Our Personal Mikdash – Truma
וְעָשׂוּ לִי מִקְדָּשׁ וְשָׁכַנְתִּי בְּתוֹכָם. (שמות כה, ח)
In previous shiurim on parshat Truma we discussed the famous machloket between Rashi and the Ramban whether the Mishkan/Mikdash was a consequence of חֵטְא הָעֵגֶל, or a fundamental concept that was ordained from the time of Creation, with no connection to חֵטְא הָעֵגֶל. In one shiur we explored a compromise opinion that both the Ramban and Rashi are right and that the Mishkan was preordained before חֵטְא הָעֵגֶל, but that certain modifications were incorporated as a result of that sin.
HaRav Jonathan Sacks z"l brings an ingenious idea that the essential purpose of the Mishkan/Mikdash was to get Am Yisrael actively involved in our relationship with HKB"H. Until then it was all one-sided miracles from HKB"H - the Ten Plagues, Yam Suf, Mann, the Well of Miriam, Har Sinai – and that did not work well in reality. It resulted in numerous complaints from Am Yisrael and ultimately in the חֵטְא הָעֵגֶל. By giving Am Yisrael the command to build the Mishkan, however, instead of living an existence of getting everything handed to us on a plate, it required active participation on our part and galvanized the nation.
In my previous shiurim I have explained how the structures in the Mishkan/Mikdash are in essence "visual aids", whose purpose is to awaken something in our neshama. To serve as a blueprint of how to structure ourselves to have the Shechina dwell within us, which is the ultimate purpose of the Beit HaMikdash - וְשָׁכַנְתִּי בְּתוֹכָם.
Just as the Beit HaMikdash requires specific and precise measurements, shapes, orientations, actions, etc. in order to accommodate the Shechina, so too are we required to duplicate these same details within ourselves to create our own, personal Mikdash. This is a premise I have often repeated in my shiurim, but in a "vague", conceptual sense. In this shiur we are going to discuss exactly how to apply this blueprint within ourselves in a practical way, not just metaphorically.
Obviously, we are not going to each build a solid gold Menorah, 18 tefachim high, swallow it and incorporate it as part of our anatomy, nor start sniffing Ketoret, nor baking and eating twelve 8kg loaves of Lechem HaPanim. The blueprint of the Beit HaMikdash will be duplicated within ourselves in the form of middot, behavioral patterns - crafting our personalities in order that we will live lives of joy, in the service of HKB"H.
The discussion in this shiur will follow the blueprint of the physical Beit HaMikdash – working from the inside out (following the order in parshiyot Truma/Tetzaveh/Ki Tisa). You will notice that the section on the Shulchan is longer than the others. This is simply because most of my research has centered around this element and my knowledge of it is therefore greater. In no way does it intend to diminish the importance of the other elements (quite the contrary). In truth, each sub-construct of each element warrants separate (or a series of) shiurim all on their own, to fully understand their vast depth. However, for the purposes of keeping this shiur in the usual weekly format (around 8 pages), I have employed brevity. Hopefully this will serve as a trigger to study further, to explore each of the elements and their sub-constructs individually, to fully understand them.
The Aron
The epicenter of the Beit HaMikdash is the Kodesh HaKodashim, in the center of which is the Aron HaBrit. This is the "physical", geographical connection point between Heaven and earth (כְּעִיר שֶׁחֻבְּרָה לָּהּ יַחְדָּו), at which HKB"H's Shechina enters our world - above the Kaporet, between the two Keruvim. From there it permeates outward, through the Parochet and into the Heichal. From the Heichal it radiates out to the Azara and then out of the Beit Hamikdash - to the city of Jerusalem, the rest of Eretz Yisrael and ultimately to the entire world, כְּבוֹדוֹ מָלֵא עוֹלָם.
The Aron HaBrit serves two main purposes. Firstly, it is a repository of the Luchot, the symbol of the covenant we made with HKB"H at Har Sinai, where we said נַעֲשֶׂה וְנִשְׁמַע.
Secondly it is a "barometer" of our relationship with HKB"H, reflecting the integrity and intensity of our covenant. According to the Zohar, the two Keruvim were not identical – one was in the form of a male, the other a female, reflecting a husband and wife, a metaphor for HKB"H (the husband) and Am Yisrael (the wife). The Keruvim were facing each other and smiling at each other in a loving embrace. On the שְׁלֹשֶׁת הָרְגָלִים the Kohanim would part the Parochet so that Am Yisrael could see this incredible spectacle. If, however, Am Yisrael sinned and their relationship with HKB"H deteriorated, the Keruvim would turn away from one another.
In our personal Mikdash, our body is like the Aron. It is a repository for the Torah, which is genetically encoded into our DNA and replicated to every cell in our body. The Shechina and the Torah are not located in only specific parts of our body, like the brain or the heart, they are part and parcel of every cell in our being, each of which must be used in the service of HKB"H, כָּל עַצְמוֹתַי תֹּאמַרְנָה.
In each of us there is a "physical" connection point between Heaven and earth - our spiritual neshama and our physical body. Unlike the actual Aron and the golden Keruvim, however, this connection point is possibly partially "chemical" in nature (obviously it is more complicated than that, but science has yet to fully quantify it).
The "flow" of the Shechina through our physical body will depend on our relationship with HKB"H. If it is a good relationship, then our neshama and our body will be in balance, working together symbiotically for a singular purpose. We will experience this as a sense of equilibrium in our lives, a sense of energy and purpose. If it is not a good relationship, when the balance between our neshama and our physical body is upset, it will manifest as a sense of imbalance, a sense of being stuck in a rut, with confusion of purpose.
If someone wants to know how to dress on any specific day, what the weather/temperature will be outside - they examine the "barometer" (either on their wall or on the wall of the meteorological society, via the TV/radio/internet). Similarly, to gage our "barometric" relationship with HKB"H we need to examine our personal "Keruvim" barometer. This is not located in a specific location in our body, it is a general feeling, reflected throughout our body, as above. This allows us to adapt and to restore balance.
The Menorah and Shulchan
These two elements are a pair, they are like twins. This is why they reside alongside each other in the Heichal, the Menorah on the southern end (הָרוֹצֶה שֶׁיַּחְכִּים יַדְרִים) and the Shulchan on the northern end (וְשֶׁיַּעֲשִׁיר יַצְפִּין).
Both the Menorah and the Shulchan Lechem HaPanim resemble angels (Seraphim), with their wings spread upwards, the six candelabra of the Menorah and the six Lechem HaPanim (in each stack) - שְׂרָפִים עֹמְדִים מִמַּעַל לוֹ שֵׁשׁ כְּנָפַיִם שֵׁשׁ כְּנָפַיִם לְאֶחָד (ישעיהו ו, ב). Both the Menorah and the Lechem HaPanim are called זֶה. The Menorah - וְזֶה מַעֲשֵׂה הַמְּנֹרָה (במדבר ח, ד), the Lechem HaPanim שְׁתַּיִם מַעֲרָכוֹת שֵׁשׁ הַמַּעֲרָכֶת (ויקרא כד, ו) = 12 loaves (gematria זֶה). Both the Menorah and the Shulchan face the Aron HaBrit, like the angels facing the כִּסֵּא הַכָּבוֹד, and together they declare וְקָרָא זֶה אֶל זֶה וְאָמַר –
קָדוֹשׁ קָדוֹשׁ קָדוֹשׁ ה' צְבָ-קוֹת מְלֹא כָל הָאָרֶץ כְּבוֹדוֹ (ישעיהו ו, ג)
HKB"H's Shechina fills the whole world!
If the Aron is a "barometer" of the relationship between the spiritual neshama and the physical body, the Menorah and the Shulchan are these actual two components. They reflect the "neshama" part of us (Menorah) and the "physical body" part of us (Shulchan). They are symbiotic with each other and one cannot exist without the other.
The Menorah part of us is the study of the Torah, the theory. The Shulchan part of us is the application of the theory, in practice.
Every part of the Menorah reflects something connected to the Torah - the number of stems (קָנִים), cups (גְבִעִים), knobs (כַּפְתֹּרים), flowers (פְּרָחִים), the oil, the procedure of lighting the Menorah, preserving the perpetual light (נֵר תָּמִיד), etc. – all have symbolism associated with different aspects of the Torah (see shiur on Mikeitz 2024).
The Torah in the Aron permeates out through the Parochet to the Menorah, which shines the light of the Torah out of the Heichal, throughout Eretz Yisrael and the world. All Torah study in the world is a reflection and by virtue of the Menorah in the Mikdash.
In our personal Mikdash the mechanism operates in a similar way. The DNA (Torah) inside the nucleus of each cell in our body, permeates the nuclear membrane (Parochet) and is replicated and propagated throughout the body, by cell division (mitosis), which resembles the shape of a Menorah (see this video).
All the chemical processes in the brain, the center of thought in our personal Mikdash, are determined by the blueprint of the Menorah - the ability to grasp individual concepts (חָכְמָה), connecting concepts and deducing one concept from another (בִּינָה), the ability to see the entire, overall picture (דַּעַת), memory, visualization, vocal reinforcement, etc.
The Shulchan Lechem HaPanim is the application of the Torah in the physical world.
The physical world begins with life itself, the process of birth. A stack of six loaves of Lechem HaPanim, surrounded on both sides by upright supports (קְשָׂווֹת) resembles the birth process, multiple fetuses in the uterus (שִׁשָּׁה בְּכֶּרֶס אֶחָד).
The Lechem HaPanim is umbilically connected to Yosef HaTzaddik – יוסף בריבוע "י יו יוס יוסף" ובגימטריא "לחם פנים" (מאיר פנים, יג, עמ' קלז). Yosef is the sfira of יְסוֹד in the Ten Sfirot, which, combined with the שֻׁלְחָן (which is the sfira of מַלְכוּת), are synonymous with the birth process.
It continues with the infrastructure to sustain life – food. The food chain begins with rain, הנסתר של "שלחן" בגימטריא "גשם ברכה" (מאיר פנים, יג, קלו). All sustenance in the world emanates from rain which gives rise to water and food to sustain life.
Subsequent forms of material wealth - gold, silver, precious gems, money, etc. are all symbolic representations of rain/food, they all act as forms of currency - to ultimately buy food and water in order to survive. Yes, there is more to the physical world than food and water - there are homes, cars, planes, TV's, internet, hotels, theaters, etc. – but when everything is stripped away, when there is no food to eat and no water to drink, all these physical amenities and forms of symbolic "wealth" that we so value, are worthless and meaningless. This is the lesson of the Midbar and why HKB"H made Am Yisrael shlep around for 40 years in the desert with 90 Libyan donkeys loaded with gold, silver and every other form of material wealth – that was worthless in the Midbar!
When we understand this basic, fundamental principle, we understand that life itself is a partnership. The birth process is a partnership between HKB"H, the father and the mother (שְׁלֹשָׁה שֻׁתָּפִין יֵשׁ בָּאָדָם, נידה לא, א). Sustenance in the physical world is a partnership between HKB"H and us – we do our hishtadlut, but ultimately it is HKB"H who provides the sustenance.
This is the blueprint of the Shulchan Lechem HaPanim – how to balance the partnership between HKB"H and us, to create and sustain physical life.
This balance is achieved by practically applying the theoretical Torah of the Menorah in every aspect of our physical lives. How we eat (kashrut, brachot, etc.), how we sleep (duration, orientation etc.), how we speak (lashon hara etc.), how we conduct our business dealings (honesty, integrity, etc.), how we allocate our time (Torah study, family, parnasa, etc.), how we interact with other people (unity, responsibility, tzedakka, etc.), how we interact with HKB"H (tefilot, mitzvot, etc.) … how we live in this world.
The Menorah/Shulchan pair is in fact - a handbook of how to live our lives, the theory and the practice!
As we said, the Menorah and the Shulchan are a couple, they are symbiotically linked with each other, one cannot exist without the other. Without physical life, there can be no Torah. Without the Torah of the Menorah, physical life of the Shulchan is meaningless, אִם אֵין קֶמַח אֵין תּוֹרָה, אִם אֵין תּוֹרָה אֵין קֶמַח (אבות ג, יז).
The Shulchan teaches us how to study Torah and the Menorah teaches us how to live our physical lives –
אִם אֵין קֶמַח אֵין תּוֹרָה – The word קֶמַח is rashei teivot for קְדֻשָּׁה, מְסִירוּת נֶפֶשׁ, חֲזָרָה. To acquire Torah, a person must sanctify himself and live a life of kedusha. To acquire Torah requires mesirut nefesh, giving up on worldly pleasures. To acquire Torah requires repetition, over and over again until it sinks in. R' Eliezer ben Horkenos had to repeat everything 100 times until it finally sank in.
אֵין תּוֹרָה אֵין קֶמַח – The word תּוֹרָה is rashei teivot for תְּרוּמוֹת וּמַעַשְׂרוֹת, רִישׁוּם, הֲגִינוּת. To succeed in parnasa a person must be makpid in giving Trumot and Maasrot (עַשֵּׂר תְּעַשֵּׂר בִּשְׁבִיל שֶׁתִּתְעַשֵּׁר). To succeed in parnasa a person must be meticulous in recording, keeping track of and managing his finances. To succeed in parnasa a person must be honest and fair.
The Menorah/Shulchan combo applied to our personal Mikdash is balancing the attributes of Gevura (Torah/Menorah) and Chessed (Parnasa/Shulchan). In ourselves – balancing our own hishtadlut with bitachon. In our family - maintaining shalom bayit with our spouse and educating our children with a balance of discipline and love. In our society – fostering unity by balancing "keeping to our principles" with "letting go".
The Mishkan Coverings/Compartments in the Mikdash
In the Mishkan, the Kodesh-Kodashim and Heichal were covered with a series of coverings (יְרִיעֹת), some of fabric dyed different colors and others of animal skin. In the permanent Beit HaMikdash, the Kodesh-Kodashim and Heichal were separated from the Azara by a series of fixed, rigid structures. First, immediately surrounding the Kodesh-Kodashim and Heichal were a series of compartments (תָּאִים) – a double wall, with the space in between subdivided by numerous horizontal partitions, followed by the outer wall of the Ulam (the very tall building in the Mikdash).
The practical purpose of the multi-layered barriers was to protect those working in the Azara from directly touching the walls of the Kodesh-Kodashim and Heichal. If one was not of the required level of טָהֳרָה and they touched these sections directly, they were liable the death penalty.
On a higher, spiritual level, these barriers paralleled the different layers in Heaven, amongst other things.
The personal Mikdash application of this is to ascend the "ladder" of kedusha gradually. Not to jump too high all at once, but to build yourself up level by level. Trying to jump too quickly above the level you are capable of dealing with, can be disastrous. This is what happened (Chagiga14b) with R' Akiva, Elisha ben Avuya, Ben Azai and Ben Zoma, who "entered the Pardes", the highest levels of Torah understanding. Only R' Akiva emerged intact, the others were all damaged in different ways - because they were not yet ready for being exposed to such elevated levels.
The Outer Mizbeach
The purpose of the מִזְבַּח הָעוֹלָה was to sacrifice קָרְבָּנוֹת. The essence of the Mibeach is sacrifice – relinquishing and deferring our own will to HKB"H's will. In fact, this is Judaism in a nutshell: There is our will and there is HKB"H's will. We relinquish our will in deference to HKB"H's will, until we reach a stage where HKB"H's will is our will.
When our will takes precedence over HKB"H's will, it results in sin. To fix this we must restore the balance by sacrificing our will. The Mizbeach is probably the greatest gift that HKB"H gave to Am Yisrael because it reflects HKB"H's Midat HaRachamim. The ability to do teshuva, to fix our mistakes and improve ourselves - to substitute an animal sacrifice instead of forfeiting our lives, which according to Midat HaDin we are liable for.
Seeing the procedure of bringing a korban on the Mizbeach crystallized the severity of sin and the incredible power of teshuva.
The application of this in our personal Mikdash is exercising control over our yetzer hara, admitting error and fixing it by doing teshuva.
The Outer Courtyard Structure
This was the area where the Outer Mizbeach and the Kiyor were located - each of which are discussed individually (above and further on).
The Bigdei Kehuna
The priestly garments are a subject that cannot possibly be addressed in a short paragraph. They are meant to resemble the כָּתְנוֹת אוֹר that covered Adam and Chava in Gan Eden. Each of the garments has special significance related to modesty, lashon hara, unity in Am Yisrael, communication with HKB"H (Urim ve'Tumim), etc.
Similarly in our personal Mikdash we must apply the same principles as above and also be makpid to set aside a special set of clothes for purposes of holiness, like our Shabbat clothes vs. weekday clothes.
The Mizbeach HaKetoret
The purpose of the מִזְבַּח הַקְּטֹרֶת was twofold – to foster unity and to eliminate evil influences.
The eleven ingredients of the Ketoret parallel the eleven brothers who sold (or were complicit in selling) Yosef and are atonement for that sin. The eleven ingredients of the Ketoret reflect different strata in Am Yisrael, which on their own, may not smell so good, like חֶלְבְּנָה, however, when offered in combination give off a smell of Gan Eden.
The second purpose of the Ketoret was to eliminate evil influences. Chazal say that the שָׂטָן gave the secret of the Ketoret to Moshe as a gift when he received the Torah (Shabbat 89a) and revealed to him that it could counteract a מַגֵּפָה.
Chazal say that of all the keilim in the Mishkan, HKB"H loves the Ketoret most, which is why He left it for last.
One of the most important and HKB"H's beloved components in our personal Mikdash is that of "smell". HKB"H wants us to "smell" good, and it has little to do with which perfume or deodorant we use.
I am referring to מַרְאִית עַיִן. It is insufficient only to abide by the letter of the law. HKB"H wants us to take a step further and be לִפְנִים מִשּׁוּרַת הַדִּין, that not only will we technically be within the bounds of the law, but that it will be totally apparent to everyone around us - that there will be not even the faintest suspicion that we are not doing what we should. A person may be a complete Tzaddik according to the letter of the law, but if he leaves even the faintest room for doubt, it can leave a "bad smell". We are required to go beyond the bounds of the law to dispel any suspicion of wrongdoing.
The Kiyor
The first act required before performing the Avodah was for the Kohanim to wash their hands and feet in the Kiyor, to cleanse themselves of any טֻמְאָה.
The application to our personal Mikdash is to cleanse not only our hands and feet before performing an act of Kedusha (like eating bread, before tefilot, etc.), but also to cleanse our hearts of any טֻמְאָה. Someone who clings to טֻמְאָה in their heart, is unwelcome in HKB"H's house, it is like טוֹבֵל וְשֶׁרֶץ בְּיָדוֹ, someone who thinks they can cleanse themselves in a mikvah while at the same time clutching an impure animal. The Kiyor in our personal Mikdash requires us to be totally honest with ourselves so that תּוֹכוֹ כְּבָרוֹ, our inside matches our outside – we are transparent with no pretense.
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The above is a brief synopsis of the blueprint of the Mikdash and its application to the ultimate, intended Mikdash - the personal Mikdash within each of us. The purpose of this shiur is not to fully encompass any of the myriad principles mentioned above, but to stimulate interest so that you will dig deeper and study further.
The Mikdash is the blueprint for a "structure" that can house HKB"H's Shechina. The physical Mikdash was a series of visual aids and triggers for Am Yisrael, who saw them three times a year on the festivals, with the purpose of returning home and applying the same principles to themselves, their families and their communities and thus to the entire nation, וְאַתֶּם תִּהְיוּ לִי מַמְלֶכֶת כֹּהֲנִים וְגוֹי קָדוֹשׁ.
The only way to fully understand the Avodah that HKB"H requires of us, is to study the Beit HaMikdash and its components, their purpose, their symbolism and their practical application in our lives. The more we do, the closer we will be to merit receiving the actual Mikdash, בבי"א.
Shabbat Shalom
Eliezer Meir Saidel
Machon Lechem Hapanim
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