Many commentators on the Torah point out how the Tabernacle, the portable Sanctuary that preceded the Jerusalem Temple, contained within its very structure the Names of God. Without going into details, the numbers of curtains, of wall flats, the numerical values therein all point to the Divine Name.
I always wondered about the point of this. After all, if it is only implied by numerical values hidden in the amount of curtains, flats and their measurements, of what practical importance is it? If only the most learned are aware of those Names, how are they to impart a spiritual impact upon those who visit the Tabernacle? In other words, why bother?
My teacher, Rav Ahron Soloveichik, of blessed memory, explained how there are three names for the Tabernacle: 1. Sanctuary, 2. Tent of Testimony, 3. Tent of Meeting. The first refers more to the worship/sacrificial aspect of the Tabernacle. The second refers to the Torah education aspect of the Tabernacle, where the people would come to learn the Word of God. The third refers to the aspect of social support, where people would come together to help one another.
These parallel the three pillars upon which the world exists. These pillars, mentioned in the Mishna of Avot, are: 1. Torah, 2. Worship-sacrifice, and 3. Acts of Kindness. All three were embodied by the Tabernacle. It was where the Ark of the Covenant was, and where the court of the Sages sat. It was where the people worshiped and brought sacrifices, and it was where each individual was welcomed as part of the community.
In other words, the Temple was the place that brought completeness to the world, where the spiritual and the emotional were united in bonds of love to God and to mankind. It was, indeed, universal. "My House is a place for prayer for ALL the nations."
This, however, is not automatic. It depends on how the custodians of the Tabernacle and Temple, and in our days, the synagogues, fulfill their mission. They must make each House of the Lord a place of Torah, a place of prayer, and, perhaps most critically, a place of kindness. Rav Soloveichik points out the statement of Hillel the Elder, who said, "If I (i.e. the true me) am here, everything is here." A synagogue and a Temple must be dedicated to helping each person who enters uncover their true "I", their true self, potential and mission.
Who would not want to spend time in a place like that?
So I believe that the fact that God's Name was hidden away in the numerical values of the Tabernacle's elements was done so as to articulate this challenge to the custodians. The Name was not put up in Neon lights, because it is not automatic that the Divine Presence is in the Tabernacle. Yes, in Exodus it says "They shall make for me a Sanctuary and I shall dwell within their midst." The key word is Sanctuary, implying holiness. It is not sufficient to make a beautiful physical structure. It must be infused with holiness, with the three pillars of Torah, true worship and real kindness.
If the custodians are truly dedicated to sincere prayer, to teaching the true Torah and to each individual who enters as a holy person, then the Name of God becomes apparent in a deeply spiritual way. The people feel it inside their souls each and every time they enter. And when God's Name moves our spirit, it remains with us even after we leave. "I will dwell in their midst," even as they return to mundane life.
Each visit to the Sanctuary must transform our lives in the interim as well.
