והִתְהַלַּכְתִּי בְּתוֹכְכֶם – עִנְיַן הַמִּתְהַלֵּךְ הוּא הַהוֹלֵךְ אָנֶה וָאָנָה, לֹא אֶל מָקוֹם אֶחָד בִּלְבָד. אָמַר אִם כֵּן: אֶתְהַלֵּךְ בְּתוֹכְכֶם, כִּי לֹא אֶל מָקוֹם אֶחָד בִּלְבָד יֵרֵד שֶׁפַע הַכָּבוֹד, כְּמוֹ שֶׁהָיָה בַּמִּשְׁכָּן וּבַמִּקְדָּשׁ, כְּאָמְרוֹ ״וְעָשׂוּ לִי מִקְדָּשׁ וְשָׁכַנְתִּי בְּתוֹכָם״ (שמות כ״ה:ח׳), כְּלוֹמַר בָּזֶה הָאֹפֶן וּבְאוֹתוֹ הַמָּקוֹם בִּלְבָד אֶשְׁכֹּן בְּתוֹכָם, וּבֵאֵר זֶה בְּאָמְרוֹ ״אֲשֶׁר אִוָּעֵד לְךָ שָׁמָה״ (שם ל׳:ו׳), ״וְנוֹעַדְתִּי שָׁמָּה לִבְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל״ (שם כ״ט:מ״ג), אֲבָל אֶתְהַלֵּךְ בְּתוֹכְכֶם וְיֵרָאֶה כְּבוֹדִי בְּכָל מָקוֹם שֶׁתִּהְיוּ שָׁם. כִּי אָמְנָם בְּכָל מָקוֹם שֶׁיִּהְיוּ שָׁם צַדִּיקֵי הַדּוֹר הוּא ״קְדוֹשׁ מִשְׁכְּנֵי עֶלְיוֹן״ (תהלים מ״ו:ה׳), שֶׁבּוֹ תִּשְׁלַם כַּוָּנָתוֹ, כְּאָמְרוֹ ״הַשָּׁמַיִם כִּסְאִי, וְהָאָרֶץ הֲדֹם רַגְלָי... וְאֶל זֶה אַבִּיט, אֶל עָנִי וּנְכֵה רוּחַ, וְחָרֵד עַל דְּבָרִי״ (ישעיהו ס״ו:א׳-ב׳). וְהָיִיתִי לָכֶם לֵאלֹהִים. אֶהְיֶה ״לֵאלֹהִים״ מְיֻחָד ״לָכֶם״, לֹא יִהְיֶה לָכֶם אֱלֹהִים וּמַנְהִיג זוּלָתִי, וּבְכֵן יִהְיֶה נִצְחִיּוּת מְצִיאוּתְכֶם מִמֶּנִּי בִּלְתִּי אֶמְצָעִי, וּכְמוֹ שֶׁהוּא לִשְּׁאָר הַנִּבְדָּלִים הַנִּצְחִיִּים, בִּהְיוֹתְכֶם אָז בְּצַלְמִי כִּדְמוּתִי כְּמוֹ שֶׁהָיְתָה הַכַּוָּנָה בִּבְרִיאַת הָאָדָם וּבְמַתַּן תּוֹרָה, וְלָזֶה אָמַר ״וְלָקַחְתִּי אֶתְכֶם לִי לְעָם, וְהָיִיתִי לָכֶם לֵאלֹהִים״ (שמות ו׳:ז׳).
כִּי אָמְנָם בְּמַתַּן תּוֹרָה לוּלֵי הִשְׁחִיתוּ הָיְתָה הַכַּוָּנָה לָשׂוּם אוֹתָם בְּמַעֲלַת יְמוֹת הַמָּשִׁיחַ וְעוֹלָם הַבָּא שֶׁיָּעַד בְּזֹאת הַפָּרָשָׁה בְּלִי סָפֵק. אָמְנָם בְּפָרָשַׁת ״אַתֶּם נִצָּבִים״ אָמַר שֶׁהַכַּוָּנָה שֶׁיָּקִים אוֹתָם לְעַם כְּדֵי שֶׁיִּהְיֶה הוּא לֵאלֹהִים (דברים כ״ט:י״ב), אֲבָל לֹא יָעַד שֶׁיִּהְיֶה כֵּן אָז. אֲבָל פְּעֻלַּת הַתָּמִיד שֶׁל מִשְׁכָּן בְּאָמְרוֹ ״וְשָׁכַנְתִּי בְּתוֹךְ בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל, וְהָיִיתִי לָהֶם לֵאלֹהִים״ (שמות כ״ט:מ״ה) יָעַד בְּכָל עִנְיַן זֹאת הַפָּרָשָׁה. אֲבָל בִּשְׁאָר הַמְקוֹמוֹת אָמַר ״לִהְיוֹת לָכֶם לֵאלֹהִים״, ״וְאַתֶּם תִּהְיוּ לִי לְעָם״, שֶׁתִּהְיֶה כָּל מְגָמַת פְּנֵיכֶם לַעֲשׂוֹת רְצוֹנִי וּלְעָבְדֵנִי שְׁכֶם אֶחָד בְּלִי סָפֵק, כְּמוֹ שֶׁרָאוּי שֶׁיַּעֲשֶׂה כָּל עַם לְמַלְכּוֹ בֶּאֱמֶת.
והתהלכתי בתוככם - The meaning of this reflexive conjugation is as if the Torah had written: “I will walk with you in whatever direction you are going, back and forth and sideways.” In other words, God says that He will not limit His benevolent presence to a single location or route of His choosing as it was as long as the Temple or Tabernacle stood, and only these locations were holy domains, the people having to come there if they wanted to experience sanctity and holiness. While it is true that this had been the primary objective in Exodus chapter 25 when the command to build the Tabernacle had first been issued, this was only an initial step in regaining the closeness between God and Israel which had been shattered due to the sin of the golden calf. During the immediate period being ushered in at that time, the operating clause for such manifestation of holiness would the words אשר אועד לך שמה, “where I choose to manifest Myself” (Exodus 30,6) Or Exodus 29,43 ונועדתי שמה לבני ישראל, “I will manifest Myself there to the Children of Israel.”
In the future, wherever the righteous would be found holiness would be present. This is the meaning of והתהלכתי בתוככם. At that time My glory will be manifest universally, not only within the confines of the Temple. This is the time of which Isaiah 66, 1-2 said “The heaven is My throne, and the earth My footstool.”
והייתי לכם לאלוקים, I will be a special God, yours alone. You will not have recourse to any other “leader,” any intermediary who will have an input into shaping your destiny. This is why your eternal existence will not again be threatened. This is the true significance of being בצלמי ובדמותי, “in My image (and in My form.”), meaning as it had been God’s original intention. This intention had been briefly realised again at the revelation at Mount Sinai, only to have again been aborted when the golden calf was made and the people danced around it. When God said in Exodus 6,7 “I will take you to be My people and to be your God, He had meant the restoration of man’s original perfection as he had been when first created, becoming the gift of the Jewish people at Mount Sinai.
On the other hand, Deuteronomy 29,12 when God also speaks of the result of the covenant being that He will be the God of the Jewish people, He did not refer to such lofty ideals at that time. At that point the Torah was satisfied with ensuring the uninterrupted function of the Tabernacle as the home of the Shechinah on earth. This was the reduced objective we had heard about in Exodus 29,45 when God spoke about making His residence among the Jewish people in that Tabernacle, not wherever they would be in areas beyond the Tabernacle. God would indeed be the Jewish people’s God, with all that this entails in terms of His personal providence, but He would not be described as dwelling “among” them, or “within” them, depending on how we want to understand the word בתוכם. However, we would be His people, if all our efforts would be designed to carry out God’s will to the extent that He had revealed it to us. After all, every people does no less than this for its king of flesh and blood.
