Tabernacle, separated the Holy of Holies

 In a recent Bible reading and following the Easter period, the curtain in the Temple was torn in two at the moment of Jesus' death on the cross.

Mark 15:37-38: "And Jesus uttered a loud cry and breathed his last. And the curtain of the Temple was torn in two, from top to bottom."

As per the Temple designs, this curtain separated the Holy of Holies, the innermost chamber of the Temple where the Ark of the Covenant was kept, from the rest of the Temple.

The tearing of the curtain at the moment of Jesus' death is interpreted symbolically as representing the opening of access to God for all people through the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross. The idea is that tearing the curtain signifies removing the barriers between humanity and God and opening a new way of approaching God through faith in Jesus.

The friendly group discussion referred to whether the tearing was related to the Tabernacle design and construction. I was unfamiliar with the word and designation, which led me to read "Exodus"     25:8-9; 26:1 to get familiar. As per my investigation, indeed, the curtain in the Temple turning in two is not directly related to the design of the Tabernacle due to the time lapse separation, and since both had similar segregation. Jesus Christ was born long after the Tabernacle, and his ministry took place in the context of the Second Temple period. While the Tabernacle was no longer in use during this time, the Temple in Jerusalem continued to play a central role in Jewish religious life and was the site of many of the critical events in the life of Jesus, including his visits to the Temple, his debates with the religious authorities, and his cleansing of the Temple.

However, tearing the Temple curtain reflects a shift in religious practice and belief toward a more open and inclusive approach to worship. Since both the Tabernacle and the Temple at the time had a similar design with divisions, there was a move from a restricted and exclusive form of worship towards a more open and accessible one, intending to enable more people to connect with God, as Jesus Christ told us to spread his word.

In the Bible, the Tabernacle was a portable sanctuary used by the Israelites during their wanderings in the desert. The tent-like structure served as a place of worship and animal sacrifice. It housed the Ark of the Covenant, which contained the tablets of the Ten Commandments. 

The word "tabernacle" comes from the Latin word "tabernaculum," which means "tent" or "temporary dwelling." As described in the Bible, the Tabernacle was a temporary sacred place for God's presence among the people of Israel until the construction of the more permanent Temple in Jerusalem. The "Tabernacle" emphasizes that the sanctuary was a temporary structure meant to be taken down and moved as the Israelites journeyed through the desert.

As described in the Old Testament, Moses led the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt. They journeyed through the desert for forty years before entering the Promised Land. The Tabernacle was the center of their religious worship and animal sacrifice during that period. 

The construction of the Tabernacle and its furnishings is described in great detail in the Exodus book, and it is believed to have been concluded around the 13th century BCE. The Tabernacle remained in use until King Solomon constructed the First Temple in Jerusalem around the 10th century BCE.

In "Exodus" book is the second book of the Hebrew Bible (or Old Testament) and the Christian Bible. It is one of the five books of the Torah, the foundational text of Judaism. It is a prominent textbook in Jewish and Christian religious traditions and the foundational text of Western civilization. The "Exodus" book tells the story of the Israelites' liberation from slavery in Egypt and their journey to the Land of Canaan, which God had promised to their ancestors. The "Exodus" book contains some of the most famous events in the Bible, including the burning bush, the Ten Plagues, the parting of the Red Sea, the giving of the Ten Commandments, and the construction of the Tabernacle. The Tabernacle was mainly built with curtains, an essential part of its construction, and was used to separate the different areas of the sanctuary. The curtains were made of fine linen and embroidered with intricate designs and were hung from poles and hooks to create a series of chambers and spaces within the Tabernacle. The curtains were intended to develop a sense of reverence and wonderment and to symbolize the separation between the sacred and the profane. The curtains of the Tabernacle were not broken during any storm and were carefully constructed and maintained by skilled craftsmen. They were made of fine linen and embroidered with intricate cherubim designs (angelic figures) in four different colors: blue, purple, and scarlet, and were woven together with threads of gold.

The Tabernacle had three main sections, each with its own set of curtains:

The outermost covering: This was made of woven goat hair dyed red, covered the Tabernacle completely, and was waterproofed with a coating of animal skins.

The inner covering: Consists of ten curtains made of fine linen, each measuring 28 cubits by 4 cubits (about 12.8 meters by 1.83 meters). The curtains were attached to each other with loops and clasps made of gold and were embellished with cherubim designs in blue, purple, and scarlet.

The innermost covering: This curtain was made of blue, purple, and scarlet yarns and fine twisted linen. It was embroidered with cherubim designs in blue, purple, and scarlet and hung on four pillars covered with gold.

In the Israelite religion, access to the Tabernacle was restricted to the priests, who were responsible for performing the rituals and maintaining the sanctuary.

According to the Exodus book, the priests were descendants of Aaron, Moses's brother. God appointed them to serve in the Tabernacle and were responsible for making animal sacrifices, offering prayers, and performing other religious duties. The priests were considered a unique and holy group, set apart from the rest of the Israelites.

Only male Israelites who had been circumcised were allowed to participate in the Passover sacrifice (Exodus 12:48), and those who had become ritually impure through contact with a dead body or other impure substance were required to undergo a period of purification before they could enter the Tabernacle or participate in its ceremonies.

The selective entry into the Tabernacle was intended to emphasize the holiness of the space and the importance of proper ceremonies and conduct in worship. 

Some of the religious events and practices that took place in the Tabernacle were:

• Animal Sacrifices: The Israelites brought their animal sacrifices to the Tabernacle to be offered to God. These sacrifices were an essential part of the Israelite religious practice and were seen as a way to atone for sin and express gratitude to God.
• Worship (Pray): The Tabernacle was also where the Israelites could come to pray, sing hymns, and offer thanks to God.
• Ceremonies: The Tabernacle was the site of various religious traditions, such as the lighting of the Menorah (a seven-branched lampstand), the burning of incense, and the offering of the showbread (loaves of bread placed on a table).
• High Holy Days: The Tabernacle was the focal point of the Israelites' observance of the High Holy Days, such as Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement) and Sukkot (the Feast of Tabernacles). Special ceremonies and animal sacrifices were performed in the Tabernacle on these occasions.
• God's Presence: According to the Israelite belief, the Tabernacle was the dwelling place of God's presence among the people of Israel. The Ark of the Covenant, which contained the tablets of the Ten Commandments, was housed in the innermost chamber of the Tabernacle, known as the Holy of Holies. The High Priest only entered this inner sanctum once a year on Yom Kippur.

After the Israelites settled in the Land of Israel, King David wanted to build a permanent temple to replace the Tabernacle as the central place of worship (to pray) for the Israelites. However, God told David that he was not the one to build the Temple but that it would be built by his son, Solomon.

The transition from the Tabernacle to the Temple in Jerusalem marked a shift in the Israelites' religious practices and beliefs. While the Tabernacle was a portable sanctuary designed to be set up and taken down as the Israelites traveled through the desert, the Temple was a permanent structure built in Jerusalem as a center for worship and sacrifice.

It was written in the Bible that the First Temple was built by King Solomon in Jerusalem and was completed around 957 BCE (based on biblical chronology and historical records. The Temple was much larger and more elaborate than the Tabernacle, with more elaborate furnishings and decorations. In the First Book of Kings, chapters 6-8 are a few verses that describe the construction and completion of the Temple:

"Then Solomon began to build the house of the Lord at Jerusalem on Mount Moriah, where the Lord had appeared to his father David, at the place that David had designated, on the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite. He began to build in the second month of the fourth year of his reign." (1 Kings 6:1-2, NRSV)

"The house, that is, the Temple in front of the sanctuary, was forty cubits long. The cedar within the house had carvings of gourds and open flowers; all was cedar, no stone was seen. The inner sanctuary he prepared in the innermost part of the house, to set there the ark of the covenant of the Lord. The interior of the inner sanctuary was twenty cubits long, twenty cubits wide, and twenty cubits high; he overlaid it with pure gold. He also overlaid the altar with cedar. Solomon overlaid the inside of the house with pure gold, then he drew chains of gold across, in front of the inner sanctuary, and overlaid it with gold." (1 Kings 6:3-7, NRSV)

"Thus, all the work that King Solomon did on the house of the Lord was finished. Solomon brought in the things that his father David had dedicated, the silver, the gold, and the vessels, and stored them in the treasuries of the house of the Lord." (1 Kings 7:51, NRSV). 

It also served as a symbol of Israel's prosperity and status as a powerful kingdom. The Temple became the central place of worship (praying) and animal sacrifice for the Israelites and remained so until it was destroyed by the Babylonians in 586 BCE.

The construction of the Temple marked a significant change in how the Israelites worshipped God. One of the considerable differences between the Tabernacle and the Temple was that the Temple was open to a broader range of people. It provided a more permanent and stable structure for worship (praying), allowing for more extraordinary religious ceremonies and practice expansion. The Temple also symbolized Israelite identity and served as a unifying force for the people.

It was designed with multiple courtyards, with the outer courtyard accessible to all people, while the innermost courtyard was restricted to priests. The Temple also had separate areas for men and women on their prayings and different rooms for Jews and Gentiles.

This shift towards more open and inclusive ceremonies was influenced by ancient Israel's changing political and cultural landscape. As the Israelites became more settled in the Land of Canaan and came into contact with other cultures and religions, their beliefs and practices began to evolve. As a result, the Temple became a central hub of religious life and a place of pilgrimage for Jews from all over the world. It played a significant role in shaping Jewish culture and identity.