"These are the accounts of the Mishkan, the tabernacle of the testimony, as they were rendered according to the commandment of Moses." (Shmot 38.21)
"What is this 'testimony?' Rabbi Shimon ben Rabbi Yishmael said: "It is testimony to the world that there is forgiveness to Israel... The Almighty loved Israel, brought them before Mt. Sinai, gave them the Torah, and called them 'a kingdom of priests'... After forty days, they sinned. AT that point, the gentiles said, 'He will never again forgive them'... Yet when Moses went to seek mercy for them, the Almighty forgave them immediately... Moses said, 'I am consoled that you have forgiven Israel, but let the nations know that you hold nothing against them.' The Almighty said to him, on your life, I will rest my spirit among them,' as it is said (Shmot 25.8): '... and they will make for me a sanctuary'... For this it is called 'a tabernacle of testimony' - testimony of God's forgiveness to Israel." (Shemot Rabbah 51.4)
God's love of Israel is extraordinary. So much so that the nations of the world stand perplexed. Here are the people that God chose to be His own, the people to whom He gave His Torah. So special are they that God refers to them as His "kingdom of priests." And here, within only forty days of having been chosen, they fully reject God, adopt a golden calf as their god, and say of it (Shmot 32.8), "This is the God of Israel who delivered them from the land of Egypt." At that point the gentiles said, "He will never again forgive them."
What boundless ingratitude they show in this awful deed. God has delivered them from Egyptian bondage to freedom, guided them through the desert, fended off bloodthirsty enemies, parted the sea, fed them the maana, and shown them miraculous events that even the prophets would never witness. And then, after declaring, "We will obey and we will listen," they turn around and say of a metal beast, "this is the god of Israel who delivered them from the land of Egypt."
Still, God forgives them. How enormous is God's forgiving nature. Even after such a disappointing failure of faith, and even overcoming the impulse to destroy them on the spot, God responds to Moses' plea, "Let up from your furious anger and be consoled from the wrong of your nation" with the word, "I have forgiven as you have said."
Is there greater evidence for all the world to see of God's devotion to the people of Israel? Moreover, God's sanctuary, His resting place, was designated as testimony to God's characteristic mercy, His forgiveness for the people's failure of faith. Who could grasp, who could describe such love of God for His people?
Special Offer:
Junk Yard New York
- Donate a junk car to charity. Get Free towing and a tax deduction.
So special are they that God refers to them as His "kingdom of priests." And here, within only forty days of having been chosen, they fully reject God, adopt a golden calf as their god, and say of it (Shmot 32.8), "This is the God of Israel who delivered them from the land of Egypt." At that point the gentiles said, "He will never again forgive them."
