Rabbi Dr. Abraham J. Twerski z’l, writes, “This verse, with two references where the Table should be placed, appears cumbersome. It would have been much more concise to say, ‘Place the Table outside the partition on the north side.’ This awkward sentence structure is an indication that the verse contains a message for us.
“The Table and the Menorah represent two aspects of life. The Table and the showbread, which rested at all times on the table, represent the physical aspects of life, the food we need for survival, and the Menorah represents the light of Torah, and the spiritual aspect of our lives.
“When life begins, the infant knows only his physical needs and their gratification. The juvenile mind cannot conceptualize or understand spirituality. We thus begin life with our physical and material drives being dominant, and constant. When one reaches the age of reason, the spiritual aspect of life begins to set in, and over time, this aspect of ourselves should achieve primacy. The physical needs should eventually become subordinate to the spiritual. Inasmuch as one cannot achieve spiritual goals unless one is physically healthy, one must provide the body with all its essential needs. However, this should not be as in childhood, when satisfying one’s hunger or resting to overcome weariness were dominant.
“Too often, however, maturation is limited to the acquisition of knowledge. We may learn how to do things we could not do in childhood, but the goal in life, sadly, may remain unchanged. There may be brilliant people who have earned advanced degrees, yet whose goal in life is primarily pleasure-seeking. Though their intellect has matured, their philosophy in life has remain essentially unchanged. They begin life with the primacy of the Table, and end life with the primacy of the Table. The only change is from baby food to gourmet cooking and a more sophisticated palate. No “Menorah” has been introduced to alter their goals and direction in life. This is why the Torah describes the placement of the Table and the Menorah in precise detail. The beginning of life for all of mankind is, indeed, the Table. However, maturity is not limited to intellectual progress, but requires that spirituality becomes the goal of life, and physicality becomes a means to a more exalted end (Twerski on Chumash, Artscroll, p.162-163).
The Mishkan is the blueprint for the homes we must build, and the relationship we are to have, and cultivate, with HKB”H in our lives. As Torah Jews, as we mature and grow, this growth must not only be physical, it must be spiritual as well. It is sadly a reality of the societies in which we live, that far too often, individuals seek the physical satiation of the Table, but neglect the spiritual quest of the soul.
In our journey through life, we must always remain well-satiated, and keep our physical selves healthy, not as a goal unto itself, but as a means to reach a higher goal. Accessing, learning from, retaining, and integrating the wisdom of Torah into our homes and our lives is the highest goal we can reach. When we live with the Menorah as our compass, and the Table the means to help us reach our goal, we will truly merit to construct a home, of which it will be said: לִי וְעָשׂוּ בְּתוֹכָם וְשָׁכַנְתִּי ;מִקְדָּשׁ, and you shall make for Me a sanctuary, and I will dwell within them (Shemos 25:8). שלום ושבת טובות בשורות בברכת.
