The Tabernacle was erected by Moses, he alone being allowed to raise it up, as only a husband may raise up his wife. With the erection of the lower Tabernacle there was erected another Tabernacle on high.
This is indicated in the words “the tabernacle was reared up (hukam)” (Ex. 40, 17), reared up, that is, by the hand of no man, but as out of the supernal undisclosed mystery in response to the mystical force indwelling in Moses that it might be perfected with him.
It is written above: “And all the wise men that wrought all the work of the sanctuary came”, etc. (Ibid. 36, 4). The “wise men that wrought” embrace the “right”, the “left”, and all the other sides constituting the ways and paths that lead into the sea and fill it. These wrought the supernal Tabernacle and perfected it.
Likewise, the lower Tabernacle was wrought by Bezalel and Oholiab, the one of the right, the other of the left, followed by “every wisehearted man”, all after the supernal pattern.
On the day the Tabernacle was reared up death was removed from the world, that is, it was deprived of its dominion over the world. For, indeed, the entire extinction of the evil impulse will not come to pass until the coming of King Messiah, when the Holy One, blessed be He, will rejoice in His works and “he will swallow up death for ever” (Isa. 25, 8). Yet when the Tabernacle was reared up by the hand of Moses the power of the evil impulse was subdued so that it could not exercise dominion. At that time the power of Samael, the wielder of the fury of the “left side”, was removed from the evil serpent, so that the latter was not able to dominate the world or attach himself to man and lead him astray.
R. Judah said: ‘It is written: “And Moses used to take the tent and pitch it without the camp” (Ex. 33, 7). The reason of this was that Moses did not wish that the “holy side” should rest in the midst of the side of defilement.’ Said R. Eleazar: ‘So long as the “holy side” rules, the side of defilement is powerless and bows before it. So we have learnt that so long as Jerusalem is in its fulness wicked, Tyre remains devastated.’1v. T. B. Pesahim 42b.
כְּתִיב (במדבר כ״ד:כ׳) רֵאשִׁית גּוֹיִם עֲמָלֵק וְאַחֲרִיתוֹ עֲדֵי אוֹבֵד. תָּא חֲזֵי, בְּיוֹמָא דְּאִתְקַם מַשְׁכְּנָא, דְּאָקִים לֵיהּ מֹשֶׁה, כְּמָה דְּאִתְּמַר, דִּכְתִּיב וַיָּקֶם מֹשֶׁה אֶת הַמִּשְׁכָּן, דְּלָא הֲוָה יָכִיל לְמֵיקָם, עַד דְּאוֹקִים לֵיהּ אִיהוּ. לְמַטְרוֹנִיתָא, דְּלֵית רְשׁוּ לְבַר נָשׁ אַחֲרָא לְמֵיקָם לָהּ אֶלָּא בַּעְלָהּ. אוּף הָכִי, כָּל אִינּוּן אוּמָנִין, כֻּלְּהוּ אָתֵי לְאַקָמָא מַשְׁכְּנָא, וְלָא יָכִיל לְמֵיקָם עַל יְדַיְיהוּ, עַד דְּאָתָא מֹשֶׁה, וְאוֹקִים לֵיהּ, בְּגִין דְּאִיהוּ (בראשית נ"א ע"ב) מָארִיהּ דְּבֵיתָא.
The Tabernacle was erected by Moses, he alone being allowed to raise it up, as only a husband may raise up his wife. With the erection of the lower Tabernacle there was erected another Tabernacle on high.
כֵּיוָן דְּאָקִים מֹשֶׁה יַת מַשְׁכְּנָא לְתַתָּא, אִתְּקַם מַשְׁכְּנָא אַחֲרָא לְעֵילָּא, כְּמָה דְּאוּקְמוּהָ, דִּכְתִּיב הוּקַם, וְלָא פָּרִישׁ עַל יְדָא דְּמַאן, (אלא) דְּלָא אִתְּקַם אֶלָּא מֵרָזָא דְּעָלְמָא עִלָּאָה, דְּאִיהוּ סָתִים וְגָנִיז, עַל יְדָא דְּרָזָא דְּמֹשֶׁה, בְּגִין לְאִתְתַּקְנָא בַּהֲדֵיהּ.
This is indicated in the words “the tabernacle was reared up (hukam)” (Ex. 40, 17), reared up, that is, by the hand of no man, but as out of the supernal undisclosed mystery in response to the mystical force indwelling in Moses that it might be perfected with him.
מַה כְּתִיב לְעֵילָּא, וַיָּבֹאוּ כָּל הַחֲכָמִים הָעוֹשִׂים אֵת כָּל מְלֶאכֶת הַקֹּדֶשׁ וְגוֹ', מַאן אִינּוּן חֲכָמִים הָעוֹשִׂים. אִלֵּין אִינּוּן יְמִינָא וּשְׂמָאלָא, וְכָל שְׁאַר סִטְרִין, דְּאִינּוּן אוֹרְחִין וּשְׁבִילִין לְאַעֲלָא גּוֹ יַמָּא, וּלְמַלְיָא לֵיהּ, וְאִינּוּן עַבְדוּ מַשְׁכְּנָא לְעֵילָּא, וְאַתְקִינוּ לֵיהּ.
It is written above: “And all the wise men that wrought all the work of the sanctuary came”, etc. (Ibid. 36, 4). The “wise men that wrought” embrace the “right”, the “left”, and all the other sides constituting the ways and paths that lead into the sea and fill it. These wrought the supernal Tabernacle and perfected it.
כְּגַוְונָא דָּא לְתַתָּא, וְעָשָׂה בְּצַלְאֵל וְאָהֳלִיאָב, דָּא בִּסְטָר יְמִינָא, וְדָא בִּסְטָר שְׂמָאלָא, (ר"כ ע"ב) בְּצַלְאֵל לִימִינָא, וְאָהֳלִיאָב לִשְׂמָאלָא, דָּא מִיהוּדָה, וְדָא מִדָּן, וּלְבָתַר וְכֹל אִישׁ חֲכַם לֵב, וַיָבֹאוּ כָּל הַחֲכָמִים הָעוֹשִׂים, וְהָא אוֹקִימְנָא, וְכֹלָּא כְּגַוְונָא דִּלְעֵילָּא.
Likewise, the lower Tabernacle was wrought by Bezalel and Oholiab, the one of the right, the other of the left, followed by “every wisehearted man”, all after the supernal pattern.
בְּהַהוּא יוֹמָא דְּאִתְּקַם מַשְׁכְּנָא, אִתְבָּטַל מוֹתָא מֵעָלְמָא. אִתְבָּטַל לָא תֵּימָא, אֶלָּא אִסְתַּלָּק מֵעָלְמָא, דְּלָא יָכִיל לְשַׁלְּטָאָה. כְּמָה דְּאוֹקִימְנָא. בְּגִין דְּלָא יִתְבְּטַל יֵצֶר הָרָע מֵעָלְמָא, עַד דְּיֵיתֵי מַלְכָּא מְשִׁיחָא, וְקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא יַחְדֵּי בְּעוֹבָדוֹי וּכְדֵין (ישעיהו כ״ה:ח׳) בִּלַּע הַמָּוֶת לָנֶצַח. כַּד אִתְּקַם מַשְׁכְּנָא עַל יְדֵי דְּמֹשֶׁה, כְּדֵין אִתְפְּרָשַׁת חֵילָא דְּיֵצֶר הָרָע, וְאִתְכַּפְיָא, וְלָא הֲוָה יָכִיל לְשַׁלְּטָאָה. בְּהַהִיא שַׁעֲתָא, אִתְפְּרַשׁ סָמָאֵ"ל, תַּקִּיפָא רוּגְזָא דִּשְׂמָאלָא, מֵעַל תּוּקְפָּא דְּחִוְיָא בִּישָׁא, וְלָא יָכִיל לְשַׁלְטָא עַל עָלְמָא, וְלָא יָכִיל לְאִתְחַבְּרָא בֵּיהּ בְּבַר נָשׁ, וּלְמִסְטֵי לֵיהּ.
On the day the Tabernacle was reared up death was removed from the world, that is, it was deprived of its dominion over the world. For, indeed, the entire extinction of the evil impulse will not come to pass until the coming of King Messiah, when the Holy One, blessed be He, will rejoice in His works and “he will swallow up death for ever” (Isa. 25, 8). Yet when the Tabernacle was reared up by the hand of Moses the power of the evil impulse was subdued so that it could not exercise dominion. At that time the power of Samael, the wielder of the fury of the “left side”, was removed from the evil serpent, so that the latter was not able to dominate the world or attach himself to man and lead him astray.
רִבִּי יְהוּדָה אָמַר, כַּד עָבְדוּ יִשְׂרָאֵל יַת עֶגְלָא, מַה כְּתִיב (שמות ל״ג:ז׳) וּמֹשֶׁה (בראשית נ"ב ע"ב) יִקַּח אֶת הָאֹהֶל וְנָטָה לוֹ מִחוּץ לַמַּחֲנֶה. מַאי טַעֲמָא. בְּגִין דְּחָמָא יֵצֶר הָרָע דְּהֲוָה אָזִיל בֵּינַיְיהוּ. אָמַר מֹשֶׁה, סִטְרָא דִּקְדוּשָּׁה לָא תִּשְׁרֵי בְּגוֹ סִטְרָא דִּמְסָאֲבָא. רִבִּי אֶלְעָזָר אָמַר, כָּל זִמְנָא דְּסִטְרָא דִּקְדוּשָּׁה שַׁלְטָא, סִטְרָא מְסַאֲבָא לָא יָכִיל לְשַׁלְּטָאָה, וְאִתְכַּפְיָא קַמֵּיהּ. וְעַל דָּא תָּנֵינָן, כָּל זִמְנָא דִּיְרוּשָׁלַם תִּהְיֶה מְלֵאָה, צוּר חַיָּיבָא יְהֵא חֲרֵבָה.
R. Judah said: ‘It is written: “And Moses used to take the tent and pitch it without the camp” (Ex. 33, 7). The reason of this was that Moses did not wish that the “holy side” should rest in the midst of the side of defilement.’ Said R. Eleazar: ‘So long as the “holy side” rules, the side of defilement is powerless and bows before it. So we have learnt that so long as Jerusalem is in its fulness wicked, Tyre remains devastated.’1v. T. B. Pesahim 42b.