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Eileh Pekudei Hamishkan, Mishkan Ha'eidut... The words "mishkan of the testimony" are really an abbreviated way of saying, "the mishkan which contained the tablets of the testimony" which is what the tablets on which were written the Ten Commandments were usually called (Ex. 25:16), that is to say, the tablets which testify to the covenant between God and Israel.
The midrash, however, finds here the thought that perhaps there is a sense in which the mishkan itself, by virtue of what is done therein, can "testify" to all the world that the Divine Presence dwells in Israel and that God can be found in ordinary human experience.
But how were the people able to achieve this? In its answer, the midrash connects this question to the problem of the "surplus" (Nothar). It should be remembered that when Moshe called for contributions of materials for the mishkan, we are told: "For the material was sufficient for all the work and there was left over" (Ex. 36:7). So Moshe asked Hashem: "What shall we do with the surplus?" Hashem said to him: "Go and make with it a mishkan of the testimony" (Levit. Rabbah 51:2).
Had the people not been so generous and had given just enough, then the end result would have indeed been a complete mishkan: functional, aesthetically pleasing and halakhically kosher. However, it would not have been Mishkan Ha'eidut, it would not have radiated any message of kedusha or shechinah to the outside world. For human constructions can radiate spirituality only when it is recognizable that something "extra", a special enthusiasm, a readiness to sacrifice has gone into the effort.
We, in our day, have been called upon to build a national mishkan, a Jewish state in Eretz Yisrael. B.H., it has grown and developed with a Jewish population of close to 5½ million! It is extolled as an economic powerhouse, as a regional super power, as a city of refuge, but it is still not a "Mishkan Edut". For there is no spiritual "surplus" (Nothar). The only ones who can achieve this are religious Jews who recognize in the state of Israel the "hand of God" and the fulfillment of Torah prophecy. It is good to contribute funds, buy vacation homes, visit periodically and send our young people to study in Yeshivot - but the "surplus," that extra dedication will become visible and begin to radiate only when religious Jews begin to make aliyah in waves. Only then will the world realize that it is spiritual values that lie at the heart of Jewish homecoming.
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Rabbis in Midrash
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Kuzari -Rabbi Ari Shvat Kuzari class 9 - "Seeing is Believing" (parag. 21-30)
These paragraphs elaborate on the theme that seeing and knowing is better than any attempt to prove logically, and begins explaining the difference between Israel and gentiles.
Ein Aya Various Universal Stages of the Geula Process
Rav Kook examines the various stages of redemption, explaining how (in addition to the obvious oft-mentioned stages of ingathering the exiles, reviving the Hebrew language, army, state etc.) the messianic dream of world prosperity, the State of Israel and world unity can and are realistically and logically gradually coming true.
Kuzari -Rabbi Ari Shvat Kuzari class 8- "Answering Questions on the Kuzari's Proof from Mass Revelation
How do we know that the "claim" of mass revelation to 2,000,000 witnesses at Mt. Sinai is really true? This important class answers all of the questions skeptics ask about this claim of the Kuzari.
Ein Aya Armies Still Necessary for Balance & the War Against Wars
Rav Kook explains why the world was originally divided into the various seemingly contradicting ideologies and cultures, in order to develop each one respectively. Swords or armies symbolize how each respective ideology defends themselves, as well as deters their opposing ideologies and cultures. On the other hand, the messianic era will be one of peace, and Rav Kook explains the transition to that stage, which mankind is already undergoing.
The Land of Israel LGBT'S IN ISRAEL
The question was asked, how can one make Aliyah with the LGBT parades?
Kuzari -Rabbi Ari Shvat Kuzari class 7 - Five Accumulative Proofs of G-d
As a preparation for the Kuzari's classic proof of G-d from the mass-revelation at Sinai, we start here with 5 other directions to strengthen our belief which also contribute to what the Kuzari will present as well.
Ein Aya Muscle & Meaning: The Dual Nature of Gevurah (Physical Strength)
Is physical strength and fitness a necessity or an ideal? Although it if often totally overlooked among topics of Judaism, Rav Kook writes that it clearly is also a necessity to deter the many enemies of Israel, but even in Y'mot HaMashiach, in the Messianic era, to a certain extent, it's ideal continues even after our enemies will have been finished off.
