Parshas Tetzaveh

Moses's Woe'ses's

”And you shall command the Children of Israel and take to you clear olive oil, produced by crushing, for illumination, to raise up the constant light, (Ner Tamid)” (Shemos 27:2)

The start of this verse is very unusual; usually the Torah says that Hashem speaks to Moshe and tells him what to do, here it jumps straight in to Hashem speaking to Moshe directly, without mentioning his name. (The Tur HaAruch points out that this is the only parsha from Shemos until VeZos HaBrachah that doesn’t mention Moshe by name at all).

The Chumash Bais Yehuda interprets this unusual language as telling us the Moshe was upset at his lack of involvement in actual the construction of the Mishkon, to console him Hashem told him that “And YOU shall command…“regarding the oil and later “And YOU shall bring close to you Aharon…” and “And YOU shall talk to all wise of heart…” regarding the priestly garments. This highlighted Moshe’s pivotal role in managing the inauguration of the Mikdosh.

This still begs the question, why was Moshe so upset? Wasn’t he involved enough? Furthermore, how can one of the greatest people who ever lived, who achieved a level of prophecy higher than any other, be satisfied with such a consolation?

Moshe was upset because he wanted more spirituality! Chazal say, “One who loves money will never be satisfied by money”, referring to mitzvos, if you love mitzvos, however many mitzvos you do, however close you become to Hashem, it’s never enough! Moses our teacher was a crazed fundamentalist! All he cared about was God, His Torah and spirituality! That’s what it takes to be a Moshe Rabenu!

Rabbi Yakov Kaminetzky writes in Emes L’Yakov, that Moshe gave shape to the construction of the Mishkon. Presumably this means that whatever construction had took place, it was Moshe that converted this into a House set aside for Hashem, in which His Shechinah would dwell. Bnei Yisroel had built the physical building and implements, but it required Moshe under Hashem’s instruction to make all this into a Mishkon.

Staying with this idea, we can ask what exactly it is that makes something a Mishkon. Can anyone follow the instructions in Parshas Trumah and produce a Mishkon, or does the commandment empower the commanded to turn a building and utensils into a Mishkon?

The Rambam in Hilchos Melochim rules that Klal Yisroel are obligated to appoint a king, destroy Amalek and build a Bais HaMikdosh, (specifically in this order), upon entering Eretz Yisroel. (He writes that this order cannot be changes and is based upon the chronology of Melochim 1)
Although the building of the Temple, (or Mishkon), are mitzvos upon which the entirety of the nation as a whole is commanded, it could be from the order of the Rambam that without a king, the Temple will not have the status of Beis HaMikdosh, (aside from the practicalities of the king is the most able to get the Beis HaMikdosh built, employing legislative and executive powers).
If this is so, either: without a king any Temple will not be a Beis HaMikdosh, it will always remain a very nice building, (the king is a ikar to the toras din shaim "Beis Hamikdosh"), or, the Temple that the nation builds without a king will be a Beis HaMikdosh, but will be posul, the Shechinah will not dwell there until there’s a king, (the appointment of a king would be the completion of the Beis HaMikdosh), (the king is a tanay to the toras din shaim "Beis Hamikdosh"). (Italics are the technical term for what I wrote in English - see Bircas Shmuel on Gittin, forgotten which siman).

If the above idea is true, although Moshe was relatively uninvolved in the construction of the Mishkon in Parshas Trumoh, it was him, with his status of king, that enabled the Mishkon to be the location of Hashem’s dwelling amongst Yisroel, either because without him it would not be a Mikdosh, or it would be a Mikdosh but unable to function.

Therefore, by emphasizing “you shall command” regarding the production of the oil and the inauguration of the Kohanim, leading to the inauguration of the Mikdosh with the Avodah, (temple service), Hashem was telling Moshe that he, as king of Yisroel was imparting the status of Mishkon and thus essentially involved in the construction.