<b>And he made the boards for the tabernacle of acacia-wood (Exod. 36:20).</b> R. Tahlifa of Caesarea said: The Holy One, blessed be He, taught man correct behavior. If a man desired to build a house with the wood of a fruit-producing tree, one should say to him: Since the Holy One, blessed be He, to whom everything belongs, prohibited the use of the wood of a fruit-bearing tree in building the Tabernacle, how much more so are you prohibited from doing that.
What is suggested by the word <i>mishkan</i> (“Tabernacle”)? If Israel is worthy (of punishment), the Tabernacle would be seized as a pledge (<i>mashkon</i>) for them. Moses said: Master of the Universe, when there is neither a Tabernacle nor a Temple, what will serve as a pledge for them? He answered: I shall take the righteous from among them, and they will be their pledge. Hence it says: <i>And he that hath slain all that were pleasant to the eye</i> (Lam. 2:4). These are the righteous. Therefore it is written: <i>And he made the boards for the Tabernacle of acacia-wood</i> (Exod. 36:20).