AND LOOK THAT THOU MAKE THEM AFTER THEIR PATTERN WHICH WAS SHEWED THEE IN THE MOUNT. And again it is written: “And thou shalt rear up the Tabernacle according to the fashion thereof which was shewed thee in the mount” (Ex. 26, 30). R. Jose said: ‘From this we see that the Holy One, blessed be He, actually gave Moses all the arrangements and all the shapes of the Tabernacle, each in its appropriate manner, and that he saw Metatron ministering to the High Priest within it. It may be said that, as the Tabernacle above was not erected until the Tabernacle below had been completed, that “youth” (Metatron) could not have served above before Divine worship had taken place in the earthly Tabernacle.
It is true that the Tabernacle above was not actually erected before the one below; yet Moses saw a mirroring of the whole beforehand, and also Metatron, as he would be later when all was complete. The Holy One said to him: “Behold now, the Tabernacle and the ‘Youth’; all is held in suspense until the Tabernacle below shall have been built.”
It should not be thought, however, that Metatron himself ministers; the fact is, that the Tabernacle belongs to him, and Michael, the High Priest, it is that serves there, within the Metatron’s Tabernacle,mirroring the function of the Supernal High Priest above, serving within that other Tabernacle, that hidden one which never is revealed, which is connected with the mystery of the world to come.
פָּתַח רַבִּי יוֹסִי וְאָמַר, בְּאִינּוּן רָזִין עִלָּאִין דְּמַשְׁכְּנָא כְּתִיב, (שמות כ״ה:מ׳) וּרְאֵה וַעֲשֵׂה בְּתַבְנִיתָם וְגוֹ', וּכְתִיב וַהֲקֵמֹתָ אֶת הַמִּשְׁכָּן כְּמִשְׁפָּטוֹ וְגוֹ', אוֹלִיפְנָא דְּאָמַר לֵיהּ קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא לְמֹשֶׁה, כָּל תִּקּוּנִין, וְכָל דִּיוּקְנִין דְּמַשְׁכְּנָא, כָּל חַד וְחַד כַּדְקָא חֲזִי לֵיהּ, דְּחָמָא לֵיהּ לִמְטַטְרוֹ"ן, דְּקָא מְשַׁמֵּשׁ לְכַהֲנָא רַבָּא לְגוֹ. וְאִי תֵּימָא, וְהָא לָא אִתְּקַם מַשְׁכְּנָא לְעֵילָּא, עַד יוֹמָא דְּאִתְּקַם מַשְׁכְּנָא לְתַתָּא, וְלָא (קמ"ג ע"א) שִׁמֵשׁ הַהוּא נַעַר דִּלְעֵילָּא, עַד יוֹמָא דְּשִׁמְשׁוּ לְתַתָּא, בְּהַאי מַשְׁכְּנָא אַחֲרָא.
AND LOOK THAT THOU MAKE THEM AFTER THEIR PATTERN WHICH WAS SHEWED THEE IN THE MOUNT. And again it is written: “And thou shalt rear up the Tabernacle according to the fashion thereof which was shewed thee in the mount” (Ex. 26, 30). R. Jose said: ‘From this we see that the Holy One, blessed be He, actually gave Moses all the arrangements and all the shapes of the Tabernacle, each in its appropriate manner, and that he saw Metatron ministering to the High Priest within it. It may be said that, as the Tabernacle above was not erected until the Tabernacle below had been completed, that “youth” (Metatron) could not have served above before Divine worship had taken place in the earthly Tabernacle.
אֶלָּא וַדַּאי הָכִי הוּא, דְּהָא מַשְׁכְּנָא לָא אִתְּקַם לְעֵילָּא, עַד דְּאִתְּקַם מַשְׁכְּנָא לְתַתָּא, אֲבָל חָמָא מֹשֶׁה חֵיזוּ דְּכָל מַשְׁכְּנָא, וְלָא הֲוָה מִתְסַדֵּר בְּקִיּוּמֵיהּ, עַד דְּאִתְּקַם מַשְׁכְּנָא לְתַתָּא, וְחָמָא לֵיהּ לִמְטַטְרוֹ"ן מְשַׁמֵּשׁ לְבָתַר, לָאו דְּהֲוָה אִיהוּ מְשַׁמֵשׁ, אֶלָּא דְּהֲוָה מְשַׁמֵּשׁ לְבָתַר, וְלָאו בְּהַהוּא זִמְנָא. אָמַר לֵיהּ קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא לְמֹשֶׁה, חָמֵי מַשְׁכְּנָא, וְחָמֵי נַעַר, כֹּלָּא מִתְעֲכָּב עַד דְּיִתְקָם הָכָא לְתַתָּא.
It is true that the Tabernacle above was not actually erected before the one below; yet Moses saw a mirroring of the whole beforehand, and also Metatron, as he would be later when all was complete. The Holy One said to him: “Behold now, the Tabernacle and the ‘Youth’; all is held in suspense until the Tabernacle below shall have been built.”
וְאִי תֵּימָא, אִי הָכִי, מְטַטְרוֹן אִיהוּ דְּקָא מְשַׁמֵּשׁ. אֶלָּא וַדַּאי מַשְׁכְּנָא דִּילֵיהּ אִיהוּ, וּמִיכָאֵל כַּהֲנָא רַבָּא, אִיהוּ דְּקָא מְשַׁמֵּשׁ גּוֹ הַהוּא מַשְׁכְּנָא דִּמְטַטְרוֹן. כְּגַוְונָא דִּמְשַׁמֵּשׁ כַּהֲנָא רַבָּא עִלָּאָה לְעֵילָּא, גּוֹ מַשְׁכְּנָא אַחֲרָא סְתִימָא דְּלָא אִתְגַּלְיָיא, בְּרָזָא דְּעָלְמָא דְּאָתֵי. תְּרֵין מַשְׁכְּנִין אִינּוּן. חַד אִיהוּ סְתִימָא עִלָּאָה. וְחַד הַאי מַשְׁכְּנָא דִּמְטַטְרוֹן. תְּרֵי כַּהֲנֵי אִינּוּן, חַד אוֹר קַדְמָאָה. וְחַד מִיכָאֵל כַּהֲנָא רַבָּא לְתַתָּא.
It should not be thought, however, that Metatron himself ministers; the fact is, that the Tabernacle belongs to him, and Michael, the High Priest, it is that serves there, within the Metatron’s Tabernacle,mirroring the function of the Supernal High Priest above, serving within that other Tabernacle, that hidden one which never is revealed, which is connected with the mystery of the world to come.