Mishkan As Collateral

There is an interesting commentary by the “Toldot Adam,” in explaining the word, “Mishkan.” We generally translate it from the word שכן, “to dwell,” and the Mishkan was the dwelling place of the Divine Presence.

There is another possible definition coming from the word, משכון, which means, “collateral.” According to this, the Mishkan is a kind of collateral, or guarantee, of the future of the Jewish people.

The Torah speaks of a case where a loan is given to a poor Jew. He gives his coat as collateral that the loan will be repaid. The Torah describes an arrangement where the coat is returned every evening and taken back every morning, until the loan is paid.

The explanation for this arrangement is that the Torah says that the coat must be returned, “For with what shall he sleep? If he cries out to Me, I will hear his cries.”

This is a hint that just as this person longs for his “Mashkon,” collateral, Hashem is waiting for us to long for his collateral, the Mishkan. It has been said that once the Jewish people recognize the huge loss of not having a Beit Hamikdash, and they begin to deeply long for its rebuilding, this will be the push needed for it to be speedily rebuilt.