The Tabernacle Rises by Itself and God Crowns His Beloved Israel

How many wise men were there, and they were unable to erect the Tabernacle! Solomon said, "Many daughters have done valiantly" (Proverbs 31:29). Why? They made the Tabernacle and did not know how to set it up. What did they do? Each one took his work and went to Moses and said: Here are the clasps, here are the boards, here are the bars. And the holy spirit rested upon Moses and he erected the Tabernacle. And do not say it was Moses; rather, the Tabernacle stood up of itself, as it is said, "the Tabernacle was raised up" (Exodus 40:17). And do not say only the Tabernacle; even the eternal House — had the Holy One, blessed be He, not decreed it, neither Solomon nor all Israel could have built it. From where? For so David said, "If the LORD does not build the house, in vain do its builders labor on it" (Psalms 127:1). Therefore the Tabernacle was raised through a miracle. When it was raised, all Israel began to rejoice, as it is said, "Go forth, daughters of Zion, and gaze upon King Solomon" (Song of Songs 3:11) — upon the King to whom peace belongs, this is the King of kings of kings, the Holy One, blessed be He. "Upon the crown with which his mother crowned him" (Song of Songs 3:11), and He calls the Tabernacle a crown; just as a crown is adorned, so was the Tabernacle adorned with blue and purple. "With which his mother crowned him" — Rabbi Yitzchak said: we searched all of Scripture and did not find that Bathsheba made a crown for her son Solomon, yet it says "upon the crown." Rabbi Shimon ben Yochai asked Rabbi Eliezer son of Rabbi Yose: Is it possible you heard from your father what "the crown with which his mother crowned him" means? He said to him: Thus said my father: A parable of a king who had an only daughter and loved her exceedingly. He did not cease showing her affection until he called her "my sister"; he did not cease until he called her "my mother"; he did not cease until he called her "my daughter." So the Holy One, blessed be He, showed affection to Israel and called them "daughter," as it is said, "Hear, O daughter, and see" (Psalms 45:11); he did not cease showing them affection until he called them "my sister," as it is said, "my sister, my beloved" (Song of Songs 5:2); he did not cease until he called them "my mother," as it is said, "Attend to Me, My people, and My nation" (Isaiah 51:4) — and it is written "My mother" [reading le'umi, My nation, as le'imi, My mother]. Rabbi Shimon ben Yochai arose and kissed him on his head and said: Had I come only to hear this thing, it would have been enough for me.