Simon Says, March 17, 2023

At the end of Exodus, after having built the Mishkan, Moses could not enter.  The cloud was upon the Tabernacle, and God filled the Tabernacle.  What a waste.  The Israelites couldn’t admire their handiwork.

There is another view.  Have you seen The Breakers in Newport?  The Breakers have a footprint of an acre.  The Breakers is gaudy.

I prefer another cottage (the houses in Newport are called cottages, possibly they were summer homes) in Newport, Rosecliff.  Rosecliff was designed by Stanford White, one of America’s best architects.  (White designed Washington Arch.  He was a partner in McKim, Mead, and White, who designed the New York Public Library and the lamented Pennsylvania Station.)  Rosecliff has clean lines and is the opposite of gaudy. 

We went to Newport during the summer of 1997, and we toured many of the cottages.  We were impressed by the opulence:  marble staircases, gold plating, and tons of exotic woods.  The cottages were built for people, not for God.

The Mishkin was built for God.  Every item was opulent, designed for God.  The Mishkan was not built for people.  It was built for God.  God dwelled in the Mishkan, no matter the cost. 

The Mishkan was destroyed and superseded by the First Temple and the Second Temple.  Both Temples were opulent, befitting the House of God.