AND I WILL SET MY TABERNACLE AMONG YOU. My tabernacle” (mishcani) means the Shekinah; the word can also be rendered “my pledge”, which was taken back for the sins of Israel. Once a man was very fond of a friend of his and said to him: I am so fond of you that I am going to stay with you. Said the other: How do I know that you will stay with me? So he took all his most precious belongings and brought them to him, saying: Here is a pledge to you that I shall never leave you.
So God sought to abide with Israel, and He therefore took his most desirable possession and sent it down to Israel, saying: Here is my pledge to you that I shall never leave you. And although the Holy One, blessed be He, has departed from us, He has left his pledge in our hands, and we keep that treasure of His, so that if He wants His pledge He must come and abide with us.
‘AND MY SOUL SHALL NOT ABHOR YOU. Suppose now the man is so fond of his friend that he wants to live with him, then he takes his bed to his house, saying: Here is my bed in thy house so that I shall have no need to leave thee. So the Holy One, blessed be He, said: Here is my bed in your house, and therefore you shall know that I shall not leave you.
AND I WILL WALK AMONG YOU AND BE YOUR GOD. Since my pledge is with you, of a surety you will know that I walk with you, as it is written, “For the Lord thy God walketh in the midst of thy camp to deliver thee and to give up thine enemies before thee” (Deut. 23, 14).’
Once, when R. Isaac and R. Judah were in a village near the Lake of Tiberias, they rose at midnight and R. Isaac said to R. Judah: ‘Let us discourse on the Torah, for though we are in such a place as this, we ought not to go away from the Tree of Life.’
(ויקרא כ״ו:י״א) וְנָתַתִּי מִשְׁכָּנִי בְּתוֹכְכֶם וְגוֹ'. וְנָתַתִּי מִשְׁכָּנִי, דָּא שְׁכִינְתָּא. מִשְׁכָּנִי: מַשְׁכּוֹנָא דִּילִי. דְּהִיא אִתְמַשְׁכְּנָא בְּחוֹבַיְיהוּ דְּיִשְׂרָאֵל. וְנָתַתִּי מִשְׁכָּנִי, מַשְׁכּוֹנִי וַדַּאי. מְתַל לְבַּר נָשׁ דְּהֲוָה רְחִימָא לְאָחֳרָא, אָמַר לֵיהּ ודַּאי בִּרְחִימוּתָא עִלָּאָה דְּאִית לִי גַּבָּךְ, בָּעֵינָא לְדַיְּירָא עִמָּךְ. אָמַר הֵיךְ אֶנְדַּע דְּתֵידוּר גַּבַּאי, נָטַל כָּל כִּסּוּפָא דְּבֵיתֵיהּ, וְאַיְיתֵי לְגַבֵּיהּ, אָמַר הָא מַשְׁכּוֹנָא לְגַבָּךְ, דְּלָא אִתְפְּרַשׁ מִנָךְ לְעָלְמִין.
AND I WILL SET MY TABERNACLE AMONG YOU. My tabernacle” (mishcani) means the Shekinah; the word can also be rendered “my pledge”, which was taken back for the sins of Israel. Once a man was very fond of a friend of his and said to him: I am so fond of you that I am going to stay with you. Said the other: How do I know that you will stay with me? So he took all his most precious belongings and brought them to him, saying: Here is a pledge to you that I shall never leave you.
כַּךְ קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא, בָּעָא לְדַיְּירָא בְּהוּ בְּיִשְׂרָאֵל, מָה עֲבַד, נָטַל כִּסּוּפָא דִּילֵיהּ, וְנָחִית לְהוּ לְיִשְׂרָאֵל. אָמַר לוֹן, יִשְׂרָאֵל, הָא מַשְׁכּוֹנָא דִּילִי גַּבַּיְיכוּ, בְּגִין דְּלָא אִתְפְּרַשׁ מִנַּיְיכוּ לְעָלְמִין. וְאַף עַל גַּב דְּקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא אִתְרְחִיק מִינָן, מַשְׁכּוֹנָא שָׁבִיק בִּידָן, וַאֲנָן נַטְרִין הַהוּא כִּסּוּפָא דִּילֵיהּ, מַאן דְּיִבְעֵי מַשְׁכּוֹנֵיהּ יֵיתֵי לְדַיְּירָא גַּבָּן בְּגִין כָּךְ וְנָתַתִּי מִשְׁכָּנִי בְּתוֹכְכֶם, מַשְׁכּוֹנָא אֶתֵּן בִּידַיְיכוּ, בְּגִין דְּאֵדּוּר עִמְּכוֹן. וְאַף עַל גַּב דְּיִשְׂרָאֵל הַשְׁתָּא בְּגָלוּתָא, מַשְׁכּוֹנָא דְּקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא, הוּא גַּבַּיְיהוּ, וְלָא שָׁבְקוּ לֵיהּ לְעָלְמִין.
So God sought to abide with Israel, and He therefore took his most desirable possession and sent it down to Israel, saying: Here is my pledge to you that I shall never leave you. And although the Holy One, blessed be He, has departed from us, He has left his pledge in our hands, and we keep that treasure of His, so that if He wants His pledge He must come and abide with us.
וְלֹא תִגְעַל נַפְשִׁי אֶתְכֶם, לְבַּר נָשׁ דְּרָחִים לְחַבְרֵיהּ, וּבָעָא לְדַיְּירָא עִמֵּיהּ, מַה עֲבַד, נָטַל עַרְסָא דִּילֵיהּ וְאַיְיתִי לְבֵיתֵיהּ. אָמַר דָּא עַרְסָא דִּילִי בְּבֵיתָיךְ, בְּגִין דְּלָא אַרְחִיק מִינָךְ, עַרְסָךְ, וּמָאנָךְ. כַּךְ קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא אָמַר, וְנָתַתִּי מִשְׁכָּנִי בְּתוֹכְכֶם וְלֹא תִגְעַל נַפְשִׁי אֶתְכֶם, הָא עַרְסָא דִּילִי בְּבֵיתַיְיכוּ, כֵּיוָן דְּעַרְסָא דִּילִי עִמְּכוֹן, תִּנְדְּעוּן דְּלָא אִתְפְּרַשׁ מִנַּיְיכוּ, וּבְגִין כָּךְ וְלֹא תִגְעַל נַפְשִׁי אֶתְכֶם.
‘AND MY SOUL SHALL NOT ABHOR YOU. Suppose now the man is so fond of his friend that he wants to live with him, then he takes his bed to his house, saying: Here is my bed in thy house so that I shall have no need to leave thee. So the Holy One, blessed be He, said: Here is my bed in your house, and therefore you shall know that I shall not leave you.
(ויקרא כ״ו:י״ב) וְהִתְהַלַּכְתִּי בְּתוֹכְכֶם וְהָיִיתִי לָכֶם לֵאלֹהִים, כֵּיוָן דְּמַשְׁכְּנָא דִּילִי גַּבַּיְיכוּ, בְּוַדַּאי תִּנְדְּעוּן דַּאֲנָא אָזִיל עִמְּכוֹן, כְּמָה דְאַתְּ אָמֵר (דברים כ״ג:ט״ו) כִּי יְיָ' אֱלֹהֶיךָ מִתְהַלֵּךְ בְּקֶרֶב מַחֲנֶיךָ לְהַצִּילְךָ וְלָתֵת אוֹיְבֶיךָ לְפָנֶיךָ וְהָיָה מַחֲנֶיךָ קָדוֹשׁ.
AND I WILL WALK AMONG YOU AND BE YOUR GOD. Since my pledge is with you, of a surety you will know that I walk with you, as it is written, “For the Lord thy God walketh in the midst of thy camp to deliver thee and to give up thine enemies before thee” (Deut. 23, 14).’
רִבִּי יִצְחָק וְרִבִּי יְהוּדָה, הֲווֹ שְׁכִיחֵי לֵילְיָא חַד בִּכְפַר קָרִיב לְיַמָּא דִּטְבֶרְיָא, קָמוּ בְּפַלְגוּת לֵילְיָא אָמַר רִבִּי יִצְחָק לְרִבִּי יְהוּדָה נֵימָא בְּמִלֵּי דְּאוֹרַיְיתָא דְּאַף עַל גַּב דַּאֲנָן בַּאֲתַר דָּא, לָא בָּעֵינָא לְאִתְפָּרְשָׁא מֵאִילָנָא דְּחַיֵּי.
Once, when R. Isaac and R. Judah were in a village near the Lake of Tiberias, they rose at midnight and R. Isaac said to R. Judah: ‘Let us discourse on the Torah, for though we are in such a place as this, we ought not to go away from the Tree of Life.’