Pekudei - Messiah & the Messianic Era
The Torah portion of Pekudei continues the building of the Tabernacle. Within these instructions, several connections to the Messiah and the Messianic Era can be found.
In Exodus 38:21 it says, “... the tabernacle, the tabernacle of the testimony ...” This verse repeats the word “tabernacle” twice, which alludes to the connection between the earthly Sanctuary and the heavenly Sanctuary. God’s physical dwelling place on earth is a shadow of his dwelling place in heaven.
Jeremiah 17:12 refers to these two sanctuaries being connected: “A glorious throne on high from the beginning is the place of our sanctuary.” The Midrash Tanchuma explains:
“This refers to the heavenly Jerusalem that is directly opposite the lower Jerusalem of this world. Rabbi Shim’on Bar Yochai said, ‘This tells us that the Sanctuary below stands opposite (“mechuvan”, מכון) to the sanctuary above, as it is stated [in Exodus 15:17], ‘The place (“machon”, מכון), O LORD, which You have made for Your dwelling, the sanctuary, O Lord, which Your hands have established.’ [Do not read “machon” (“place”) but “mechuvan” (“directly opposite”)]”
Likewise, the heavenly Jerusalem is directly opposite the lower Jerusalem of this world. King David said (in Psalms 122:3), “Jerusalem, that art builded As a city that is compact together;” The Targum translates this to mean, “Jerusalem that is built in the heavens is like a city which is connected together with the one on earth.” (Midrash Tanchuma Pekudei 1).
Hebrews 8:4 and 9:24 expand on this concept, referring to the temple as “a copy and a shadow of the heavenly things,” and “a mere shadow of the true one.”
Making of the priestly garments in this Torah portion allude to the Messiah. The blue, purple, scarlet, and gold adornments point towards the Messiah’s royalty. The linen symbolizes his purity. The high priest carried the names of the twelve tribes on the ephod, Messiah carried the names of the twelve tribes when he carried the cross. God spoke to Israel through the Urim and the Thummim, and it says in Hebrews 1:2, “but in these last days He has spoken unto us by his son.”
On the first day of the first month, the people of Israel assembled the Tabernacle. They had been encamped around Mt. Sinai for nine months. One tradition says that the Tabernacle was completed in 3 months, and then it was stored away until God ordered them to assemble it. Another tradition says that they completed the work on the first day of Adar, and then Moshe ordered the people of Israel to wait a month before assembling it.
What was the reason for this wait? The Midrash says that this is because God wanted to combine the joy of the Tabernacle with the joy of Nissan, the month our forefather Yitzchak (Isaac’s) was born in. He says, “Behold, I am going to mingle your joyous occasions, place joy in a time of joy.” (Exodus Rabbah 52:2)
What does the birth of Yitzchak have to do with the Tabernacle? Yalkut Shim’oni says that the Shechinah (Holy Spirit) rested within the Tabernacle solely because of the merit of Yitzchak.
The birth of Yitzchak symbolizes redemption. Avraham (Abraham) had to endure many years of disappointment before God’s promise of a legacy was redeemed with the birth of Yitzchak. In this same vein, the redemption of Messiah will come only after a seemingly endless waiting period. Yitchak’s name means “laughter,” and alludes to the final redemption, as it says in Psalms 126:1-2, “When the LORD brought back those that returned to Zion, We were like unto them that dream. Then was our mouth filled with laughter...”
In addition, the redemption from Egypt took place during the month of Nisan. The sages say, “In Nisan our forefathers were redeemed from Egypt, and in Nisan we will be redeemed.” It is said that Eliyahu HaNavi (Elijah the prophet) will come in the month of Nisan, on the first night of Passover, to announce the coming of Messiah.
The Tabernacle holds a connection to the Garden of Eden. It says in Genesis Rabbah 19:7:
“When Adam sinned the Shechinah departed from this world to the first level of heaven. When Cain sinned, it withdrew and ascended to the second level of heaven. When the generation of Enosh sinned, it ascended to the third. When the generation of the flood sinned, it withdrew to the fourth. With the generation [of the tower of Babel], it departed to the fifth. With the sin of Sodom, it withdrew to the sixth. With the Egyptians in the days of Abraham, it withdrew to the seventh. Seven righteous men arose opposite each of these sinful generations: Avraham,Yitzchak, Ya’akov (Jacob), Levi, Kohath, Amram, and Moshe. They brought the Shechinah down again to earth. Avraham drew it down from the seventh to the sixth, Yitzchak from the sixth to the fifth, Ya’akov from the fifth to the fourth, Levi from the fourth to the third, Kohath from the third to the second, Amram from the second to the first, while Moshe brought him below [into this world].”
Sin drives the presence of God from this world, but righteous people draw his presence back into this world. The list of seven righteous people, concluding with Moshe, brought the Shechinah back into this world. In this sense, Moshe restored the world back to its original Edenic state.
Sadly, this did not last for long, as later generations of Israel sinned and caused the destruction of the Temple, driving the Shechinah away from this world once more. The book of Ezekiel, specifically chapters 10 and 11, describes the departure of the Shechinah from the temple, which signifies the coming destruction of Yerushalayim as a result of this departure.
With this depiction of doom over the nation of Israel, there is also a promise of hope. It says in Ezekiel 43:4-7:
“And the glory of the LORD came into the house by the way of the gate whose prospect is toward the east. And a spirit took me up, and brought me into the inner court; and, behold, the glory of the LORD filled the house. And I heard one speaking unto me out of the house; and a man stood by me. And He said unto me: ‘Son of man, this is the place of My throne, and the place of the soles of My feet, where I will dwell in the midst of the children of Israel for ever; and the house of Israel shall no more defile My holy name, neither they, nor their kings, by their harlotry, and by the carcasses of their kings in their high places;”
This vision goes on to describe an Edenic Temple, with a river flowing from it, like the river of Eden. Just as Moshe ushered the Shechinah back into the physical world, the Messiah will bring the Shechinah back into this world. God’s presence in Zion will be restored.
Pekudei contains a peculiar verse that points towards the Tabernacle being a reflection of God’s dwelling place in heaven. It contains instructions for the priestly garments, which point towards the qualities of the Messiah. It marks the completion of the building of the Tabernacle, it also marks the re-entry of God’s presence in this world, which points towards the coming re-entry of God’s presence with Messiah.
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