MOSES INTERCEDES FOR THE PEOPLE
Those who were executed by these judgements numbered three thousand, so that Moses said to
God: "O Lord of the world! Just and merciful art Thou, and all Thy deeds are deeds of
integrity. Shall six hundred thousand people - not to mention all who are below twenty
years of age, and all the many proselytes and slaves - perish for the sake of three
thousand sinners?" God could no longer withhold His mercy, and determined to forgive
Israel their sins. [282] It was only after long and fervent prayers that Moses succeeded
in quite propitiating God, and hardly had he returned from heaven, when he again repaired
thither to advance before God his intercession for Israel. He was ready to sacrifice
himself for the sake of Israel, and as soon as punishment had been visited on the sinners,
he turned to God with the words: "O Lord of the world! I have now destroyed both the
Golden Calf and its idolaters, what cause for ill feeling against Israel can now remain?
The sins these committed came to pass because Thou hadst heaped gold and silver upon them,
so that the blames is not wholly theirs. 'Yet now, if Thou wilt, forgive their sin; and if
not, blot me, I pray Thee, out of Thy book which Thou has written.'" [283]
These bold words of Moses were not without consequences for him, for although God
thereupon replied: "Whosoever hath sinned against Me, him will I blot out of My
blood," still it was on account of this that his name was omitted from one section of
the Pentateuch. [284] But for Israel his words created an instant revulsion of feeling in
God, who now addressed him kindly, and promised that he would send His angel, who would
lead the people into the promised land. These words indicated to Moses that God was not
yet entirely appeased, and he could further see this in the punishment that fell upon
Israel on that day. Their weapons, which every man among them had received at the
revelation on Sinai, and which had miraculous virtues, having the name of God engraved
upon them, were taken from them by the angels, and their robes of purple likewise. When
Moses saw from this that God's wrath was still upon Israel, and that He desired to have
nothing further to do with them, he removed his tent a mile away from the camp, saying to
himself: "The disciple may not have intercourse with people whom the master has
excommunicated."
Not only the people went out o this tent whenever they sought the Lord, but the angels
also, the Seraphim, and the heavenly hosts repaired thither, the sun, the moon, and the
other heavenly bodies, all of whom knew that God was to be found there, and that the tent
of Moses was the spot where they were to appear before their Creator. God, however, was
not at all pleased to see Moses keep himself aloof from the people, and said to him:
"According to our agreement, I was to propitiate thee every time thou wert angry with
the people, and thou wert to propitiate Me when My wrath was kindled against them. What is
now to become of these poor people, if we be both angry with them? Return, therefore, into
the camp to the people. But if thou wilt not obey, remember that Joshua is in the camp at
the sanctuary, and he can well fill thy place." Moses replied: "It is for Thy
sake that I am angry with them, and now I see that still Thou canst not forsake
them." "I have," said God, "already told thee, that I shall send and
angel before them." But Moses, by no means content with this assurance, continued to
importune God not to entrust Israel to an angel, but to conduct and guide them in person.
[285]
Forty days and forty nights, from the eighteenth day of Tammus to the twenty-eight day of
Ab, did Moses stay in heaven, [286] beseeching and imploring God to restore Israel once
more entirely into His favor. But all his prayers and exhortations were in vain, until at
the end of forty days he implored God to set the pious deeds of the three Patriarchs and
of the twelve sons of Jacob to the account of their descendants; and only then was his
prayer answered. H said: "If Thou art angry with Israel because they transgressed the
Ten Commandments, be mindful for their sake of the ten tests to which Thou didst subject
Abraham, and through which he nobly passed. If Israel deserves at Thy hands punishment by
fire for their sin, remember the fire of the limekiln into which Abraham let himself be
cast for the glory of Thy name. If Israel deserves death by sword, remember the readiness
with which Isaac laid down his neck upon the altar to be sacrificed to Thee. If they
deserve punishment by exile, remember for their sake how their father Jacob wandered into
exile from his paternal home to Haran." Moses furthermore said to God: "Will the
dead ever be restored to life?" God in surprise retorted: "Hast thou become a
heretic, Moses, that thou dost doubt the resurrection?" "If," said Moses,
"the dead never awaken to life, then truly Thou art right to wreak vengeance upon
Israel; but if the dead are to be restored to life hereafter, what wilt Thou then say to
the fathers of this nation, if they ask Thee what has become of the promise Thou hadst
made to them? I demand nothing more for Israel," Moses continued, "than what
Thou were willing to grant Abraham when he pleaded for Sodom. Thou wert willing to let
Sodom survive if there were only ten just men therein, and I am now about to enumerate to
Thee ten just men among the Israelites: myself, Aaron, Eleazar, Ithamar, Phinehas, Joshua,
and Caleb." "But that is only seven," objected God. Moses, not at all
abashed, replied: "But Thou hast said that the dead will hereafter be restored to
life, so count with these the three Patriarchs to make the number ten complete."
Moses' mention of the names of the three Patriarchs was of more avail than all else, and
God granted his prayer, forgave Israel their transgression, and promised to lead the
people in person. [287]
THE INSCRUTABLE WAYS OF THE LORD
Moses still cherished three other wishes: that the Shekinah might dwell with Israel; that
the Shekinah might not dwell with other nations; and lastly, that he might learn to know
the ways of the Lord whereby He ordained good and evil in the world, sometimes causing
suffering to the just and letting the unjust enjoy happiness, whereas at other times both
were happy, or both were destined to suffer. Moses laid these wishes before God in the
moment of His wrath, hence God bade Moses wait until His wrath should have blown over, and
then He granted him his first two wishes in full, but his third in part only. [288] God
showed him the great treasure troves in which are stored up the various rewards for the
pious and the just, explaining each separated one to him in detail: in this one were the
rewards of those who give alms; in that one, of those who bring up orphans. In this way He
showed him the destination of each one of the treasures, until at length they came to one
of gigantic size. "For whom is this treasure?" asked Moses, and God answered:
"Out of the treasures that I have shown thee I give rewards to those who have
deserved them by their deeds; but out of this treasure do I give to those who are not
deserving, for I am gracious to those also who may lay no claim to My graciousness, and I
am bountiful to those who are not deserving of My bounty."
Moses now had to content himself with the certainty that the pious were sure of their
deserts; without, however, learning from God, how it sometimes comes to pass that evil
doers, too, are happy. For God merely stated that He also shows Himself kind to those who
do not deserve it, but without further assigning the why and the wherefore. But the reward
to the pious, too, was only in part revealed to him, for he beheld the joys of Paradise of
which they were to partake, but not the real reward that is to follow the feast in
Paradise; for truly "eye hath not seen, beside the Lord, what He hath prepared for
him that waiteth for Him." [289]
By means of the following incident God showed Moses how little man is able to fathom the
inscrutable ways of the Lord. When Moses was on Sinai, he saw from that station a man who
betook himself to a river, stooped down to drink, lost his purse, and without noticing it
went his way. Shortly after, another man cam, found the money, pocketed it, and took to
his heels. When the owner of the purse became aware of his loss, he returned to the river,
where he did not find his money, but saw a man, who came there by chance to fetch water.
To him he said: "Restore to me the money that a little while ago I left here, for
none can have taken it if not thou." When the man declared that he had found none of
the money nor seen any of it, the owner slew him. Looking with horror and amazement on
this injustice on earth, Moses said to God: "I beseech Thee, show my Thy ways. Why
has this man, who was quite innocent, been slain, and why hath the true thief gone
unpunished?" God replied: "The man who found the money and kept it merely
recovered his own possession, for he who had lost the purse by the river, had formerly
stolen it from him; but the one who seemed to be innocently slain is only making atonement
for having at one time murdered the father of his slayer." [290] In this way, God
granted the request of Moses, "to show him His ways," in part only. He let him
look into the future, and let him see every generation and it sages, every generation and
its prophets, every generation and its expounders of the Scriptures, every generation and
its leaders, ever generation and its pious men. But when Moses said: "O Lord of the
world! Let me see by what law Thou dost govern the world; for I see that many a just man
is lucky, but many a one is not; many a wicked man is lucky, but many a one is not; many a
rich man is happy, but many a one is not; many a poor man is happy, but many a one is
not;" then God answered: "Thou canst not grasp all the principles which I apply
to the government of the world, but some of them shall I impart to thee. When I see human
beings who have no claim to expectations from Me either for their own deeds or for those
of their fathers, but who pray to Me and implore Me, then do I grant their prayers and
give them what they require from subsistence." [291]
Although God had now granted all of his wishes, still Moses received the following answer
to his prayer, "I beseech Thee, show me Thy glory": "Thou mayest not behold
My glory, or else thou wouldst perish, but in consideration of My vow to grant thee all
thy wishes, and in view of the fact that thou are in possession of the secret of My name,
I will meet thee so far as to satisfy thy desire in part. Lift the opening of the cave,
and I will bid all the angels that serve Me pass in review before thee; but as soon as
thou hearest the Name, which I have revealed to thee, know then that I am there, and bear
thyself bravely and without fear.' [292]
God has a reason for not showing His glory to Moses. He said to him: "When I revealed
Myself to thee in the burning bush, thou didst not want to look upon Me; now thou are
willing, but I am not." [293]
THE THIRTEEN ATTRIBUTES OF GOD
The cave in which Moses concealed himself while God passed in review before him with His
celestial retinue, was the same in which Elijah lodged when God revealed Himself to him on
Horeb. If there had been in it an opening even as tiny as a needle's point, both Moses and
Elijah would have been consumed by the passing Divine light, [294] which was of an
intensity so great that Moses, although quite shut off in the cave, nevertheless caught
the reflection of it, so that from its radiance his face began to shine. [295] Not without
great danger, however, did Moses earn this distinction; for as soon as the angels heard
Moses request God to show him His glory, they were greatly incensed against him, and said
to God: "We, who serve Thee night and day, may not see Thy glory, and he, who is born
of woman, asks to see it!" In their anger they made ready to kill Moses, who would
certainly have perished, had not God's hand protected him from the angels. Then God
appeared in the cloud.
It was the seventh time that He appeared on earth, [296] and taking the guise of a
precentor of a congregation, He said to Moses: "Whenever Israel hath sinned, and
calleth Me by the following thirteen attributes, I will forgive them their sins. I am the
Almighty God who provides for all creatures. I am the Merciful One who restrains evil from
human kind. I am the Gracious One who helps in time of need. I am the Long-Suffering to
the upright as well as to the wicked. I am Bountiful to those whose own deed do not
entitle them to lay claim to rewards. I am Faithful to those who have a right to expect
good from Me; and preserve graciousness unto the two-thousandth generation. I forgive
misdeeds and even atrocious actions, in forgiving those who repent." [297] When Moses
heard this, and particularly that God is long-suffering with sinners, [298] he prayed:
"O forgive, then, Israel's sin which they committed in worshipping the Golden
Calf." Had Moses now prayed, "Forgive the sins of Israel unto the end of all
time," God would have granted that too, as it was a time of mercy; but as Moses asked
forgiveness for this one sin only, this one only was pardoned, and God said: "I have
pardoned according to thy word." [298]
The day on which God showed Himself merciful to Moses and to His people, was the tenth day
of Tishri, the day on which Moses was to receive the tables of the law from God for the
second time, and all Israel spent it amid prayer and fasting, that the evil spirit might
not again lead them astray. Their ardent tears and exhortations, joined with those of
Moses, reached heaven, so that God took pity upon them and said to them: "My
children, I swear by my lofty Name that these your tears shall be tears of rejoicing for
you; that this day shall be a day of pardon, of forgiveness, and of the canceling of sins
for you, for your children, and your children's children to the end of all
generations." [300]
This day was not set for the annual Day of Atonement, without which the world could not
exist, and which will continue even in the future world when all other holy days will
cease to be. The Day of Atonement, however, is not only a reminiscence of the day on which
God was reconciled to Israel and forgave them their sins, but it is also the day on which
Israel finally received the Torah. [301] For after Moses has spent forty days in prayer,
until God finally forgave Israel their sins, he began to reproach himself for having
broken the tables of the law, saying" "Israel asked me to intercede for them
before God, but who will, on account of my sin, intercede before God for my sake?"
Then God said to him: "Grieve not for the loss of the first two tables, which
contained only the Ten Commandments. The second tables that I am now ready to give thee,
shall contain Halakot, Midrash, and Haggadot." [302]
At the new moon of the month Elul, Moses had the trumpet sounded throughout the camp,
announcing to the people that he would once more betake himself to God for forty days to
receive the second tables from Him, so that they might be alarmed by his absence; and he
stayed in heaven until the tenth day of Tishri, on which day he returned with the Torah
and delivered it to Israel. [303]
THE SECOND TABLES
Whereas the first tables had been given on Mount Sinai amid great ceremonies, the
presentation of the second tables took place quietly, for God said: "There is nothing
lovelier than quiet humility. The great ceremonies on the occasion of presenting the first
tables had the evil effect of directing an evil eye toward them, so that they were finally
broken." [304] In this also were the second tables differentiated from the first,
that the former were the work of God, and the latter, the work of man. God dealt with
Israel like the king who took to himself to wife and drew up the marriage contract with
his own hand. One day the king noticed his wife engaged in very intimate conversation with
a slave; and enraged at her unworthy conduct, he turned here out of his house. Then he who
had given the bride away at the wedding came before the king and said to him: "O
sire, dost thou not know whence thou didst take thy bride? She had been brought up among
the slaves, and hence is intimate with them." The king allowed himself to be
appeased, saying to the other: "Take paper and let a scribe draw up a new marriage
contract, and here take my authorization, signed in my own hand." Just so did Israel
fare with their God when Moses offered the following excuse for their worship of the
Golden Calf: "O Lord, dost Thou not know whence Thou hast brought Israel, out of a
land of idolaters?" God replied: "Thou desirest Me to forgive them. Well, then,
I shall do so, now fetch Me hither tables on which I may write the words that were written
on the first. But to reward thee for offering up thy life for their sake, I shall in the
future send thee along with Elijah, that both of you together may prepare Israel for the
final deliverance." [305]
Moses fetched the tables out of a diamond quarry which God pointed out to him, and the
chips that fell, during the hewing, from the precious stone made a rich man of Moses, so
that he now possessed all the qualifications of a prophet - wealth, strength, humility,
and wisdom. In regard to the last-named be it said, that God given in Moses' charge all
the fifty gates of wisdom except one.
As the chips falling from the precious stone were designed for Moses alone, so too had
originally the Torah, written on these tables, been intended only Moses and his
descendants; but he was benevolent of spirit, and imparted the Torah to Israel. [306] The
wealth that Moses procured for himself in fashioning the Torah, was a reward for having
taken charge of the corpse of Joseph while all the people were appropriating to themselves
the treasures of Egyptians. God now said: "Moses deserves the chips from the tables.
Israel, who did not occupy themselves with labors of piety, carried off the best of Egypt
at the time of their exodus. Shall Moses, who saw to the corpse of Joseph, remain poor?
Therefore will I make him rich through these chips." [307]
During the forty days he spent in heaven, Moses received beside the two tables all the
Torah - the Bible, Mishnah, Talmud, and Haggadah, yea, even all that ever clever scholars
would ask their teacher was revealed to him. When he now received the command from God to
teach all this to Israel, he requested God to write down all the Torah and to give it to
Israel in that way. But God said: "Gladly would I give them the whole in writing, but
it is revealed before Me that the nations of the world will hereafter read the Torah
translated into Greek, and will say: 'We are the true Israel, we are the children of God.'
Then I shall say to the nations: 'Ye claim to be MY children, do ye not know that those
only are My children to whom I have confided My secret, the oral teaching?'" This was
the reason why the Pentateuch only was given to Moses in writing, and the other parts of
the Torah by word of mouth. Hence the covenant God made with Israel reads: "I gave ye
a written and an oral Torah. My covenant with you says that ye shall study the written
Torah as a written thing, and the oral as an oral; but in case you confound the one with
the other you will not be rewarded. For the Torah's sake alone have I made a covenant with
you; had ye not accepted the Torah, I should not have acknowledged you before all other
nations. Before you accepted the Torah, you were just like all other nations, and for the
Torah's sake alone have I lifted you above the others. Even your king, Moses, owes the
distinction he enjoys in this world and in the world hereafter to the Torah alone. Had you
not accepted the Torah, then should I have dissolved the upper and the under worlds into
chaos." [308]
Forty days and forty nights Moses now devoted to the study of the Torah, and in all the
time he ate no bread and drank no water, acting in accordance with the proverb, "If
thou enterest a city, observe its laws." The angels followed this maxim when they
visited Abraham, for they there ate like men; and so did Moses, who being among angels,
like the angels partook of no food. He received nourishment from radiance of the Shekinah,
which also sustains the holy Hayyot that bear the Throne. Moses spent the day in learning
the Torah from God, and the night in repeating what he had learned. In this way he set an
example for Israel, that they might occupy themselves with the Torah by night and by day.
During this time Moses also wrote down the Torah, although the angels found it strange
that God should have given him the commission to write down the Torah, and gave expression
to their astonishment in the following words, that they addressed to God: "How is it
that Thou givest Moses permission to write, so that he may write whatever he will, and say
to Israel, 'I gave you the Torah, I myself wrote it, and then gave it to you?'" But
God answered: "Far be it from Moses to do such a thing, he is a faithful
servant!"
When Moses had complete the writing of the Torah, he wiped his pen on the hair of his
forehead, and from this heavenly ink that cleaved to his forehead originated the beams of
light that radiated from it. [309] In this way God fulfilled to Moses the promise:
"Before all thy people I will do marvels, such as have not been done in all the
earth, nor in any nation." [310] On Moses' return from heaven, the people were
greatly amazed to see his face shining, and there was fear, too, in their amazement. This
fear was a consequence of their sin, for formerly they had been able to bear without fear
the sight of "the glory of the Lord that was like devouring fire," although it
consisted of seven sheaths of fire, laid one over another; but after their transgression
they could not even bear to look upon the countenance of the man who had been the
intermediator between themselves and God. [311] But Moses quieted them, and instantly set
about imparting to the people the Torah he had received from God.
His method of instruction was as follows: first came Aaron, to whom he imparted the word
of God, and as soon as he had finished with Aaron, came the sons of Aaron, Eleazar and
Ithamar, and he instructed them, while Aaron sat at his right hand, listening. When he had
finished with the sons of Aaron, the elders appeared to receive instruction, while Eleazar
sat at the right hand of his father, and Ithamar at the left hand of Moses, and listened;
and when he had finished with the elders, the people came and received instruction,
whereupon Moses withdrew. Then Aaron went over what had been taught, and his sons
likewise, and the elders, until every one, from Aaron down to every man out of the people,
had four times repeated what he had learned, for in this way had God bidden Moses impress
the Torah four times upon Israel. [312]
THE CENSUS OF THE PEOPLE
At sight of the rays that emanated from Moses' face, the people said to him: "We were
humbled by God owing to that sin we had committed. God, thou sayest, had forgiven us, and
is reconciled to us. Thou, Moses, were include in our humiliation, and we see that He has
once more exalted thee, whereas, in spite of the reconciliation with God, we remain
humbled." Hereupon Moses betook himself to God and said; "When Thou didst humble
them, Thou didst humble me also, hence shouldst Thou now raise them too, if Thou has
raised me." God replied: "Truly, as I have exalted thee, so will I exalt them
also; record their number, and through this show the world how near to My heart is the
nation that before all others acknowledged Me as their king, singing by the Red Sea: 'This
is my God, and I will exalt Him.'" Moses then said to God: "O Lord of the world!
Thou hast so many nation in Thy world, but Thou carest nothing about recording their
numbers, and only Israel dost Thou bid me count." God replied: "All these
multitudes do not belong to Me, they are doomed to the destruction of Gehenna, but Israel
is My possession, and as a man most prizes the possession he paid for most dearly, so is
Israel most dear to Me, because I have with great exertions made it My own." [313]
Moses further said to God: "O Lord of the world! To our father Abraham Thou made the
following promises: 'And I will make thy seed as the stars in the heavens,' but now Thou
biddest me number Israel. If their forefather Abraham could not count them, how, then,
should I?" But God quieted Moses, saying: "Thou needest not actually count them,
but if thou wouldst determine their number, add together the numerical value of the names
of the tribes, and the result will be their number." And truly in this way did Moses
procure the sum total of the Jews, which amounted to sixty myriads less three thousand,
the three thousand having been swept away by the plague in punishment for their worship of
the Golden Calf. Hence the difference between the number at the exodus from Egypt, when
Moses had counted them for the first time, and the number at the second census, after the
losses incurred by the plague. God treated Israel as did that king his herd, who ordered
the shepherds tell the tale of the sheep when he heard that wolves had been among them and
had killed some, having this reckoning made in order to determine the amount of his loss.
The occasions on which, in the course of history, Israel were numbered, are as follows:
Jacob counted his household upon entering Egypt; Moses counted Israel upon the exodus from
Egypt; after the worship of the Golden Calf; at the arrangement into camp divisions; and
at the distribution of the promised land. Saul twice instituted a census of the people,
the first time when he set out against Nahash, the Ammonite, and the second time when he
set out in war upon Amalek. It is significant of the enormous turn in the prosperity of
the Jews during Saul's reign, that at the first census every man put down a pebble, so
that the pebbles might be counted, but at the second census the people were so prosperous
that instead of putting down a pebble, every man brought a lamb. There was a census in the
reign of David, which, however, not having been ordered by God, had unfortunate
consequences both for the king and for the people. Ezra instituted the last census when
the people returned from Babylon to the Holy Land. Apart from these nine censuses, God
will Himself count His people in the future time when their number will be so great that
no mortal will be able to count them. [314]
There was an offering to the sanctuary connected with the second census in Moses' time,
when every one above twenty years of age had to offer up half a shekel. For God said to
Moses: "They indeed deserve death for having made the Golden Calf, but let each one
offer up to the Eternal atonement money for his soul, and in this way redeem himself from
capital punishment." When the people heard this, they grieved greatly, for they
thought: "In vain did we exert ourselves in taking booty from the Egyptians, if we
are not to yield up our hard-earned possessions as atonement money. The law prescribes
that a man pay fifty shekels of silver for dishonoring a woman, and we who have dishonored
the word of God, should have to pay at least an equal amount. The law furthermore decrees
that if an ox kill a servant, his owner shall pay thirty shekels of silver, hence every
Israelite should have to discharge such a sum, for 'we changed our glory into the
similitude of an ox that eateth grass.' But these two fines would not suffice, for we
slandered God, He who brought us out of Egypt, by calling out to the Calf, 'This is thy
God, that brought thee up out of Egypt,' and slander is punishable by law with one hundred
shekels of silver." God who knew their thoughts, said to Moses: "Ask them why
they are afraid. I do not ask of them to pay as high a fine as he who dishonors or seduces
a woman, nor the penalty of a slanderer, nor that of the owner of a goring ox, all that I
ask of them is this," and hereupon he showed Moses at the fire a small coin that
represented the value of half a shekel. This coin each one of those who had passed through
the Red Sea was to give as an offering.
There were several reasons why God asked particularly for the value of half a shekel as a
penalty. As they committed their sin, the worship of the Golden Calf, in the middle, that
is the half of the day, so they were to pay half of a shekel; and, furthermore, as they
committed their sin in the sixth hour of the day, so were they to pay half a shekel, which
is six grains of silver. This half shekel, furthermore, contains ten gerahs, and is hence
the corresponding fine for those who trespassed the Ten Commandments. The half shekel was
also to be an atonement for the sin committed by the ten sons of Jacob, who sold their
brother Joseph as a slave, for whom each had received half a shekel as his share. [315]
THE ERECTION OF THE TABERNACLE
COMMANDED
When, on that memorable Day of Atonement, God indicated His forgiveness to Israel with the
words, "I have forgiven them according as I have spoken," Moses said: "I
now feel convinced that Thou hast forgiven Israel, but I wish Thou wouldst show the
nations also that Thou are reconciled with Israel." For these were saying: "How
can a nation that heard God's word on Sinai, 'Thou shalt have no other gods before Me,'
and that forty days later called out to the Calf, 'This is thy god, O Israel,' expect that
God would ever be reconciled to them?" God therefore said to Moses: "As truly as
thou livest, I will let My Shekinah dwell among them, so that all my know that I have
forgiven Israel. My sanctuary in their midst will be a testimony of My forgiveness of
their sins, and hence it may well be called a 'Tabernacle of Testimony.'" [316]
The erection of a sanctuary among Israel was begun in answer to a direct appeal from the
people, who said to God: "O Lord of the world! The kings of the nations have palaces
in which are set a table, candlesticks, and other royal insignia, that their king may be
recognized as such. Shalt not Thou, too, our King, Redeemer, and Helper, employ royal
insignia, that all the dwellers of the earth may recognize that Thou are their King?"
God replied: "My children, the kings of the flesh and blood need all these things,
but I do not, for I need neither food nor drink; nor is light necessary to Me, as can well
be seen by this, that My servants, the sun and the moon, illuminate all the world with the
light they receive from Me; hence ye need do none of these things for Me, for without
these signs of honor will I let all good things fall to your lot in recognition of the
merits of your fathers." But Israel answered: "O Lord of the world! We do not
want to depend on our fathers. 'Doubtless Thou are our Father, though Abraham be ignorant
of us, and Israel acknowledge us not." God hereupon said: "If you now insist
upon carrying out your wish, do so, but do it in the way I command you. It is customary in
the world that whosoever had a little son, cares for him, anoints him, washes him, feeds
him, and carries him, but as soon as the son is come of age, he provides for his father a
beautiful dwelling, a table, and a candlestick. So long as you were young, did I provide
for you, washed you, fed you with bread and meat, gave you water to drink, and bore you on
eagles' wings; but now that you are come of age, I wish you to build a house for Me, set
therein a table and a candlestick, and make an altar of incense within it." [317] God
then gave them detailed instruction for furnishing the Tabernacle, saying to Moses;
"Tell Israel that I order them to build Me a tabernacle not because I lack a
dwelling, for, even before the world had been created, I had erected My temple in the
heavens; but only as a token of My affection for you will I leave My heavenly temple and
dwell among you, 'they shall make Me a sanctuary, that I may dwell among them.'"
At these last words Moses seized by a great fear, such as had taken possession of him only
on two other occasions. Once, when God said to him, "Let each give a ransom for his
soul," when, much alarmed, he said: "If a man were to give all that he hath for
his soul, it would not suffice." God quieted him with the words, "I do not ask
what is due Me, but only what they can fulfil, half a shekel will suffice." Then
again, fear stirred Moses when God said to him: "Speak to Israel concerning My
offering, and My bread for My sacrifices made by fire," and he said trembling,
"Who can bring sufficient offerings to Thee? 'Lebanon is not sufficient to burn, nor
the beast thereof sufficient for a burnt offering.'" Then again God quieted him with
the words, "I demand not according to what is due Me, but only that which they can
fulfil, one sheep as a morning sacrifice, and one sheep as an evening sacrifice." The
third time, God was in the midst of giving Moses instructions concerning the building of
the sanctuary, when Moses exclaimed in fear: "Behold, the heaven and heaven of
heavens cannot contain Thee, how much less this sanctuary that we are to build Thee?"
And this time also God quieted him with the words, "I do not ask what is due Me, but
only that which they can fulfil; twenty boards to the north, as many to the south, eight
in the west, and I shall then so draw My Shekinah together that it may find room under
them." [318] God was indeed anxious to have a sanctuary erected to Him, it was the
condition on which He led them out of Egypt, [319] yea, in a certain sense the existence
of all the world depended on the construction of the sanctuary, for when the sanctuary had
been erected, the world stood firmly founded, whereas until then it had always been
swaying hither and thither. [320] Hence the Tabernacle in its separate parts also
corresponded to the heaven and the earth, that had been created on the first day. As the
firmament had been created on the second day to divide the waters which were under the
firmament from the waters which were above, so there was a curtain in the Tabernacle to
divide between the holy and the most holy. As God created the great sea on the third say,
so did He appoint the laver in the sanctuary to symbolize it, and as He had on that day
destined the plant kingdom as nourishment for man, so did He now require a table with
bread in the Tabernacle. The candlestick in the Tabernacle corresponded to the two
luminous bodies, the sun and the moon, created on the fourth day; and the seven branches
of the candlestick corresponded to the seven planets, the Sun, Venus, Mercury, the Moon,
Saturn, Jupiter, and Mars. Corresponding to the birds created on the fifth day, the
Tabernacle contained the Cherubim, that had wings like birds. On the sixth, the last day
of creation, man had been created in the image of God to glorify his Creator, and likewise
was the high priest anointed to minister in the Tabernacle before the Lord and Creator.
[321]
THE MATERIALS FOR THE
CONSTRUCTION OF THE TABERNACLE
When, on the Day of Atonement, God said to Moses, "Let them make Me a sanctuary, that
I may dwell among them," that the nations of the world might see that He has forgiven
Israel their sin, the worship of the Golden Calf, it was gold He bade them bring for the
adornment of the sanctuary. God said: "The gold of the Tabernacle shall serve as an
expiation for the gold they employed in the construction of the Golden Calf. Besides gold,
let them bring Me twelve other materials for the construction of the Tabernacle: 'silver,
brass, and blue, and purple, and scarlet, fine linen, and goats' hair, and rams' skins
dyed red, and badgers' skins, and shittim wood, oil for the light, spices for
anointing-oil, and for sweet incense, onyx stones and stones to be set in the ephod and in
the breastplate.'" To these instructions, God added these words: "But do not
suppose that you are giving Me these thirteen objects as gifts, for thirteen deed did I
perform for you in Egypt, which these thirteen objects now repay. For 'I clothed you with
broidered work, and shod you with badgers' skins, and girded you about with fine linen,
and I covered you with silk. I decked you also with ornaments, and I put bracelets upon
your arms, and chains about your necks. And I put jewels on your foreheads, and earrings
in your ears, and a beautiful crown upon your heads.' But in the future world, in return
for these thirteen offerings to the Tabernacle, you shall receive thirteen gifts from Me,
when 'I shall create upon every dwelling place of Mount Zion, and upon her assemblies, a
cloud and smoke by day, and the shining of a flaming fire by night, for upon all the glory
shall be a defence. And there shall be a tabernacle for a shadow in the daytime from the
heat, and for a place of refuge, and for a covert, from storms and from rain.'" God
continued: "Give your contributions to the sanctuary with a willing heart. Do not
think that you need give anything out of your pockets, for all you have belongs to Me,
through whom you received it in you passage through the Red Sea, when you took their
wealth from the Egyptians. [322] I demand nothing from the other nations, but from you I
do so, because it was I that led you out of Egypt. But you shall erect a sanctuary to Me
not in this world only, but in the future world also. At first the Torah dwelt with Me,
but now that it is in your possession, you must let Me dwell among you with the
Torah."
Through the various objects God bade them dedicate to the sanctuary, the course of their
history was indicated. The gold signified their yoke under Babylon, "the head of
golds;" the silver pointed toward the sovereignty of Persia and Media, who through
silver tried to bring about the destruction of Israel; brass stood for the Greek Empire,
that like this metal is of inferior quality, its rule also was less significant than that
of its predecessors in the sovereignty over the world; the ram's skins dyed red indicate
the sovereignty of "red Rome." God now said to Israel: "Although you now
behold the four nations that will hold sway over you, still shall I send you help out of
your bondage, 'oil for the light,' the Messiah, who will enlighten the eyes of Israel, and
who will make use of 'spices for anointing-oil,' for he will anoint the high priest, that
once again 'I may accept you with your sweet savour.'" [323]
When Moses was in heaven, God showed him the Tabernacle, as well as models for all the
holy vessels therein, hence Moses naturally supposed that he was destined to be the
builder of the Tabernacle. But he was mistaken, for when he was about to leave heaven, God
said to Moses: "Thee have I appointed king, and it does not behoove a king to execute
works in person, but to give people directions. Therefore thou are not to execute the
building of the Tabernacle in person, but thou art to give them thy directions to be
executed." Moses now asked God whom he should select as the man to carry out his
orders, whereupon God fetched out the book of Adam and laid it before Moses. In this book
he found recorded all the generations, from the creation of the world to the resurrection
of the dead, and the kings, leaders, and prophets set down beside every generation. Then
God said to Moses: "In that hour did I decree every man's calling, and Bezalel was
then appointed to his task." [324]
BEZALEL
Bezalel was, first of all, of a noble line. His father Hur was a son of Caleb from his
union with Miriam, Moses' sister, that Hur who gave his life to restrain Israel from the
worship of the Golden Calf. As a reward for his martyrdom, his son Bezalel was to build
the Tabernacle, and one of his later descendants, King Solomon, was to build the Temple at
Jerusalem. Bezalel was not only of a distinguished family, he was himself a man of
distinction, possessed of wisdom, insight, and understanding. By means of these three God
created the world; Bezalel erected the Tabernacle. Through their aid was the Temple
complete, and even in the future world will it be wisdom, insight, and understanding,
these three that God will employ to set up the new Temple. Bezalel, furthermore, had
wisdom in the Torah, insight into the Halakah, and understanding in the Talmud, [325] but
more than this, he was well versed in secret lore, knowing as he did the combination of
letters by means of which God created heaven and earth. The name Bezalel, "in the
shadow of God," was most appropriate for this man whose wisdom made clear to him what
none could know save one who dwelt "in the shadow of God."
Moses had an instant opportunity of testing the wisdom of this builder appointed by God.
God had bidden Moses first to erect the Tabernacle, then the Holy Ark, and lastly to
prepare the furnishings of the Tabernacle; but Moses, to put Bezalel's wisdom to the test,
ordered him to construct first the Holy Ark, then the furnishings of the Tabernacle, and
only then the sanctuary. Hereupon wise Bezalel said to Moses: "O our teacher Moses,
it is the way of man first to build his house, and only then to provide its furnishings.
Thou biddest me first provide furnishings and then build a sanctuary. What shall I do with
the furnishings when there is no sanctuary ready to receive them?" Moses, delighted
with Bezalel's wisdom, replied: "Now truly, the command was given just as thou
sayest. Wert thou, perchance, 'in the shadow of God,' that thou knewest it?"
Although God knew that Bezalel was the right man for the erection of the Tabernacle, still
He asked Moses, "Dost thou consider Bezalel suited to this task?" Moses replied:
"O Lord of the world! If Thou considerest him suitable, then surely do I!" But
God said: "Go, nevertheless, and ask Israel if they approve My choice of
Bezalel." Moses did as he was bidden, and the people assented in these words:
"If Bezalel is judged good enough by God and by thee, assuredly he is approved by
us." [326] As the builder of the Tabernacle, God gave Bezalel five other names to
bear. He called him Reaiah, "to behold," for Bezalel was beheld by God, by
Moses, and by Israel, as the one who had been decreed for his activity since the beginning
of the world. He called him "the son of Shobal," because he had erected the
Tabernacle that towered high, like a dove-cote. He called him Jahath, "the
Trembler," because he made the sanctuary, the seat of the fear of God. He called him
Ahamai, because, through his work, the sanctuary, Israel, and God were united; and finally
Lahad, as the one who brought splendor and loftiness it Israel, for the sanctuary is the
pride and splendor of Israel.
At the side of Bezalel, the noble Judean, worked Oholiab, of the insignificant tribe of
Dan, to show that "before God, the great and the lowly are equal." And as the
Tabernacle rose, thanks to the combined efforts of a Judean and a Danite, so too did the
Temple of Jerusalem, which was built at the command of the Judean Solomon by the Danite
Hiram. [327] As the head-workers of the Tabernacle were filled with the holy spirit of God
in order to accomplish their task aright, so too were all who aided in its construction,
yes, even the beasts that were employed on this occasion possessed wisdom, insight, and
understanding. [328]
THE ARK WITH THE CHERUBIM
The very first thing that Bezalel constructed was the Ark of the Covenant, contrary to
Moses' order, first to erect the Tabernacle and then to supply its separate furnishings.
He succeeded in convincing Moses that it was the proper thing to begin with the Ark,
saying: "What is the purpose of this Tabernacle?" Moses: "That God may let
His Shekinah rest therein, and so teach the Torah to His people Israel." Bezalel:
"And where dost thou keep the Torah?" Moses: "As soon as the Tabernacle
shall have been complete, we shall make the Ark for keeping the Torah." Bezalel:
"O our teacher Moses, it does not become the dignity of the Torah that in the
meanwhile it should lie around like this, let us rather first make the Ark, put the Torah
into it, and then continue with the erection of the Tabernacle, for the Tabernacle exists
only for the sake of the Torah." Moses saw the justice of this argument, and Bezalel
began his work with the construction of the Ark. In this he followed the example of God,
who created light before all the rest of the creation. So Bezalel first constructed the
Ark that contains the Torah, the light that illuminates this world and the other world;
and only then followed the rest. [329]
The Ark consisted of three caskets, a gold one, the length of then spans and a fractional
part; within this a wooden one, nine spans long, and within this wooden one, one of gold,
eight spans long, so that within and without the wooden was overlaid with the golden
caskets. The Ark contained the two tables of the Ten Commandments as well as the Ineffable
Name, and all His other epithets. The Ark was an image of the celestial Throne, and was
therefore the most essential part of the Tabernacle, so that even during the march it was
spread over with a cloth wholly of blue, because this color is similar to the color of the
celestial Throne. It was through the Ark, also, that all the miracles on the way through
the desert had been wrought. Two sparks issued from the Cherubim that shaded the Ark, and
these killed all the serpents and scorpions that crossed the path of the Israelites, and
furthermore burned all thorns that threatened to injure the wanderers on their march
through the desert. The smoke rising from these scorched thorns, moreover, rose straight
as a column, and shed a fragrance that perfumed all the world, so that the nations
exclaimed: "Who is this that cometh out of the wilderness like pillars of smoke,
perfumed with myrrh and frankincense, with all powders of the merchant?" [330]
Apart from this Ark, which was kept in the Tabernacle, they had another ark, in which were
contained the tables broken by Moses, which they carried with them whenever they went to
war. [331] The Ark that Bezalel constructed was also used again in Solomon's Temple, for
he retained the Ark used by Moses in the Tabernacle, even though all the other furnishings
of the Temple were fashioned anew. It remained there up to the time of the destruction of
the Temple by Nebuchadnezzar, when it was concealed under the pavement of the wood-house,
that it might not fall into the hands of the enemy. This place remained a secret for all
time. Once a priest, noticing about the wood-house that something lay hidden under it,
called out to his colleagues, but was suddenly stricken dead before divulging the secret.
[332]
On the Ark were the Cherubim with their faces of boys and their wings. Their number was
two, corresponding to the two tables, and to the two sacred names of God, Adonai and
Elohim, which characterized Him as benevolent and as powerful. The face of each Cherub
measured one span, and the wings extended each ten spans, making twenty-two spans in all,
corresponding to the twenty-two letters of the Hebrew alphabet. [333] It was "from
between the two Cherubim" that God communed with Moses, for the Shekinah never wholly
descended to earth any more than any mortal ever quite mounted into the heaven, even Moses
and Elijah stood a slight distance from heaven; for, "The heaven, even the heavens,
are the Lord's: but the earth hath He given to the children of men." Therefore God
chose the Cherubim that were ten spans above the earth as the place where the Shekinah
betook itself to commune with Moses. [334] The heads of the Cherubim were slightly turned
back, like that of a scholar bidding his master farewell; but as a token of God's delight
in His people Israel, the faces of the Cherubim, by a miracle, "looked one to
another" whenever Israel were devoted to their Lord, yea, even clasped one another
like a loving couple. During the festivals of the pilgrimage the priest used to raise the
curtain from the Holy of Holies to show the pilgrims how much their God loved them as they
could see in the embrace of the two Cherubim. [335]
A two-fold miracle came to pass when the Cherubim were brought into the Temple by Solomon:
the two staves that were attached to the Ark extended until they touched the curtain, so
that two protuberances like a woman's breasts became visible at the back of it, and the
wings of the Cherubim furthermore extended until they reached the ceiling of the Holy of
Holies. [336]
THE TABLE AND THE CANDLESTICK
While the number of Cherubim was the same in the Temple as in the Tabernacle, Solomon had,
on the other hand, ten tables set up in the Temple in place of the one fashioned by Moses.
This was because the one table sufficed to bring sustenance to Israel so long as they were
maintained by manna in the desert; but as the demand for food was greater after they
settled in the promised land, Solomon had ten tables set up. But in the Temple also did
the table of Moses retain its ancient significance, for only upon it was the shewbread
placed, and it stood in the center, whereas the tables fashioned by Solomon stood five to
the south and five to the north. For from the south come "the dews of blessing and
the rains of plenty," while all evil comes from the north; hence Solomon said:
"The tables on the south side shall cause the rains of plenty and the dews of
blessing to come upon the earth, while the tables on the north side shall keep off all
evil from Israel." [337]
Moses had great difficulty with the construction of the candlestick, for although God had
given him instructions about it, he completely forgot these when he descended from heaven.
He hereupon betook himself to God once more to be shown, but in vain, for hardly had he
reached earth, when he again forgot. When he betook himself to God the third time, God
took a candlestick of fire and plainly showed him every single detail of it, that he might
now be able to reconstruct the candlestick for the Tabernacle. When he found it still hard
to form a clear conception of the nature of the candlestick, God quieted him with these
words" "Go to Bezalel, he will do it aright." And indeed, Bezalel had no
difficulty in doing so, and instantly executed Moses' commission. Moses cried in
amazement: "God showed me repeatedly how to make the candlestick, yet I could not
properly seize the idea; but thou, without having had it shown thee by God, couldst
fashion it out of thy own fund of knowledge. Truly dost thou deserve thy name Bezalel, 'in
the shadow of God,' for thou dost act as if thou hadst been 'in the shadow of God' while
He was showing me the candlestick." [338]
The candlestick was later set up in the Temple of Solomon, and although he set up ten
other candlesticks, still this one was the first to be lighted. Solomon chose the number
ten because it corresponds to the number of Words revealed on Sinai; and each of these
candlesticks had seven lamps, seventy in all, to correspond to the seventy nations. For
while these lamps burned the power of these nations was held in check, but on the day on
which these lamps are extinguished the power of the nations is increased. [339] The
candlestick stood toward the south, and the table to the north of the sanctuary, the table
to indicate the delights of which the pious would partake in Paradise, which lies to the
north; the light of the candlestick to symbolize the light of the Shekinah, for in the
future world there will be but one delight, to gaze at the light of the Shekinah. [340] On
account of its sacredness the candlestick was one of the five sacred objects that God
concealed at the destruction of the Temple by Nebuchadnezzar, and that He will restore
when in His loving-kindness He will erect His house and Temple. These sacred objects are:
the Ark, the candlestick, the fire of the altar, the Holy Spirit of prophecy, and the
Cherubim. [341]
THE ALTAR
One of the most miraculous parts of the Tabernacle was the altar. For when God bade Moses
make an altar of shittim wood and overlay it with brass, Moses said to God: "O Lord
of the world! Thou badest me make the altar of wood and overlay it with brass, but Thou
didst also bid me have 'a fire kept burning upon the altar continually.' Will not the fire
destroy the overlay of brass, and then consume the wood of the altar?" God replied:
"Moses, thou judgest by the laws that apply to men, but will these also apply to Me?
Behold, the angels that are of burning flame. Beside them are My store-houses of snow and
My store-houses of hail. Doth the water quench their fire, or doth their fire consume the
water? Behold, also, the Hayyot that are of fire. Above their heads extends a terrible sea
of ice that no mortal can traverse in less than five hundred years. Yet doth the water
quench their fire, or doth their fire consume the water? For, 'I am the Lord who maketh
peace between these elements in My high places.' But thou, because I have bidden thee to
have 'a fire kept burning upon the altar continually,' art afraid that the wood might be
consumed by the fire. Dead things come before Me, and leave Me imbued with life, and thou
are afraid the wood of the altar might be consumed! Thine own experience should by now
have taught thee better; thou didst pierce the fiery chambers of heaven, thou didst enter
among the fiery hosts on high, yea, thou didst even approach Me, that 'am a consuming
fire.' Surely thou shouldst then have been consumed by fire, but thou wert unscathed
because thou didst go into the fire at My command; no more shall the brass overlay of the
altar be injured by fire, even though it be no thicker than a denarium."
In the words, "Dead things come before Me and leave Me imbued with life," God
alluded to the three following incidents. The rod of Aaron, after it had lain for a night
in the sanctuary, "brought forth buds, and bloomed blossoms, and even yielded
almonds." The cedars that Hiram, king of Tyre, sent to Solomon for the building of
the Temple, as soon as the incense of the sanctuary reached them, thrilled green anew, and
throughout centuries bore fruits, by means of which the young priests sustained
themselves. Not until Manasseh brought the idol into the Holy of Holies, did these cedars
wither and cease to bear fruit. The third incident to which God alludes was the stretching
of the staves of the Ark when Solomon set them in the Holy of Holies, and the staves,
after having been apart of the Ark for four hundred and eighty years, suddenly extended
until they touched the curtain.
Solomon erected a new altar for offerings, but knowing how dear to God was the altar
erected by Moses, the brazen altar, he at least retained the same name for his altar. But
in the following words it is evident how much God prized the altar erected by Moses, for
He said: "To reward Israel for having had 'a fire kept burning upon the altar
continually,' I shall punish 'the kingdom laden with crime' by fire 'that shall not be
quenched night or day; the smoke thereof shall go up forever.'" [342]
Beside the brazen altar there was also one of gold, which corresponded to the human soul,
while the former corresponded to the body; and as gold is more valuable than brass, so
also is the soul greater than the body. But both altars were used daily, as man must also
serve his Maker with both body and soul. On the brazen altar sacrifices were offered, as
the body of man, likewise, is nourished by food; but on the golden altar, spices and sweet
incense, for the soul takes delight in perfumes only. [343]
The materials employed for the constructions of the Tabernacle, the skins and the wood,
were not of the common order. God created the animal Tahash exclusively for the needs of
the Tabernacle, for it was so enormous that out of one skin could be made a curtain,
thirty cubits long. This species of animal disappeared as soon as the demands of the
Tabernacle for skins were satisfied. The cedars for the Tabernacle, also, were obtained in
no common way, for whence should they have gotten cedars in the desert? They owed these to
their ancestor Jacob. When he reached Egypt, he planted a cedar-grove and admonished his
sons to do the same, saying: "You will in the future be released from bondage in
Egypt, and God will then demand that you erect Him a sanctuary to thank Him for having
delivered you. Plant cedar trees, then, that when God will bid you build Him a sanctuary,
you may have in your possession the cedars required for its construction." His sons
acted in accordance with the bidding of their father, and upon leaving Egypt took along
the cedars for the anticipated erection of the sanctuary. Among these cedars was also that
wonderful cedar out of which was wrought "the middle bar in the midst of the boards,
that reached from end to end," and which Jacob took with him from Palestine when he
emigrated to Egypt, and then left to remain among his descendants. When the cedars were
selected for the construction of the Tabernacle, they intoned a song of praise to God for
this distinction.
But not all the twenty-four species of cedar might be used for the Tabernacle, nay, not
even the seven most excellent among them were found worthy, but only the species shittim
might be used. For God, who foresees all, knew that Israel would in the future commit a
great sin at Shittim, and therefore ordained that shittim wood be used for the Tabernacle
to serve as atonement for the sin committed at Shittim. Shittim furthermore signifies
"follies," hence Israel were to construct the place of penance for their folly
in adoring the Golden Calf, out of shittim wood, to atone for this "folly." And
finally, the letters of which the wood "Shittim" is composed, stand for Shalom,
"peace," Tobah, "good," Yesh'uah. "salvation," and Mehillah,
"forgiveness." [344] The boards that were made for the Tabernacle out of shittim
wood never decayed, but endure in all eternity. [345]
THE SYMBOLICAL SIGNIFICANCE OF THE
TABERNACLE
The separate parts of the Tabernacle had each a symbolical significance, for to all that
is above there is something corresponding below. There are stars above, but likewise
below, where "a star shall come out of Jacob;" God has His hosts above, and
likewise below, His people Israel, "the hosts of the Lord;" above there are
Ofannim, and on earth likewise there is an Ofan; above, God has Cherubim, and likewise
below in the sanctuary of Israel; God hath His dwelling above, but likewise below; and,
lastly, God hath stretched out the heavens above like a curtain, and below, in the
sanctuary, were curtains of goats' hair. [346]
The number of curtains, also, corresponds to those in heaven, for just as there are eleven
upper heavens, so also were there eleven curtains of goats' hair. [347] The size of the
Tabernacle was seventy cubits, corresponding to the seventy holy days celebrated annually
by the Jews, to wit: fifty-two Sabbaths, seven days of Passover, eight of Tabernacles, and
a day each for Pentecost, the Day of Atonement, and New Year's Day. The number of vessels
amounted to seventy also; as likewise God, Israel, and Jerusalem bear seventy names; and
as, correspondingly, in the time between the building of the first and of the second
Temple, there were seventy consecutive Sanhedrin. [348]
Like the Tabernacle, so the altar, too had its symbolical significance. Its length and its
breadth were five cubits each, corresponding respectively to the five Commandments on the
two tables of the law. Its height was three cubits, corresponding to the three deliverers
God sent to deliver Israel from Egypt, - Moses, Aaron, and Miriam. It had four horns in
the corners thereof, to atone for the sins of the people that on Sinai receive four horns,
"the horn of the Torah," "the horn of the Shekinah," "the horn of
Priesthood," and "the horn of the Kingdom." [349]
In the Tabernacle, as later in the Temple, gold, silver, and brass were employed, but not
iron. God meant to indicate by the exclusion of iron that "in the future time,"
"the golden Babylon, the silver Media, and the brazen Greece," would be
permitted to bestow the gifts on the new Temple, but not "the iron Rome." It is
true that Babylon also destroyed the sanctuary of God, like Rome, but not with such fury
and such thorough-going wrath as Rome, whose sons cried: "Raze it, raze it, even to
the foundations thereof," and for this reason Rome may not contribute to the
Messianic Temple. And as God will reject the gifts of Rome, so also will the Messiah, to
whom all the nations of the earth will have to offer gifts. Egypt will come with her
gifts, and although the Messiah will at first refuse to accept anything from the former
taskmaster of Israel, God will say to him: "The Egyptians granted My children an
abode in their land, do not repulse them." Then the Messiah will accept their gift.
After Egypt will follow her neighbor, Ethiopia, with her gifts, thinking that if the
Messiah accepted gifts from the former taskmaster of Israel, he will also accept gifts
from her. Then the Messiah will also accept Ethiopia's gifts. After these two kingdoms
will follow all others with their gifts, and all will be accepted save those from Rome.
This kingdom will be sorely disappointed, for, depending upon their kinship with Israel,
they will expect kind treatment from the Messiah, who had graciously received the other
nations not connected with Israel. But God will call out to the Messiah: "Roar at
this monster that devours the fat of nations, that justifies its claims for recognition
through being a descendant of Abraham by his grandson Esau, the nation that forgives all
for the sake of money, that kept Israel back from the study of the Torah, and tempted them
to deeps that are in accord with the wishes of Satan." [350]
THE PRIESTLY ROBES
Simultaneously with the construction of the Tabernacle and its vessels, were fashioned the
priestly robes for Aaron and his sons. It was at this time that God made known Aaron's
appointment to the office of high priest, saying: "Go and appoint a high
priest." Moses: "Out of which tribe?" God: "Of the tribe of
Levi." Moses was most happy upon hearing that the high priest was to be chosen out of
his tribe, and his joy was increased when God added: "Appoint thy brother Aaron as
high priest." This choice of Aaron was, of course, also a disappointment to Moses,
who had hoped God would appoint him as His high priest, but God had designed this dignity
for Aaron to reward him for his pious deeds when Israel worshipped the Golden Calf. For
when Moses returned from Sinai and saw the Calf fashioned by Aaron, he thought his brother
was no better than the rest of the people, and had, like them, devoted himself to
idolatry. But God knew that Aaron's participation in the construction of the Calf was
merely due to the pious motive of delaying the people until Moses should return, hence He
even then said to Aaron: "I am fully aware of they motive, and, as truly as thou
livest, I shall appoint thee as warden over the sacrifices that My children offer
Me." In consideration of Moses' feelings, God gave into his hands the appointment of
Aaron, saying to him: "I might have installed thy brother as high priest without
having informed thee of it, but I relinquish his appointment to thee, that thou mayest
have an opportunity of showing the people thy humility, in that thou dost not seek this
high office for thyself." [351] At God's bidding, Aaron and his two sons were now
chosen as priest, and, moreover, not for a limited period, but Aaron and his house were
invested with the priesthood for all eternity. As soon as these were installed as priests,
Moses set to work to instruct them thoroughly in the priestly laws. [352]
God ordered the following eight garments as Aaron's garb: coat, breeches, mitre, girdle,
breastplate, ephod, robe, and golden plate; but his sons needed only the first four
garments. All these garments had expiatory virtues, and each expiated a definite sin. The
coat atoned for murder, the breeches for unchastity, the mitre for pride, the girdle for
theft, the breastplate for partial verdicts, the ephod for idolatry, the bells on the robe
for slander, and the golden plate for effrontery. [353]
The breastplate and the ephod were set with precious stones, which were the gifts of the
noble to the sanctuary, though, to be exact, they were in reality a gift from God. For
precious stones and pearls had rained down with the manna, which the noble among Israel
had gathered up and laid away until the Tabernacle was erected, when they offered them as
gifts. [354]
The ephod had only two precious stones, one on each shoulder, and on each of these stones
were engraved the names of the six tribes in the following order: Reuben, Levi, Issachar,
Naphtali, Gad, Jehoseph, on the right shoulder-piece; Simeon, Judah, Zebulun, Dan, Asher,
Benjamin, on the left shoulder. The name Joseph was spelled Jehoseph, a device by which
the two stones had exactly the same number of letters engraved upon them. [355] On the
breast plate were twelve precious stones, on which the names of the three Patriarchs
preceded those of the twelve tribes, and at the end were engraved the words, "All
these are the twelve tribes of Israel." [356]
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