'nai Israel where trembling and shaking symbolizes the Fire that descended on Mount
from fear and knowledge of their transgression. Sinai (Shemot 24:17). The laws of the Altar reflect
the Covenant ceremony that took place just before
 Moshe ascended Mount Sinai (see 24:4-5).

Mount Sinai is also a ladder. Take the letters of The Midrash relates that Har Moriah was
the word SINaI and turn them into numbers. The transferred to Har Sinai for the revelation of the
Gematria then gives you SuLaM (ladder) Torah.

SINaI: Horeb, the name of the mountain where Moshe

Samech = 60 encountered the Burning Bush, is also the place
Yud = 10 where the Torah was given. Horeb was renamed
Nun = 50 Sinai when the Israelites came out of Egypt. The
Yod = 10 reason that HaShem appeared in a burning bush
Total: 130 was to recall for us the Tree of Life. This Tree of
Life was also called Torah:
SuLaM - Ladder:
Samech = 60 Mishlei (Proverbs) 3:1 "My son forget not
Lamed = 30 my Torah…
Mem = 40
Total: 130 Mishlei (Proverbs) 3:18 She (the Torah) is
a Tree of Life to those who hold her"
This is the ladder in Jacob's dream. It is written:
Our goal is not to return to Har Sinai, but to return
Bereshit (Genesis) 28:12 "And behold a to Gan Eden. We want to return to the state we
ladder ... and angels of G- d went up and had before the sin.
down on it."
The Wall

Gan Eden had a wall around it. So, too, does Har
The Ramban's explains the numerous similarities Sinai have a wall around it:
between the Mishkan and the encounter at Mount
Sinai. Here are a few examples: Shemot (Exodus) 19:10-13 And HaShem
said unto Moses, Go unto the people, and
Just as HaShem had spoken to the Bnei Israel at sanctify them today and tomorrow, and let
Mount Sinai, so too does He continue to speak to them wash their clothes, And be ready
them (via Moshe) from the Kodesh haKodoshim against the third day: for the third day
(Holy of Holies), through the K'ruvim (Cherubim) HaShem will come down in the sight of all
atop the Aron (Ark) (25:22); the people upon mount Sinai. And thou shalt
set bounds unto the people round about,
 The Luchot Ha'eidut (Tablets of Testimony) saying, Take heed to yourselves, [that ye]
which Moshe will receive (24:12) on Mount Sinai, go [not] up into the mount, or touch the
serve as a testimony to the giving of the Torah and border of it: whosoever toucheth the mount
thus, will be kept in the Aron, the focal point of shall be surely put to death: There shall not
the Mishkan (25:21); an hand touch it, but he shall surely be
stoned, or shot through; whether [it be]
16
 beast or man, it shall not live: when the went out from the stone tablets to each of the
trumpet soundeth long, they shall come up children of Israel and asked if they would accept
to the mount. this covenant. When the answer was "yes" the
tongue went back and helped carve the ten words.
The Midrash also speaks of this wall: Does this remind you of II Luqas (Acts) chapter
2? So why was the Torah delivered in seventy
Midrash Rabbah - Numbers XI:2 At Sinai languages? The most obvious answer is because
And he said: The Lord came from Sinai there were a “great multitude” of peoples besides
(Deut. XXXIII, 2). ‘Or to ‘Ofer ha'ayyalim, the descendants of Jacob. But, in a larger sense,
R. Jose, son of R. Hanina, explains this as HaShem is delivering the Torah to the whole
denoting the young of the gazelle. Behold, world.
he standeth behind our wall (S.S. Ioc. cit.)
alludes to the wilderness of Sinai. He The presence of HaShem is made manifest with
looketh in through the windows (ib.) bears light from a special kind of fire.
on And the Lord came down upon Mount
Sinai etc. (Ex. XIX, 20). He peereth through Dust
the lattice (S.S. Ioc. cit.) bears on And G-d
spoke all these words, etc. (Ex. XX, 1). At Har Sinai the dust was again brought together
to form the Luchot, the Tablets of the Testimony.
Midrash Rabbah - The Song of Songs The Luchot were first carved by HaShem then
II:23 BEHOLD HE STANDETH BEHIND inscribed. After this first set was broken, Moshe
OUR WALL: behind our wall of Sinai, as it carved the second set. These, too, were inscribed
says, For on the third day the Lord will by the finger of HaShem. Here the “dust” became
come down (Ex. XIX, 11). the words of life!

As the Cherubim guarded the way to the Tree of Shemot (Exodus) 31:18 And he gave unto
Life, so too did HaShem guard the way to Moses, when he had made an end of
Himself. The Cherubim were preserving the Tree communing with him upon mount Sinai, two
till Adam and Chava could safely eat. So, too did tables of testimony, tables of stone, written
HaShem guard the way to His dwelling to prevent with the finger of G-d.
the unholy from coming near lest they be
consumed. Unity

Light After the exodus from Egypt, the Bnei Israel

arrived at Har Sinai:
At Har Sinai the light was a bit different from the
ordinary, just as it was a bit different in Gan Eden: Exodus (Shemot) 19:2 They [the Jewish
People] traveled from Refidim and arrived
Shemot (Exodus) 19:18 And mount Sinai in the Sinai desert. Israel camped there in
was altogether on a smoke, because the desert; they camped opposite the
HaShem descended upon it in fire: and the mountain.
smoke thereof ascended as the smoke of a
furnace, and the whole mount quaked Rashi, in his comments on this verse says:
greatly.
"They Camped ... Like a single person with
HaShem descended on it in fire. a single heart"

The sages understood that the Torah was As Rashi points out, at Har Sinai and the giving of
delivered, at Mount Sinai, in seventy languages to Torah, the Jewish nation achieved an
all of the nations. They understood that the Spirit exceptionally high level of unity. Not since Gan
of HaShem appeared as a tongue of fire which Eden did such unity exist!
17
Now that we have seen the ideal dwelling place The whole concept of the Tabernacle has to
for HaShem, let’s examine the Mishkan, the be understood as an internalized version of
Tabernacle in the wilderness and the Temple as what transpired during the revelation at
alternative places for HaShem to dwell since our Mount Sinai (based on Nachmanides). The
sin caused His Shechinah to depart from Gan very attribute kavod, glory, which rested on
Eden. Mount Sinai for all to see afterwards was
manifest inside the Holy of Holies on the ark
IV. The Mishkan – The Tabernacle between the cherubs on an ongoing basis.
The principal difference was that it could no
To understand the significance of the Temple, it is longer be seen. Moses had said in Deut. 5,21
necessary to examine some aspects of the "here the Lord has shown us His majestic
Mishkan, the Tabernacle in the wilderness. Since Presence (kavod) and this has been repeated
the Mishkan preceded the Temple, it has much to in connection with the Tabernacle twice
tell us about the Temple, the synagogue, Har more. Once in Exodus 40,34: "and the
Sinai, and Gan Eden, the Garden of Eden. Presence of the Lord filled the Tabernacle."
In the verse immediately following, the
To understand the significance of the Mishkan we Torah also writes that Moses was unable to
need to see what Ramban said of the connection enter the Tabernacle as the cloud had settled
between Har Sinai and the Mishkan: over it and "the Presence of the Lord filled
the Tabernacle." Just as the Torah wrote in
"... the hidden purpose ["sod"] of the connection with the Mount Sinai experience
Mishkan is for HaShem's Glory which (Deut. 4,36) "From the heavens He let you
dwelled ("shakan") on Har Sinai to dwell hear His voice to discipline you; on the earth
upon it..." (Ramban on Shemot 25:1) He let you see His great fire; and from
amidst the fire you heard His words," so a
Thus we see that the purpose of the Mishkan is for parallel experience is described in
dwelling. This purpose is reflected by numerous connection with the Tabernacle in Numbers
parallels between Har Sinai and the Mishkan. For 7:89: "he (Moses) would hear the voice
example: addressing him from above the cover that
was on top of the Ark of the covenant
 The Aron, the ark - contains the Luchot, the between the two cherubs; thus He spoke to
testimony of the Covenant between HaShem and him." If, at Mount Sinai, the "nobles" were
the Bnei Israel at Har Sinai, upon which the Ten described as: "they saw the G-d of Israel,"
Commandments are inscribed. we find something similar in connection
with the Tabernacle in that the G-d of Israel
 The Cherubim - are situated above the lid of "sat" on the cherubs (Samuel II 6,20). This
the ark, from where HaShem will continue to is also what the prophet Ezekiel reported as
speak to Moshe and instruct Bnei Israel regarding seeing in his vision (Ezekiel 10,19-20 "and
the mitzvot, just as he had taught Moshe the the glory of the G-d of Israel was above
mitzvot on Har Sinai. them; this was the Chayah which I saw
beneath the G-d of Israel at the river
 The Altar - upon which B’nei Israel will offer Kevlar."
their burnt offerings and peace offerings, just as at
Har Sinai they built an altar and offered their burnt The Mishkan is a temporary sanctuary (a
offerings and peace offerings and sprinkled blood. Tabernacle) - a portable, tent-like structure [good
for travel].
Rabbenu Bachya13 also connected the Sinai
experience with the Mishkan:
13
“Torah Commentary”, page 1220, by Rabbi Bachya ben
Asher
18
 7931 shakan, shaw-kan'; a prim. root [appar.
akin (by transm.) to 7901 through the idea of
lodging; comp. 5531, 7925]; to reside or
permanently stay (lit. or fig.):-abide,
continue, (cause to, make to) dwell (-er),
have habitation, inhabit, lay, place, (cause
to) remain, rest, set (up).

The Midrash tells us that after the Shechinah

departed from Gan Eden, it next came to rest in
the Mishkan, the Tabernacle in the Wilderness:
The encampment of the Israelites in the desert. Formation order of the
Twelve Tribes around the Tabernacle. Auguste Calmet, etching, 1725 Midrash Rabbah - Numbers XIII:2 A king
Credit: Collection of M. Pollak, Antiquarian Books and Maps, Tel Aviv
was angry with his lady and drove her away
The Talmud in Zevachim 118, tells us how long and expelled her from his palace. After a
the Mishkan was used: time he sought to recall her. Said she: ' Let
him give me some new token and then recall
Zevachim 118a Our Rabbis taught: The me.’ Similarly, in times past Adam dwelt in
duration of the Tent of Meeting in the the Garden of Eden in the camp of the
wilderness was forty years less one; the Shechinah. The Holy One, blessed be He,
duration of the Tent of Meeting at Gilgal was angry with him and drove him from His
was fourteen years, [viz.,] the seven [years] private territory. When Israel went out of
of conquest and the seven of division. The Egypt the Holy One, blessed be He, wished
duration of the Tent of Meeting at Nob and to restore them to His own immediate
Gibeon [combined] was fifty-seven years. vicinity and told them to make for Him a
Thus for Shiloh was left three hundred and Tabernacle so that He might dwell among
seventy less one. them; as you read, And let them make Me a
sanctuary, that I may dwell among them,
Wilderness 39 years etc. (Ex. XXV, 8). Said Israel: 'Let the Holy
Gilgal 14 years One, blessed be He, give us some new token
Shiloh 369 years that He wishes to restore us to Himself.’
Nov + Givon 57 years What was the new token? In former times
------------ the Holy One, blessed be He, used to receive
Total 479 years sacrifices on high, as it says, And the Lord
In Eretz Israel 440 years smelled the sweet savour (Gen. VIII, 21),
but now He will receive sacrifices here
The Mishkan was also a place where HaShem below.
dwelt:
Midrash Rabbah - Numbers XII:6 AND IT
Shemot (Exodus) 40:35 And Moses was not CAME TO PASS (WAYYEHI) ON THE
able to enter into the tent of the DAY, etc. What is the implication of
congregation, because the cloud abode WAYYEHI? R. Joshua said: The Holy One,
thereon, and the glory of HaShem filled the blessed be He, made a stipulation with
tabernacle. Israel while they were yet in Egypt that He
would only bring them out from thence on
Strong’s indicates that the word shakan, translated the understanding that they would build a
as abode, indicates a permanent dwelling. In fact, Tabernacle for Him so that He might cause
the work Mishkan comes from the root shakan His Presence to dwell among them; as it
which means a permanent dwelling: says, And they shall know that I am the Lord
their G-d, that brought them forth out of the
19
 land of Egypt, that I may dwell among them
(Ex.XXIX, 46); on this condition: ' That I We need to look past the physical and “see” the
may dwell among them.’ Now as soon as the spiritual. Shabbat is one of the ways we can look
Tabernacle was erected and the Shechinah beyond the physical as it relates to the Mishkan.
descended and dwelt in their midst (all the
conditions were fulfilled. Consequently it The Torah tells us that we are not to do any work
says, WAYYEHI (AND IT CAME TO PASS), on Shabbat (Sabbath), but does not define what it
implying that what He had promised He means by "work." The Hakhamim determined that
performed). WAYYEHI: Rab expounded: all the kinds of work necessary to build the
Something that had never happened from Mishkan, the tabernacle used during the forty
the time the world was created until then years in the wilderness, constituted the work that
took place on that day. From the time when was forbidden on Shabbat.
the world was created until that moment the
Shechinah had never dwelt in this lower The 39 classes of labor can be divided in four
world. It only did this from the moment main groupings according to their appearance in
when the Tabernacle was erected and the actual building of the Mishkan:
thenceforward. For this reason it says,
WAYYEHI; it was an innovation. R. Simeon 11 tasks linked with the preparation
b. Yohai said it was something that, having of bread.
already been in existence, had ceased and 13 tasks linked with the preparation of the priestly
now returned to its previous state. You find garments.
that from the beginning of the world's 9 tasks linked with writing.
creation the Shechinah had dwelt in this 3 tasks linked with preparing a fire.
lower world; as it says, And they heard the 2 tasks linked with building.
voice of the Lord G-d walking in the garden, 1 prohibition is linked with removing items and
etc. (Gen.III, 8), but once the Shechinah carry them from private to public property.
departed at the time when Adam sinned, it
did not descend again until the Tabernacle
had been erected. It is for this reason that
the expression WAYYEHI is used, signifying
that something which had already been in
existence, and had ceased for many years,
returned to its original state.

The Mishkan was a building, but it was also the

physical expression of a spiritual concept. The
altar was a base with a fire on it, but every detail
embodied another holy, spiritual concept. And the
incense was made of spices, but it also acted as a
"conduit" between two realities, to achieve a
desired spiritual impact through a physical act.
This is why it could stop plagues of death, as the
Angel of Death had revealed to Moshe atop of Har
Sinai:

Shabbath 89a. The Angel of Death too

confided his secret to him, for it is said, and
he put on the incense, and made atonement
for the people; and it is said. and he stood
between the dead and the living, etc. Had he
not told it to him, whence had he known it?
20
These are the 39 melachot, the 39 classes of labor:
Shabbat is an opportunity to enter that world, for a
1. Sowing 21. Tying a Knot delightful twenty-five hour period. The Mishkan is
2. Plowing 22. Untying a Knot creating that home of HaShem in a specific space,
3. Reaping 23. Sewing as Shabbat is creating that home of HaShem in a
4. Binding Sheaves 24. Tearing specific time. The work done to create the
5. Threshing 25. Trapping Mishkan is for the purpose of creating a "Shabbat"
6. Winnowing 26. Slaughtering in a specific location (the Mishkan). On Shabbat,
7. Selecting 27. Skinning we have our Mishkan. Those 39 creative actions,
8. Grinding 28. Salting for the construction of the Mishkan, have no place
9. Sifting 29. Tanning during Shabbat.
10. Kneading 30. Scraping
11. Baking 31. Cutting Shabbat is a Mishkan in time, where the Bnei
Israel and HaShem encounter each other as the
12. Shearing Wool 32. Writing
beloved and lover of Shir HaShirim (the Song of
13. Cleaning 33. Erasing
Songs) (which explains the custom to read this
14. Combing 34. Building
beautiful love song every Friday evening at the
15. Dyeing 35. Breaking Down
onset of Shabbat).
16. Spinning 36. Extinguishing a
Fire The Mishkan was a miniature replication of the
17. Stretching the 37. Kindling a Fire entire universe, Just like the world is the physical
Threads expression of the Torah, which is the "blueprint"
18. Making Loops 38. Striking the Final for creation, so too was the Mishkan, albeit on a
Hammer Blow smaller scale.
19. Weaving Threads 39. Carrying
20. Separating the The Wall
Threads
Gan Eden had a wall around it. Har Sinai had a
Upon instructing us to build the Mishkan, HaShem wall around it. So, too, does the Mishkan have a
also forewarned us not to build this Mishkan, this wall around it:
miniature "world" on Shabbat. Just as He had
rested from the completed work of creation on the Shemot (Exodus) 26:1-6 Moreover thou
seventh day. This is understood in the Talmud shalt make the tabernacle [with] ten
from the juxtaposition of Shabbat to both the curtains [of] fine twined linen, and blue,
beginning and end of the Torah's account of the and purple, and scarlet: [with] cherubims of
building of the Mishkan. cunning work shalt thou make them. The
length of one curtain [shall be] eight and
First of all, the Mishkan itself is a micro-world. twenty cubits, and the breadth of one
Each and every detail, along with the 39 types of curtain four cubits: and every one of the
labor necessary for its construction, model the 7 curtains shall have one measure. The five
days of creation. It should now makes sense why curtains shall be coupled together one to
the Torah forbids us to do those very same 39 another; and [other] five curtains [shall be]
classes of labor on Shabbat. Just as HaShem coupled one to another. And thou shalt
completed His activities of creation on the 7th make loops of blue upon the edge of the one
day, so too we must stop our acts of labor on the curtain from the selvedge in the coupling;
seventh day. We are emulating the Creator! and likewise shalt thou make in the
uttermost edge of [another] curtain, in the
From this we should understand that the Mishkan coupling of the second. Fifty loops shalt
is a miniature version of Gan Eden. This suggests thou make in the one curtain, and fifty loops
that the Temple, also, is a miniature Gan Eden! shalt thou make in the edge of the curtain
that [is] in the coupling of the second; that
21
 the loops may take hold one of another. And This was very strange fire. It was light without
thou shalt make fifty taches of gold, and consuming fuel and it stood like a pillar. The
couple the curtains together with the taches: presence of HaShem is again made manifest with
and it shall be one tabernacle. light.

HaShem intended that the walls keep that which is Dust

evil from polluting that which was good.
Additionally, the wall was to preserve that which The Luchot were made out of stone, mineral dust
was holy and good. packed tightly together. The Torah commands that
we are to write the Torah on our hearts of flesh:
One of the most striking parallels between the
Mishkan and Har Sinai relates to the concept of Devarim (Deuteronomy) 6:4-9 Hear, O
boundaries (walls). At Har Sinai, the Bnei Israel Israel: HaShem our G-d [is] one HaShem:
must remain at the foot of the mountain while the And thou shalt love HaShem thy G-d with
Priests are permitted to come a bit closer. Only all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and
Moshe (and possibly Aharon) is granted access to with all thy might. And these words, which I
the top of the mountain. Similarly, the Bnei Israel command thee this day, shall be in thine
may proceed only as far as the outer courtyard of heart: And thou shalt teach them diligently
the Mishkan. The Priests are allowed into the Holy unto thy children, and shalt talk of them
Place, and only Moshe (and possibly Aharon) when thou sittest in thine house, and when
enters the Holy of Holies. [Additionally, Bnei thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest
Israel may enter the courtyard only after first down, and when thou risest up. And thou
purifying themselves, just as a purification process shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand,
was required in preparation for the revelation at and they shall be as frontlets between thine
Har Sinai.] eyes. And thou shalt write them upon the
posts of thy house, and on thy gates.
The following table summarizes this parallel:
Mishlei (Proverbs) 7:2-3 Keep my
Group Har Sinai Mishkan Function commandments, and live; and my law as the
Moshe Top of Holy of Represent apple of thine eye. Bind them upon thy
Sinai Holies the people fingers, write them upon the table of thine
Priests Mid-Sinai Kodesh Meeting heart.
(ohel
moed) When the Luchot are transferred to the heart, then
People foot of hatzer Sacrifices the dust will become alive. The Luchot, the
Sinai (courtyard) Tablets of the Testimony, were made out of stone,
but they were to be written on the heart. This
Light transformation of stone to flesh is the
transformation that the Temple is to undergo.
The Mishkan had a very special light that
accompanied the Bnei Israel in the wilderness: In the Mishkan, the Luchot will be preserved in
the Ark of the Covenant.
Shemot (Exodus) 13:21-22 And HaShem
went before them by day in a pillar of a Unity
cloud, to lead them the way; and by night in
a pillar of fire, to give them light; to go by In the Mishkan, and in the Temple, unity is of
day and night: He took not away the pillar paramount importance. HaShem wants to dwell in
of the cloud by day, nor the pillar of fire by unity with man:
night, [from] before the people.

22
 Shemot (Exodus) 23:17 Three times in the the individual, rather it is incumbent on the
year all thy males shall appear before the community." This hints to the fact that the
Lord HaShem. sanctuary is intimately bound up with the whole
community.
In the Mishkan we have a portable Gan Eden, a
portable Har Sinai. In the Mishkan we were one Strong’s defines this Miqdash as:
with HaShem.
4720 miqdash, mik-dawsh'; or miqqedash
V. Names given to the Mishkan (Exod. 15:17), mik-ked-awsh'; from 6942; a
consecrated thing or place, espec. a palace,
A name, to the Hebrew mind, describes the sanctuary (whether of Jehovah or of idols)
intrinsic quality of an item. If we look closely at or asylum:-chapel, hallowed part, holy
the name given by the Torah, to an item, we will place, sanctuary.
see a description of amazing perception!
---------------- Dictionary Trace ----------------
The most common names given to the Mishkan 6942 qadash, kaw-dash'; a prim. root; to be
(literally a “dwelling”), The Tabernacle, are: (causat. make, pronounce or observe as)
clean (ceremonially or morally):-appoint,
"The House of HaShem" bid, consecrate, dedicate, defile, hallow, (be,
1 Shmuel (Samuel) 1:7 And [as] he did so keep) holy (-er, place), keep, prepare,
year by year, when she went up to the house proclaim, purify, sanctify (-ied one, self), x
(bayith) of HaShem, so she provoked her; wholly.
therefore she wept, and did not eat.
“The Tabernacle – The Dwelling Place”
Strong’s defines this bayith as: Shemot (Exodus) 25:9 According to all that
I shew thee, [after] the pattern of the
1004 bayith, bah'-yith; prob. from 1129 tabernacle (Mishkan), and the pattern of all
abbrev.; a house (in the greatest var. of the instruments thereof, even so shall ye
applications, espec. family, etc.):-court, make [it].
daughter, door, + dungeon, family, + forth
of, X great as would contain, hangings, Strong’s defines this Mishkan as:
home [born], [winter] house (-hold), inside
(-ward), palace, place, + prison, + steward, + 4908 mishkan, mish-kawn'; from 7931; a
tablet, temple, web, + within (-out). residence (includ. a shepherd's hut, the lair
of animals, fig. the grave; also the Temple);
------------------ Dictionary Trace ------------- spec. the Tabernacle (prop. its wooden
1129 banah, baw-naw'; a prim. root; to build walls):-dwelleth, dwelling (place),
(lit. and fig.):-(begin to) build (-er), obtain habitation, tabernacle, tent.
children, make, repair, set (up), X surely.
-------------- Dictionary Trace ---------------
“The Sanctuary” 7931 shakan, shaw-kan'; a prim. root [appar.
Shemot (Exodus) 25:8 And let them make akin (by transm.) to 7901 through the idea of
me a sanctuary(Miqdash); that I may dwell lodging; comp. 5531, 7925]; to reside or
among them. permanently stay (lit. or fig.):-abide,
continue, (cause to, make to) dwell (-er),
In the Sefer HaChinuch (in Mitzvah 95) we find have habitation, inhabit, lay, place, (cause
that this verse is the source for the positive to) remain, rest, set (up).
commandment "to build a house for the sake of
HaShem... "This mitzva applies when the “The Dwelling Place of HaShem”
majority of Jews [dwell] in their Land, and it is Vayikra (Leviticus) 17:4 And bringeth it not
one of those mitzvot which is not incumbent upon unto the door of the tent of meeting, to offer
23
 an offering unto HaShem before the (selves), betroth, gather (selves, together),
tabernacle (Mishkan) of HaShem; blood meet (together), set (a time). ^ Ye'dow.
shall be imputed unto that man; he hath See 3260.
shed blood; and that man shall be cut off
from among his people: “The Dwelling Tent of Meeting”
Shemot (Exodus) 39:32 Thus was all the
“The Tent of Meeting – work of the tabernacle (Mishkan) of the tent
The Tent of Appointment” (ohel) of the meeting (moed) finished: and
Shemot (Exodus) 28:43 And they shall be the children of Israel did according to all
upon Aaron, and upon his sons, when they that HaShem commanded Moses, so did
come in unto the tent (ohel) of appointment they.
(moed), or when they come near unto the
altar to minister in the holy [place]; that The Mishkan is called both a Miqdash and a
they bear not iniquity, and die: [it shall be] Mishkan. Hakham Shimshon Raphael Hirsch
a statute for ever unto him and his seed explains that Miqdash refers to our role and
after him. Mishkan refers to the role of HaShem. Miqdash
refers to the sanctification that we must do in
Strong’s defines this Ohel as: order to make ourselves and thereby the Miqdash
a place worthy and deserving of HaShem’s
168 'ohel, o'-hel; from 166; a tent (as clearly presence. Once that has been successfully
conspicuous from a distance):-covering, accomplished, then we can hope for Mishkan,
(dwelling) (place), home, tabernacle, tent. HaShem’s holy presence descending to and
dwelling in this physical world.
-------------- Dictionary Trace ---------------
166 'ahal, aw-hal'; a prim. root; to be clear:- Gan Eden with HaShem, Adam, and Chava was
shine. the ideal. When we failed we were given a
substitute: the Mishkan.
Strong’s defines this Moed as:
The manifest presence of HaShem in the desert
4150 mow`ed, mo-ade'; or mo`ed, mo- was therefore like Gan Eden. Surrounding clouds,
ade'; or (fem.) mow`adah (2 Chron. 8:13), pillars of fire, Manna from heaven, water from
mo-aw-daw'; from 3259; prop. an rocks, and the Voice of HaShem Himself made
appointment, i.e. a fixed time or season; HaShem's presence impossible to ignore.
spec. a festival; conventionally a year; by
implication, an assembly (as convened for a VI. The Beit HaMikdash – The Temple
definite purpose); technically the
congregation; by extension, the place of The Beit HaMikdash, "The Sanctified House", is
meeting also a signal (as appointed a permanent sanctuary (a Temple), such as the
beforehand):-appointed (sign, time), (place massive stone structure built by King Shlomo.
of, solemn) assembly, congregation, (set,
solemn) feast, (appointed, due) season,
solemn (-ity), synagogue, (set) time
(appointed).

---------------- Dictionary Trace ---------------

3259 ya`ad, yaw-ad'; a prim. root; to fix
upon (by agreement or appointment); by
impl. to meet (at a stated time), to summon
(to trial), to direct (in a certain quarter or
position), to engage (for marriage):-agree,
(make an) appoint (-ment, a time), assemble
24
 destroyed it. Forthwith the Holy One,
blessed be He, swore by His right hand and
placed it behind Him. So it is written, He
hath drawn back His right hand from before
the enemy (ib. II, 3). At that time the enemy
entered the Temple and burnt it. When it
was burnt, the Holy One, blessed be He,
said, 'I no longer have a dwelling-place in
this land; I will withdraw My Shechinah
from it and ascend to My former habitation;
so it is written, I will go and return to My
place, till they acknowledge their guilt, and
seek My face’ (Hos. V, 15). At that time the
Herod's Temple as seen from the east, detail of Michael Avi-Yonah's model Holy One, blessed be He, wept and said,
of Jerusalem.
‘Woe is Me! What have I done? I caused My
Shechinah to dwell below on earth for the
The first Beit HaMikdash endured some 420
sake of Israel; but now that they have
years.
sinned, I have returned to My former
habitation. Heaven forefend that I become a
The Midrash records that the Temple was truly a
laughter to the nations and a byword to
fitting place for HaShem to dwell:
human beings! 'At that time Metatron came,
fell upon his face, and spake before the Holy
Midrash Rabbah - The Song of Songs I:68
One, blessed be He: ‘Sovereign of the
R. ‘Azariah said in the name of R. Judah b.
Universe, let me weep, but do Thou not
R. Simon: It is as if a king went out into the
weep.’ He replied to him, ' If thou lettest Me
desert and they brought him a short bed,
not weep now, I will repair to a place which
which he found very uncomfortable and
thou hast not permission to enter, and will
cramping for the limbs. When he got to the
weep there,’ as it is said, But if ye will not
city they brought him a longer bed, and he
hear it, My soul shall weep in secret for
began to stretch himself and loosen his
pride (Jer. XIII, 17).
limbs. So until the Temple was built the
Shechinah was confined between the two
The Holy One, blessed be He, said to the
staves of the ark, but when the Temple was
Ministering Angels, ' Come, let us go
built, then, as we are told, And the staves
together and see what the enemy has done
were prolonged (I Kings VIII, 8).
in My house.’ Forthwith the Holy One,
blessed be He, and the Ministering Angels
The second Beit HaMikdash also endured some
went, Jeremiah leading the way. When the
420 years. It was destroyed in 70 A.D. by the
Holy One, blessed be He, saw the Temple,
Romans.
He said, ‘Certainly this is My house and this
is My resting-place into which enemies have
Midrash Rabbah - Lamentations Prologue
come, and they have done with it whatever
XXIV Another interpretation of ’And in that
they wished.’
day did the Lord, the G-d of hosts, call to
weeping and to lamentation’: at the time
The Third Beit HaMikdash will be an enduring
when the Holy One, blessed be He, sought
dwelling:
to destroy the Temple, He said, ' So long as
I am in its midst, the nations of the world
Yeshayahu (Isaiah) 2:2-3 “And it shall
will not touch it; but I will close My eyes so
come to pass in the End-of-Days, That the
as not to see it, and swear that I will not
mountain of HaShem House shall be
attach Myself to it until the time of the end
established As the tops of the mountains,
arrives.’ Then came the enemy and
And shall be exalted above the hills; And all
25
 nations shall flow into it.” “And many lamp which was given enough light to burn
peoples shall go and say: ’Come, and let us overnight, instead burned until it was prepared for
go up to the mountain of HaShem, To the the next day. It was an eternal light. The Talmud
house of the G-d of Jacob; And He will tells us abort this miracle:
teach us of His ways.’ For out of Zion shall
go forth the Law, And the word of G-d from Shabbath 22b But it is a testimony to
Jerusalem.” mankind that the Divine Presence rests in
Israel. What is the testimony? — Said Rab:
The Temple mystically conformed to the image of That was the western branch [of the
a man. The Holy of Holies, containing the Holy candelabrum ] in which the same quantity
Ark, the source of Torah wisdom, corresponds to of oil was poured as into the rest, and yet he
the human mind. The Menorah, a source of light, kindled [the others] from it and ended
symbolizing enlightenment, corresponds to the therewith.
right eye. The Shulchan, the table which held the
showbread representing material sustenance, Shabbat 21b "Therefore it would seem that
corresponds to the left eye. the crux of the miracle was that it was
performed only to show G-d's love for
The Golden Altar, upon which incense was them ... For this reason this miracle, too,
offered, representing pleasantness in relationships, was performed for them concerning the
corresponds to the nose. The entrance way to the lights, which was testimony for Israel that
Heichel, where the Kohanim stood to give the the Shechinah dwelt amongst them, as we
blessing, represents the mouth. And it might be have explained with regard to the western
added that the outer Mizbeach, the Altar upon light. But after the death of Shimon Ha-
which offerings were burnt, corresponds to the Tzadik, even the western light sometimes
stomach of a man. was extinguished. Therefore a miracle was
performed regarding this exact matter, at
At this place – the Temple, offerings were brought that time which was a time of Divine favor,
by Adam, Kain and Abel, and Noah, after the in order to show that they had returned to
flood. Abraham brought up and bound his son on their original status of being beloved in G-
the Altar in this place and it was Abraham who d's eyes. This appears to me the correct
gave it the name Moriah. In this place, His interpretation."
Majesty King Yeshua also laid down his life.
We also know that the miracle of the rededication
The Wall of the altar at Chanukah, was that the one day
supply of oil lasted for eight days.
Midrash Rabbah - Exodus II:2 R. Aha
said: The Divine Presence will never depart Shabbath 21b What is [the reason of]
from the Western Wall, as it is said: Behold, Hanukkah? For our Rabbis taught: On the
He standeth behind our wall (Song of Songs twenty-fifth of Kislev [commence] the days
II, 9) of Hanukkah, which are eight on which a
lamentation for the dead and fasting are
Midrash Rabbah - Numbers XI:2 ‘Behold, forbidden. For when the Greeks entered the
he standeth behind our wall.’ 'Wall’ alludes Temple, they defiled all the oils therein, and
to the Western Wall of the Temple, which when the Hasmonean dynasty prevailed
will never be destroyed. Why? Because the against and defeated them, they made
Shechinah is in the west. search and found only one cruse of oil
which lay with the seal of the High Priest,
Light but which contained sufficient for one day's
lighting only; yet a miracle was wrought
The presence of HaShem was manifest in the therein and they lit [the lamp] therewith for
Temple by the light of the menorah. The western eight days. The following year these [days]
26
 were appointed a Festival with [the recital the same material it is fitting that the Temple
of] Hallel and thanksgiving. should be a symbol of Mashiach, the last Adam.

The presence of HaShem is again manifest in the The Sages make an amazing statement in the
Temple by light. Midrash:

Midrash Rabbah - Genesis III:4 ‘There is Midrash Rabbah - Leviticus VII:2 The
a verse which states it explicitly: Who other said: Whence do we know that if a
coverest Thyself with light as with a man repents it is accounted unto him as if
garment (Ps. CIV, 2), yet you say it in a he had gone up to Jerusalem and built the
whisper!’ ‘Just as I heard it in a whisper, so Temple and the altars and offered thereon
have I told it to you in a whisper,’ he all the sacrifices ordained in the Torah?-
rejoined. R. Berekiah remarked: Had not R. From these verses: ’The sacrifices of God
Isaac taught it, could we have said it! are a broken spirit, etc.’
Before this, what did they say [on the
matter]? R. Berekiah said in R. Isaac's It seems that when we fix up ourselves we are also
name: The light was created from the place building the Temple. The Sages see that man and
of the Temple, as it is said, And, behold, the the Temple are intrinsically linked.
glory of the G-d of Israel came from the
east; and His voice was like the sound of Now let us look at the names given to The Place
many waters; and the earth did shine with where HaShem dwells.
His glory (Ezek. XLIII, 2). Now ’ His glory '
is nought else but the Temple, as you read: VII. Names given to the Temple
Thou throne of glory, on high from the
beginning, Thou place of our sanctuary The most commonnames for The Temple, found
(Jer. XVII, 12). in the Tanakh, are:

Dust "The House of HaShem"

I Melachim (Kings) 3:1 And Shlomo made
Jewish tradition relates that the Temple site was affinity with Pharaoh king of Egypt, and
the starting point of Creation. took Pharaoh's daughter, and brought her
into the city of David, until he had made an
Adam HaRishon was created from the matter of end of building his own house, and the
The Place where the Temple altar would be built, house (bayith) of HaShem, and the wall of
according to our Sages14. In a manner of speaking Jerusalem round about.
Adam was a “lively stone”. Therefore it should
come as no surprise that the Temple is symbol of "The House of G-d"
Adam HaRishon and the Last Adam. Daniel 1:2 And the Lord gave Jehoiakim
king of Judah into his hand, with part of the
It is well known that the Temple was built of vessels of the house (bayith) of G-d: which
magnificent stones: he carried into the land of Shinar to the
house of his G-d; and he brought the vessels
I Melachim (Kings) 5:17 And the king into the treasure house of his G-d.
commanded, and they brought great stones,
costly stones, [and] hewed stones, to lay the "The Holy Temple"
foundation of the house. Yonah (Jonah) 2:4 Then I said, I am cast
out of thy sight; yet I will look again toward
These stones are nothing more than mineral dust thy holy temple (heykal).
formed into stones. Since Adam was made from
Strong’s defines this Moed as:
14
Gemara Yerushalmi in Nazir
27
 1964 heykal, hay-kawl'; prob. from 3201 (in In the Oral Torah we also find various names for
the sense of capacity); a large public the Temple. In the Midrash Rabbah the Temple is
building, such as a palace or temple:-palace, called a “neck”:
temple.
Midrash Rabbah - Genesis XCIII:12 AND
-------------- Dictionary Trace ----------------- HE FELL UPON HIS BROTHER
3201 yakol, yaw-kole'; or (fuller) yakowl, BENJAMIN'S NECKS (XLV, 14). Did
yaw-kole'; a prim. root; to be able, lit, (can, Benjamin then have two necks? In fact, said
could) or mor. (may, might):-be able, any at R. Eleazar, he foresaw through the Holy
all (ways), attain, can (away with, [-not]), Spirit that two Temples would be built in
could, endure, might, overcome, have Benjamin's portion, and both would be
power, prevail, still, suffer. destroyed. AND BENJAMIN WEPT UPON
HIS NECK: he saw that the Tabernacle of
"The Temple of HaShem" Shiloh would be built in Joseph'sYes portion
II Melachim (Kings) 24:13 And he carried and would be destroyed.
out thence all the treasures of the house of
HaShem, and the treasures of the king's
house, and cut in pieces all the vessels of
gold which Shlomo king of Israel had made
in the temple (heykal) of HaShem, as
HaShem had said.

"The Sanctuary"
Yehezechel (Ezekiel) 45:4 The holy
[portion] of the land shall be for the priests
the ministers of the sanctuary (Miqdash),
which shall come near to minister unto
HaShem: and it shall be a place for their
houses, and an holy place for the sanctuary
(Miqdash).

“The House”
1 Divrei Hayamin (Chronicles) 22:19 Now
set your heart and your soul to seek
HaShem your G-d; arise therefore, and
build ye the sanctuary of HaShem G-d, to
bring the ark of the covenant of HaShem,
and the holy vessels of G-d, into the house
that is to be built to the name of HaShem.

“House of The Holy One – Beit HaMiqdash” Bereshit (Genesis) 45:14 And he fell upon
2 Divrei Hayamin (Chronicles) 36:17 his brother Benjamin's necks, and wept; and
Therefore he brought upon them the king of Benjamin wept upon his neck.
the Chaldees, who slew their young men
with the sword in the house of their (As a side note, Rambam suggests that the three
sanctuary (Miqdash), and had no phrases in Bereshit 33:12 refer to HaShem's
compassion upon young man or maiden, old relationship to the three Temples.)
man, or him that stooped for age: he gave
[them] all into his hand. The Midrash also explains the Torah when it tells
us that the Temple is equated to the neck:

28
 Midrash Rabbah - Genesis XCIII:6 Here So the Temple is called the "neck" and it connects
that it is on account of a man, the beloved of the lower and higher worlds. The neck's 7
the eyes, the one who gives hospitality to the vertebrae may thus correspond to Shabbat; this
Holy One, blessed be He-as it says, Of approach interfaces with the concept that Man,
Benjamin he said: The beloved of the Lord who is made in the image of the Creator, is a
shall dwell in safety by Him; He covereth microcosm of the entire universal structure.
him all the day, and He dwelleth between
his shoulders (Deut. XXXIII, 12) --how The Midrash explains this connection between the
much the more so!’ neck and the Temple:

Devarim (Deuteronomy) 33:12 Of Midrash Rabbah - The Song of Songs

Benjamin he said, The beloved of HaShem IV:12 THY NECK IS LIKE THE TOWER
shall dwell in safety by him; shall cover him OF DAVID: this refers to the Temple. Why
all the day long, and he shall dwell between is it compared to a neck? Because so long
his shoulders. as the Temple was standing, Israel's neck
was stretched out among the nations of the
The Temple was built within the portion of land world, but when the Temple was destroyed,
allocated to Benjamin. The neck which is between then, if one may say so, Israel's neck was
the shoulders alludes therefore to the Temple. bowed; and so it is written, And I will break
the pride of your power (Lev. XXII, 19),
namely, the Temple. Another explanation:
Just as a man's neck is in the highest part of
him, so the Temple was in the highest part
of the world. And just as most ornaments
are hung round the neck, so the priests were
attached to the Temple, the Levites were
attached to the Temple. And just as, if the
neck is removed, a man cannot live, so since
the Temple was destroyed there has been no
life for the enemies of Israel.

Rashi explains: "necks" means the two Temples Let’s list the things that we know about the neck:
(all towers resemble neck like structures) in
Jerusalem (which was in Binyamin’s territory). 1. It represents the Temple.
Yoseph was actually weeping over the future 2. It represents Mashiach, the head of the
destruction of these two Temples. Similarly, body.
Binyamin was weeping over the "neck" of 3. It represents Israel.
Yoseph, this being the tabernacle of Shiloh (in 4. It represents the connection between the
Yoseph's territory). higher and the lower worlds.
5. It is weak in an infant.
This explanation is amplified by the Maharal, who 6. It is the last voluntary point of eating and
explains how a person's neck connects his head, drinking.
the seat not only of the intellect but also of 7. It contains the throat.
spirituality, to his body, which carries out the 8. It contains the vocal chords and thus is the
wishes of the head. The Maharal quotes passages origin of words or voice.
to show that the Temple was referred to as the 9. It connects the head to the shoulders.
"neck" of the Jewish people, since it forms a 10. A yoke is placed on the neck.
connection between HaShem (the "head") and His
people (the "body"). Mashiach is called “The Word” which originates
in the neck:

29
 Yochanan (John) 1:1-5 In the beginning thereon thy burnt offerings, and thy peace
was the Word, and the Word was with G-d, offerings, thy sheep, and thine oxen: in all
and the Word was G-d. The same was in the places where I record my name I will come
beginning with G-d. All things were made unto thee, and I will bless thee.
by him; and without him was not any thing
made that was made. In him was life; and At the dedication of the Mishkan, we have burnt
the life was the light of men. And the light offerings on the altar of the Mishkan. This shows
shineth in darkness; and the darkness that HaShem has put His name in that place:
comprehended it not.
Shemot (Exodus) 29:18 And thou shalt
Mashiach is also a Kohen Gadol (High Priest). burn the whole ram upon the altar: it [is] a
The Kohen Gadol serves to connect the higher and burnt offering unto HaShem: it [is] a sweet
the lower worlds: savour, an offering made by fire unto
HaShem.
Hebrews 3:1-2 Wherefore, holy brethren,
partakers of the heavenly calling, consider Devarim (Deuteronomy) 12:5 But unto the
the Apostle and High Priest of our place which HaShem your God shall choose
profession, Mashiach Yeshua; Who was out of all your tribes to put his name there,
faithful to him that appointed him, as also [even] unto his habitation shall ye seek, and
Moshe [was faithful] in all his house. thither thou shalt come:

In the midrash of Matityahu we find a yoke which Devarim (Deuteronomy) 12:11 Then there
is attached to the neck: shall be a place which HaShem your God
shall choose to cause his name to dwell
Matityahu (Matthew) 11:29 Take my yoke there; thither shall ye bring all that I
upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek command you; your burnt offerings, and
and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest your sacrifices, your tithes, and the heave
unto your souls. offering of your hand, and all your choice
vows which ye vow unto HaShem:
Mashiach says that we should take His yoke upon
us. This infers that Mashiach is the neck because Devarim (Deuteronomy) 12:21 If the place
this is the organ which bears the yoke. which HaShem thy God hath chosen to put
his name there be too far from thee, then
Gan Eden with HaShem, Adam, and Chava was thou shalt kill of thy herd and of thy flock,
the ideal. When we failed we were given a which HaShem hath given thee, as I have
substitute: the Mishkan. The Mishkan was commanded thee, and thou shalt eat in thy
eventually replaced with the Temple. gates whatsoever thy soul lusteth after.

The manifest presence of HaShem in the Temple Devarim (Deuteronomy) 16:2 Thou shalt
was therefore like Gan Eden. The Pillar of cloud therefore sacrifice the passover unto
on the altar, the constant miracles all made HaShem thy God, of the flock and the herd,
HaShem's presence impossible to ignore. in the place which HaShem shall choose to
place his name there.
VIII. Where HaShem put His Name
Devarim (Deuteronomy) 26:2 That thou
HaShem has said that we are to bring our burnt shalt take of the first of all the fruit of the
offerings only to the place where He will put His earth, which thou shalt bring of thy land
name: that HaShem thy God giveth thee, and shalt
put [it] in a basket, and shalt go unto the
Shemot (Exodus) 20:24 An altar of earth place which HaShem thy God shall choose
thou shalt make unto me, and shalt sacrifice to place his name there.
30
 mine eyes and mine heart shall be there
HaShem has explicitly stated that He put His name perpetually.
in the Temple that Shlomo caused to be built:
2 Divrei Hayamim (Chronicles) 12:13 So
1 Melachim (Kings) 9:3 And HaShem said king Rehoboam strengthened himself in
unto him, I have heard thy prayer and thy Jerusalem, and reigned: for Rehoboam
supplication, that thou hast made before [was] one and forty years old when he
me: I have hallowed this house, which thou began to reign, and he reigned seventeen
hast built, to put my name there for ever; years in Jerusalem, the city which HaShem
and mine eyes and mine heart shall be there had chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, to
perpetually. put his name there. And his mother's name
[was] Naamah an Ammonitess.
1 Melachim (Kings) 11:36 And unto his son
will I give one tribe, that David my servant 2 Divrei Hayamim (Chronicles) 33:4 Also
may have a light always before me in he built altars in the house of HaShem,
Jerusalem, the city which I have chosen me whereof HaShem had said, In Jerusalem
to put my name there. shall my name be for ever.

1 Melachim (Kings) 14:21 And Rehoboam 2 Divrei Hayamim (Chronicles) 33:7 And
the son of Shlomo reigned in Judah. he set a carved image, the idol which he had
Rehoboam [was] forty and one years old made, in the house of God, of which God
when he began to reign, and he reigned had said to David and to Shlomo his son, In
seventeen years in Jerusalem, the city which this house, and in Jerusalem, which I have
HaShem did choose out of all the tribes of chosen before all the tribes of Israel, will I
Israel, to put his name there. And his put my name for ever:
mother's name [was] Naamah an
Ammonitess. Ezra 6:12 And the God that hath caused his
name to dwell there destroy all kings and
2 Melachim (Kings) 21:4 And he built people, that shall put to their hand to alter
altars in the house of HaShem, of which [and] to destroy this house of God which
HaShem said, In Jerusalem will I put my [is] at Jerusalem. I Darius have made a
name. decree; let it be done with speed.

2 Melachim (Kings) 21:7 And he set a Nechemiah (Nehemiah) 1:9 But [if] ye turn
graven image of the grove that he had made unto me, and keep my commandments, and
in the house, of which HaShem said to do them; though there were of you cast out
David, and to Shlomo his son, In this house, unto the uttermost part of the heaven, [yet]
and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen out will I gather them from thence, and will
of all tribes of Israel, will I put my name for bring them unto the place that I have chosen
ever: to set my name there.

2 Divrei Hayamim (Chronicles) 6:20 That Putting His name on the B’nei Israel:
thine eyes may be open upon this house day
and night, upon the place whereof thou hast HaShem also specifically commanded that His
said that thou wouldest put thy name there; Name should be put on the Bnei Israel:
to hearken unto the prayer which thy
servant prayeth toward this place. Bamidbar (Numbers) 6:27 And they shall
put my name upon the children of Israel;
2 Divrei Hayamim (Chronicles) 7:16 For and I will bless them.
now have I chosen and sanctified this house,
that my name may be there for ever: and
31
Midrash Rabbah - Numbers XI:8 SO thee, and be gracious unto thee: HaShem lift
SHALL THEY PUT MY NAME UPON THE up his countenance upon thee, and give thee
CHILDREN OF ISRAEL. (VI. 27). This peace. And they shall put my name upon the
informs us that the blessing bestowed upon children of Israel; and I will bless them.
them contained the Ineffable Name. It might
be thought that within the boundaries the Thus we see a direct connection between the Bnei
blessing bestowed upon them was also to Israel and the Temple. It is also worth noting that
contain the Ineffable Name. Scripture the Halakha specifies that when the Kohanim
therefore states, SO SHALL THEY PUT MY bless in the Temple they are to use the name of
NAME, and elsewhere it says, To cause My HaShem. Outside the Temple they are to use a
name to dwell there (Neh. I, 9): as in the substitute.
latter case the Sanctuary is meant, so in the
former also the Sanctuary is meant. When, Tehillim (Psalms) 132:13 For HaShem hath
however, unprincipled men increased, the chosen Zion; he hath desired [it] for his
custom was altered, so that the Name was habitation. This [is] my rest for ever: here
henceforth confided to the pious of the will I dwell; for I have desired it.
priesthood. R. Tarfon said: It once
happened that I was in a row with my fellow IX. Physical versus Reality
priests, and when I inclined my ear towards
the High Priest I heard that he uttered it in Does HaShem have an arm? Surely one must
the midst of the chanting of the other answer yes to this question! Moshe wrote of this
priests. Or again, it might be supposed that arm:
the benediction was pronounced in the
Sanctuary but that it was not to be Devarim (Deuteronomy) 11:2-3 And know
pronounced within the boundaries. It says ye this day: for [I speak] not with your
therefore, In every place where I cause My children which have not known, and which
name to be mentioned I will come unto thee have not seen the chastisement of HaShem
and bless thee (Ex. XX, 21), thus showing your G-d, his greatness, his mighty hand,
that it must be said also within the and his stretched out arm, And his miracles,
boundaries. The only difference is that and his acts, which he did in the midst of
within the boundaries it was recited as three Egypt unto Pharaoh the king of Egypt, and
blessings,1 while in the Sanctuary it was unto all his land;
recited as one.
What is the difference between HaShem’s arm and
Midrash Rabbah - Numbers XI:4 It says your arm?
here, ' They shall put My name’ and it says
elsewhere, To put His name there (Deut. Surely you must say that the arm of HaShem is
XII, 5); as that case refers to the Temple so REAL whilst your arm is merely PHYSICAL.
the present text also refers to the Temple. With His arm, HaShem can move the heart of
From this the Sages have inferred that in the man. We can not do this with our arm.
Temple the benediction was accompanied
by the pronunciation of the Ineffable Name, The Mishkan and the Temple were physical
while in the province it was accompanied by buildings which explains and demonstrates reality,
one of its substitutes. in the same way that my physical arm helps me to
understand the real arm of HaShem.
Bamidbar (Numbers) 6:22-27 And HaShem
spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto Aaron This concept is required in order to understand the
and unto his sons, saying, On this wise ye concept that HaShem is NOT concerned about
shall bless the children of Israel, saying physical stones. HaShem is concerned about His
unto them, HaShem bless thee, and keep people. A “stone” is simply an allusion to man,
thee: HaShem make his face shine upon
32
and a Temple is just an allusion to man becoming dwell in his people. This concept becomes more
a fit habitation where HaShem can dwell. understandable if we recall that the body of
Mashiach includes all of the righteous. This body
The dwelling place of HaShem began with the is called “the bride”. HaShem will dwell in His
Mishkan, the Tabernacle. In fact, the beginning of bride. This is exactly the same terminology which
the Temple was the Mishkan, the Tabernacle in is applied to a normal bride and groom.
the wilderness. Let us therefore begin by looking
at the Mishkan. At the wedding ceremony, the bride while under
the chupah, makes seven trips around her husband.
On the face of it, building the Mishkan is a strange She surrounds him seven times in order that she
thing to do. HaShem, who is transcendent, should become his “house”, his place. Throughout
certainly has no need of a "dwelling" and it would the Torah and Rabbinic literature a wife is called a
be mistake to understand the Divine decree, to “house”. She is the house that her husband dwells
build the Mishkan, as an attempt to find haven for in.
the ineffable transcendent One. A careful reading
of the text indicates the objective of the From the marriage ceremony we can see that when
construction: HaShem dwells in us, that He dwells as a husband
dwells with his wife. The husband dwells in his
Shemot 25:8-9 (TORAH) Ve'asu [and let wife.
them make] li [for me / me for] mikdash [a
sanctuary] veshachanti [that I may dwell] The Beit HaMiqdash, the Temple, contains two
betocham [in their midst]. Kekhol chambers, the Kodesh, and the Kodesh ha-
[according to all] asher [which] ani [I am] Kodeshim. In fact, almost every home has at least
mar'eh [going to reveal] otcha [to you] et two rooms: a living room or reception area, where
tavnit [the plan of] haMishkan (the Ten guests enter and where meals are held, and a
Sefirot) [the tabernacle] ve'et [and] tavnit bedroom, whose door is generally kept closed and
[the plan of] kol-kelav [all its vessels] where only those to whom the bedroom belongs
vechen [and so] ta'asu [you will do]. may enter.

TARGUM And they shall make a Sanctuary The Mishkan and the Beit HaMiqdash are built
to My Name, that My Shekinah may dwell according to a similar pattern. There is an outer
among them. According to all that I show chamber (Kodesh) where the Kohanim, the priests,
thee, the likeness of the tabernacle and the may enter, arrange the bread on Shulchan before
likeness of all its vessels, so shalt thou HaShem and kindle the lights in His "home." At
make. the same time there is an inner chamber where no-
one may enter, a chamber concealed behind a
The verse describes the result of the building of closed door (the parokhet, the curtain). This is the
the Mishkan: HaShem will live within the Jewish inner chamber of "He Who sits with the
nation, "I will dwell in them", rather than the more keruvim".15
obvious result of HaShem "residing" in the
Sanctuary. Clearly, the objective of the building This suggests that the inner room is a place of
was not to provide HaShem with shelter, but to intimacy. This also suggests that HaShem will
provide an avenue for man to take HaShem dwell in us with the same intimacy that exists
into his life. between a husband and a wife.

Notice that HaShem has commanded His people Ibn Ezra’s comments on Shemot 26:6:
to build a Mishkan and then instead of saying that
He would “dwell in it”, He says He will “dwell in
their midst”. This verse suggests that HaShem will 15
See Rashi's commentary on II Melakhim (Kings) 11:2,
dwell in the midst of His people. This could be a drawing a parallel between the Kodesh Kodeshim and a
physical building, but it also implies that He will bedroom
33
 "They (the curtains for the Mishkan) were spoke “normally”, that is, after HaShem put the
formed of separate pieces, yet they were so infinite into finite words, He also gave Moshe the
arranged that when they formed the covering ability to do so as well.
of the Tabernacle they were a single whole.
Similarly, the community of Israel, Just as we have an infinite soul contained within a
comprising different tribes and families, finite body, so too, HaShem, The Infinite One,
must be linked together in peace and will dwell in us, the finite ones. We can see that
solidarity." As separate pieces of material, King Shlomo saw that the stone Temple was not
the curtains were useless. It was only when the issue. The people of HaShem would be the
they came together that they could serve as a dwelling place of HaShem:
covering for the Mishkan. The same applies
to the Children of Israel. The Divine 1 Melachim (Kings) 8:27 But will G-d
Presence dwells amongst them only when indeed dwell on the earth? behold, the
they are united and as one. Today, as well, heaven and heaven of heavens cannot
we must find ways to ensure the unity of the contain thee; how much less this house that
Jewish people. Every chance that we have to I have builded?
educate the greatest number of people about
Judaism should be taken. In our time, when The Prophets also spoke of this Temple:
morality, discipline and deference are
apparently on the decline, we have to teach Isaiah (Yeshayah) 66:1-2 Thus said Ha-
our youth our beliefs and traditions, and Shem: The heaven is My throne and the
hence communicate to them the enduring earth is My footstool; what house could you
values by which we live. build for me, and what place could be My
resting place? My hand created all these
The ketuvim, the writings, also convey this things and thus all these things came into
concept of the Temple: being – the word of HaShem – but it is to
this that I look: to the poor and broken-
I Melachim (Kings) 8:27 Would G-d truly spirited person who is zealous regarding My
dwell on earth? Behold, the heavens and the word.
highest heavens cannot contain You, and
surely not this Temple that I have built. As Yeshayahu spoke of the stone Temple he said
it could not contain The Infinite One. Then he
How can the infinite dwell in the finite? This alludes to the true dwelling place for HaShem: His
profound question is at the root of several righteous ones.
interesting statements in the Torah:
The Nazarean Codicil speaks very forthrightly on
Shemot (Exodus) 4:10 And Moses said unto this subject and declares:
HaShem, O my Lord, I [am] not eloquent,
neither heretofore, nor since thou hast 2 Luqas (Luke) 17:24 “G-d, who made the
spoken unto thy servant: but I [am] slow of world and all things therein, he being Lord
speech, and of a slow tongue. (Master) of heaven and earth, dwells not in
temples made with hands.”
Those who are anti-semitic or ignorant will say
that Moshe had a speech impediment and that is Even in the mystical writings we see that the body
why He could not talk. Nothing could be further of Mashiach, the righteous with Mashiach as the
from the truth. According to the Midrash, Moshe head, IS the Temple:
had his speech purified while he was a baby. The
Sages teach that the reason why Moshe had
Revelation 21:22 And I saw no temple
difficulty with his speech is that he was trying to
therein: for the Lord G-d Almighty and the
convey the infinite within finite words. Later, after
Lamb are the temple of it.
HaShem gave the Torah, we find that Moshe
34
The Prophets had also seen this corner / This passage, when properly understood, suggests
foundation stone. They too understood that it was several things:
the essence of the Temple:
Yeshua is referring back to something
Yehshayah (Isaiah) 8:14 And he shall be that “was” and He is referring forward to
for a sanctuary [Hebrew: miqdash]; but for something that “will be”.
a stone of stumbling and for a rock of
offense to both the houses of Israel, for a gin This passage has nothing to do with a
[trap] and for a snare to the inhabitants of Temple made of stone. Yet, it is dealing
Jerusalem. with a “dwelling”. We learn about this true
Temple by understanding the Temple of
1 Tsefet (Peter) 2:4-8 If so be ye have tasted Stone in Jerusalem.
that the Lord [is] gracious. To whom
coming, [as unto] a living stone, disallowed  This passage is speaking of something
indeed of men, but chosen of G-d, [and] that can be “awakened”, that is, a living
precious, Ye also, as lively stones, are built organism that was “sleeping”.
up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to
offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to  “Days” infers more than a 24 hour period.
G-d by Yeshua Mashiach. Wherefore also it
is contained in the scripture, Behold, I lay in That which “was”, alludes to Adam HaRishon, the
Sion a chief corner stone, elect, precious: first Adam who was composed of male and female
and he that believeth on him shall not be parts. In Adam, also, were all of the seeds for the
confounded. physical part of the human race (c.f. Bereshit
26:46).
Once we understand this basic concept, we can see
it throughout the Nazarean Codicil. Midrash Rabbah - Exodus XL:3 What is
the meaning of And it is foreknown what
I have inserted the purple words in parenthesis () man is (ib.)? While Adam was still a lifeless
to indicate Strong’s concordance definition or my mass, God showed him all the righteous
own understanding of the Greek word. people that would descend from him; some
there were that hung on Adam's hair and
Lets begin with a “sod” level verse: others on his head; some on his forehead,
on his eyes, nose, mouth, ear; some on his
Yochanan (John) 2:19 Yeshua responded ear-laps. The proof is that when Job sought
and said (past tense) unto them, Destroy to dispute with God, saying: ’ Oh that I
(loosen) this temple (dwelling), and in three knew where I might find Him, that I might
days (time periods) I will raise (awaken) it come even to His seat. I would order my
up. cause before Him’ (XXIII, 3 f), God
answered him: ‘You wish to dispute with
Me. Where (eyfoh) wast thou when I laid the
foundations of the earth?’ (ib. XXXVIII, 4).

According to the sod tradition of the Sages, prior

to the fall, Adam was a far greater person than he
was afterwards. Prior to the fall, Adam was more
of a spiritual being than a physical one.

Soncino Zohar, Bereshith, Section 1, Page

9a In the heavenly Academy, however, the
words ish middah (man of dimension) were
35
 explained as “one whose dimensions Hebrew word for mankind and the name of the
extended from one end of the world to the father of mankind is one and the same: Adam.
other”, which were the dimensions of the
first man, Adam. 1 Corinthians 15:45 And so it is written,
The first man Adam was made a living soul;
Soncino Zohar, Bereshith, Section 1, Page the last Adam [was made] a quickening
13b We have seen the following mystical spirit.
observation in the Book of King Shlomo. He
who of his own impulse shows pity to the Romans 5:12-15 Wherefore, as by one man
poor will retain for ever unchanged the (the first Adam) sin entered into the world,
original form of the first man, and by that and death by sin; and so death passed upon
impress of the likeness of Adam he will all men, for that all have sinned: (For until
exercise dominion over all creatures of the the law sin was in the world: but sin is not
world. This is implied in the words: “And imputed when there is no law. Nevertheless
the fear of you and the dread of you shall be death reigned from Adam to Moses, even
upon every beast of the earth, etc.” (Gen. over them that had not sinned after the
IX, 2), that is, all and every one will be in similitude of Adam's transgression, who is
fear and in dread of that image which the figure of him that was to come. But not
characterises man. For this is a noble as the offence, so also [is] the free gift. For
precept, by means of which man can rise in if through the offence of one many be dead,
the image of Adam above all other much more the grace of G-d, and the gift by
creatures. This we know from grace, [which is] by one man, Yeshua
Nebuchadnezzar who, in spite of the dream Mashiach, hath abounded unto many.
that he had seen, as long as he showed
mercy to the poor suffered no evil effects; Further, the fact that Mashiach and Adam are
but as soon as he selfishly neglected the related, suggests that the “Temple” is composed of
poor, what do we read about him? “While stones that are living, since Yeshua is referring to
the word was in the King's mouth, etc.” His body:
(Dan. IV, 28), his image changed and he
was driven from men.... Yochanan (John) 2:19-21 Yeshua answered
and said unto them, Destroy this temple,
Soncino Zohar, Bereshith, Section 1, Page and in three days I will raise it up. Then
27b In a word, when the “mixed multitude” said the Jews, Forty and six years was this
are mingled with Israel, the letters of the temple in building, and wilt thou rear it up
name Tetragrammaton cannot be joined and in three days? But he spake of the temple of
linked together; but as soon as they are his body.
removed from the world, then it is said of
the letters of G-d's name that “On that day The fact that they are “awakened” suggests that
the Lord shall be one and his name one” they were “asleep”, which is how the Tanach
(Zech. XIV, 9). This is why Adam, who is refers to the righteous who have died:
Israel, is closely linked with the Torah, of
which it is said, “It is a tree of life to those 1 Melachim (Kings) 2:10 So David slept
who take hold on it” with his fathers, and was buried in the city
of David.
Also included within him, were all of the souls of
mankind. This does not only mean that all souls The “three days”, or time periods, suggests that it
would come forth from him, but rather that each could mean:
and every cell of his body was an individual,
conscious soul. Adam was thus the collective soul  A literal three day time period, alluding to
of all mankind. It is of no wonder then that the the length of time that Yeshua would be in
the grave.
36
 from us, as that the day (time period) of
 A three thousand year time period, Mashiach is at hand. (We did not in any way
alluding to the three thousand year time convey that the day of Mashiach is at hand.)
from the days of Yeshua till the days of the
“second Adam” when the righteous will 2 Thessalonians 2:3 Let no man deceive
become the body of Mashiach. you by any means: for [that day shall not
come], except there come a falling away (an
 Three two-thousand year periods, apostasy) first, and that man of sin be
alluding to the time from the first Adam till revealed, the son of perdition (a damnable
the second Adam. son);

 Three periods of darkness, alluding to 2 Thessalonians 2:4 Who opposeth and

three exile periods of the Jewish people. exalteth himself above all that is called G-d
(judge), or that is worshipped; so that he as
Since the book of Yochanan (John) is written at G-d (a judge) sitteth in the temple of G-d
the “sod” level, which is the mystical level, we (Bet Din Gadol), shewing himself that he is
know that the number three (3) also means G-d (judge).
something more than a count. Three is the
minimum number of judges in a Bet Din (a court).  This womb suggest a common origin in Adam.
Three, therefore, suggests a time of judgment or of It also suggests that we may have a common
justice. heritage:

Sanhedrin 6b R. Nahman said, reporting R. Galatians 4:26 But Jerusalem which is

Jonathan: A judge who delivers a judgment above is free, which is the mother of us all.
in perfect truth causes the Shechinah to
dwell in Israel, for it is written: G-d  This temple passage reveals that we are
standeth in the Congregation of G-d; in the speaking of a House of Judgement, a Bet Din.
midst of the judges He judgeth. And he who (Palal is the root of tefilah, prayer. Our prayer is a
does not deliver judgments in perfect truth judgment of ourselves. So this house of prayer is a
causes the Shechinah to depart from the house of judgment.)
midst of Israel, for it is written: Because of
the oppression of the poor, because of the A synagogue is also a house of prayer, judgement,
sighing of the needy, now will I arise, saith and study, because a synagogue is composed of
the Lord. kindred souls who form a community. The
synagogue is an organic entity.
Now Israel was the name of both the man and the
nation, signifying that the nation stands as a man Now, a Bet Din is commonly composed of three
and that as the Shekhina dwells in the man it also men who are extensively trained in Torah law.
dwells IN the nation. These three men figuratively represent the entire
congregation. This passage is dealing with the Bet
2 Thessalonians 2:1 Now we beseech Din Gadol which sat in judgment in the Temple.
(interrogate) you, brethren (and those of the This Bet Din was composed of 71 men who ruled
same womb), by the coming (near advent) of Israel. This was not a local Bet Din, this was The
our Lord (The Judge) Yeshua HaMashiach, Bet Din Gadol – The Great House of Judgment!
and [by] our gathering (synagoging) So, we see that this “temple” is again composed of
together unto him, men.

2 Thessalonians 2:2 That ye be not soon 2 Thessalonians 2:1 Now we beseech

(briefly) shaken (wavering) in mind, or be (interrogate) you, brethren (and those of the
troubled, neither by spirit (breath), nor by same womb), by the coming (near advent)
word, nor by letter (written message) as of our Lord (The Judge) Yeshua
37
 HaMashiach, and [by] our gathering In this passage, Hakham Shaul is describing a
(synagoging) together unto him, “Temple” composed of the congregation of Israel,
which is led by the ten men of the synagogue, and
We can also see that Hakham Shaul is telling the Mashiach. These two are formed into a single
folks in Corinth that they should not expect that entity called Mashiach.
Mashiach will soon return. On the contrary, it will
be a while because Mashiach The Judge will not The “feminine structure” alludes to the bride who
return till am imposter has set himself up as the is a “house” to her husband even as the Temple is
Rosh Bet Din, the chief Hakham in The Bet Din a House of the Holy One.
Gadol – the Sanhedrin.
Again, we see that we are not speaking of a
The Sanhedrin was the Bet Din which sat in the Temple of stone but rather a Temple composed of
chamber of hewn stone, IN THE TEMPLE. LIVING stones. It is this “Lively” Temple that
will be a fitting habitation for HaShem:
This imposter judge will promote himself to Rosh
Bet Din Gadol, and presume to rule (judge) the Shemot (Exodus) 25:8 And let them make
entire nation of Israel, in place of Mashiach. Until me a sanctuary; that I may dwell in them.
this happens, the Day of Mashiach is NOT “at
hand”. 1 Corinthians 3:16 Know ye not that ye
(plural) are the temple of G-d, and [that]
Ephesians 2:17 And came and preached the Spirit of G-d dwelleth in you (plural)?
peace to you which were afar off, and to
them that were nigh. 1 Corinthians 3:17 If any man defile the
temple (The community) of G-d, him shall
Ephesians 2:18 For through him we both G-d destroy; for the temple (The
have access by one Spirit unto the Father. community) of G-d is holy, which [temple]
ye are.
Ephesians 2:19 Now therefore ye are no
more strangers and foreigners (resident This passage spells out clearly that the righteous
alien), but fellow citizens (natives) with the ARE the stones of the Temple. The congregation
saints (Festival keepers), and of the of Israel represents, therefore, the completed
household of G-d (judges); Temple where the individual is likened to a stone.
These individuals are the lively stones:
Ephesians 2:20 And are built upon the
foundation of the apostles (Sheliach Tzibbur 1 Tsefet (Peter) 2:5 Ye also, as lively stones,
and the Sheliach Bet Din) and prophets are built up a spiritual house, an holy
(The Darshan or Maggid), Yeshua priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices,
HaMashiach himself being the chief corner acceptable to G-d by Yeshua Mashiach.
[stone] (foundation stone);
[See also: Synagogue) The righteous are being built into a dwelling place
for HaShem.
Ephesians 2:21 In whom all the building (a
feminine structure) fitly framed together 2 Corinthians 6:16 And what agreement
groweth unto an holy temple (“We”) in the hath the temple (The community) of G-d
Lord (Mashiach): with idols? for ye are the temple of the
living G-d; as G-d (HaShem) hath said, I
Ephesians 2:22 In whom ye also are will dwell in them, and walk in [them]; and
builded together for an habitation of G-d I will be their G-d, and they shall be my
(HaShem) through the Spirit. people.

38
2 Corinthians 6:17 Wherefore come out gold, as it were transparent glass. And I
from among them, and be ye separate, saith saw no temple therein: for the Lord G-d
the Lord, and touch not the unclean [thing]; Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of
and I will receive you. it. And the city had no need of the sun,
neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the
Revelation 21:9-27 And there came unto me glory of G-d did lighten it, and the Lamb
one of the seven angels which had the seven [is] the light thereof. And the nations of
vials full of the seven last plagues, and them which are saved shall walk in the light
talked with me, saying, Come hither, I will of it: and the kings of the earth do bring
shew thee the bride, the Lamb's wife. And their glory and honour into it. And the gates
he carried me away in the spirit to a great of it shall not be shut at all by day: for there
and high mountain, and shewed me that shall be no night there. And they shall bring
great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending the glory and honour of the nations into it.
out of heaven from G-d, Having the glory of And there shall in no wise enter into it any
G-d: and her light [was] like unto a stone thing that defileth, neither [whatsoever]
most precious, even like a jasper stone, worketh abomination, or [maketh] a lie: but
clear as crystal; And had a wall great and they which are written in the Lamb's book of
high, [and] had twelve gates, and at the life.
gates twelve angels, and names written
thereon, which are [the names] of the twelve As a side note: HaShem can not dwell with an
tribes of the children of Israel: On the east unrighteous bride:
three gates; on the north three gates; on the
south three gates; and on the west three Mishlei (Proverbs) 21:9 [It is] better to
gates. And the wall of the city had twelve dwell in a corner of the housetop, than with
foundations, and in them the names of the a brawling woman in a wide house.
twelve apostles of the Lamb. And he that
talked with me had a golden reed to Mishlei (Proverbs) 21:19 [It is] better to
measure the city, and the gates thereof, and dwell in the wilderness, than with a
the wall thereof. And the city lieth contentious and an angry woman.
foursquare, and the length is as large as the
breadth: and he measured the city with the Mishlei (Proverbs) 25:24 [It is] better to
reed, twelve thousand furlongs. The length dwell in the corner of the housetop, than
and the breadth and the height of it are with a brawling woman and in a wide
equal. And he measured the wall thereof, an house.
hundred [and] forty [and] four cubits,
[according to] the measure of a man, that HaShem can dwell in the house of the righteous.
is, of the angel. And the building of the wall Righteousness is the only thing that can bring
of it was [of] jasper: and the city [was] pure unity:
gold, like unto clear glass. And the
foundations of the wall of the city [were] Tehillim (Psalm) 133:1 Behold, how good
garnished with all manner of precious and how pleasant [it is] for brethren to
stones. The first foundation [was] jasper; dwell together in unity!
the second, sapphire; the third, a
chalcedony; the fourth, an emerald; The X. The Synagogue
fifth, sardonyx; the sixth, sardius; the
seventh, chrysolyte; the eighth, beryl; the Our synagogues are also known as "Batei Mikdash
ninth, a topaz; the tenth, a chrysoprasus; Meat," or Holy Temples in Miniature. We have
the eleventh, a jacinth; the twelfth, an had synagogues since at least the time of the
amethyst. And the twelve gates [were] Babylonian exile and I, among many, believe that
twelve pearls: every several gate was of one we have had synagogues since the days of Moshe.
pearl: and the street of the city [was] pure Thus we have had synagogues for at least 2500 to
39
3500 years. Thus we see that the place of our which is different from the individual and they
prayers and our justice system has been primarily become a fit resting place for HaShem.
in the synagogue.
The Temple was a reminder of Gan Eden. The
The synagogue, however, was a structure of synagogue is a small reminder of Gan Eden. The
people just as the Temple was. The community Mishkan, the Temple, and the synagogue all
that was formed and functioned within the represents Gan Eden with the Tree of Life – The
confines of the synagogue structure was an Torah, The Mashiach.
organic entity. The synagogue is not the building
but rather the ten men who make up the Now that we understand that the synagogue, the
synagogue. Additionally, many prayers require ten Mishkan, and the Temple of stone are a picture
men. Why are ten required? which illustrates the reality, now we can begin to
explore the ‘pictures’ that are contained within the
Sanhedrin 39a The Emperor said to furniture and implements in the Temple. Each of
Rabban Gamaliel: ‘Ye maintain that upon the pieces of furniture and each of the rooms is a
every gathering of ten [Jews] the Shechinah picture of the reality. For those who want to look
rests: how many Shechinahs are there at the synagogue, the “little sanctuary”, in more
then?’ Rabban Gamaliel called [Caesar's] depth, please see synagogue.
servant, and tapped him on the neck, saying,
‘Why does the sun enter into Caesar's Light
house?’ ‘But,’ he exclaimed, ‘the sun shines
upon the whole world!’ ‘Then if the sun, The synagogue used a lamp that never goes out to
which is but one of the countless myriads of represent the eternal flame on the western lamp.
the servants of the Holy One, blessed be He,
shines on the whole world, how much more The following chart gives us a very brief exposure
the Shechinah of the Holy One, blessed be to this facinating subject:
He, Himself!’

Ten are required in order for the Shechinah to

dwell on them. Thus ten form an organic entity

40
 The Ten Sephirot: The Tree of Life of Mashiach – Adam Kadmon

Chachmah
(Wisdom)
Virtue: Emunah (Faithful Obedience)
Ministry: Chief Hakham of the bench of
three
The tablets of the law - Mashiach
Da'at Binah
(Knowledge) (Understanding)
Virtue: Yichud (Unity) Virtue: Simchah (Joy)
Ministry: 3rd of the bench of three Ministry: 2nd of the bench of three
The two cherubim The two cherubim
-------------------representing the Holy of Holies--------------------
G’vurah G’dolah
(Strength/Might) (Greatness/Mercy)
Virtue: Yir’ah (Fear of G-d) Virtue: Ahavah (love)
Ministry: Sheliach [Apostle/Bishop] Ministry: Masoret [Evangelist]
Second Day First Day
The bread of proposition The incense = prayer for forgiveness.
Tiferet
(Beauty)
Virtue: Rachamim (Foregiveness)
Ministry: Darshan or Magid [Prophet]
Third Day
The Menorah
-------------------------- representing the Holy Place --------------------------
Hod Netzach
(Glory) (Victory)
Virtue: Temimut (Sincerity) Virtue: Bitahon (Confidence)
Ministry: Parnas [Pastor] Ministry: Parnas [Pastor]
Fifth Day Fourth Day
The levites in the courtyard. The dignitaries in the courtyard
Yesod
(Foundation)
Virtue: Emet (Truth/Honesty)
Ministry: Parnas [Pastor]
(Female – hidden)
Sixth Day
The altar of sacrifice
Shekinah
(Presence)
Virtue: Humility
Ministry: Meturgeman/Moreh/Zaqen
[Teacher/Elder]
Seventh Day
The laver – the Ruach HaKodesh
-------------------------------------- representing the Courtyard ---------------------------------------

The ten righteous men of the synagogue are element comprised of the sefirot that plan the
related to the ten of the Sephirot. The rational implementation of HaShem's will: Chachmah,
41
binah, da'at, or wisdom, understanding and Our ancestor Yaaqov was the first to describe a
knowledge. The active element comprised of the place as 'the house of HaShem. He did so after an
sefirot that are the main thrusts of HaShem's experience which he described in these terms:
relationship with man: chesed, gevurah, tiferet, or
kindness, strength and beauty. The tactical Bereshit (Genesis) 28:16 And Yaaqov
element comprised of those sefirot whose main awaked out of his sleep, and he said, Surely
task is to properly implement HaShem's various HaShem is in this place; and I knew [it] not.
activities: netzach, hod, yesod. Malchut, or
kingship, stands by itself. A synagogue is a place from which we emerge
with the same surprise, the same awakening. We
These tactical elements are the "head" of the body enter it from the secular street. We leave, and the
of Mashiach which is represented by the three men world has changed. It has changed because we
who make up the Bet Din. These three always have changed. Tefillah, prayer, is where we create
remain hidden. The active element are the other the space in our soul for the presence of HaShem.
seven men of the synagogue. These men are very
public. These have a head in the Holy of Holies Gan Eden with HaShem, Adam, and Chava was
which is also the place of the foundation stone. the ideal. When we failed we were given a
substitute: the Mishkan. The Mishkan was
The example of a “stone mason” eventually replaced with the Temple. When we
failed with the Temple as an example, HaShem
These ten men of the synagogue represent the gave us the Synagogue.
Temple. The synagogue is a “little sanctuary”
according to Ezekiel: The Wall

Yehezekel (Ezekiel) 11:16 Therefore say, Midrash Rabbah - Numbers XI:2 ‘Behold,
Thus saith the Lord G-d; Although I have he standeth behind our wall,’ and this
cast them far off among the heathen, and alludes to the synagogues and houses of
although I have scattered them among the study.
countries, yet will I be to them as a little
sanctuary [Hebrew: miqdash] in the The Gemara16 tells us that the righteous people and
countries where they shall come. Torah scholars of the generation provide
protection to all members of the community, just
Building a Temple is all about building or creating as a city wall does. For this reason, the Talmud
Mashiach. Our central aim is not for prayer, good says that scholars do not have to contribute to the
times, or bad times, or to make money. We are expense of building defensive ramparts around
here to build the “ten men”. Building these ten their home towns -- their Torah study is their share
men is the goal of the synagogue. Building Torah in the city's defense. As the Gemara expounds on a
into these ten men is the goal of the synagogue. verse from Shir HaShirim:
This is what Hakham Shaul did. He went from
place to place building these ten men up in Torah. Shir HaShirim (Song of Songs) 8:10 "I am
We are equiping men to be small sanctuaries. a wall, and my breasts are like towers" .
When we put all of these “small sanctuaries”
together, we build the “great sanctuary”. Bava Batra 7b R. Judah the Prince levied
the impost for the wall on the Rabbis. Said
This “small sanctuary” speaks for Mashiach. Resh Lakish: The Rabbis do not require the
These ten speak with one voice. One man is not protection [of a wall], as it is written, If I
the representative of HaShem, but the ten men do should count them, they are more In number
represent HaShem. Building a Synagoge is about than the sand. Who are these that are
building ten men. Building a “little sanctuary” is counted? Shall I say the righteous, and that
about teaching these ten men the Torah.
16
Bava Batra 7b
42
 they are more in number than the sand? Shlomo made also an house for Pharaoh's
Seeing that of the whole of Israel it is daughter, whom he had taken [to wife], like
written that they shall be like the sand on unto this porch. All these [were of] costly
the sea shore, how can the righteous alone stones, according to the measures of hewed
be more than the sand? — What the verse stones, sawed with saws, within and
means, however, is I shall count the deeds of without, even from the foundation unto the
the righteous and they will be more in coping, and [so] on the outside toward the
number than the sand. If then the sand great court. And the foundation [was of]
which is the lesser quantity protects [the costly stones, even great stones, stones of
land] against the sea, how much more must ten cubits, and stones of eight cubits. And
the deeds of the righteous, which are a above [were] costly stones, after the
larger quantity, protect them? When Resh measures of hewed stones, and cedars. And
Lakish came before R. Johanan, the latter the great court round about [was] with
said to him: Why did you not derive the three rows of hewed stones, and a row of
lesson from this verse, I am a wall and my cedar beams, both for the inner court of the
breasts are like towers, where ‘I am a wall’ house of HaShem, and for the porch of the
refers to the Torah ‘ and ‘my breasts are house.
like towers’ to the students of the Torah? —
Resh Lakish, however, adopts the exposition By their nature, stones play no active role, they
[of this verse] given [also] by Raba, viz. play a passive or feminine role. They are cut in a
that ‘I am a wall’ refers to the community of very uniform shape and then placed into position.
Israel, and ‘my breasts are like towers’, to These characteritics suggest that the stones are the
synagogues and houses of study. Bnei Noach and the common Jew, the common
people. These are those who have, by desire or
"I am a wall" - this refers to the Torah, which circumstances, not made themselves into more
affords protection to its people. "My breasts are refined vessels. These stones did not spend a lot of
like towers" - this refers to Torah scholars. time perfecting themselves in the Torah and
mitzvot.
XI. Stones and Corner Stones
Lets look at some of the references that suggest
Most people’s vision of the Temple includes the that the stones also represent the righteous of
colossal stones. These massive stones really do HaShem:
catch our attention. As such, they clearly play a
role in our vision of what the Temple truly Midrash Rabbah - Exodus XXXVII:1 AND
represents. BRING THOU NEAR UNTO THEE AARON
THY BROTHER (XXVIII, 1). Thus it is
Stones (ict - even) are always feminine gender in written, Out of them shall come forth the
Hebrew. ict, even, can be separated into two corner-stone, out of them the stake, out of
them the battle bow (Zech. X, 4). Observe
words: ct, Av = Father, and ic, ben = Son.
now that when the peoples of antiquity
Where these two, ct and ic, intertwine, ict, we wished to appoint a king over them, they
have the feminine stone, the woman. used to bring one from any place and then
appoint him over them, as it says, And Bela
1 Melachim (Kings) 5:17 And the king the son of Beor reigned in Edom; and the
commanded, and they brought great stones, name of his city was Dinhabah,... and Joab
costly stones, [and] hewed stones, to lay the the son of Zerah of Bozrah reigned in his
foundation of the house. stead, etc. (Gen. XXXVI, 32 f).1 With Israel,
however, it was different, for they produced
1 Melachim (Kings) 7:8-12 And his house from their own midst their leaders, kings,
where he dwelt [had] another court within priests, prophets, and princes, as it says,
the porch, [which] was of the like work. ’Out of them shall come forth the corner-
43
 stone.’ This refers to king David, for it says, STONES, AND PUT THEM IN THE PLACE
The stone which the builders rejected is OF THOSE STONES (XIV, 42), as it is said,
become the chief corner-stone (Ps. CXVIII, Therefore thus saith the Lord G-d: Behold, I
22). lay in Zion for a foundation stone, a tried
stone, a costly corner-stone of sure
The corner or foundation stone is clearly a very foundation; He that believeth shall not make
important part of this magnificent edifice – the haste (Isa. XXVIII, 16).
body of Mashiach. Some have suggested that the
“Chief cornerstone” is the capstone on a pyramid. Even the dust of the stones is understood by this
This suggests that it is the culmination of all four midrash to refer to people.
corners. However, I understand that we are
referring to the foundation stone. This is the stone Prior to the fall we know that Adam was a
that HaShem began with, when He created the spiritual being, and to give him form HaShem
world. The rest of the world was formed from this used dust to mold him. He breathed life into him.
stone. Anyone who has visited the mosque on the Now we can see from this that the Beit
Temple mount has seen a small part of this HaMikdash was made of stone which really is
foundation stone. Notice how the Midrash equates nothing other than the same elements as dust. The
the “Cornerstone” and the “Foundation stone” in Shechinah dwelt in the Beit HaMikdash (breath of
this next midrash: HaShem). So if the body of Adam had life, the
Temple had life.
Midrash Rabbah - Leviticus XVII:7 What
is the meaning of ’babi'ah’? R. Aha said: [It The prophets also spoke of a "heart of stone" and a
means] Baya, baya [i.e. Woe, woe], the "heart of flesh":
lodger is turning out the Master of the
house! R. Berekiah said: It is written, For Yehezekel (Ezekiel) 11:19 And I will give
the bed is too short for one to stretch them one heart, and I will put a new spirit
oneself-- histarea’ (Isa. XXVIII, 20) [which within you; and I will take the stony heart
means], The bed is not able to hold a out of their flesh, and will give them an
woman and her husband and her friend heart of flesh:
(rea’); And the covering is too narrow
(zarah) when one gathers (kanas) himself up So, this idea of a “stony” man and “fleshly” Beit
(ib.) means, You have caused great anguish HaMikdash comes alive in the Tanach.
(zarah) to Him of whom it is written, He
gathereth (kanas) the waters of the sea The Children of Israel are called rocks and stones:
together as a heap (Ps. XXXIII, 7). AND
THE PRIEST SHALL COMMAND THAT Midrash Rabbah - Esther VII:10 R.
THEY EMPTY THE HOUSE (XIV, 36). Simeon b. Jose b. Lakunia said: In this
[This is an allusion to], And he [i.e. world Israel are likened to rocks, as it says,
Shishak, king of Egypt] took away the For from the top of the rocks I see him
treasures of the house of the Lord, etc. (I (Num. XXIII, 9); Look unto the rock whence
Kings XIV, 26). AND HE SHALL BREAK ye were hewn (Isa. LI, 1). They are
DOWN THE HOUSE (XIV, 45) alludes to compared to stones, as it says, From thence
And he [i.e. Nebuchadnezzar] destroyed this the shepherd of the stone of Israel (Gen.
house--i.e. the Temple (Ezra V, 12). AND XLIX, 24); The stone which the builders
THEY SHALL POUR OUT THE DUST rejected (Ps. CXVIII, 22). But the other
THAT THEY HAVE SCRAPED OFF nations are likened to potsherds, as it says,
WITHOUT THE CITY (XIV, 41)1 alludes to, And He shall break it as a potter's vessel is
And the people he carried away to Babylon broken (Isa. XXX, 14). If a stone falls on a
(Ezra loc. cit.). In case one might have pot, woe to the pot! If a pot falls on a stone,
thought [that would be] for ever, Scripture woe to the pot! In either case, woe to the
tells us, AND THEY SHALL TAKE OTHER pot! So whoever ventures to attack them
44
 receives his deserts on their account. And so out of my hands for nothing. Alas, for that
it says in the dream of Nebuchadnezzar, man who allowed such [a treasure] to pass
Thou sawest that a stone was cut out of the through his hands.’ So it was with Pharaoh.
mountain without hands, and that it broke in Israel was the pile of precious stones in his
pieces the iron, the brass, and the clay possession, for it says: My beloved is unto
(Dan. IX, 45). me as a bag of myrrh (S.S. I, 13). He began
to cry: ’Rise up, get you forth’ (Ex. XII, 31).
In this next midrash we will see that even the
ordinary stones are “precious” in HaShem’s sight: ***

Midrash Rabbah - Exodus XV:21 He will When the Bnei Israel returned from Babylon, they
rebuild Jerusalem with sapphire stones, as found the Temple, walls, and city in ruins. When
it says: Behold, I will set thy stones in fair they rebuilt the Temple they had no ark to put in
colours,... And I will make pinnacles of the Holy of Holies. In its place there was a very
rubies (Isa. LIV, 11, 12). These precious special stone:
stones will shine like the sun, and the
heathens will come and see the glory of Midrash Rabbah - Numbers XII:4 Of the
Israel, as it is said: And nations shall walk wood of Lebanon (S.S. Ioc cit.) signifies that
at thy light (ib. LX, 3). the building of the world commenced from
the spot on which the Temple was to stand.
Even when the Bnei Israel were totally unrefined R. Jose b. Ilalafta said: Why was it called
and sunk to the forty-ninth level of impurity, even Foundation Stone? Because thereon began
then they were equated to stones: the foundation of the world. Hence it is
written, Out of Zion the perfection of
Midrash Rabbah - Exodus XX:9 Another beauty, God hath shined forth (Ps. L, 2). He
explanation of: AND IT CAME TO PASS, made the pillars thereof of silver--kesef (S.S.
WHEN PHARAOH HAD LET THE III, 10).
PEOPLE GO. It can be compared to a man
who found a heap of precious stones but did Midrash Rabbah - Leviticus XX:4 After the
not know what he was holding. He said to a disappearance of the ark there was a
fellow traveller: ‘Do you wish to take this foundation stone in its place. Why was it so
pile which is in my hands? ' The other called? R. Jose son of R. Halafta said it was
replied: ' What use have I of your pile? ' But because from it the foundation of the world
he said: ‘Take it and I will not stand in your was constructed.
way’; so he took it from him. When he
entered the city, he strung together the Thus we see that the ark in the first Temple sat on
larger ones separately, the small ones the stone that was the foundation of the world. The
separately, and those of middle size also Midrash, though, paints an even more surprising
separately. Later, the one who gave him the picture of the foundation of the world:
pile entered the city and saw the man who
had taken them from him opening up the Midrash Rabbah - Genesis LXXV:11 He
bundle in the street and a man who came to [David] said to Him: ‘Sovereign of the
purchase some from him, inquiring: ‘How Universe! Hadst Thou been wroth and
much do you want for this little one?’-The forsaken and not helped Jacob, who was a
reply was: ‘A hundred myriads [of dinars].’ pillar and a foundation of the world, as it
‘And how much for this large one?’-The says, But the righteous is the foundation of
reply was: ‘A thousand myriads. ' ' And the the world:
average-sized ones, how much? ' -He
replied: ' eight hundred myriads.’ When he Mishlei (Proverbs) 10:25 As the whirlwind
saw this, he rent his garments and said: ‘I passeth, so [is] the wicked no [more]: but
had all this treasure in my hand and let it go the righteous [is] an everlasting foundation.
45
The Midrash clearly indicates that Jacob (who is XII. Preceding Names
also called Israel) is a foundation of the world.
Additionally, the righteous are the foundation of Six (people) were called by their names before
the world just as the foundation stone was the they were created,17 and they are: Isaac, Ishmael,18
foundation of the world. Moses,19 Solomon, Josiah, and King Messiah.20
Let’s look at these individuals and what connects
There is yet more to this foundation: them together.

Yeshayahu (Isaiah) 28:16 Therefore thus Bereshit (Genesis) 16:11 And the angel of
saith the Lord HaShem, Behold, I lay in HaShem said unto her, Behold, thou art
Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, with child, and shalt bear a son, and shalt
a precious corner [stone], a sure call his name Ishmael; because HaShem
foundation: he that believeth shall not make hath heard thy affliction.
haste.
Bereshit (Genesis) 17:19 Then G-d said,
*** "Yes, but your wife Sarah will bear you a
son, and you will call him Isaac. I will
Excerpt from Sefer Charedim – The Book of
the Awestruck (R. Eliezer Azkari, c. 1550) 66:27 17
Pirke D’Rabbi Eliezer chapter 32. In Mechilta, Bo. xvi. p.
– You are a Temple for the presence of the Holy 19a; only Isaac, Solomon, and Josiah are mentioned. See
King! As such, it is extremely important that you Agadath Bereshit, 65, and Midrash HaGadol, c. 246. In T.J.
sanctify your heart and your soul, as well as all Berachot i. 8 four names are mentioned, the three as in the
Mechilta and, in addition, Ishmael; cf. Gen. Rab. xlv. 8. In
248 limbs of your body. It is written, “The Holy T.B. Chullin, 139b, the name of Moses is mentioned, as also
One is in your midst [be’kir’becha]” (Hoshea the names of Mordecai, Esther, and Haman, all these names
11:9), and “They [the people] are HaShem’s being hinted at in the Torah. Luria observes that Cyrus (Is.
Temple” (Yirmiyahu 7:4), and “Be holy, for I, xliv. 28 and xlv. i) should have been mentioned in the list of
HaShem, am holy” (Vayikra 19:2), and “I will people named before their birth. This fact would not warrant
the inference that all these people were pre-existent. This
place My Mishkan [Tabernacle] in your midst
reasoning is, however, often applied to the name of the
[be’tochechem]” (Vayikra 26:11). HaShem means Messiah, as though it meant that the Messiah pre-existed
what He says: “I dwell in you!” because his name was named before his birth; see Hellenism
and Christianity, p. i 7.
18
Yerushalmi, Berachot VII.A - Four persons were named
before they were born. And these are they: Isaac, Ishmael,
Josiah, and Solomon.
19
The first editions add: "our Rabbi", or "our teacher". Since
Moses’ name was not explicitly given before he was born, I
will not elaborate. Pirke D’Rabbi Eliezer 32 Whence do we
know about Moses? Because it is said, "And the Lord said.
My spirit shall not abide in man for ever in their going
astray”. What is the implication (of the expression), "In
their going astray"? Retrospectively his name was called
Moses.'' For the life of Moses was one hundred and twenty
years, as it is said, "His days shall be an hundred and
twenty years".Moses was responsible for building the
Mishkan, the Tabernacle, which was the forerunner of the
Temple. Further, the focal point of the Temple were the
Luchot, the tablets that Moses carved out, which were
written by HaShem, and brought down and explained my
Moses.
20
The first editions read: "the name of the Messiah". The
Amsterdam edition reads: "our Messiah". The first editions
add: "May the Holy One, blessed be He, cause him to come
speedily in our days".
46
 establish my covenant with him as an
everlasting covenant for his descendants Pirke D’Rabbi Eliezer 32 How do we know
after him. (this with reference to) Isaac? Because it is
said, "And God said, Sarah thy wife shall
1 Divrei HaYamim (Chronicles) 22:9 But bear thee a son indeed; and thou shalt call
you will have a son who will be a man of his name Isaac".21 Why was his name called
peace and rest, and I will give him rest from Isaac?22 Because Yad (the first Hebrew
all his enemies on every side. His name will letter of Isaac indicates) the ten trials23
be Shlomo, and I will grant Israel peace wherewith our father Abraham was tried;
and quiet during his reign. and he withstood them all. Zaddi (the
second letter indicates) the ninety (years),
1 Melachim (Kings) 13:2 And he cried for his mother was ninety years (at the birth
against the altar in the word of HaShem, of Isaac), as it is said, "And shall Sarah,
and said, O altar, altar, thus saith HaShem; that is ninety years old, bear?”24 Cheth (the
Behold, a child shall be born unto the house third letter points to) the eighth (day), for he
of David, Josiah by name; and upon thee was circumcised on the eighth day, as it is
shall he offer the priests of the high places said, "And Abraham circumcised his son
that burn incense upon thee, and men's Isaac, being eight days old".25 Kuf (the
bones shall be burnt upon thee. fourth letter of the name marks) the hundred
(years), for his father was an hundred years
The Midrash also tells us about three of these men. old (at Isaac's birth), as it is said, "And
Abraham was an hundred years old".26
Midrash Rabbah - Genesis XLV:8 AND
THE ANGEL OF THE LORD SAID UNTO Yitzchak, Isaac, was THE sacrifice on THE alter
HER: BEHOLD, THOU ART WITH in THE place of the Temple:
CHILD, etc. (XVI, 1). R. Isaac said: Three
were called by their names before they were Bereshit (Genesis) 22:9 When they reached
born, Isaac, Shlomo, and Josiah. What is the place G-d had told him about, Abraham
said in the case of Isaac? And God said: built an altar there and arranged the wood
Nay, but Sarah thy wife shall bear thee a on it. He bound his son Isaac and laid him
son; and thou shalt call his name Isaac on the altar, on top of the wood.
(Gen. XVII, 19). In the case of Shlomo?
Behold, a son shall be born to thee, who Thus we see that even the animal sacrifices are the
shall be a man of rest; and I will give him physical item that mirrors the spiritual reality.
rest from all his enemies round about; for
his name shall be Shlomo (I Chron. XXII, The name “Isaac” means Laughter, according to
9). In the case of Josiah? And he cried Strong’s.
against the altar by the word of the Lord: O
altar, altar, thus saith the Lord: Behold, a Now laughter is what happens when two opposite
son shall be born unto the house of David, things come together. For example: when the
Josiah by name (I Kings XIII, 2). Some add
Ishmael among the nations [i.e. non-Jews]: 21
ibid. 17:19
BEHOLD, THOU ART WITH CHILD, AND
22
See Midrash HaGadol, c. 256 ; Agadath Bereshit, 53; Gen.
SHALT BEAR A SON; AND THOU SHALT Rab. liii. 7: and Tanchuma (ed. Buber), Gen. 54a. Jubilees
xvi.3 says: “And we told her (Sarah) the name of her son, as
CALL HIS NAME ISHMAEL. his name is ordained and written in the heavenly tables, (i.e.)
Isaac".
Each of these men is intimately associated with 23
The Agadath Bereshit, loc. cit., refers to the Ten
the Temple. Let’s look at each of these men and Commandments. The context in our author agrees with
their contribution to the Temple. Tanchuma, Korach, xii.
24
ibid. 17
25
ibid. 21:4
Yitzchak, Isaac 26
ibid. 5
47
arrogant stumble. The Temple is likewise, a place
where two opposites come together: HaShem (The What is most interesting is how HaShem had King
infinite Spirit) and man (the physical and finite). Shlomo build hidden subterranean tunnels beneath
the Temple, AS PART OF THE ORIGINAL
Shlomo HaMelech, King Shlomo, built the DESIGN. This suggests that these chambers were
Temple, designed by David, for HaShem. an integral part of the Temple structure. This is the
deeper significance of the fact that King Shlomo
Pirke D’Rabbi Eliezer 32 Whence do we built the Holy Temple “knowing that it was
know concerning Solomon? Because it is destined to be destroyed” and incorporated into it
said, "Behold, a son shall be born to thee, a hiding place for the Ark for that eventuality. Had
who shall be a man of rest, for his name the Temple not been initially constructed with the
shall be Solomon".27 Why was his name knowledge of, and the provision for, what was to
called Solomon? Because his name was happen on the ninth of Av, no mortal could have
called Solomon in the Aramaic language, as moved a single stone from its place. In the day of
it is said, "I will give peace (Shalom) and King Yoshiyah, Josiah, these hidden chambers
quietness unto Israel in his days".28 would house the Ark of the Covenant. The very
essence of the Temple!
II Divrei HaYamim (Chronicles) 7:11-12
When Shlomo had finished the temple of These hidden chambers suggest that there is a
HaShem and the royal palace, and had hidden and a revealed Temple. The hidden Temple
succeeded in carrying out all he had in mind still contains the Aron, the Ark of the Covenant.
to do in the temple of HaShem and in his This most important furnishing contains the
own palace, HaShem appeared to him at essence of the Temple. The fact that it has been a
night and said: "I have heard your prayer part of the site of both Temples suggests that it is
and have chosen this place for myself as a the essence! When the third Temple is built and
temple for sacrifices. the Aron is moved from its hidden chamber to its
“revealed” chamber, then we will recognize this
Thus we see that there were three phases in the essence.
building of the Temple – first, its essence in spirit
was brought into being by Yitzchak. Its innate King Shlomo’s Temple held the ark in the Holy of
holiness was made manifest by that Patriarch of Holies. The second Temple had an empty spot in
the Jewish people who himself was bound on the the Holy of Holies because the ark was still hidden
altar. Next, its physical building was completed by underground.
Shlomo. And thus it must be: first, the soul or
essence must be brought into existence, and only The final Temple will again have the ark in its
then can the material manifest. Yitzchak prepared rightful place. It will no longer be hidden and
the essence, the neshama,29 and Shlomo gave that unavailable. Thus this structure will simply be a
essence, that ‘soul’, expression in a physical continuation of the presence of HaShem, because
structure. its essence has always been in this place.

27
Divrei HaYamim (1 Chronicles) 22:9; The Venice edition This is the Temple that HaShem really desires, the
reads: "and thou shalt call his name Solomon, because". See Temple He modeled in stone so that we could see
Midrash HaGadol, c. 246. the reality:
28
Ibid.
29
There are two levels within our souls: One level refers to
the soul as it enclothes itself in our conscious powers. This Yeshayahu (Isaiah) 66:1-2 Thus saith
itself has four mediums of expression: nefesh, ruach, HaShem, The heaven [is] my throne, and
neshama, and Chaya, which parallel the four spiritual the earth [is] my footstool: where [is] the
worlds: Asiyah, Yetzira, Beriah, and Atzilut. And there is a house that ye build unto me? and where [is]
level of soul which transcends our entire range of powers, the place of my rest? For all those [things]
the level of yechidah. This level is at one with Hashem as He
is manifest as yachid, "the singular One," a level that
hath mine hand made, and all those [things]
transcends the spiritual cosmos. have been, saith HaShem: but to this [man]
48
 will I look, [even] to [him that is] poor and
of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my
word.

The name “Shlomo” means peaceful according to

Strong’s.

Shlomo HaMelech was responsible for a kingdom

at peace. His father had waged the wars and the
struggles to prepare the kingdom for his son. In
the same way, we must struggle and build in this
world, but in the coming world we will have peace The Aron Kodesh
and no more kingdom building. We will be at
peace in Messianic times, to work on ourselves, to Yoshiyah, Josiah
build ourselves into a dwelling fit for HaShem,
even as Shlomo HaMelech was at peace when he Pirke D’Rabbi Eliezer 32 Whence do we
built the Temple of stone. We must always look know about Josiah? Because it is said,
for the reality and not get distracted by the "Behold, a child shall be born unto the
physical. We must use the physical to understand house of David, Josiah by name",30 Why was
the reality. Once the reality is understood, then we his name called Josiah? (Because he was as
will not lose our focus. With a correct focus we acceptable)31 as an offering upon the altar;
will not be distracted in the laying of stone she32 said: A worthy offering let him be
cornerstones. Instead we will be engaged in before Thee.33 Therefore was his name
building up the lively stones. called Josiah, as it is said, "And he cried
against the altar", etc.34

Yoshiyah, Josiah, was responsible for the

preservation of the Temple. It was Josiah who hid
the Aron Kodesh (the Holy Ark), and the other
essential Temple furniture, in the subterranean
tunnels built by King Shlomo:

Yoma 52b GEMARA. To what are we

referring here? If it be the first Sanctuary,
was there then a curtain?35 Again, if it is to
the second Sanctuary, was there then an
Ark? Surely it has been taught: When the
The Temple is the place of peace because it is also Ark was hidden, there was hidden with it the
the Prince of Peace. The Temple is “The Body of bottle containing the Manna,36 and that
Mashiach”.

30
Melachim alef (1 Kings) 13:2
31
The words in brackets do not occur in the MS., but they
are found in the first editions.
32
The reference is probably to the mother. The first editions
omit this.
33
See Jalkut on 1Kings 13§ 200. The name Josiah (‫ )ישיה‬is
interpreted as though it were ‫יאישיהוא‬, "he is worthy like a
lamb".
The next sentence is found only in the MS.
34
ibid. 2
35
V. supra 51b.
36
Ex. XVI, 33.
49
 containing the sprinkling water,37 the staff of The name “Josiah” means “founded by HaShem,
Aaron,38 with its almonds and blossoms, and according to Strong’s.
the chest which the Philistines had sent as a
gift to the G-d of Israel, as it is said: And In preserving the essential furniture of the Temple,
put the jewels of gold which you return to King Josiah insured that the furniture would be
Him for a guilt-offering in a coffer by the preserved for the day of restoration. He also
side thereof and send it away that it may insured that the furniture would not be desecrated
go.39 Who hid it? — Josiah hid it. What was or abused by the Gentiles.
his reason for hiding it? — He saw the
Scriptural passage: The Lord will bring thee The Sages teach that just as the western lamp of
and thy King whom thou shalt set over the menorah burned miraculously and did not go
thee,40 therefore he hid it, as it is said: And out during the day, so too is the western lamp, and
he said to the Levites, that taught all Israel, its reality, are still burning in its hidden place.
that were holy unto the Lord: Put the holy
ark into the house which Shlomo, the son of There is another stage, in the process of building,
David, King of Israel did build. There shall since essence and outer form are not enough. If
no more be a burden upon your shoulders that which is being built is to be part of the real
now. Serve now the Lord your G-d and His world, it requires one more component, it must be
people Israel.41 given eternity. The Temple stood, it was alive with
inner essence contained in an outer form, but it
Divrei HaYamim Bet (II Chronicles) 35:1- was to be destroyed. And in order to ensure that
4 Moreover Josiah kept a Passover unto the destruction would be only outward, to ensure
HaShem in Jerusalem: and they killed the that the essence would remain alive even when the
Passover on the fourteenth [day] of the first outer form lies in ruins, the heart was to be hidden.
month. And he set the priests in their If the Aron42 is hidden beneath the site of the
charges, and encouraged them to the Temple when above it the Temple burns and
service of the house of HaShem, And said collapses, the meaning is that this is not a
unto the Levites that taught all Israel, which destruction, it is only a retreating into the
were holy unto HaShem, Put the holy ark in unrevealed.
the house which Shlomo the son of David
king of Israel did build; [it shall] not [be] a Just as Yitzchak prepared what was needed for
burden upon [your] shoulders: serve now King Shlomo to complete, King Shlomo prepared
HaShem your God, and his people Israel, what was needed for Yoshiyahu to complete. And
And prepare [yourselves] by the houses of just as King Shlomo in fact completed his share in
your fathers, after your courses, according building, Yoshiyahu completed his share in
to the writing of David king of Israel, and hiding. That hiding was in a very deep sense a
according to the writing of Shlomo his son. building. Yitzchak brought the heart to the world;
King Shlomo gave that heart a body; and
King Shlomo brought the ark into the Temple for Yoshiyahu secreted that same heart away so that it
the first time. Now four hundred years later remains pulsating and alive in hiding while
Yoshiyah, Josiah, is bringing it in again? Yes, here awaiting its final revelation for eternity. Yitzchak
is where he is bringing it for the first time into its built the neshama, King Shlomo built the body,
hidden chambers. and Yoshiyahu ensured that those two would
never be permanently separated.

37
Num. XIX, 9. Ishmael
38
Num. XVII, 25.
39
I Sam. VI, 8. Hence it is evident that it was placed together Pirke D’Rabbi Eliezer 32 Whence do we
with the Ark and the fear was justified that together with the know about Ishmael? Because it is said,
latter these things might be exiled and lost.
40
Deut. XXVIII, 36.
41
II Chron. XXXV, 3. 42
The Ark of the Covenant.
50
 "And the angel of the Lord said unto her, 12. They will close the gaps in the walls of the
Behold, thou art with child,43 . . . and thou Temple;
shalt call his name Ishmael".44 Why was his 13. They will construct a building on the site
name called Ishmael?45 Because in the of the Temple;
future the Holy One, blessed be He, will 14. Two brothers will be their elders;
hearken to the cry46 of the people arising 15. And in those days there will rise Tzemach
from (the oppression) which the children of (flower) - the son of David (i.e. Mashiach).
Ishmael will bring about in the land in the
last (days);47 therefore was his name called Ishmael’s descendants built the Al-Aqsa Mosque
Ishmael.48 on the Temple Mount.

But what has Ishmael to do with the Temple Preceding Names in the Nazarean Codicil
Mount? Rashi gives us one very clear connection.
On the verse "Sarah saw Hagar's son ... playing", 49 In the Nazarean Codicil we find two more
Rashi comments that Ishmael was involved in individuals who were called by name before they
idolatry, incest, and murder. These are the very were born:
anti-thesis of the Temple and what it stood for.
Precisely from the exile of Ishmael will there Luqas (Luke) 1:13 But the angel said to
sprout forth salvation as described in: him: "Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your
prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth
Pirke De Rabbi Eliezer chapter 30 R. will bear you a son, and you are to give him
Ishmael says: "They (Ishmaelites) will do the name Yochanan (John).
fifteen things at the end of days:
Matityahu (Matthew) 1:23 Behold, a virgin
1. Measure the Land; shall be with child, and shall bring forth a
2. Make of the cemetery a holding pen for son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel,
cattle; which being interpreted is, G-d with us.
3. They will measure from them and by them
on the mountain tops; Yochanan (John) and Yeshua were also connected
4. Lies will increase with the Temple. Yochanan (John) was the one
5. The truth will disappear; who prepared the way for Yeshua, the Greater
6. The Law will be distanced from the Jews; Temple. He did this by preparing the “living
7. There will be an increase in crime in the stones”50:
Jewish people;
8. The paper and quill will wrinkle; Matityahu (Matthew) 11:10 This is the one
9. The rock of the Kingdom will spoil; about whom it is written: 'I will send my
10. They will rebuild the ruined cities; messenger ahead of you, who will prepare
11. They will plant orchards and fields; your way before you.'

43
The first editions omit this part of the verse, and give the The name “Yochanan (John)” means “Favored of
second half only. HaShem” according to Strong’s”.
44
Bereshit (Genesis) 16:11.
45
Ishma-el is interpreted as meaning "God will hear"; cf. Yeshua
Bereshit (Genesis) 16:11 .
46
The first editions read: "the voice of the cry".
47
The MS. omits "days". It occurs in the first editions. The Pirke D’Rabbi Eliezer 32 Whence do we
reference is to the time of woe preceding the coming of the know concerning King Messiah? Because it
Messiah. See supra, pp. 221 f., and cf. Matt. 24:3 ff. for the is said, "His name shall endure for ever.
Messianic woes. Before the sun his name shall be continued
48
The first editions add: "as it is said, 'God shall hear and
answer them' ". (Ps. 55:19). The Hebrew for "God shall
hear" contains the same letters as the Hebrew word Ishmael.
49
Bereshit (Genesis). 21:14 50
1 Tsefet (Peter) 2:5
51
 (Yinnon)".51 Why was his name called repentance which would allow HaShem to save
Yinnon? For he will awaken52 those who them. The Temple was The Place where HaShem
sleep at Hebron out of the dust of the earth, put His name and it was The Place where HaShem
therefore is his name called Yinnon, as it is drew near to His people. The vehicle that HaShem
said, "Before the sun his name is Yinnon".53 used to draw us near was His Torah, His
Mashiach.
Sanhedrin 98b The school of R. Shila said:
The messiah's name is ‘Shiloh’, as it is Thus we can see that HaShem had a clear plan to
stated, Until Shiloh come,54 where the word build a Temple that was guided by those He
is spelt Shlh. The School of R. Hanina said: named before they were born. This Temple was to
His name is 'Haninah’, as it is stated, I will be a place where men were to draw near to
not give you Haninah.55 The School of R. HaShem. In fact, the Hebrew word for sacrifice is
Jannai said: His name is 'Yinnon’; for it is Korban, which means “to draw near”. The
written, E'er the sun was, his name is ultimate way to draw near is to offer your whole
Yinnon (Ps. LXXII, 17). R. Biba of body to HaShem as Isaac did. As a wife offers her
Sergunieh said: His name is 'Nehirah’, as it body to her husband, so too will the Body of
is stated, And the light (nehorah) dwelleth Mashiach, the bride, be offered to HaShem.
with Him,56 where the word is spelt nehirah.
Now what does this have to do with names? A
The Vilna Gaon says that these four opinions are name is an expression of essence. In Torah, a
one since the initials of Menachem, Shiloh, name describes reality in the most exact way; it is
Yinnon, and Haninah make up the word in fact a non-tangible representation of that which
Mashiach. The Gemara tells us that Moshe it describes. A person’s name is the most
Rabbenu and King Solomon had many names. compressed expression of the essence of that
Similarly the Messiah has many names. person; it holds the secrets of that individual’s
existence and destiny. It is the core; in a sense it is
And Yeshua was the Temple: the neshama.

Revelation 21:22 I did not see a temple in The meaning of a name which is given before
the city, because the Lord G-d Almighty and birth is this: when people are born into the world
the Lamb are its temple. and then named, which is the usual order of
things, the idea is that their essence begins to be
The name “Yeshua” means “HaShem Saves”57 manifest when they arrive in the world. They
according to Strong’s. appear, and then a name must be found which is
fitting. First there is the person, and then there is
Everything that His Majesty King Yeshua did was an expression of that person’s nature and purpose.
to turn His people from their sins. It was their But when a name is given before birth, when
HaShem names a person before He brings that
51
Tehillim (Psalms) 72:17; See Aruch, ed. Kohut, iv. p. person into the world, the meaning is that such a
141a, s.v. p: in the sense of "offspring"; cf. Gen. 21:23.
Gesenius (Oxford edition) renders Ps. Ixxii. 17: "Let his person is already defined in essence, nature and
name have increase". See Parchon's Heh. Diet, s.v., and note purpose before his physical arrival. Such a
Jalkut, loc. cit., which says: "He will stir up all the evil ones person’s physical nature and material life in the
of the earth (in the future)"; cf. Jalkut, Gen. § 45, and world are destined to be perfectly matched with
Midrash HaGadol, loc. cit. his inner being if he performs his work well. After
52
See Ibn Ezra on this verse of Ps 72. See also Sanhedrin,
95a, and supra, p. 230. 'Aruch, loc. cit., reads: "in the future all, that inner level is clear and revealed even
he will bring to life those who sleep in the dust, therefore is before he begins his task in life.
his name called Yinnon". See also supra, p.12.
53
Ibid. First named and then born; such a personality will
54
Bereshit (Genesis) 49:10 be one who most perfectly fits his spiritual
55
Yirmiyahu (Jeremiah) 16:13
56
Daniel 2:22
identity. Such people must be very close to
57
See Yeshayahu (Isaiah) 43:11. perfection in terms of carrying out their duty in the
52
world; they are challenged with building that The following internet article speaks to our
which most closely reveals its spiritual source. subject:
Their essence is clear; they must reveal it in
perfect loyalty to its genuine identity, and -------------------------------------------------------
therefore their work is to reveal all inner essence YOM IYUN 2004 - EXPLORING YOUR INNER
in perfect reflection in the world. SPACE
http://ohr.edu/web/yomiyun2004.htm
And that is the nature of the Temple. As we have ====================================
attempted to understand, the Temple represents -- Where was the Temple?
the perfect meeting between inner and outer ------------------------------------------------
worlds. It is the demonstration of harmony http://ohr.edu/yhiy/article.php/1720
between inner and outer. This is the place which
most clearly represents the indivisible bond by Rabbi Yirmiyahu Ullman
between soul and body, spirit and matter. This is
the physical place and structure which is in perfect From: David in Ann Arbor
harmony with its non-physical core. This is where
HaShem’s Name is spoken, and this is where it is Dear Rabbi,
revealed.
In a recent article you wrote that the mosque of the
At a deeper level, we say that HaShem and His Dome of the Rock is not necessarily built on the
Name are fitting: Your Name is fitting for You, site of the Temple. Would you please explain,
and You are fitting for Your Name.” This is the because I have always heard that the rock under
way it is at the Source, and in depth this is the way the golden dome is the "even ha-shatia" or
it must always be; the name must be fitting. foundation stone which was in the Holy of Holies
in the ancient Temple. Thank you.
Yitzchak, Shlomo, Yoshiyahu, and Yeshua; four
who were superlative in their Divine service and Dear David,
who merited to reveal and eternalize the place of
Divine service to the world. Yitzchak was a pure Indeed, the Holy of Holies of both Temples was
servant of HaShem, a pure burnt offering. Shlomo, built around the even shatia or foundation stone.
whose name means wholeness and completeness Its name refers to the idea that it was from this
and who reigned for forty years of near-perfect stone that the world was created, and as such is the
closeness between the Jewish people and HaShem. foundation from which the world "spread forth". It
Yoshiyahu, about whom Scripture states: “And was on this stone that the Holy Ark containing the
before him there never was a king who returned to Ten Commandments rested in the first Temple,
HaShem with all his heart, with all his soul and and upon which the high priest placed the holy
with all his might according to the entire Torah of incense when he entered the Holy of Holies once a
Moshe, and after him there never arose one like year on Yom Kippur (both Temples). When King
him”.58 And Yeshua, whose name means salvation, Shlomo built the first Temple, he designed a secret
who offered himself as an atonement for the labyrinth of underground passageways and
Gentiles, and as Mashiach ben Yosef, His body chambers in which King Yoshiyahu later hid the
epitomized the Temple as the head of the body.59 Ark, the Tablets, the staff of Aaron, the manna,
and the special anointing oil - which remain
Six who were close to being perfectly fitting for hidden to this day.
their names; six who revealed HaShem’s Name in
the place which is most fitting for Him. The theory that the Dome of the Rock is built on
this stone is well grounded. The famous Jewish
*** explorer Benjamin of Tudelo (Spain, 1100's)
wrote, "On the site of the Holy Temple, Omar ibn
58
Melachim bet (II Kings) 23:25.
al Katub built a large and beautiful dome". This
59
Colossians 1:18. appears to be the opinion of Rabbi Ovadia of
53
Bartenura (1400's, born in Italy and buried on the opposite the Western Wall. Josephus refers to this
Mount of Olives opposite the Golden Gate), who fortress and says it was built on a rocky hill that
wrote, "I investigated the location of the even was steep on all sides. He also describes secret,
hashatia and many say it's under the dome built on underground passages to the north and south of the
the site of the Temple". Finally, the renowned Antonia. Interestingly, early archeological
sage of the Land of Israel, Rabbi David ben research revealed long and narrow passageways
Zimra, (1479-1573) stated explicitly that the rock north and south of the Dome of the Rock. But
under the dome is the foundation stone of the Holy these are only a few of the underground caverns
of Holies. discovered below the Mount.

Nevertheless, based on ancient texts, archeological About a hundred years ago, archeologists found
finds and scientific studies, some rabbis of the last about thirty such spaces. Oddly, all of the caverns
hundred years have suggested that the Temple was in the area of the Dome of the Rock are relatively
actually located on the vacant part of the Temple small and symmetrical, whereas those to the south
Mount opposite the Western Wall. of the dome are very large, deep and
asymmetrical. Some of these chambers were
First, the Zohar suggests, as understood by one of reported by the archeologists as having decorated
its classic commentators, that the foundations of ceilings, ruling out the possibility of their being
the Temple remain hidden and that no building cisterns. This suggests that the ruins of the Temple
will be built there until the restoration of the Third and its underground chambers are not in the area
Temple. Also, a disciple of the Arizal states that of the dome but rather opposite the Wall. Recent
the writings of his master refer to this idea, electro-magnetic and infrared tests have revealed
explaining the matter in great mystical depth. But other, previously unknown spaces under the
there are sources other than the esoteric. mount, which may also have resulted from the
same phenomenon. Somewhere in those deep,
The Talmudic sages record that the huge, open hidden recesses may be the holy objects hidden
courtyard of the Temple was washed by opening and lost so long ago.
an aperture to let water from an aqueduct run into
the courtyard and out the other side. This aqueduct On the verse, "you shall inquire after His dwelling
originated in Shlomo's pools in Bethlehem, made and come there" (Deut. 12:5), our sages instructed:
its way to the present day Jewish quarter, and on Inquire and find. This teaches that G-d will not
to the Temple Mount via Wilson's bridge. [In reveal the secret of the Temple's location through
recent times, the Turks used this aqueduct, and a prophet until the Jewish people make an effort to
much of it remains intact today.] The problem is inquire and search for it. Only then will He send a
that this water source entered the mount many prophetic spirit from above to reveal it. In the
meters below its current level. This suggests that merit of our inquiry, may we deserve to see the
the original level of the mount was much lower, building of the Temple speedily in our day.
and the rock under the dome was not in the
Temple, but part of a rocky high place outside of Sources:
it. What was this rocky high place?
- Yoma 54b - Rambam, Beit HaBechira 4:1 - Beit
Our Sages describe that there was a high point on HaMikdah HaShelishi, Shalom Dov Steinberg, pp
the north of the Mount upon which was built a 159-183 - Shut HaRadbaz, 4:648,691 - Bartenura,
fortress to protect the Temple from invasion. This Darkei Tzion - Nitzutzei HaZohar on Zohar p. 480
fortress, originally built by the Hasmoneans and - Emek HaMelech (intro ch. 9) in the name of R.
later enlarged by King Herod, was called Moshe Vital from the Arizal - Tosephta,
Antonia's fortress. It has been suggested that the Pesachim 4:10 - Yoma 2a - Josephus, War of the
rock under the dome is the top of the high place Jews 5.5.8, Antiquities 15.7 - Sifri 8
that was originally exposed, upon which the
fortress was built. It overlooked the Temple to the (C) 2004 Ohr Somayach International - All rights
south, which would place the Temple's location reserved.
54
 7. nor was there ever found any
XIII. Miracles disqualifying defect in the ‘Omer63
8. or in the two loaves,64
Understandably, life in the Temple environs was 9. or in the shewbread;
filled with constant miracles. In fact, to a large 10. though the people stood closely pressed
degree, natural law was suspended. On a certain together, they still found wide spaces
level, miracles did not even amaze people, between them to prostrate themselves; never
because just through the experience of the Temple did serpent or scorpion injure anyone in
itself people sensed the realization that the Jerusalem, nor did any man ever say to his
Almighty was beyond these laws. fellow: The place is too narrow for me to
stay overnight in Jerusalem.65 — He started
HaShem provided these miracles so that the with [miracles in] the Temple and concludes
Jewish People should have the ability to perform with [those wrought] in Jerusalem! — There
the Temple service without any impediments. The are two more [miracles wrought] in the
Almighty assured us that nothing in the world - Temple. For it has been taught: Never did
including nature itself - would ever hold back the rains quench the fire of the pile of wood on
Jewish People's ability to reach Him. the altar; and as for the smoke arising from
the pile of wood, even if all the winds of the
Yoma 21a Rab Judah said in the name of world came blowing, they could not divert it
Rab: When the Israelites come up to the from its wonted place. But are there no
festivals, they stand pressed together,60 but more? Has not R. Shemaya of Kalnebo 66
they prostrate themselves, with wide spaces taught that the fragments of earthenware67
[between them], and they extend eleven were swallowed up in the very place [where
cubits behind the back wall of the Holy of they were broken];68 and Abaye said: The
Holies.61 What does that mean? — It means crop, the feathers, the ashes removed from
that although they extended eleven cubits the inner altar and from the candlestick
behind the back wall of the Holy of Holies, were swallowed up in the very place [where
standing pressed together, yet when they they were taken off]? — The three69
prostrated themselves, they prostrated [referring to] disqualifications were
themselves with wide spaces [between included under one head, hence take off two
them]. This is one of the ten miracles which and add two! But then all [cases of] things
were wrought in the Temple, for we have swallowed up ought also to be included
learnt: Ten miracles were wrought in the under one70 head, so that the count would be
Temple:62 one short? — There are also other
1. no woman miscarried from the scent of [miracles], for R. Yahoshua (Joshua) b.
the holy flesh; Levi said:71 A great miracle was wrought
2. the holy flesh never became putrid;
3. no fly was seen in the slaughter house;
63
Of new barley offered on the second day of Passover, Lev.
4. no pollution ever befell the high priest XXIII, 10f.
64
The first fruits of the wheat harvest offered on Pentecost,
on the Day of Atonement; ibid. 17.
5. no rain ever quenched the fire of the 65
V. Aboth, Sonc. ed., p. 62 notes,
wood-pile on the altar; 66
[Kar-nebo, the city of Nebo. Probably Borsippa, v. Funk,
6. neither did the wind overcome the Monumenta I p. 299.]
column of smoke that arose therefrom;
67
In which flesh of sin-offerings was boiled, and which
according to Lev. had to be broken, v. Lev. VI, 21.
68
Zeb. 96a
69
Of the ‘Omer, the two loaves and the shewbread.
70
Broken earthenware, crop, feathers, ashes. Broken
60
Pressed, squeezed together in the Temple. Rashi would earthenware was counted as one and all the other things
have it as a simile of a ‘floating mass’, immovable in a swallowed up came as under one head, so that if they were
swaying mob. all to be placed on one count, there would be one miracle
61
Lit., ‘House of the Mercy Seat’, v. supra p. 73, n. 5. short of the number.
62
Another reading has ‘unto our forefathers in etc.’ 71
Hag. 26b.
55
 with the shewbread, viz., when it was Temple was a picture of His dwelling in His
removed it was as fresh as when it was put people. Part of this dwelling was communicating
on, as it was said: To put hot bread in the His presence to His people.
day it was taken away.72 But are there no
more? Has not R. Levi said: This matter has XIV. Keruvim (Cherubim)
been handed down as a tradition to us from
our forefathers: The place on which the ark The first mention of that the Keruvim in the
stands is not included in the measurement; 73 Torah is in the verse describing the eviction of
and has not Rabbanai in the name of man from the Garden of Eden.
Shmuel (Samuel) said: The Cherubs were
standing by sheer miracle? — The count Breshit (Genesis) 3:24 And He causes them
refers to miracles wrought outside [the to dwell (‫ )וישכן‬outside of Eden; and He
Temple], miracles wrought inside are not placed at the east of the garden of Eden the
mentioned. If that be so, what of the cherubim, and the flaming sword which
shewbread which is also a miracle that turned every way, to keep the way to the tree
happened inside the Temple? — No, that of life.
miracle happened outside, for Resh Lakish
said: What is the meaning of the passage: As a result of man's sin, the Keruvim enter the
Upon the pure table before the Lord;74 the world, in order to protect the "Tree of Life". In our
statement that it is pure implies that it was prayers on Shabbat we note that “Torah is a Tree
susceptible to uncleanness. of life”, as we paraphrase Mishlei (Proverbs) 3:

The shewbread stayed fresh – they still “steamed” Mishlei (Proverbs) 3:18 She [is] a tree of
fresh a week later. life to them that lay hold upon her: and
happy [is every one] that retaineth her.
Why was there more space when they bowed as
opposed to when they were standing? It is when It is therefore interesting to note that in the
we demonstrate our loyalty that HaShem gives us Mishkan - ‫( משכן‬the noun form of ‫"– וישכן‬He cause
approval. them to dwell”) the Keruvim protect the Ark
which contains the Torah, and in Gan Eden the
The Sage tell us that there was no need to recite Keruvim protected the path leading to the Tree of
blessings over food during the time of the First Life/ Torah.
Temple, because HaShem's Presence was evident
everywhere. Cherubin – naked child like creatures with wings.
They were male and female and they embraced
All of these miracles expressed the manifest each other. Some have suggested that they
presence of HaShem in His dwelling place. As represent Adam and Chava (Eve) before they ate
HaShem dwelt in His people He made sure that of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil.
His presence was palpable, just as it was in Gan This thought suggests that our yearning for Torah
Eden. If we remember that: and intimacy with HaShem is modeled by the
Keruvim.
The Temple = Mashiach = Israel = Torah
The Holy of Holies is mirrored in our homes. In
then we can know that HaShem’s presence in the the home, it is the secret inner chamber where
72
I Sam. XXI, 7 husband and wife meet, just as in Gan Eden, the
73
The Cherubim which Solomon made stood on the floor Mishkan, and the Temple the Keruvim are
next to the ark, on the right and left, The spread of their positioned in the “inner sanctuary”:
wings was twenty cubits, Since the whole room had no more
than twenty cubits, the body of the Cherubs, as separate Yoma 54a Kattina said: Whenever Israel
from the wings, was in the room by miraculous provision.
The same applies to the ark.
came up to the Festival, the curtain would
74
Lev. XXIV, 6. be removed for them and the Cherubim
56
 were shown to them, whose bodies were work of the skilful workman shall it be
intertwisted with one another, and they made.
would be thus addressed: Look! You are
beloved before G-d as the love between man The third place we find the cherubim is under the
and woman. throne of glory:

When the Romans came to destroy the Temple, Yehezekel (Ezekiel) 10:1 Then I looked,
they encountered the Keruvim engaged in an and, behold, in the firmament that was
embrace of intimate love. The Romans dragged above the head of the cherubims there
the embracing Keruvim through the streets to appeared over them as it were a sapphire
show what the Jews worshipped. This stone, as the appearance of the likeness of a
embarrassed the Jews who were violating this throne.
love. The Keruvim were modeling the love of
HaShem when He had to punish His beloved Now we know that this throne is associated with
children. the Mashiach:

Bread and eating are connected to love. They are Revelation 7:9 After this I beheld, and, lo, a
both performed with male organs (i.e. organs that great multitude, which no man could
are not doubled – like hands). number, of all nations, and kindreds, and
people, and tongues, stood before the
The woman is the home. That is why she walks throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with
around him seven times at the wedding. She is white robes, and palms in their hands;
making a home.
It is axiomatic that when we have cherubim in
 three places, then the three things that they guard
must be related. King Shlomo tells us that the
The keruvim were found in four places in the Torah and the Tree of Life are the same:
Tanach.
They guarded the way to the Tree of Life: Mishlei (Proverbs) 3:13-20 Blessed is the
man who finds wisdom, the man who gains
Bereshit (Genesis) 3:24 So he drove out the understanding, For she is more profitable
man; and he placed at the east of the garden than silver and yields better returns than
of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword gold. She is more precious than rubies;
which turned every way, to keep the way of nothing you desire can compare with her.
the tree of life. Long life is in her right hand; in her left
hand are riches and honor. Her ways are
They guarded the way to the luchot, the tablets of pleasant ways, and all her paths are peace.
the law in the Holy of Holies: She is a tree of life to those who embrace
her; those who lay hold of her will be
Shemot (Exodus) 25:18 And thou shalt blessed. By wisdom HaShem laid the earth's
make two cherubims [of] gold, [of] beaten foundations, by understanding he set the
work shalt thou make them, in the two ends heavens in place; By his knowledge the
of the mercy seat. deeps were divided, and the clouds let drop
the dew.
The keruvim were also embroidered into the
curtain of the parachet, the curtain separating The above passage is read, in the synagogue, when
the the Holy form the Holy of Holies. the Torah scroll is returned to the ark. When we
say this, we agree that the ultimate wisdom is
Shemot (Exodus) 26:31 And thou shalt Torah. This passage shows that whoever created
make a veil of blue, and purple, and scarlet, the world is Torah and is the Tree of life:
and fine twined linen; with cherubim the
57
 Yochanan (John) 1:1-2 In the beginning Devarim (Deuteronomy) 25:17-19
was the Word, and the Word was with G-d, Remember what Amalek did unto thee by the
and the Word was G-d. The same was in the way, when ye were come forth out of Egypt;
beginning with G-d. All things were made How he met thee by the way, and smote the
by him; and without him was not any thing hindmost of thee, [even] all [that were]
made that was made. feeble behind thee, when thou [wast] faint
and weary; and he feared not God.
Thus we see that the cherubim guard the way to Therefore it shall be, when HaShem thy God
the Mashiach in Gan Eden, the Mashiach in the hath given thee rest from all thine enemies
ark of the covenant, and the Mashiach on the round about, in the land which HaShem thy
throne. Thus we see that there is a direct God giveth thee [for] an inheritance to
connection between Gan Eden, the Temple, and possess it, [that] thou shalt blot out the
the Mashiach. One might say: remembrance of Amalek from under
heaven; thou shalt not forget [it].
Mashiach = Tree of Live = Torah
Now there are Hakhamim who have told us that
The "keruvim" do not restrict entry; they rather Amalek is not just this one nation, but rather,
protect the Garden from the intrusion of those Amalek is identified as any nation which is
undeserving of return. But once man proves determined to destroy ALL Jews, no matter what
himself worthy, the - the path to The Tree of Life - the cost to themselves.
no matter how formidable it may at first appear,
suddenly opens and invites man inside. The Way The third mitzva commanded to the Jewish People
is available to all who follow its path (Torah). after they enter eretz Israel, is to build the Beit
When we “eat” of the Tree of Life we become a HaMikdash (the Temple).
part of that tree. The fruit joins us in an intimate
way. Now, this pattern:
King  War against Amalek  Temple,
XV. King  War against Amalek  Temple was followed in the days of Moshe. Moshe was
appointed the leader, or King, over Israel. Then,
There is facinating patern that seems to repeat after bringing the people to the borders of eretz
itself in regards to Amalek. When we come into Israel, in Shemot chapter 17, he waged war against
eretz Israel, we were commanded to appoint a Amalek. Lastly, Moshe was commanded to
King (Keep in mind that a “King” is not just a establish the Mishkan, the Tabernacle.
king, but rather he is the emblem of government
and of justice): This pattern was followed again in the days of
King Saul. First, HaShem brings the people into
Devarim (Deuteronomy) 17:14-15 When eretz Israel. Then He annoints Saul as King. Then,
thou art come unto the land which HaShem in Shmuel Alef (I Samuel) chapter 15, King Saul
thy God giveth thee, and shalt possess it, makes war against Amalek. Lastly, King Shlomo
and shalt dwell therein, and shalt say, I will builds the Beit HaMikdash.
set a king over me, like as all the nations
that [are] about me; Thou shalt in any wise
set [him] king over thee, whom HaShem thy
God shall choose: [one] from among thy
brethren shalt thou set king over thee: thou
mayest not set a stranger over thee, which
[is] not thy brother.

Next, after we are in eretz Israel, we were told to

destroy Amalek:

58
 Lastly, this anti-mashiach will cause a temple to
be built.

In, 1948, HaShem began bringing His people back

to eretz Israel. Then He established a government,
a king, over His people. Further, we expect that
HaShem will complete this process when He
brings us The Mashiach ben David, The King. At
this time, we should expect to have a war against
Amalek. This war should be the pattern for the
final destruction for all of the Amalekites. Finally,
according to Yehezekel (Ezekiel) 40ff, we should
This pattern was followed again in the days of
expect The King to rebuild the Beit HaMikdash.
Mordecai and Esther. First HaShem causes his
people to return to eretz Israel from Babylon, then
The Israeli Government is also Amalek. If we treat
He raises up The King (hinted at in Megillat
the word as an English word whereby the prefix
Esther regarding King Achashverush) and also
“A” means “without”, then A-malek = No King.
Zerubbabel to govern His people. Then the Jews
make war against Haman and the rest of the
So, look for this pattern:
Amalekites who wish to destroy the Jews. Finally,
King  War against Amalek  Temple.
King Darius orders the rebuilding of the Beit
HaMikdash.
XVI. Time and Space

The Mishkan, the Tabernacle in the wilderness,

was the smallest of the dwellings we built for
HaShem.

Dimensionally, the proportions of the First temple

far exceeded the corresponding proportions of the
Mishkan:

Length Widt Height

h
Mishkan 30 10 10
Given this pattern, which was repeated three Temple 60 20 30
times, we would expect the pattern to occur again!
Shlomo’s Temple was much bigger than the
The Gulf war provided a hint towards this pattern. Mishkan, and the second Temple was twice the
The Jews were in eretz Israel. They had size of the first Temple. This is why the people
established a government, a king. Then the people wept:
of the entire world – EXCEPT THE JEWS – made
war against Saddam Hussein (an Amalekite), Ezra 3:10-13 And when the builders laid the
because of oil! Lastly, we have HaShem causing foundation of the temple of HaShem, they
great controversy regarding the Har HaBayit, the set the priests in their apparel with
Temple mount. trumpets, and the Levites the sons of Asaph
with cymbals, to praise HaShem, after the
Now, the pattern of HaSatan has been to imitate ordinance of David king of Israel. And they
the patterns of HaShem, with a twist. Therefore, sang together by course in praising and
we can expect that HaSatan will cause His own giving thanks unto HaShem; because [he is]
anti-mashiach to be made king over the Jews. He good, for his mercy [endureth] for ever
will then wage war against the people of HaShem. toward Israel. And all the people shouted
59
 with a great shout, when they praised Both the Mishkan and Shlomo’s Temple were
HaShem, because the foundation of the extremely holy (to the extent that only the "Kohen
house of HaShem was laid. But many of the Gadol," the High Priest, could enter the Holy of
priests and Levites and chief of the fathers, Holies on Yom Kippur; however, the level of
[who were] ancient men, that had seen the holiness was greater in the case of the Mishkan
first house, when the foundation of this than in the case of the Temple of Shlomo.
house was laid before their eyes, wept with
a loud voice; and many shouted aloud for The holiness of the second Temple was far below
joy: So that the people could not discern the the holiness of Shlomo’s Temple. Yehezekel
noise of the shout of joy from the noise of shows us clearly that the Shechina had departed
the weeping of the people: for the people from this second Temple. Notice how The Glory
shouted with a loud shout, and the noise of HaShem gradually departs from His abode:
was heard afar off.
Yehezekel (Ezekiel) 10:4 Then the glory of
The Talmud found a most poignant way to HaShem went up from the cherub, [and
encapsulate the point we've made here: stood] over the threshold of the house; and
the house was filled with the cloud, and the
Sanhedrin 7a There was this (man) who court was full of the brightness of HaShem’s
walked around saying, “When the love glory.
between my wife and myself was strong, we
could have lain together on the width of a Yehezekel (Ezekiel) 10:18-19 Then the
sword. But now that our love has faded, a glory of HaShem departed from off the
bed sixty cubits wide does not suffice us.” threshold of the house, and stood over the
cherubims. And the cherubims lifted up their
R’ Huna said, “This thought is expressed by wings, and mounted up from the earth in my
the following passages concerning our sight: when they went out, the wheels also
relationship with G-d. At first it is written, [were] beside them, and [every one] stood
And I (G-d) will meet you (Moses) there, at the door of the east gate of HaShem’s
and I will speak with you from above the house; and the glory of the G-d of Israel
Ark. [Shemot 25:22] (This was a total of 10 [was] over them above.
tefachim, or one and a half cubits.) Later it
is written, The House that King Shlomo built Yehezekel (Ezekiel) 11:23 And the glory of
for G-d, its length was sixty cubits, its width HaShem went up from the midst of the city,
twenty, and its height thirty. [Melachim alef, and stood upon the mountain which [is] on
6:2] the east side of the city.

While concerning HaShem and His relationship On the other hand, the level of holiness of the
with His people as it was at the end, (before the Third Temple, to be built in the time of the
Temple’s destruction) it is written, Mashiach, will exceed that of all three spiritual
centers that will have gone before it:
Yeshayah 66:1 'The Heavens are my throne
and the earth is my footstool, what house Yehezekel (Ezekiel) 43:4-5 And the glory of
can you build for Me?' HaShem came into the house by the way of
the gate whose prospect [is] toward the
Lovers will not find any place too cramped. When east. So the spirit took me up, and brought
they drift apart, no place is big enough. Seeing the me into the inner court; and, behold, the
second Temple caused folks to cry because it did glory of HaShem filled the house.
not have the Shekhinah and was so big that the
marital intimacy was gone. We had trully left our Now, if one were to read of the dimensions of the
first love. Temple described by the Prophet Yehezekel, they
would quickly see that the dimensions are so much
60
bigger than the second Temple that they boggle working order. Rather, when we were no longer
the mind. Further, this “third” Temple is too big to sanctifying and dedicating our lives to the
physically fit on Mount Zion. This suggests that fulfillment of His holy will and Torah, then
we are NOT looking at a Temple of stone but a HaShem’s presence could no longer dwell in our
Temple of Living Stones! midst. At that point, the nations were able to
destroy, not the Mishkan of HaShem, but rather,
Since we know that this Temple will endure the gilded, golden shell that had once contained
forever, we find support for our position in: the sign of His presence, but had long since
departed.
Revelation 21:22 And I saw no temple
therein: for the Lord G-d Almighty and the On Tisha B’Av both the first and the second
Lamb are the temple of it. Temples were destroyed. Many terrible calamities
have befallen B’nei Israel on Tisha B’Av. It seems
In a previous study we examined Adam and the that this is a day of refinement, a day of tikkun.
Last Adam. In that study we saw that the Lively The Sages teach that Mashiach will make His
Stones are part of the body of Mashiach – which appearance on Tisha B’Av. This suggest that the
IS the Temple. stone building will give way to the lively stones.
The lively stones will rise from the earthly stones.
Time
Don’t focus on the externals, the stone building or
Shemot (Exodus) 26:30 And thou shalt rear even the cornerstone. Don’t be fooled by the
up the tabernacle according to the fashion physical, external adornments. The Shechinah
thereof which was shewed thee in the mount. either dwells or doesn’t dwell in our midst, not in
the midst of any building. The only way to make
"You shall set up the Mishkan" (Hebrew: ifanv ,t the Shechinah feel ‘comfortable’ is to care about
,nevu va-hakaimota et HaMishkan), the last letter His true dwelling. We must build ourselves into an
of each word when combined is "tav, tav, nun," Ish (a MAN) or Isha (a WOMAN) of valor. We
which has the same numerical value as the number must become mighty in Torah and mitzvot. We
of years the Jewish people were in Eretz Israel must become a Miqdash in order for the Shechina
until the destruction of the First Temple (from the to dwell in us.
time the Jewish people left Egypt until they built
the Temple 480 years, which stood for 410 years; The reason that the Torah details gold, silver,
subtract the years spent in the desert—forty (40) acacia wood, etc, is to show us how to build
years--and you arrive at the 850 years they were in ourselves. We must take the physical things of this
Eretz Israel). The first letters of the entire verse world and we must dedicate them to the will of
total forty, corresponding to the forty years the HaShem. As we use the physical to build in this
Jewish people were in the desert ..."75 world, so we should use the physical to build in
the Olam HaBa.
We have a tendency to focus on the physical and
external (stones, ark, altar, etc.), thereby ignoring XVII. Fit Vessels
the true essence, the spiritual. This was a mistake
that we have made throughout history, always “The Talmud Yerushalmi writes that every
with disastrous results. As Hakham Hirsch writes generation in which the Temple, which was
in regard to the three times that HaShem rejected destroyed on the 9th of Av, is not rebuilt, should
the Sanctuary, once in Shilo and twice in consider itself as if the Temple was destroyed in
Yerushalayim, it was always made clear that the its days. We mourn the loss of the Temple on the
reason for the destruction was not any 9th of Av. However, do we yearn for the Temple
imperfection in the construction or maintenance of to the extent that we have a drive to improve so
the Sanctuaries. The ‘external’ was in perfect that we should merit it being rebuilt? Do we feel
the spiritual void that exists and therefore strive to
75
Chasam Sofer, T'rumah perfect our character, to deal with our fellow man
61
properly in business and social relationships, to live with [him]: If we suffer, we shall also
adhere to HaShem's commandments and study His reign with [him]: if we deny [him], he also
Torah with faith and devotion? If we do not will deny us: If we believe not, [yet] he
attempt to better ourselves, we show, as the spies abideth faithful: he cannot deny himself.
did, a lack of love for HaShem's Temple, His Beit
HaMikdash. We would be just as responsible for Revelation 5:9-10 And they sung a new
the destruction of the Temple as the generation in song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the
which it was destroyed.” Rabbi Yehudah Prero book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou
wast slain, and hast redeemed us to G-d by
To this I would add: Every Nazarean who fails to thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue,
strive to become a Hakham has failed in his and people, and nation; And hast made us
mission to become a precious vessel in The unto our G-d kings and priests: and we shall
Temple, The body of Mashiach. reign on the earth.

Every Jewish man is called to be a Hakham. These Revelation 20:6 Blessed and holy [is] he
men are the instruments of service. So, who are that hath part in the first resurrection: on
the stones? such the second death hath no power, but
they shall be priests of G-d and of
Some men are formed, but unrefined and basic in Mashiach, and shall reign with him a
shape. The stones would be the Am Haretz and the thousand years.
Bnei Noach who do not wish to refine and fashion
themselves into a precious vessel. Those who These Nazareans are those who have exerted
become the vessels of service, have refined themselves in Torah study and the mitzvot. They
themselves and fashioned themselves into vessels have dedicated their lives to the justice of the
fit for service in a place near to HaShem. kingdom:

There is a big difference between an ordinary 1 Timothy 5:17 Let the elders that rule well
Synagogue and a Nazarean Synagogue. The be counted worthy of double honour,
Nazarean is pushed to become a Hakham. He is especially they who labour in the word and
pushed to refine himself and form himself into a doctrine.
service vessel. The Nazarean is not one who is
satisfied with being a rough stone. He wants to So then, those Nazareans who have been trained in
serve in nearness to HaShem, he wants to rule and the Torah as Hakhamim will rule now and will
reign with Mashiach: also be qualified to rule with Mashiach when He
returns.
2 Timothy 2:8-13 Remember that Yeshua
Mashiach of the seed of David was raised The following chart suggests some relationships
from the dead according to my gospel: between the physical Temple, the Temple in
Wherein I suffer trouble, as an evil doer, typology as it relates to the body of Mashiach, and
[even] unto bonds; but the word of G-d is the Temple as it pictures the ultimate fulfillment
not bound. Therefore I endure all things for when we return to Gan Eden, the Garden of Eden.
the elect's sakes, that they may also obtain When we return to Gan Eden we will have
the salvation which is in Mashiach Yeshua completed the circle, we will have gone “back to
with eternal glory. [It is] a faithful saying: the future”:
For if we be dead with [him], we shall also

62
 PHYSICAL BODY TEMPLE TYPE GAN EDEN
Top of the Head Holy of Holies Gan Eden
Heart Aron (Ark) containing the Luchot Adam – Talmid Hakham and
(tablets) – This is the Crown of Torah The Tree of Life
study.
Lungs over the heart Kervim (Cherubim) with their wings
over the Aron
Mouth Shulchan (table of shewbread) – This The Tree of the Knowledge of
is the Crown of Malchut (Monarchy) Good and Evil
Eyes Menorah Fruit
Nose and sense of smell. Altar of incense and the Ketoret
(Incense) – This is the Crown of
Kehuna (Priesthood)
The Stomach The brazen altar Trees
The “food” the stomach. The Korbanot - sacrifices Fruit
Throat – the origin of speech chatzer – the place of the Maggid
Chest – the origin of song 15 steps with Levitical choir
Liquid in the body Kiyor (Laver) The river
Ribs Beams
Hands The courtyard of the Jews Working the garden
Yesod - “The foundation” The courtyard of the women. Trees on both sides of the
river.
Legs The courtyard of the Gentiles
Skin Curtain and Walls around the Temple Walls around the garden.

We “ascend” from the courtyard of the Gentiles all to celebrate Succoth properly, speak to those in
the way till the Holy of Holies. We ascend the the courtyard of the Gentiles.
entire way.
Succoth then shows the position of each group that
There were no sacrifices before Adam fell. He was make up klal Israel. To some there is intense joy
a vegetarian. (“Whoever has not seen the water well libation
service has never seen joy”). To some there will
Judaism is Post-millenialist. We bring the be testing and sin sacrifices – those in the
millenium. courtyard of the Gentiles. Lastly will be those who
are outside the courts; to those we have plages and
In the Messianic age, we have death, plagues, and the second death.
sin sacrifices. The Nazarean stands in the Holy
place, the place of life. Over these there is no 
more death or judgment.
I Corinthians 6:1-6 Dare any of you,
The Am HaAretz and the Benei Noach would be having a matter against another, go to law
in the courtyard of the Gentiles. To these there before the unjust, and not before the saints?
will be sacrifices for sin, the sacrifices spoken by Do ye not know that the saints shall judge
Ezekiel in Chapters 40-48. the world? and if the world shall be judged
by you, are ye unworthy to judge the
Succoth speaks to this seventh millenium. Just as smallest matters? Know ye not that we shall
we offer seventy bulls for the nations, these are the judge angels? how much more things that
sin sacrifices for those in the courtyard of the pertain to this life? If then ye have
Gentiles. The plagues that come to those who fail judgments of things pertaining to this life,
set them to judge who are least esteemed in
63
 the church. I speak to your shame. Is it so, Torah uses a number of unique phrases in
that there is not a wise man among you? no, describing the mishkan's construction that only
not one that shall be able to judge between appear elsewhere in connection to the creation
his brethren? But brother goeth to law with story. A midrash relates to this as well, noting that
brother, and that before the unbelievers. if man was to emulate the All-Mighty in all ways,
he had to be given the opportunity to create the
 world and it was through the building of the
mishkan that this was symbolically achieved.
The building of the mishkan was seen as an
echoing of the creation of the world. In fact the

XVIII. Mashiach

We have seen that Mashiach is the Torah. We

Tehillim (Psalm) 15 A Psalm of David. have also seen that His Majesty is the Tree of Life.
HaShem, who shall abide in thy tabernacle? Finally, we have seen that Mashiach is the
who shall dwell in thy holy hill? He that Temple. Therefore we have the following formula:
walketh uprightly, and worketh
righteousness, and speaketh the truth in his Mashiach = Tree of Life = Torah = Temple
heart. [He that] backbiteth not with his
tongue, nor doeth evil to his neighbour, nor There is one more fantastic concept that needs to
taketh up a reproach against his neighbour. be grasped:
In whose eyes a vile person is contemned;
but he honoureth them that fear HaShem. Ephesians 5:23 For the husband is the head
[He that] sweareth to [his own] hurt, and of the wife, even as Mashiach is the head of
changeth not. [He that] putteth not out his the church: and he is the saviour of the
money to usury, nor taketh reward against body.
the innocent. He that doeth these [things]
shall never be moved. We know that the “Church” is another way of
saying Israel from:
64
 Both the first and second Temple were destroyed
II Luqas (Acts) 7:37-38 This is that Moses, on Tisha B’Av, the ninth of Av. Significantly, the
which said unto the children of Israel, A Sages teach us that Mashiach will become
prophet shall the Lord your G-d raise up manifest to the world on Tisha B’Av! This
unto you of your brethren, like unto me; him suggests an intimate connection between the
shall ye hear. This is he, that was in the Temple and the Mashiach. The prophet declares
church in the wilderness with the angel this relationship between destruction and joy:
which spake to him in the mount Sinai, and
[with] our fathers: who received the lively Zecharyia (Zacharia) 8:19 Thus saith
oracles to give unto us: HaShem of hosts; The fast of the fourth
[month], and the fast of the fifth, and the
Now, we know that the group of people at the foot fast of the seventh, and the fast of the tenth,
of Sinai, in the days of Moses, was called “Israel”: shall be to the house of Judah joy and
gladness, and cheerful feasts; therefore love
Shemot (Exodus) 19:1-2 In the third month, the truth and peace.
when the children of Israel were gone forth
out of the land of Egypt, the same day came This suggests that when the physical stones are
they [into] the wilderness of Sinai. For they destroyed, they will be replaced by the lively
were departed from Rephidim, and were stones which make up the body of Mashiach.
come [to] the desert of Sinai, and had
pitched in the wilderness; and there Israel 613
camped before the mount.
The Rambam tells us that there are 613 commands
Romans 12:5 So we, [being] many, are one in the Torah. Each of these 613 commands parallel
body in Mashiach, and every one members the 613 parts of the body. This suggests that there
one of another. is a direct relationship between the Torah and
man. Again the luchot, the tablets of the
Now we can see that Israel is the same entity as testimony, become flesh.
Mashiach:
Light
Yeshua = Mashiach = Torah = Temple = Israel
When we are restored in the Last Adam, we too
“One of the most important facts about Mashiach will glow with the light reflected from the
is that his soul is a general soul that contains all presence of HaShem:
the souls of all Jews. This means that the soul of
every Jew is a part of Mashiach and thus there is a Revelation 21:23 And the city had no need
part of Mashiach in every Jew. This fact has wide of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in
ranging practical implications. Since the soul of it: for the glory of G-d did lighten it, and the
every Jew corresponds to a unique part of the soul Lamb [is] the light thereof.
of Mashiach, each Jew has a unique role to play in
preparing the world for Mashiach.”76 Now some may say that the light comes from the
Lamb and not from the righteous. But we know
(Those who would like more background behind that the righteous are the body of Mashiach.
this fantastic concept are referred to a previous Therefore it will not be surprising to see that the
study Mashiach.) righteous will glow:

Our Sages declare: "The Mashiach was born on Daniel 12:3 And they that be wise shall
Tisha B'Av, and Menahem [comfort] is his name." shine as the brightness of the firmament;
and they that turn many to righteousness as
the stars for ever and ever.
76
Likkutei Sichos vol. 20, p. 522; Seifer HaSichos 5751, p. 590
65
 Matityahu (Matthew) 13:43 Then shall the Unity
righteous shine forth as the sun in the
kingdom of their Father. Who hath ears to Unity was the rule in Gan Eden. Unity was the
hear, let him hear. rule at Sinai. Unity is the goal of the body of
Mashiach:
When we finally dwell in Gan Eden as part of the
body of Mashiach, we will have HaShem dwelling Ephesians 4:11-13 And he gave some,
us. We will reflect His glory and we will shine apostles; and some, prophets; and some,
like the sun. evangelists; and some, pastors and
teachers; For the perfecting of the saints,
Tehillim (Psalms) 97:11 Light is sown for for the work of the ministry, for the edifying
the righteous, and gladness for the upright of the body of Mashiach: Till we all come in
in heart. the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge
of the Son of G-d, unto a perfect man, unto
Midrash Rabbah - Genesis I:6 And the the measure of the stature of the fulness of
light dwelleth with Him (Dan. loc. cit.) Mashiach:
refers to the deeds of the righteous, as it is
written, Light is sown for the righteous (Ps. There is a day coming when all Israel will be
XCVII, 11). R. Abba of Serungayya said: formed into the body of Mashiach. This body will
’And the light dwelleth with him" alludes to be exactly like the body of Adam HaRishon. It
the royal Mashiach. R. Judah b. R. Simon will include the bride of Mashiach, Israel:
said: From the commencement of the
world's creation ’He revealeth the deep Revelation 21:9 And there came unto me
things, ' etc., for it is written, IN THE one of the seven angels which had the seven
BEGINNING G-D CREATED THE vials full of the seven last plagues, and
HEAVEN. but it is not explained how. talked with me, saying, Come hither, I will
Where then is it explained? Elsewhere: That shew thee the bride, the Lamb's wife.
stretcheth out the heavens as a curtain (Isa.
XL, 22); AND THE EARTH, which is As Adam HaRishon was male and female, so also
likewise not explained. Where is that will Israel the bride become a single body with
explained? Elsewhere: For He saith to the Mashiach. This new man, the Last Adam will
snow: Fall thou on the earth, etc. (Job again walk with HaShem in Gan Eden. Them will
XXXVII, 6). AND G-D SAID: LET THERE the Last Adam be a fitting house for HaShem to
BE LIGHT (I, 3), and the manner of this, dwell in.
too, is not explained. Where is it explained?
Elsewhere: Who coverest Thyself with light XIX Eden - Back to the Future
as with a garment (Ps. CIV, 2).
Adam was in the perfect environment to dwell
The Wall with HaShem. Eden was to be the place where
HaShem dwelt with Adam. When all things have
Midrash Rabbah - Exodus XXIV:4 G-d been restored, then Eden will again be the
said: ' In the Messianic age I will do thus dwelling place of Adam (the ‘last’ Adam - 1
for Zion, which is at present like a Corinthians 15:45) and HaShem, as Shlomoh
wilderness,’ as it is written, Zion is become HaMelech said:
a wilderness (Isa. LXIV, 9). ' In the
Messianic age, I will be its protecting wall,’ Kohelet (Ecclesiastes) 1:9 The thing that
for it says, For I, saith the Lord, will be unto hath been, it [is that] which shall be; and
her a wall of fire round about, and I will be that which is done [is] that which shall be
the glory in the midst of her (Zech. II, 9). done: and [there is] no new [thing] under
the sun.

66
 hast laid up for them that fear Thee (Ps.
The Midrash rightly equates the Temple and Eden XXXI, 20). Hence, For the Lord thy G-d
and the place where HaShem will dwell: bringeth thee into a good land,’ and for this
reason does it say, ’He shall dwell on high.’
Midrash Rabbah - Exodus XXV:8 G-d said
to them: ‘Behold, I have exalted you over Gan Eden with HaShem and Adam was the ideal.
the whole world, and if you perform My When we failed we were given a substitute: the
will, I will make you dwell in the place I Mishkan. The Mishkan was eventually replaced
created before the world was established,’ with the Temple. When we failed with the Temple
namely the Temple, as it says, Thou throne as an example, HaShem gave us the Synagogue.
of glory, on high from the beginning, thou One day HaShem will send His Mashiach to
place of our sanctuary (Jer. XVII, 12). restore all things. Then the righteous will become
‘There will I exalt you,’ as it says, And make a part of the last Adam:
them inherit the throne of glory (I Sam. II,
8), ‘and then will I supply you with the I Corinthians 12:12-25 For as the body is
delights of Paradise,’ as it says, O how one, and hath many members, and all the
abundant is Thy goodness, which Thou hast members of that one body, being many, are
laid up for them that fear Thee (Ps. XXXI, one body: so also [is] Mashiach. For by one
20). Hence does it say, ‘ He shall dwell on Spirit are we all baptized into one body,
high.’ Another explanation of ’ He shall whether [we be] Jews or Gentiles, whether
dwell on high ‘. It is written, For Lord thy [we be] bond or free; and have been all
G-d bringeth thee into a good land (Deut. made to drink into one Spirit. For the body
VIII, 7) to see the table that is prepared in is not one member, but many. If the foot
Paradise, as it says, I shall walk before the shall say, Because I am not the hand, I am
Lord in the lands of the living (Ps. CXVI, 9). not of the body; is it therefore not of the
He [G-d] as it were sits above the body? And if the ear shall say, Because I am
patriarchs, and the patriarchs and all the not the eye, I am not of the body; is it
righteous sit in His midst (toko), as it says, therefore not of the body? If the whole body
And they sit down (tukku) at Thy feet (Deut. [were] an eye, where [were] the hearing? If
XXXIII, 3), and He distributes portions to the whole [were] hearing, where [were] the
them. Should you wonder at this, then recall smelling? But now hath G-d set the
how even in this world He placed Himself members every one of them in the body, as it
between the two cherubim for their sake, as hath pleased him. And if they were all one
it says, That lieth betwixt my breasts (S.S. I, member, where [were] the body? But now
13), then how much more will this be so in [are they] many members, yet but one body.
Paradise? He will bring them fruit from the And the eye cannot say unto the hand, I
Garden of Eden and will feed them from the have no need of thee: nor again the head to
Tree of Life. Who will be the first to say the feet, I have no need of you. Nay, much
Grace? All will respectfully request G-d to more those members of the body, which
order one to say Grace; He will bid Michael seem to be more feeble, are necessary: And
to say it; and he will bid Gabriel, and those [members] of the body, which we
Gabriel the patriarchs, and they will give think to be less honourable, upon these we
the honour to Moses and Aaron, and they in bestow more abundant honour; and our
their turn will ask the elders. They will give uncomely [parts] have more abundant
the honour to David, saying, ’It befits an comeliness.
earthly king to bless the Heavenly King.’
They will hand over the cup to David, who In the body of Mashiach we will again achieve
will say, ‘I will lift up the cup of salvation unity. In the body of Mashiach we will be a fitting
and call upon the name of the Lord.’ They it bride.
was whom David praised when he said, Oh
how abundant is Thy goodness, which Thou
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Then we will be returned to Eden to the state we the light of the sun shall be sewenfold, as
had before the fall. We will return to the ideal, the light of the seven days (Isa. XXX, 26).
then will the prophecy be fulfilled:

Tehillim (Psalms) 133 A Song of degrees of
David. Behold, how good and how pleasant In Gan Eden we dwelt with HaShem face to face.
[it is] for brethren to dwell together in We did not have any “house” because we lived in
unity! [It is] like the precious ointment the garden in close fellowship with HaShem.
upon the head, that ran down upon the Before that relationship was consumated, Adam
beard, [even] Aaron's beard: that went sinned. As a result of that sin, we were driven
down to the skirts of his garments; As the from the garden of intimacy and forced to dwell
dew of Hermon, [and as the dew] that outside the walls.
descended upon the mountains of Zion: for
there HaShem commanded the blessing, Later, as a result of sin, we were given the
[even] life for evermore. Mishkan. A small cramped house where we could
dwell with HaShem, at least once a year. It is like
When we return to Gan Eden we will be in perfect a newly wed couple. They live in a small cramped
unity. Then will the last Adam dwell with apartment and yet they could not be happier. The
HaShem. Talmud describes this period as the time when we
slept together on the blade of a knife. We just
So, we start with the physical Temple, then we could not be too close together:
proceed to the reality represented by the body of
Mashiach. Finally, we proceed to Gan Eden, the Sanhedrin 7a Another used to say: When
beginning of all things. love was strong, we could have made our
bed on a sword-blade; now that our love
Light has grown weak, a bed of sixty [cubits] is
not large enough for us. Said R. Huna: This
The presence of HaShem will be manifest in Gan is alluded to in the verses: Of the former
Eden by light: age [when Israel was loyal to God] it is
said: And I will meet with thee and speak
Revelation 22:5 And there shall be no night with three from above the ark-cover; and
there; and they need no candle, neither light further it is taught: The Ark measured nine
of the sun; for the Lord G-d giveth them hand-breadths high and the cover one hand-
light: and they shall reign for ever and ever. breadth, i.e. ten in all. Again it is written:
As for the House which King Shlomo built
Midrash Rabbah - Genesis II:5 AND G-D for the Lord, the length thereof was three
SAID: LET THERE BE LIGHT, i.e. rebuilt score cubits, the breadth thereof twenty
and firmly established in the Messianic era, cubits, and the height thereof thirty cubits.
as you read, Arise, shine, for thy light is But of the latter age [when they had
come, and the glory of the Lord is risen forsaken God] it is written: Thus saith the
upon thee,etc. (Isa. LX, 1) Lord, The Heaven is my throne and the
earth my footstool. Where is the house that
Midrash Rabbah - Genesis III:6 It was ye may build unto me?
taught: The light which was created in the
six days of Creation cannot illumine by day, However, as we entered the Promised land and we
because it would eclipse the light of the sun, became overcome by the need to build houses and
nor by night, because it was created only to till the land, we moved further from HaShem as
illumine by day. Then where is it? It is our love grew colder. It is like a married couple
stored up for the righteous in the Messianic who has a king sized bed and finds that it to their
future, as it says, Moreover the light of the liking more than a twin bed. In this environment
moon shall be as the light of the sun, and we needed a big ornate structure, the Temple.
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Later, as sin and the worries of this world
continued to overtake us, we grew further from 
HaShem as our love grew ever colder. It is like a
many secular married couples who live in separate On Tisha B’Av we mourn because HaShem has no
bedroomes in a giant mansion and still see each dwelling in His People. We lament that we are not
other too often. This was the age of the second “The House” fit for HaShem. We do not mourn
Temple. This huge structure was MUCH larger for dead stones, rather we mourn because the
than the structure built by King Shlomo. Those lively stones are not yet a house, a bride fit for
who saw the first and the second Temples wept on HaShem to dwell in.
seeing the second Temple because it size spoke
volumes about our relationship with HaShem. We We must make it our goal to return to the ideal
were no longer intimate: HaShem created at Gan Eden. We must become a
part of the Last Adam. We must become a part of
Ezra 3:12-13 But many of the priests and the body of Mashiach. It is only when we become
Levites and chief of the fathers, [who were] a part of the Last Adam that we will become a fit
ancient men, that had seen the first house, house for the dwelling of HaShem!
when the foundation of this house was laid
before their eyes, wept with a loud voice;
and many shouted aloud for joy: So that the
people could not discern the noise of the
shout of joy from the noise of the weeping of
the people: for the people shouted with a
loud shout, and the noise was heard afar off.

Things did get worse. As we continued to move

away from HaShem, as sin continued to harden
our hearts, HaShem finally “moved out”. He left
the Temple and dwelt in Heaven with the earth as
His footstool. Truly we were divorced from our
spouse and lover:

Yeshayahu (Isaiah) 66:1 Thus saith

HaShem, The heaven [is] my throne, and
the earth [is] my footstool: where [is] the
house that ye build unto me? and where
[is] the place of my rest?

The future holds hope, however. One day we will

no longer need the physical Temple. One day
Mashiach will be the “temple” and we will again
walk in the garden with HaShem:

Revelation 21:22 And I saw no temple

therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the
Lamb are the temple of it.

In that garden we will consummate the

relationship we have with HaShem, and have true
intimacy. Our relationship will be restored to what
it was supposed to be.
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 This study was written by
Rabbi Dr. Hillel ben David
(Greg Killian).
Comments may be submitted to:

Rabbi Dr. Greg Killian

12210 Luckey Summit
San Antonio, TX 78252

Internet address: [email protected]

Web page: http://www.betemunah.org/

(360) 918-2905

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Send comments to Greg Killian at his email
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