From the very beginnings of Rabbinic Judaism around the second century BCE, and continuing to the present day, the Tabernacle has been an important religious symbol. For the Rabbis, the Tabernacle is many things: it is a gateway to the heavens, a mirror image of the human body, an explanation for the holidays, and a link to the generations of the Bible. The following are some examples of the creative response Rabbis have had to this portion of the book of Exodus.

Creation of the World

In the Hassidic Commentary Sefat Emet we read that "the whole purpose of making the sanctuary was to affirm Creation." This echoes a common theme in rabbinic writing: the setting up of the Tabernacle was an act that reflected the creation of the world. The following comparisons have been made between the creation story and the story of the Tabernacle:

Union with God
The Tabernacle is also interpreted as a sign of union between God and the people of Israel. The Rabbis see the Tabernacle as an act of repentance and redemption. The story of the sinful golden calf-idol is intermixed with the building of the Tabernacle. The commentators understand this to mean that through the act of building the Tabernacle the Israelites were forgiven for their gravest of sins. Sometimes it is even said that they redeemed the entire world from sin in the process.

Furthermore, the Rabbis understand the Tabernacle as a symbol of the marriage-like relationship between God and Israel. The two gold cherubim in the holy of holies were a symbol of this union. Rabbinic sources report that the cherubim would interact lovingly with each other when Israel was in good favor with God. According to these sources, during the festivals the priests would draw aside the curtains of the Tabernacle to demonstrate to the people God's love for them.

. . . and the Cherubim were shown to them, whose bodies were intertwisted with one another, and they would be thus addressed: Look! You are beloved before God as the love between man and woman. (Baba Batra 99a; Yoma 54a-54b)

Sabbath Laws
Another example of rabbinic interpretation can be found in the laws regarding how Jews observe the Sabbath. In Genesis Chapter 1 God rests on the seventh day, but it is not until Exodus Chapter 20 that God commands the Israelites to rest from labor every seventh day. "Labor" is then described for the first time in the building of the Tabernacle. What does this mean? The Rabbis conclude that any kind of labor that was required for the construction of the Tabernacle is strictly forbidden on the Sabbath. In fact, the Babylonian Talmud (compiled between the 3rd and 5th centuries CE) counts thirty-nine principle labors related to the work done by the Israelites in preparing the Tabernacle. These labors are all forbidden on the Sabbath. Such labors include sewing, plowing, reaping, grinding, baking, dyeing, spinning, building, kindling and carrying. The construction of the Tabernacle remains, even to this day, an instrument for discerning Sabbath laws.

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