Ever feel like you're working tirelessly on a project, pouring your heart and soul into it, only to find that something... is just not clicking? That's kind of what happened with the Mishkan, the Tabernacle, in the wilderness. It's a story filled with frustration, divine intervention, and a powerful lesson about humility.
According to Legends of the Jews, drawing from various Midrashic sources, the Israelites were so generous in their donations for the Tabernacle that they had more than enough materials. Can you imagine? So much gold, silver, and precious fabrics! Moses, in his wisdom, even erected a second, temporary Tabernacle outside the main camp. This "Tabernacle of Revelation," as it was called, mirrored the original in every detail. It was a place where, previously, God had been accustomed to reveal Himself to Moses.
But when the time came to inaugurate the actual Tabernacle, the one meant to house the Shekhinah – God's divine presence – a wave of disappointment washed over the people. The Shekhinah didn't descend. It didn't rest upon their magnificent creation. Panic started to set in.
They turned to the wise men, the skilled artisans who had labored on the Tabernacle. "Why are you just sitting there?" they demanded. "Set up the Tabernacle, so the Shekhinah can dwell among us!" The wise men tried, they really did. But every time they thought they had it, the whole thing would collapse.
Then came the turn of Bezalel, the master craftsman, and his assistant Oholiab. Surely, they could do it. But even these two, the very architects of the Tabernacle, couldn't get it to stand. The frustration reached a boiling point.
The people, defeated, began to grumble. "Look what the son of Amram has brought upon us!" they complained, referring to Moses. "We spent all our money, went through so much trouble, all because he told us God would come down from heaven and dwell among us under 'the hangings of goats' hair!' And it's all been for nothing!" As Ginzberg recounts in Legends of the Jews, this despair and finger-pointing really captures the very human side of this sacred story.
In desperation, they approached Moses. "Our teacher," they pleaded, "we've done everything you asked. We gave everything you requested. Look at the completed work! Tell us if we've missed something, or done something wrong!" Moses, after careful examination, had to admit that they had followed his instructions to the letter.
"But if that's the case," they cried, "why can't the Tabernacle stand? Bezalel and Oholiab failed! All the wise men failed!"
This, understandably, grieved Moses deeply. He couldn't understand it either. Why wouldn't this divinely ordained structure stand?
Then, God spoke to Moses. "You were sad that you had no share in the actual construction of the Tabernacle," God said, "that the people supplied the materials, and Bezalel, Oholiab, and the other wise men did all the work. That's why no one could set it up. I wanted all of Israel to see that it cannot stand if you do not set it up."
Moses, ever humble, protested. "Lord of the world! I don't know how to put it up!" But God reassured him: "Just get busy with it. As you work, it will rise of its own accord."
And so it happened. As Moses laid his hands on the Tabernacle, it miraculously stood erect. The grumbling ceased. The rumors that Moses had acted without divine command vanished. The people witnessed a miracle, a testament to the power of humility and the importance of recognizing that even the most elaborate creations require divine blessing to truly stand.
What a powerful image, right? Moses, the leader, the lawgiver, reduced to feeling inadequate, only to be shown that his role, his connection to the Divine, was essential. It's a reminder that sometimes, the most important thing we can offer is our willingness to serve, even when we feel like we don't know what we're doing. And that, perhaps, is when the real miracles happen.