Sefer haZohar on the First Verse of Genesis and the Image of the Cherubim on Top of the Ark Cover

"This image extended in the spreading of the cover, and in that spread two images formed, one male and one female, standing as two youths in passionate love, clinging to one another.  This mystery is: 'In the beginning God created' - spread of concealed cover.  'Heaven and earth' - two cherubim, standing in passionate cleaving.  It is not written שמים וארץ (shmayim va-aretz), but rather את (et) - to include two cherubim as one. This cover is spread within, in the secrecy of the Temple, and these two stand on two sides."

-- Sefer haZohar 2:277b


SPREADING OF THE COVER : As it is written, "The name of the Lord is a tower of strength; the righteous runs into it and is strengthened."  (Proverbs 18:10).

TWO IMAGES : This refers to the conjunction of יה with וה.

ONE MALE AND ONE FEMALE : Each image is comprised of male and female. In the first image, י (Yod) is male and ה (Heh) is female.  In the second image, ו (Vav) is male and ה (Heh) is female.

STANDING : They stand together in their place, as it is written, "Blessed is the glory of the Lord from His place." (Ezekiel 3:12).

TWO YOUTHS : Each image is comprised of male and female, and these are the two youths.

SPREAD OF CONCEALED COVER : This refers to the Throne of Glory and the Seven Palaces.

TWO CHERUBIM, STANDING : The image of assembly for the Mishkan above, and the image of construction for the Beit haMiqdash below.

TWO CHERUBIM AS ONE : They are included as one under one sign.

COVER SPREAD WITHIN : The concealed emanation of the Head is revealed within the Body.

SECRECY OF THE TEMPLE : The secret is known to those two whom has been revealed the secret emanation from above spreading into below, as it says, "And I shall no longer hide My face from them, for I shall have poured out My spirit upon the House of Israel," says the Lord God."  (Ezekiel 39:29).

THESE TWO : These are the male on each side.  The י (Yod) is above, concealed, and the ו (Vav) is above, concealed.

STAND ON TWO SIDES : They stand above the female on each side.  The י (Yod) stands above the ה (Heh) on their side, in the image of the Throne of Glory inside the Seven Palaces.  And the ו (Vav) stands above the ה (Heh) on their side, in the image of the Mishkan inside the Beit haMiqdash.

Talmud Bavli Shekalim on The Day the Mishkan was Erected

"On the day that the Mishkan was erected, on that very day the withdrawal of half-shekel donations was made from the treasury to pay for the communal offerings."

-- Talmud Bavli, Shekalim 2a


MISHKAN - This is the human body, about which it is said, "From my flesh I shall see God" (Job 19:26).

MISHKAN WAS ERECTED - This refers to Betzalel, about whom it is said, "Bezalel knew how to combine the letters by which the heavens and earth were created" (Berachot 55a).

THE WITHDRAWAL - These came from Salem. DONATIONS - These were brought to Zion. This is proved from "His Tabernacle was in Salem, and His dwelling place in Zion" (Psalms 76:3).
   

Midrash Rabbah Vayiqra on Moses Entering the Tabernacle

When the Holy One, blessed is He, said to Moses, 'Make for Me a Tabernacle (Mishkan)', on every single thing Moses would write, 'as YHVH commanded Moses'. The Holy One, blessed is He, said, 'Moses arranged all this honor (kavod) for Me, yet I am inside it and he is still outside'. He called him to enter the innermost chamber of the Tabernacle. Therefore it is stated, 'He called to Moses and YHVH spoke to him from the Tent of Meeting' (Leviticus 1:1)."

-- Midrash Rabbah Vayiqra, 1.7


This is somewhat of a puzzle. Did Moses actually write these words on all the holy vessels, with a marker or something? The Midrash is revealing that the letters of the Holy Language have the power to transform the vibration (which the Midrash calls 'kavod') when written on objects. The vibrational resonances of the holy vessels were not complete upon their building ─ it was only when Moses came through and declared them to be 'as YHVH commanded', in other words, a vibrational witness that they were not just physical objects, but pure patterns and blueprints in the mind of God, and impressed this vibrational signification on each object, that they lit up with the vibrational resonance of divinity, so that then Shekhinah could dwell in the Tabernacle.

Still, this interpretation implies that the actual writing took place. Another interpretation: The holy vessels and furnishings of the Tabernacle were not primarily physical objects, but patterns and blueprints within the divine mind. They existed first as blueprints, and then later as physical objects. But before they even existed as blueprints, they primordially existed as the verbal descriptions as they are written in the Torah. When writing these designs into the Torah, Moses concluded them with the phrase 'as YHVH commanded', thereby serving as a written signification that they were not just paragraphs that Moses came up with on his own, but that they were patterns of thought in the mind of God.
 

Midrash Rabbah Shemot on God's Inseparability from the Torah

"Is there any acquisition in which the seller himself is sold along with the acquired item? The Holy One, blessed is He, said to Israel, 'I sold you my Torah, and as it were, I Myself was sold along with it', as it is stated, 'And let them take for Me a portion' (Exodus 25:2).

"This can be illustrated by a parable. It can be compared to a king who had an only daughter. One of the other kings came and took her as a wife. Subsequently, he sought to return to his land and to take his wife with him. The father-in-law king said to him, 'My daughter whom I have given you is an only daughter, thus I am unable to part from her. But I am equally unable to tell you, Do not take her to your land. Rather, do this favor for me: Any place that you go, prepare a room for me so that I may dwell near you. For I am unable to leave my daughter.

"So too, did the Holy One, blessed is He, say to Israel, 'I have given you the Torah. I am unable to part from it, but I am also unable to tell you, Do not take it. Rather, do this favor for Me: Any place that you go, prepare a house for Me that I may dwell therein.' As it is stated, 'They shall make for me a Sanctuary, so that I may dwell among them' (Exodus 25:8)."

-- Midrash Rabbah Shemot, 33.1

Sefer haZohar on the Mishkan as the Vessel of Shekhinah

"Mystery of mysteries for those who know Wisdom: When an impulse arose in the will of Secret of Secrets to form glory for Its glory, It blew a spirit from a supernal point extending from above to below, and placed Its array to settle in this world. Why? Because without an essential root of this world, there would be no vessel to pour to this world at all. And without pouring to this world, it would immediately perish, unable to exist for even one moment. But since its arrayal stems from this world, it is filled ─ from one side to pour to this world, and from another side to pour to supernal angels. All are nourished by it as one."

-- Sefer haZohar, 2:146a (transl. Matt)


The "array" is the Mishkan. It is the "vessel" into which the "spirit" from above can be poured. There is a Mishkan in this world, and a Mishkan in the angelic world.  There is a correspondence between the lower Mishkan and the upper Mishkan. When human beings build their lower Mishkan, it motivates the angels to become active at their level, and a conduit of communication is opened between human beings below and the angels above.

Sefer haZohar on the Mishkan of Metatron

"Moses fashioned the Mishkan in the desert to bring Shekhinah down to earth, and on that same day another Mishkan was erected along with it above, as they have established, for it is written: 'The Mishkan was erected' (Exodus 40:17) ─ another Mishkan erected with it, namely the Mishkan haNa'ar (Tabernacle of the Youth), Metatron, and nothing further."

-- Sefer haZohar, 2:143a (transl. D. Matt)

Sefer haZohar on the Mishkan as Body of Shekhinah

"The making of the Mishkan resembled the pattern above, one corresponding to the other, so that Shekhinah would be embraced on all sides, above and below.  Here in this world, its workmanship is like that of the body, to contain spirit within ─ namely, Shekhinah, who is included above and below.  She is Ruach haQodesh (Holy Spirit), continuously entering and drawn into the mystery of the body, so that kernel will dwell within shell, all fittingly."

-- Sefer haZohar, 2:140b (transl. D. Matt)

Talmud Bavli Shabbat on the 39 Forbidden Labors and the Construction of the Mishkan

"Rabbi Yosanan ben Achinai, Rabbi Yosanan ben Elazar, and Rabbi Chanina bar Chama sat and pondered the following: Regarding that which we learned in a Mishnah: 'The primary labors (melachot) are forty minus one' ─ to what do they correspond? R. Chanina bar Chama said: 'They correspond to the labors (avodot) of the construction of the Mishkan, [of which there are also thirty-nine]."

-- Talmud Bavli, Shabbat 49b

This passage contains a secret formula. Why are the labors forbidden on Shabbat called "melachot", while the labors in the construction of the Mishkan are called "avodot"?

מלאכות = "melachot"
עבודות = "avodot"