I came to that room seeking relief from anger that tortured
my soul, from petty worries, from fear and insecurity, all negative thoughts
crossing my mind like gusts of the northern wind, like blasts of the arctic
vortex that roamed over the shivering towns like an angel of death. That room was not built yet, it did not exist
in the physical world, it was only a design in the mind of G-d, shown to a man
with an awkward speech and humble demeanor, the only one allowed on the mountain
of G-d, har ha-Elokim. To enter
that room he would come to the jet black curtained entrance of the tent made of
silky goat hair and pass through the brightly colored curtains of twisted fine
linen, and blue, purple, and crimson wool, he would pass through all colors
billowing in the wind, and enter the candlelit room glittering with pure
gold. He would stand under the gaze of
the golden cherubim and nothing will matter.
In that room there is no fear, no hunger, no cold, no pain, no past and
no future, this is the destination, a rendezvous with the Infinite. It is given to everyone, written in the Book,
with excruciating details of each golden object, its size and dimensions, the
cups, knobs and flowers of the golden menora, the golden utensils, the
crown over the table and the molding over the crown - just read slowly, very
slowly, and imagine, and then nothing will matter. No one knows where the room is hidden, in
which turn of the dark tunnels under the holy city, but the design is in the
mind of the eternal G-d, waiting for the humble one to enter.
The curtains of the Mishkan were joined to one another by
loops of blue wool and by golden clasps “so shall the Mishkan become one”. The word for “joined”, or "attached" was חֹבְרֹת hovrot, with the same root het, beit, reish as
the word haver, friend – the colorful curtains of the Mishkan were joined by the bonds of friendship, forming one
unit. Passions come and go, leaving in the wake sorrow and anguish, but friendship always remains, like a cool breeze under the protective wing of Shechina, the Glorious Presence.
Symbolism of the Mishkan
The design of the Mishkan is first described in parsha Terumah, but the actual construction starts in parsha Vayakhel, with weaving 10 colorful panels of twisted linen,
sky-blue wool, purple wool, crimson red wool with cherubim design all around,
and the curtains were connected by 50 gold hooks - symbolizing our
multi-colored, multi-faceted uniqueness and connectedness to each other - and
what connects us all is made of pure gold.
On the outside the Mishkan looked all black –
the outer panels were made of goat hair, connected by copper hooks. But behind that outer layer were the colorful
curtains of sky-blue, purple and crimson red wool and pure white linen,
connected by golden hooks. And behind the colorful curtains,
inside was all pure gold, and in the inner chamber was the Holy of Holies. This is how a human personality is - dark, invisible on the outside,
but full of colors if you peel a layer,
and pure gold inside.
This is what the holy Shir haShirim says about the maiden of Israel: Do not look upon me [disdainfully] because I am blackened, for the sun has gazed upon me (1:6).
And it refers again to the goat hair cover of the Mishkan when it talks about her hidden beauty:
Behold, you are fair, my beloved; behold, you are fair;
your eyes are [like] doves, from within your kerchief;
your hair is like a flock of goats that streamed down from Mount Gilead. (4:1)
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