Saturday, February 7, 2015

Mikdash in Space-Time

Regarding the ten commandments, we can read the Pasuk

זָכוֹר אֶת-יוֹם הַשַּׁבָּת, לְקַדְּשׁו; וְעָשׂוּ לִי, מִקְדָּשׁ; וְשָׁכַנְתִּי, בְּתוֹכָם

as referring to the Mikdash in "time and space," וְשָׁכַנְתִּי, בְּתוֹכָם, in "them," in "four dimensions." How can this be done? By remembering the Shabbat in the dimension of time, זָכוֹר אֶת-יוֹם הַשַּׁבָּת, לְקַדְּשׁו and by building the Mishkan, וְעָשׂוּ לִי, מִקְדָּשׁ, in three dimensions. That is why the commandment is "plural" and "singular" at once; it refers to the Mikdash in "space-time."

This connection between זָכוֹר אֶת-יוֹם הַשַּׁבָּת, לְקַדְּשׁו and וְעָשׂוּ לִי, מִקְדָּשׁ lies behind the Melachot that are forbidden on Shabbat, the time to think about how, indeed, all things and all beings, during all of time, are the Mikdash of יְהוָה.