At the beginning of this week’s Parsha the Possuk states; וַיַקְהֵל מֹשֶׁה אֶׁת כָּל עֲדַת בְנֵי יִשְרָּאֵל וַיֹאמֶׁר אֲלֵהֶׁם אֵלֶׁה הַדְבָּרִים וְגוֹ׳ שֵשֶׁת יָּמִים תֵעָּשֶׁה מְלָּאכָּה וּבַיוֹם הַשְבִיעִי יִהְיֶׁה לָּכֶׁם קֹדֶׁש שַבַת שַבָּתוֹן לַה׳ “Moshe called the whole community of the B’nei Yisroel to assemble, and he said to them: ‘These are the things ... Six days work may be done, but on the seventh day you shall have sanctity, a day of complete rest to HaShem.’”
There is a maxim of our Sages of blessed memory that is brought down in Maamorim regarding the juxtaposition, in the Torah, of the instruction to keep Shabbos with the instruction to build the Mishkon and they say; “This teaches us that the Mishkon shall only be built on the weekday but not on Shabbos”.
One of the explanations of this matter goes on to state that the general purpose of building the Mishkon is to elicit a Divine Hamshocha from above to below so that HaShem shall dwell below [in the Mishkon] as the Possuk states: וְשָּכַנְתִי בְתוֹכָּם “I will dwell in their midst.”
[This concept comes after the preface that there should first be a person’s Avodah from down below to above, starting with the contributions towards the Mishkon as the Possuk states; קְחוּ מֵאִתְכֶׁם תְרוּמָּה לַה׳ “Take from yourselves an offering to HaShem” (the word תְרוּמָּה which we have translated as offering comes from the word הַרָּמָּה meaning to elevate from below to above) כֹל נְדִיב לִבוֹ יְבִיאֶׁהָּ וְגוֹ׳ “Every generous hearted person shall bring it, HaShem's offering: gold, silver, and copper”.]
In order to facilitate a person’s Avodah from below to above in a manner of Isarussa Dil’Tatoh [however,] there first needs to be an Isarussa Dile’eilah both in order to inspire the individual to do the Avodah with Isarussa Dil’Tatoh but also so that the person’s Isarussa Dil’Tatoh shall itself arouse and initiate an [even] greater Isarussa Dile’eilah from above. This is the concept of וַיַקְהֵל מֹשֶׁה.
This initial arousal experiences a descent analogous to the descent one’s intelligence experiences when one has to contract one’s intelligence in order to write something where the physical act of writing is akin to a ‘step down’ as the person needs to reduce the intellect in order to become involved in the physical act but in effect this is a descent which facilitates an ascent as a long term benefit ensues...
Similarly, with this Divine Hamshocha and descent from above to below of the ‘Odom HoElyon’ into the building of the Mishkon as it was built with the help of HaShem’s Chochmah, Binah and Da’as. [Just as the Possuk highlights that the actual Mishkon was built as a result of וַיְמַלֵא אֹתוֹ רוּחַ אֱלֹקִים בְחָּכְמָּה בִתְבוּנָּה וּבְדַעַת “He has imbued him with the spirit of G-d, with wisdom, with insight, with knowledge.”] Within the preparation and manufacture of physical timber beams which is a drastic reduction and descent, [we see that] this descent is only to facilitate an ascent, whereby these very beams will be elevated to holiness when they encompass the Divine presence blessed be He symbolising our mission of ‘Avodas HaBirurim’ to refine and to purify the world and to cause there to be a Hamshocha of holiness within the world making this world a dwelling place for HaShem blessed be He.
Accordingly, the reason why the Mishkon had to be built on the weekdays and not on Shabbos will [now] be understood. This is because Shabbos symbolises the ascent and elevation to above and not a descent below as in the Avodah of Birurim. (There is not even a descent to the lofty state of Chochmah resulting with a potential for Birurim [which thereby would] come into effect - as the Zohar writes; אִתְבְרִירוּבְחָּכְמָּה “Through Chochmah they are refined”) This is because during Shabbos ‘Borer’ is forbidden.
