“Let Them Make Themselves a Sanctuary, That I Might Dwell in its Midst”

One of the most conspicuous examples of repetition in the Torah is found in the section devoted to the Mishkan. Following the detailed list of commands in the Parashot of Teruma and Tetzaveh, instead of simply noting, “And the people did as Moshe had commanded,” we find all the details of the construction repeated over again. In this article, we will examine the sin of the golden calf, which is recorded in between the commands concerning the Mishkan and their fulfillment, and its results and ramifications, with a view to explaining this phenomenon.