Why does God want a ‘sanctuary’ in which to ‘reside’? The enigma of the Mishkan project initiated in Parshat Terumah and the Jerusalem Temple that later dominated Jewish life continues to baffle Jewish commentators and theologians.
Rabbi Dunner cites a Midrash to help understand the ‘sanctuary’ phenomenon from God’s perspective, and also offers an explanation for two contradictory Midrashim that seem to suggest that Edom is both excluded and included in the Temple of God.