It’s not always just for emphasis. Sometimes, there’s a deeper, almost heartbreaking reason.

Take the word mishkan, "Tabernacle," in the Book of Exodus. We find it stated twice in the same verse: “These are the reckonings of the Tabernacle, the Tabernacle of the Testimony” (Exodus 38:21). Why the repetition?

Rabbi Shmuel bar Marta offers a powerful interpretation in Shemot Rabbah: it was "twice taken as collateral" (nitmashken) on our account. Now, what does that mean?

Think of it this way: the Tabernacle, and later the two Temples in Jerusalem, were, in a sense, stand-ins for us. They were precious, sacred places, but ultimately, they were things. And tragically, both Temples were destroyed because of our sins. Instead of us being destroyed, the Temples bore the brunt. They were, in a way, taken as a guarantee—collateral—for our misdeeds.

It’s like someone who can't pay a debt, and instead of taking everything from that person, the lender takes something of value that represents the debt. The lender forecloses on an asset.

This idea echoes in the words of the Great Assembly, as recorded in Nehemiah 1:7: “We have done injury to You, and have not observed the commandments, the statutes, and the ordinances.” The phrase "we have done injury" (ḥavol ḥavalnu) is key here. The word ḥavol, Rabbi Shmuel bar Marta points out, means "collateral." As it says in Deuteronomy 24:6, “One shall not take as collateral [lo yaḥavol] the lower millstone or the upper millstone.” It's a reference to taking something essential for survival.

So, the double mention of “Tabernacle” hints at a profound exchange. According to this midrash, these sacred spaces absorbed consequences that could have befallen us. The mishkan, and later the Temples, were a safety net, a buffer against the full weight of our actions. What a thought! It's both humbling and, in a strange way, comforting. It makes you wonder: what are the "temples" in our lives today, the things that stand between us and the consequences of our choices? And how can we strive to be worthy of the sacrifices made on our behalf?