Raising Up and Anointing the Tabernacle

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The Completion of the Tabernacle
TANAKH
The completion of the Tabernacle marked a significant moment in the Israelites' journey, symbolizing the establishment of a sacred space for divine presence and worship. The Torah describes how Moses completed the setup of the Tabernacle, including its anointing and consecration, making it fully functional for the first time.
On the day that Moses finished setting up the Tabernacle, he anointed and consecrated it and all its furnishings, as well as the altar and its utensils. When he had anointed and consecrated them,
Numbers 7:1
The Miraculous Anointing Oil
MIDRASH
The anointing oil Moses compounded in the desert was miraculously sufficient for all anointing purposes and remains intact for future generations. The Sifra, an ancient midrash on the book of Leviticus from the land of Israel, discusses the miraculous nature and enduring significance of this anointing oil.
9) (Vayikra 8:10): "And Moses took the oil of anointment and he anointed the mishkan and all that was in it, and he sanctified them.": R. Yehudah says: Many miracles were wrought with the anointing oil that Moses compounded in the desert — from beginning to end. For in the beginning there were only twelve logs of oil. A hin of olive-oil (viz. Shemoth 30:24) does not suffice for the anointment of the roots (of the incense). How much is burnt by the fire? How much is absorbed by the roots? How much is absorbed by the kettle (in its compounding)? And yet with it were anointed Aaron and his sons…
Sifra, Tzav, Mekhilta DeMiluim I 9
The Humility of Moses and the Tabernacle
CHASIDUT
Moses' unparalleled humility made him the only one capable of raising up and anointing the Tabernacle, symbolizing the attracting force necessary for drawing Godliness. In Likutei Moharan, Rebbe Nachman of Breslov explores the unique spiritual role of the tzaddik (righteous person) and the profound humility exemplified by Moses.
Therefore, no one can erect the Tabernacle but the tzaddik who is the aspect of dust. This is the aspect of Moshe, who was the most humble of all men. Thus it is written (Exodus 40:18), “Moshe erected the Tabernacle.” No one else could put it up it. For only that tzaddik who is the aspect of dust, the attracting force, could erect the Tabernacle, the aspect of the attracting force for drawing Godliness, as explained above.
Likutei Moharan 70:2:3
The Everlasting Anointing Oil
TALMUD
The anointing oil made by Moses was miraculously sufficient for anointing the Tabernacle, its vessels, Aaron and his sons, and all future high priests and kings. The Jerusalem Talmud, a central text of Rabbinic Judaism and a compilation of teachings and discussions of Jewish law, discusses the enduring sanctity and miraculous nature of the anointing oil used in Jewish ritual and leadership.
It was stated: Rebbi Jehudah bar Ilai says: The anointing oil made by Moses on the Mountain was from beginning to end a series of miracles since there were only twelve log to start with, as it was said: and olive oil one hin. It would not have been enough to rub the wooden planks with it; so much more since the fire swallows, the kettle swallows, wood absorbs! From it the Tabernacle and all its vessels were anointed, the altar and all its vessels, the candelabra and all its vessels, the wash basin and its base…
Jerusalem Talmud Horayot 3:2:23
The Mystical Substance of the Tabernacle
MUSAR
The mystical dimensions of קומה (substance) in the context of the Tabernacle offer profound insights into Jewish spirituality and worship. Rabbi Isaiah HaLevi Horowitz’s 17th-century work, Shenei Luchot HaBerit, integrates Kabbalistic concepts with Jewish law and tradition, particularly focusing on the Tabernacle.
This was also the secret which enabled the Tabernacle to be erected, as reported in Exodus 40,17. The word הוקם used there to describe the erecting of the Tabernacle is another way of saying that the Tabernacle was given קומה, "substance." The dimensions of this קומה and its significance are discussed in a book called Sefer Heychalot The author, quoting Psalms 132,8: קומה ה' למנוחתיך אתה וארון עוזך writes about the subject of קומה. In order to comprehend the whole subject matter one needs to preface his remarks with a definition of the meaning שיעור קומה as employed by Kabbalists.
Shenei Luchot HaBerit, Torah Shebikhtav, Terumah, Torah Ohr 37
Re-establishing the Divine Presence
JEWISH THOUGHT
The re-establishment of the Divine Presence in the Tabernacle parallels the presence of God in the Garden of Eden. Rabbi Isaac Arama’s medieval work, Akeidat Yitzchak, explores the kabbalistic concept of divine revelation and the ten spheres.
Following the thought expressed in Midrash Rabbah Nasso 12, the day the tabernacle was erected, a momentous event, the like of which had not occurred since the days of creation, the presence of the shechinah on earth was re-established in "the tent of meeting." Once before, in the garden of Eden, we read about "the voice of the Lord walking in the garden following the wind of the day." (Genesis 3,8). The word vayehee, it was (Numbers 7,1) always means that some new element has been introduced into the story being related,- according to the opinion of Rav…
Akeidat Yitzchak 44:2:9
Transcending Human Effort
COMMENTARY
The assembly of the Tabernacle transcended human capability, teaching that while human effort is necessary, it is ultimately Hashem who completes the task. The 17th-century Torah commentary, Kli Yakar, by Rabbi Shlomo Ephraim ben Aaron Luntschitz, offers profound ethical and philosophical insights.
The mishkon was set up. The passive voice is used here to indicate that it could not be set up by human hands. Nevertheless Hashem told Moshe to make the attempt and it would arise on its own. This was a hint concerning all human endeavor—a person may begin a task but it is Hashem who completes it.
Kli Yakar on Exodus 40:2:1
Anointing the Tabernacle and Aaron
COMMENTARY
The proper order and timing of anointing the Tabernacle and Aaron were crucial to ensure that Aaron was ready to perform the Divine Service immediately after being anointed. Ramban, a medieval Jewish scholar, provides a detailed commentary on Leviticus 8:10, discussing the anointing process and its significance.
AND MOSES TOOK THE ANOINTING OIL, AND ANOINTED THE TABERNACLE … AND HE POURED OF THE ANOINTING OIL UPON AARON’S HEAD. This too Moses did in the proper order, for so he was commanded [in the section on the making] of the oil of anointment: And thou shalt anoint therewith the Tent of Meeting etc., and thou shalt anoint Aaron and his sons. Therefore Moses did not want to anoint the Tabernacle until he had clothed Aaron, and then he anointed them together, so that the one who is to perform the Divine Service should be ready, as it were, to come at once into the Sanctuary to minister…
Ramban on Leviticus 8:10:1
Moses' Unique Commandments
JEWISH THOUGHT
Moses was given unique commandments that were not given to anyone else, highlighting his unparalleled role in Jewish tradition. In his 12th-century work, Yesod Mora VeSod HaTorah, Abraham Ibn Ezra delves into the specific tasks and commandments given exclusively to Moses, such as erecting the Tabernacle and anointing his brothers and sons.
And there were commandments that were given specifically to Moses alone, such as building the altar of earth, making a covenant with Israel, breaking the tablets, erecting the Tabernacle, observing the seven days of consecration, anointing the Tabernacle and his brothers and sons, placing the Urim and Thummim on the breastpiece, placing the tablets of the covenant in the ark, making the copper serpent, and other commandments like making the incense burners and having the priests carry the Torah from the side of the ark outward, preserving the jar of manna, and Aaron's staff.
Yesod Mora VeSod HaTorah 2:6
The Final Assembly
COMMENTARY
Moses himself was responsible for setting up the Tabernacle, marking the final assembly that led to the manifestation of the Shechinah. Jacob ben Asher, in his 15th-century commentary, details the significance of Moses' unique role in assembling the Tabernacle and the chronological placement of these events in the Torah.
ביום החודש הראשון באחד לחודש תקים את המשכן, “on the day of the first month, on the first day of it, you shall erect the Tabernacle.” On this occasion only, Moses himself was to erect the Tabernacle. From now on, during their journeys in the desert, the Levites would dismantle it as well as reassemble it at the next location. The meaning of the word תקים is equivalent to “putting the finishing touches to it.” The reason this is so, is because according to tradition Moses practiced assembling and dismantling the Tabernacle every single day during the 7 days of the inauguration of the…
Tur HaArokh, Exodus 40:2:1
The Inauguration of the Tabernacle
TARGUM
The specific timing and sequence of events on the eighth day of the anointing of Aaron and his sons highlight the significance of the first day of the month of Nisan in Jewish history. The Targum Pseudo-Jonathan provides a detailed account of the inauguration of the Tabernacle and the beginning of the priestly service, emphasizing the role of Moses, Aaron, his sons, and the elders of Israel.
On the eighth day of the anointing of Aharon and his sons, and the eighth day of that consecration, being the first day of the month of Nisan, when Mosheh had erected the tabernacle, he took it not down, neither ministered any longer at the altar; but Mosheh called Aharon and his sons, and the elders of the sanhedrin of Israel.
Targum Jonathan on Leviticus 9:1
Tabernacle's Grand Opening
MIDRASH
The inauguration of the Tabernacle was a pivotal moment in Jewish history, marking the establishment of formal worship and the Divine Presence among the Israelites. The second-century chronicle Seder Olam Rabbah provides a detailed chronology and symbolic interpretations of the events surrounding the Tabernacle's inauguration.
"And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, On the first day of the first month shalt thou set up the tabernacle of the tent of the congregation. And thou shalt put therein the ark of the testimony, and cover the ark with the vail. And thou shalt bring in the table, and set in order the things that are to be set in order upon it; and thou shalt bring in the candlestick, and light the lamps thereof" (Exodus 40:1-4). The seven days of consecration started on the 23rd of Adar and were completed on the first of Nissan…
Seder Olam Rabbah 7:2
The Divine Condition for Liberation
MIDRASH
The construction of the Tabernacle and the dwelling of the Divine Presence among the Israelites were prerequisites for their liberation from Egypt. Midrash Tanchuma emphasizes the significance of the Tabernacle in Jewish history.
"And it was on the day that Moses had finished" (Numbers 7:1). Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi said, "The Holy One, blessed be He, made conditions with Israel before they left Egypt, that He would not take them out, except on condition that they make a tabernacle and that He would have His Divine Presence dwell upon them, as it is written (Exodus 29:46), 'And they shall know that I am the Lord, your God, who took you out of the Land of Egypt, to have Me dwell among you.'" And once the tabernacle was erected, the Divine Presence descended and dwelt among them…
Midrash Tanchuma, Nasso 22:1
Anointing the Sacred
SECOND TEMPLE
The anointing process of the Tabernacle and its sacred objects, as well as the high priest, is a profound ritual that underscores the sanctity and divine service in the Tabernacle. Philo of Alexandria, a Hellenistic Jewish philosopher, provides a detailed account of this anointing process, highlighting the application of fragrant ointment to various sacred objects and the high priest's head.
[146] When he had attired them in these vestments, he took some very fragrant ointment which was compounded by the perfumer’s art, and applied it first to what stood in the open court, namely the great altar and the laver, sprinkling it on them seven times, then to the tabernacle and each of the sacred chattels, the ark, the candlestick, the altar of incense, the table, the libation cups or bowls, the vials, and everything else which was necessary or useful in sacrifices; and finally, coming to the high priest, he anointed him on his head plentifully with the unguent.
On the Life of Moses, Book II 29:1
The Erection of the Tabernacle
COMMENTARY
The timing of the Tabernacle's erection is crucial, as it marks a significant moment in Jewish history and aligns with the month of Nisan, which also includes Passover. Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz's modern translation and commentary on the Hebrew Bible provides a clear and engaging explanation of this pivotal event.
It was in the first month, Nisan, during the beginning of the second year following the exodus of the Jewish people from Egypt, on the first of the month, the Tabernacle was erected.
Steinsaltz on Exodus 40:17
The Sacred Sequence of the Tabernacle
COMMENTARY
The precise sequence of setting up the Tabernacle, especially the order of the dividing curtain and the Holy Ark, reveals deeper insights into the sanctity and structure of this sacred space. Rabbi Chaim ibn Attar’s 18th-century commentary, Or HaChaim, meticulously details the construction process of the Tabernacle, emphasizing the importance of the curtain being hung before the Ark is placed inside.
ונתתה את הפרכת…והבאת שמה מבית לפרכת, "You shall hang up the curtain…and bring it within the curtain, etc." This appears to teach that the dividing curtain was to be hung prior to the Holy Ark being brought inside the Holy of Holies. In 40,3 G'd said to Moses: "You shall place the ark of testimony there and you shall cover the ark with the curtain." This appears to mean that the ark was already inside the Holy of Holies when the curtain would separate it from the Sanctuary proper…
Or HaChaim on Exodus 26:33:1
Tabernacle's Grand Finale
TANAKH
The completion of the Tabernacle marks a significant moment in the Israelites' journey, symbolizing the culmination of their efforts and God's presence among them. The Book of Exodus details the final steps Moses took to set up the Tabernacle, including erecting the enclosure and the screen for the gate.
And he set up the enclosure around the Tabernacle and the altar, and put up the screen for the gate of the enclosure. When Moses had finished the work,
Exodus 40:33

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