It wasn't just a one-day event. According to Sifrei Bamidbar, the book of Numbers, the seven days leading up to the dedication were a whirlwind of activity.

Imagine this: Every single morning for seven days, Moses would assemble the mishkan, anoint it with oil, and then… dismantle it again. Can you picture the scene? All that work, day after day! Then, on the eighth day, he finally set it up for good. Well, mostly. Rabbi Yossi b. R. Yehudah adds a twist: even on that eighth day, Moses still anointed it and dismantled it one last time.

So, when did all this take place? Exodus 40:17 tells us the mishkan was established on the first day of the first month – Nissan – in the second year after the Exodus. Sifrei Bamidbar then lays out a detailed timeline. The anointing of Aaron and his sons, along with all the vessels, began on the twenty-third of Adar (the month before Nissan). Then, on Rosh Chodesh Nissan, the new month, the mishkan was finally established. The very next day, the second of Nissan, the red heifer – the parah adumah – was burned. And on the third, its waters were sprinkled, as described in Numbers 8:7. It was a flurry of sacred action!

But the significance of that first day of Nissan? Huge! Sifrei Bamidbar emphasizes that it was "the first of all the days of the year." It was a day of firsts. That’s when the Shechinah – the Divine Presence – came to rest in the House. Remember the verse in Exodus 40:35? "And Moses could not enter the tent of meeting…" That was that day. And it was also the day the tribal leaders began bringing their offerings, as Numbers 7:12 says.

And then… fire. Fire came down from heaven and consumed the offerings on the altar, just as we read in Leviticus 9:24. A truly awe-inspiring moment! But alongside that incredible miracle came tragedy.

On that very same day, Nadav and Avihu, the sons of Aaron, offered "a strange fire" before the Lord – an esh zarah, as Leviticus 10:1 calls it – and they died. A devastating blow. The text tells us "their death was 'before the Lord' and their falling was outside." Where exactly did this happen? Rabbi Yossi believed an angel held them upright in death until they were outside the inner sanctum, where they then fell in the azarah – the court. That detail, he says, is supported by Leviticus 10:4 which refers to "before the sanctuary," not "before the Lord." Rabbi Yishmael, however, reads the verse differently. He believes they died and fell within the sanctuary, and were then dragged out with iron hooks. A grim image.

And what about the anointing itself? The text raises an interesting question: Were the vessels anointed individually? No, Sifrei Bamidbar clarifies. They weren’t consecrated until all of them had been anointed. And the anointing was thorough, both inside and out. But even here, opinions differ. Rabbi Yoshiyah thought that vessels for wet measures were anointed inside and out, while those for dry measures were only anointed inside. Rabbi Yonathan, however, argued that wet-measure vessels were anointed only inside, while dry-measure vessels weren't anointed at all! He bases this on Leviticus 23:17, which describes loaves baked as first fruits "to the Lord" after they are baked, implying they aren't anointed beforehand.

Finally, Rebbi asks a crucial question: Why repeat "and he anointed them and consecrated them"? Isn’t it already stated? The answer? This repetition teaches us that the anointing of these initial vessels consecrated all future vessels. They wouldn't need individual anointing.

So, what do we take away from this detailed account of the mishkan's dedication? It wasn't just a simple ceremony. It was a complex, multifaceted event, filled with joy, sorrow, and profound spiritual significance. It reminds us that even in moments of great celebration, tragedy can strike, and that meticulous detail and differing interpretations are all part of the rich tapestry of our tradition. And perhaps most importantly, it shows us the enduring power of dedication and the transformative potential of sacred space.