A few weeks ago, we read in Parshat Besahlach (Shmot 15:17) a verse that
is part of the Az Yashir Prayer, the Song of the Sea, which is recited each
morning:

You will bring them and plant them (tivieimo vetitaeimo) on the mountain
of your inheritance, the place for your habitation, which You, HaShem have
made; the Sanctuary- my Master- which your hands established.

According to Rashi, this verse implies that first God will bring B’nai
Yisrael into the Land of Israel, and only then would they build the Temple
(God’s dwelling place).

Rashi quotes the Mechilta who points out that “the place of Your
habitation” refers to the fact that the earthly Temple is lined up directly
below God’s throne above. Our Beit HaMikdash is directly under God’s Heavenly
Beit HaMikdash which already existed.

In our parsha, Parshat Truma (Shmot 25:8), we read about the Mishkan,
the portable Tabernacle:

They shall make a Sanctuary for Me- so that I may dwell among them.

Here, Rashi comments that in the end God decided that B’nai Yisrael
would build a temporary Temple (the Mishkan) in the desert (before entering the
Land of Israel).

Why the sudden change in plans?

According to Torah Temima (Shmot 15:17), God loved B’nai Yisrael so much
that He decided not to wait to give them a sanctuary until they arrived in the
Land of Israel.

Even though B’nai Yisrael already had the Mishkan in the desert, you
can’t compare the revelation of the Shechina (Divine Presence) in Israel to the
Shechina outside of Israel which is only a partial revelation.

Rav Avraham David Spector points out that the main revelation of the
Shechina is when the nation of Israel is in the Land of Israel with at least 600,000
Jews living in the land, just like we have now in the Modern State of Israel. According
to Rav Avraham Yitzchak HaKohen Kook (Olat Reiyah 1:368): “When Israel has a population of at least 600,000 Jews, the sprouting of the horn of the
house of Yaakov will begin.”

The more Jews that return to Israel,
the more the Shechina will dwell in the Land.

Sefer HaChinuch 95:16 teaches that
The Mitzvah to build the Temple is practiced when most of Israel is upon their
land.

With this in mind, if we want to
bring ourselves closer to building the Third Temple then we need more Jews to
make aliya and reside in Israel.

Parshat Truma, Shmot 25:1-7, describes the building materials
that were requested of B’nai Yisrael for the construction of the Mishkan
(Tabernacle):

God spoke to Moshe
saying: “Speak to B’nei Yisrael and have them take for Me a terumah
(donation) offering. You shall accept gifts
for Me from every person whose heart so moves him. And these are the gifts that
you shall accept from them: gold, silver and copper, techelet, argaman (purple), tolaat (crimson),
fine linen and goats hair, red-dyed ram’s skins, tachish skins and acacia wood,
oil for the lamp, spices for anointing oil and for the incense of aromatic
spices, onyx stones and filling stones for the ephod and breastplate.”

In Parshat Vayakhel,
Shmot 35:22 we read about the golden objects that were brought by B’nai Yisrael:

The men with the women, all whose hearts moved them,
all who would make an elevation offering of gold to God, came bringing
brooches, earrings, rings, and pendants—gold objects of all kinds.

The next two verses in Vayakhel (Shmot 35:23-24)
describe where some of the other materials came from:

And
everyone who had in his possession blue, purple, and crimson yarns, fine linen,
goats’ hair, tanned ram skins, and dolphin skins, brought them; everyone who
would make gifts of silver or copper brought them as gifts for God; and
everyone who had in his possession acacia wood for any work of the service brought
that.

In
Shmot 35:27-28, we see that some of the more expensive objects were brought by
the leaders:

 And
the Nesi’im (leaders of the tribes) brought lapis lazuli and other stones for
setting, for the ephod and for the breastplate; and spices and oil for
lighting, for the anointing oil, and for the aromatic incense.

How did B’nai Yisrael have access to all of these
materials in the middle of the wilderness?

In Sefer Shmot, it is repeated three times that the
plan was for B’nai Yisrael to take goods from Egypt at the time of the exodus
as we see in Shmot 12:35-36:

B’nai Yisrael carried
out the word of Moshe; they requested from the Egyptians objects of silver and
gold, and clothing. God gave the people favor in the eyes of the Egyptians and
they let them have their request; so they emptied Egypt.

This makes sense for
the small objects aside from the acacia wood which is known to have grown in
the region.

May we learn from B’nai
Yisrael to use our precious possessions to support holy causes and bring
spirituality into the world.

Sponsored by Steven Toberman and Bonnie
and Mickey Kamel in honor of their Mother’s 15^th yahrzeit

Miriam bat Ya’akov Hersh Halevi and Devora,
Marion Betty Tomsky Toberman

Born on Sept. 27 1922 in St. Paul Minnesota

The Mishkan (Tabernacle)
and the Beit HaMikdash (Temple) were destined to exist only in the Land of
Israel. Each time that the Beit HaMikdash was destroyed and the Jewish people
went out to exile, synagogues were built in the Diaspora, but they were not
substitutes for the Beit HaMikdash. If this is the case, then how did God allow
the Mishkan to exist in the wilderness for 39 years, from the time that it was
dedicated until B’nai Yisrael entered the Land of Israel?

We see in Parshat
Truma, Shmot 25:8 that God decided not to wait until B’nai Yisrael arrived in
the Land of Israel. Rather, He instructed them to build the Mishkan, a travelling
Mikdash (Sanctuary) already in the wilderness: “They shall make a Mikdash for
Me, and I will then dwell in their midst.”

The Talmud, Ketubot
62b brings a parable of why God decided to instruct B’nai Yisrael to build the
Mishkan in the desert immediately after they received the Torah:

Rebbi went to arrange
a match for his son in the house of Rabbi Yose ben Zimra. They agreed to give
the groom 12 years in between Kiddushin (engagement) and Nisuin (marriage) so
that he could go to study in the Torah academy. However, when the groom saw the
bride, he said, “Let the engagement be six years.” When the groom saw the bride
a second time, he said to them, “Let me first bring her under the chupa (get married)
and then I will go study.” He was a little bit embarrassed in front of his
father that he wanted to get married right away. His father said to him, “My
son, the mind of your Maker is within you. Originally it is written (Shmot
15:17) “You will bring them (to the Land of Israel) and implant them on the
mountain of Your inheritance, the foundation of your dwelling place…” But in
the end it is written (Shmot 25:8): “They shall make a Mikdash for Me, and I
will then dwell in their midst.”

Rashi explains that in
the end, God decided that B’nai Yisrael would build a temporary Tabernacle (the
Mishkan) in the desert, before they entered the Land of Israel.

The Revelation at
Mount Sinai is often compared to an engagement as it established the bond between
God and B’nai Yisrael through the Torah. The resting of the Shechina (Divine
Presence) in the Temple is like Nisuin when the bride and groom begin to live
together. According to Maharsha, out of God’s love for B’nai Yisrael and
inspired by their acceptance of the Torah, God decided to dwell among them
earlier than He had planned.

Rashi points out that
Rebbi’s son acted in a similar way. Although he originally intended to study
for 12 years between the engagement and the wedding, he loved his fiancee so
much that he decided to get married first and study later.

Although the Beit
HaMikdash will never reside outside of the Land of Israel, God made an
exception for the Mishkan due to His love for B’nai Yisrael.

May we merit that the
Third Temple be built in Jerusalem speedily in our days and may the Shechina
once again dwell in our midst.

As if Corona hasn’t already made this year crazy enough, this
coming week in Jerusalem we will be celebrating Purim Mishulash, three days of
Purim!

While most other cities in the world will only be observing Purim
on Thursday evening and Friday, in Jerusalem we will be spreading out the mitzvot
of Purim from Thursday evening to Sunday evening.

How did we earn all of these extra days of the holiday?

Usually, Jerusalem (a walled city since the days of Yehoshua Bin
Nun) as well as Shushan (the walled city where the Purim story took place) perform
the mitzvoth of the holiday on Shushan Purim, the fifteenth of Adar rather than
the fourteenth since it took the residents of Shushan an extra day to finish
the battle.

This year, however  Shushan
Purim comes out on Shabbat. The rabbi’s forbade the carrying of Megillat Ester
on Shabbat, therefore the Megillah is read on Thursday night and Friday morning
(regular Purim) along with the rest of the world. We do not postpone the
Megillah reading until after Shabbat since it says (Ester 9:27) “The Jews
confirmed and undertook upon themselves and their posterity  and upon
all who might join them, to observe these two days, without fail, in the manner
prescribed and at the proper time each year”.

The mitzvah of Matanot Lavyonim, gifts to the poor will also be
performed on the 14^th of Adar (Friday) since the poor are used
to receiving their gifts on the same day as the Megillah is read and this way
they aren’t disappointed.

On Shabbat itself (Shushan Purim) in Jerusalem, we will add Al
HaNisim (For the Miracles) into the Amidah and Musaf prayers as well as recite
it in Birkat HaMazon (Grace After Meals). The Torah reading on Shabbat includes
the Purim reading about Amalek.

On Sunday, we will distribute Mishloach Manot in Jerusalem as well
as celebrate with a Seudah (joyful meal). Although we have a festive meal each
Shabbat, we do not want to mix two happy occasions (and miss out on more good
food) so we will have two separate Seudot, one on Shabbat and our Purim Seudah
on Sunday.

While the rest of the world is trying to cram all of the
festivities into a short Friday, here in Jerusalem we will be celebrating at a
more relaxed pace and we will finally get a Sunday off from work. The only down
side is that those living in Jerusalem will only be able to break their fast on
Thursday evening after listening to the Megillah!

The Talmud, Taanit 16a asks: What is
the meaning of Har HaMoriah (Mount Moriah)? Rabbi Levi bar Chama said that it
was the mountain from which Torah instruction (horaa) went out and Rabbi
Chanina said that it was the mountain from which fear went out to the
idolatrous nations.

Where is this mountain?

Usually we think of Har HaMoriah as
the Temple Mount in Jerusalem as God instructed Avraham (Breisheet 22:2) to go
to the Land of Moriah and offer Yitzchak as a sacrifice on one of the
mountains. Also, Avraham called the place HaShem Yireh which sounds like
Moriah.

Rashi and Tosafot point out that Har
HaMoriah could also be a name for Har Sinai (Mount Sinai) since at the time
that the Torah was given a fear came upon the idolaters as it says (Tehilim
76:9) “From Heaven you made judgment heard, the earth feared and was still.”

In addition, Har Sinai, the spot
where the Torah was given is the place of horaa (same root as Torah).

What is the link between these two
Har HaMoriahs- Har Sinai and Har HaBayit?

In Parshat Trumah, we read about the
Mishkan (Tabernacle) which according to Ramban ensures that the glory of God
that was revealed to B’nai Yisrael at Ma’amad Har Sinai continues to remain
with them.

Just as God spoke to Moshe at Har Sinai,
He will continue to speak to Moshe from the Mishkan as it says in Shmot 25:21-22:
“Place the cover (kaporet) on top of the ark (aron) and place the Testimony
(edut) in the ark that I will give you. I will set My meetings with you there
and I will speak with you from above the cover, from between the cherubim that
are on the Ark of Testimony. All that which I will command you concerning B’nei
Yisrael.”

Ramban explains that the public
glory (kavod) that rested on Mt. Sinai would rest privately on the Mishkan. We
see the public glory in Shmot 24:16: “The glory of God rested on Mt. Sinai and
the cloud covered it for six days. On the seventh day, He called to Moshe from
the midst of the cloud.” The public glory is also described in Dvarim 5:21,
“You said, ‘Look! Hashem, our God showed us His glory and his greatness, and
his voice was heard from within the fire; today we saw that God can address man
and he will survive.” The private glory is found in Shmot 40:34-35: “The cloud
covered the Tent of Meeting (Ohel Moed), and the glory of God filled the Mishkan.
Moshe was unable to enter the Tent of Meeting because the cloud rested on it, and
the glory of God filled the Mishkan.”

In Dvarim 4:36 we see how God spoke
to B’nai Yisrael at Mt. Sinai: “From the sky He made audible to you His voice
(kolo) to teach you, and on earth He showed you great fire, and you heard his
words from within the fire.” God spoke to Moshe at the Mishkan (Bamidbar 7:89)
in a similar fashion: “And when Moshe would enter the Tent of Meeting to speak
with Him (God), he would hear the voice (hakol) being spoken from the kaporet
(ark cover) which is atop the Ark of Testimony from between the two cherubim;
and He spoke to Him.”

Ramban points out that the two gold
cherubim can be compared to the fire at Mt. Sinai. Just as God spoke at Mt.
Sinai through the fire, in the Mishkan He speaks from between the two cherubim.

The next step in the journey was
bringing the Mishkan to the Land of Israel and eventually placing it in its
final destination, the Beit HaMikdash (Temple) on the Temple Mount in the days of
King Shlomo (10^th Century BCE).

At that point, God’s glory which was
on Har Sinai was transferred by the Mishkan to Har HaBayit.

We learn from each Har HaMoriah the
lesson of humility. Neither Har Sinai nor Har HaBayit are as tall as Har Carmel
or Har Tavor yet they were the mountains where the Shechina (Divine Presence)
rested. The Mishkan as well teaches us humility as it was built of the precious
possessions that B’nai Yisrael selflessly donated.

In Parshat Trumah, we read about how
B’nai Yisrael gave generously of their own volition for the building of the
Mishkan (Tabernacle) as it says in Shmot 25:2, “Have them take for Me a Trumah
offering. From every man whose heart impels him to generosity shall you take my
Terumah offering.” It was the generosity of B’nai Yisrael which brought the
nation to bring the materials needed for the building of the Mishkan. In Shmot
36:5-7 we see that B’nai Yisrael were so enthusiastic and brought so much that
there was enough and they were told not to bring anything else.

In Shmot 38:8 we see that the women
donated the copper for the basin by giving away their personal mirrors and in
Shmot 35:25-26 we read “And every wise hearted women spun with her hands; and they
brought the spun yarn of greenish-blue wool, crimson wool and fine linen. And
all of the women whose hearts inspired them with wisdom, spun the goat’s hair.

It is clear from here that the
entire nation was excited about the construction of the Mishkan and happy to
volunteer their skills and possessions.

In contrast, Rabbi Yisaschar
Yaakovson points out that when we read the Haftara from Melachim (Kings I
5:26-6:14) we find in sentences 27-28 that “King Solomon imposed a levy from
all Israel; the levy consisted of thirty thousand men. He sent them to Lebanon
in shifts of ten thousand each month; for one month they would be in Lebanon
and for two months each would be at home. Adoniram was in charge of the levy.”

This levy conjures up images of the
levy that was placed on B’nai Yisrael by Pharaoh in Egypt. The difference is
that this time the levy was placed by the King of Israel.

Another contrast is that the Mishkan
was built in the desert solely by members of B’nai Yisrael who volunteered and
in Shlomo’s time the Beit HaMikdash was built together with Hiram as they were
at peace with Tyre.

We can see a big difference between
the grassroots building of the Mishkan out of love, sincerity and spirituality
and the building of a fancy Temple along with a foreign ruler where forced
labor was imposed upon the nation.

The model of the building of the
Mishkan seems like a better model for us to follow today. It is better for the
community to get excited about a cause and take part in creating it together as
opposed to being forced into building a fancy and expensive building.

It is interesting to note that in
Parshat Trumah it says (Shmot 25:8) “They shall make a sanctuary for Me and I
will dwell in their midst” while at the end of the Haftarah (Melacim I 6:13) it
says: “I shall dwell among B’nai Yisrael, and I shall not forsake My people
Israel.”

In the end, even without the
beautiful building, if we are worthy God will dwell among the nation of Israel.

In Memory of Hadar Cohen z”l who was murdered while
protecting Jerusalem

The Talmud, Taanit 29a
states: Mishenichnas Av mamitin b’simcha, when the month of Av begins, we curtail
joy.  Mishenichnas Adar marbin b’simcha,
when the month of Adar begins, we increase joy.

The Magen Avraham states that
in Av we not only curtail joy, we eliminate it as that was the month when the
Beit HaMikdash was destroyed.

According to Rashi, in Adar
we increase joy in commemoration for the miracles of Purim which took place in
Adar and in honor of the miracles of Pesach which took place in the following
month of Nisan.

How do we increase joy? On
Purim itself we have a feast with good food and wine. We also deliver Mishloach
Manot (food packages) to friends and Matanot L’Evyonim (gifts to the poor).

Our joy is increased when we
receive gifts. Is our joy also increased when we give to others?

In Parshat Trumah, B’nai
Yisrael are asked to bring gifts to contribute to the building of the Mishkan
(Tabernacle). They are asked to give their most precious possessions knowing
that they can’t be replaced in the desert. We see in Parshat Vayakhel that in
fact both the men and women are honored to contribute. Although their
possessions will not be returned to them, they find joy in the satisfaction of
being part of the construction of the Mishkan. Although they are giving away
material possessions they are rewarded with the spirituality that will rest in
the Mishkan.

The same can be said when
giving Mishloach Manot and Matanot L’Evyonim. Although we are physically giving
something up, our reward is the satisfaction in knowing that we are bringing
joy to others.

Rabbi Eliyahu Dessler, in
Michtav Me’Eliyahu states: “Man has been granted the sublime power of giving,
enabling him to be merciful, to bestow happiness, to give of himself. That
which a person gives to another is never lost. It is an extension of his being.
He can see a part of himself in the fellow-man to whom he has given. This is
the attachment between one man and his fellow to which we give the name ‘love’.
When a happy person is attached to God, they want to do good and make others
happy.”

On Purim, each one of us is
commanded to be both a giver and a receiver. As Rav Dessler explains: “He is
the giver whose giving flows from the goodness in his heart and whose receiving
immediately fills his heart with gratitude – in payment for whatever he
receives.”

If these mitzvot are only
observed on Purim, then how do we increase joy during the entire month of Adar
(and this year over an extra month of Adar as well)?

One way is to start by
thinking of who we want to give to and preparing our special gifts.

In Jerusalem, there are border patrol soldiers,
both men and women who need to see our appreciation every day and especially on
Purim. At the funeral of Hadar Cohen z”l the 19 year old female border patrol
soldier who was murdered while protecting the Old City of Jerusalem, President
Reuven Rivlin quoted Yishayahu 62:6: “Al Chomotayich Yerushalayim Hifkadeti Shomrim
Kol HaYom Vikol HaLayla”,  “I have set
watchmen upon your walls, Jerusalem, who shall never hold their peace day or
night.”  President Rivlin explained that
these words no longer refer only to the “shomrim”, male guards, they also refer
to the “shomrot”, female guards putting their lives on the line to keep Jerusalem safe.

We must also keep in mind the
poor elderly residents in Jerusalem,
many of whom were founders of the State of Israel, who don’t have the money or
the energy to prepare Mishoach Manot packages yet are grateful to receive them.

Adar is the time to get
excited about Purim and spread joy and happiness to those around us.

If you would like to contribute
Mishloach Manot for the Border Patrol Soldiers and Matanot L’Evyonim for Jerusalem’s Elderly Residents
go to www.toratreva.org.

In Parshat Trumah we find the
commandment to build the Sanctuary (Shmot 25:8) “They shall make for Me a Sanctuary
that I may dwell among them.”

Sefer HaChinuch (95) points out that
this mitzvah is in force when the majority of Israelites (Jewry) are settled in
their homeland. It is not a mitzvah that is imposed on any individual but
rather on the entire community. When the Beit HaMikdash will be rebuilt speedily
in our days a positive mitzvah will be fulfilled.

The Kuzari (5:27) writes: “Yerushalayim
can only be rebuilt when Israel yearns for it to such an extent that they
embrace her stones and dust.”

Tehillim (102:14) states: “You
shall arise and have mercy upon Zion, for the time to favor her, the set time
has come. For your servants take pleasure in her stones and embrace the dust
thereof.”

We pray three times a day for the
rebuilding of the Beit HaMikdash but how many people have kavana (intent) when
they say those words and really want it to happen?

The first step in rebuilding the
Beit HaMikdash will be the return of the majority of the Jewish people to the
Land of Israel.

Last Sunday, Nefesh B’Nefesh held a
mega event in New York which attracted over 1500 people who are considering
making aliya (resettling in Israel). This year’s fair had the largest turnout
ever. This gives us an indication that aliya is on the rise and on the radar
screen of American Jewry.

I have been living in Israel for 12 ½
years and Israelis still ask me why I would leave New York to move to Israel.
My answer is that Israel is the place that the Jews have yearned to return to
for 2000 years and it was an opportunity that we could not pass up.

In order to hold on to Israel we
need more Jews to come on aliya which will eventually bring us closer to fulfilling
the mitzvah of rebuilding the Beit HaMikdash.

Light is a central theme in Judaism.

In Parshat Trumah we read about the construction of the
Menorah and in Parshat Titzaveh we are commanded to light a ner tamid, an
eternal flame.

Although the Beit HaMikdash no longer stands, we still light
an eternal flame in every synagogue.

Every Shabbat and holiday is brought in by the lighting of
candles and every holiday has a connection to light.

During the Hebrew month of Elul and through the High
Holidays, Sukkot and Simchat Torah, we recite Psalm 27, L’David HaShem Ori
V’Yishi, God is my light and my salvation. We recite this psalm with the hope
that on Rosh HaShana God will help us see the light and repent.

Another name for Chanuka is Chag HaUrim, the festival of
lights, which commemorates the Jewish people winning the war against the Syrian
Greeks, rededicating the Beit HaMikdash and lighting the Menorah. We light our
own personal chanukiot to remember the victory.

On Purim we read in Megilat Esther 8:16, “LaYehudim hayta
ora vesimcha visason viykar”, “The Jews had light and gladness and joy and
honor”.

In what way did they have light?

Amos Chacham, the author of Daat Mikra’s commentary on
Megilat Esther explains that the word “ora” could be a figurative light. The
troubles are compared to darkness and the salvation is the transformation from
darkness to light. “Ora” can also be a literal light. When people are happy and
rejoice they turn on the lights both inside and outside of their homes.

We recite that same verse from the megila (The Jews had
light and gladness and joy and honor) each week while holding a multi-wicked
candle as part of the Havdala service and we add the words “ken tihye lanu”, “so
may it be for us”.

At the Pesach seder, we commemorate the journey of B’nai
Yisrael from the darkness of slavery to the light of redemption.

On Shavuot, we are reminded of the Revelation at Sinai. In
Shmot 19:18 we read: “All of Mount Sinai was
smoking because God descended upon it in the fire. The smoke ascended like the
smoke of the furnace and the entire mountain shuddered exceedingly.”

In Mishlei (Proverbs) the Torah is compared to light and the
mitzvot are compared to a candle. Mishlei 6:23 states: “Ki ner mitzvah v’Torah
or”, “For the commandment is a lamp and the Torah a light”.

Shmot Rabah 36:3 asks the question: What is the meaning of
the verse: “For the commandment is a lamp and the Torah a light”? Whoever
performs a commandment has kindled a lamp before God and revives their soul as
it says in Mishlei 20:27, “Ner Hashem Nishmat adam”, “The soul of man is the
lamp of God”.

When we light a yahrzeit candle, a ner neshama, literally a
candle of the soul we are showing that the souls of the departed live on.

This week, Israel
lost two very special people, Member of Kneset Uri Orbach who passed away from
a serious illness at age 54 and Adele Bitton, a four year old who was hurt in a
rock throwing terrorist attack in 2013 and never recovered. The entire nation
was asked to pray on their behalf and although many of us did not know them
personally we were affected by their untimely deaths. As their shiva candles
flicker we must take the time to learn about and appreciate the contributions
that they made during their short lives and help their legacies live on.

When we read the parshiot in order, first we read Trumah
followed by Tetzave and Ki Tisa. The commandment to build the Mishkan
is in Trumah and the Sin of the Golden Calf is in Ki Tisa. If we
follow the order in the Torah then the command to build the Mishkan
comes before the sin of the golden calf. 
According to Ramban, this is the order in which the events took place.

However, Rashi and Sforno both go by the principle of Ein
mukdam umeuchar BaTorah, the Torah is not necessarily in chronological
order.

According to Rashi (Shmot 31:14), the story of the Golden
Calf took place many days before the command to make the Mishkan, since
the tablets of stone were broken on the 17^th of Tamuz. On Yom Kippur
(the 10^th of Tishrei), God was reconciled with Bnei Yisrael and the
next day they began to bring voluntary offerings to the Mishkan which was
erected on the 1^st of Nisan.

Rashi continues (Shmot 33:11), on the 17^th of
Tamuz the tablets were broken, on the 18^th he burnt the calf and
meted out punishment to the sinners, on the 19^th he ascended Har
Sinai… He stayed there for 40 days and interceded…On the 1^st
of Elul he was told to receive the second tablets and stayed there for 40
days…On the 10^th of Tishrei God became reconciled to Israel in joy
and with a perfect heart and said to Moshe: “I have forgiven them”, handing him
the second tablets. Moshe then descended and began to give the order for the
construction of the Mishkan. They completed it on the 1^st of
Nisan.

Sforno feels that the Mishkan was an afterthought
that was only given once God saw that Bnai Yisrael sinned with the golden calf
and needed something tangible to help them relate to God.

In Yirmiyahu 7:22-23 we read: “For I spoke not to your
fathers, nor commanded them in the day that I brought them out of the land of
Egypt, concerning burnt offerings and sacrifices; but this thing I commanded
them saying: ‘Listen to My voice and I will be your God, and you shall be My
people; and walk in all the way that I commanded you, that it may be well with
you.’”

We learn from these psukim that the sacrifices were never
meant to be the most important part of the religion.

According to Abravanel, when Bnai Yisrael left Egypt, it was
more important to focus on faith in God and civil laws. However, after they
made the calf, God had to provide an antidote to their spiritual infirmity.
They would not have been commanded to sacrifice had they not sinned. At Har
Sinai they were not commanded concerning “burnt offering and sacrifice”
rather they were commanded to be obedient to Me that I may be your God and you
will be My people and steadfastly follow the faith I commanded you.

If this is so then the question is, when the Third Beit
HaMikdash is built speedily in our days will we still need the sacrifices?
If we follow the opinions of Rashi, Sforno and Abravanel that the sacrifices
are an antidote to the sin of the golden calf then maybe we won’t need them
anymore.

However, if we follow the view of Ramban that the events in
the Torah did in fact take place in chronological order and that the
commandment to build the Mishkan did come before the sin of the golden
calf then there is a good chance that the sacrifices will return.

Now we will just have to wait and see.