The text starts with a seemingly simple phrase, “Et hamishkan” – "the Tabernacle.” But according to this Midrash, it's so much more than it seems. It proposes that the Tabernacle is equal to the rest of the world, "which is called a tent, just as the Tabernacle is called a tent.” It's a bold statement, so how does it back it up?
Well, it draws some fascinating parallels between the creation story in Genesis and the construction of the Tabernacle in Exodus. Think of it as a divine blueprint, echoed in both the grand cosmic design and the portable sanctuary of the Israelites.
Let's break it down. In Genesis 1:1, we read, “In the beginning, God created [the heavens and the earth].” And then, in Psalms 104:2, we find, “He spreads the heavens like a sheet.” Now, compare that to Exodus 26:7: “You shall make sheets of goats’ hair as a tent over the Tabernacle…” See the connection? Both the universe and the Tabernacle are described as a kind of tent, a dwelling place.
The parallels continue. On the second day of creation, God separated the waters with a firmament (Genesis 1:6). In the Tabernacle, "The curtain shall divide for you” (Exodus 26:33). On the third day, the waters were gathered together (Genesis 1:9), and in the Tabernacle, there was "a basin of bronze and its base of bronze for washing…” (Exodus 30:18). The lights in the heavens on the fourth day (Genesis 1:14) find their echo in the golden candelabrum of the Tabernacle (Exodus 25:31). The birds of the fifth day (Genesis 1:20) become the cherubs with outstretched wings atop the Ark of the Covenant (Exodus 25:20).
And what about humankind? On the sixth day, man was created. And in the Tabernacle, God instructs, “you, draw Aaron your brother near to you” (Exodus 28:1), establishing the priesthood.
Even the completion of creation on the seventh day (Genesis 2:1) mirrors the completion of the Tabernacle (Exodus 39:32). Creation concludes with God blessing His creation (Genesis 2:3), and similarly, "Moses blessed them" (Exodus 39:43) after the Tabernacle was built. God "completed [vaykhal]" creation on the seventh day (Genesis 2:2), and in the Tabernacle, "it was on the day that Moses concluded [kalot]." Finally, God "sanctified it" (Genesis 2:3), and so too, the Tabernacle is "sanctified" (Numbers 7:1).
It’s a powerful idea, isn't it? The Mishkan isn't just a structure; it's a representation of the entire cosmos, brought down to a human scale. It’s a reminder that the divine is present not only in the vastness of the universe, but also in the details of our lives, in the spaces we create for connection and holiness. What does it mean that the whole world is a Mishkan, and the Mishkan, the holy tabernacle, is a microcosm of the world? It means that we are all walking in sacred space, and our actions, our intentions, have cosmic significance. Pretty powerful, right?