The Mishkan and the Restoration of Israel
Parashat Terumah, Exodus 25:1–27:19
Matheus Zandona, Har Tzion Congregation, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
וְעָ֥שׂוּ לִ֖י מִקְדָּ֑שׁ וְשָׁכַנְתִּ֖י בְּתוֹכָֽם׃
"And they shall make Me a sanctuary, and I shall dwell inside of them." (Exodus 25:8)
The directive to construct the Mishkan (Tabernacle) is fundamental within the order of Parashat Terumah. Along with guiding an architectural endeavor, this command also indicates a deeply theological truth: God’s presence does not seek to be limited to a physical structure but rather desires to live among His people. The Tabernacle—and later on, the Temple—was a means of education to Israel on holiness, the significance of sin, and, most importantly, their divine vocation: to be a kingdom of priests and a holy nation (Exodus 19:6).
Jewish philosopher and theologian Michael Wyschogrod devoted considerable attention to God's indwelling in the people of Israel. He underscored that Israel was not chosen to be “Hashem’s abode in the created world” merely for its own sake, but for the redemption of the world (The Body of Faith: God and the people of Israel, p. 212). A restored and reunited Israel serves as evidence of God’s love for the world and aids in its salvation. This perspective corresponds with many prophecies concerning the restoration of Israel, as in Isaiah 60:1-3:
Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you. For behold, darkness shall cover the earth, and thick darkness the peoples; but the Lord will arise upon you, and His glory will be seen upon you. And nations shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising.
The apostle Paul connects Israel’s restoration with the revelation of Yeshua to His people, bringing an unprecedented world revival:
For if their rejection (of Yeshua) means the reconciliation of the world, what will their acceptance mean but life from the dead? (Romans 11:15)
Israel was created to be the Mishkan of God, the place where He dwells among the nations. Every time we announce the Good News of redemption in Yeshua to our people, we are working toward the restoration of His Mishkan. But there is another way to join this divine task: through aiding the sons of Abraham to return to their lost heritage. This reconnection is a crucial element of Israel’s eschatological restoration, which in turn signals the ultimate redemption of the world. An example that stands out in this case are the Anusim, the descendants of Jews who were forcibly converted during the time of the Inquisition.
A parallel can be drawn between the basic structure of the Mishkan and the spiritual journey of the Anusim. The Mishkan had three levels of holiness:
The Outer Court — open to all Israelites, representing the initial phase of restoration, where one reclaims their Jewish identity.
The Holy Place — accessible only to the priesthood, symbolizing a deeper commitment to spiritual refinement.
The Holy of Holies — where the Shechinah (Divine Presence) rested, representing the full reintegration into the people of Israel.
The Portuguese sage Don Isaac Abarbanel, who witnessed the expulsion of the Jews from Spain in 1492, foresaw the return of the Anusim in his commentary on Ezekiel 20:
The Ingathering of the Exiles will include not only those who are part of the community of Israel, but also those who were compelled to leave the faith, for all of God’s sheep shall return to the flock. (https://www.jpost.com/opinion/fundamentally-freund-the-abarbanel-and-the-return-of-the-bnei-anusim-423752)
Writing on Deuteronomy 30, Abarbanel adds:
In the End of Days, God will awaken in the hearts of the Anusim a desire to return to Him. . . . And when they return to God and follow Him, everyone according to his status and his ability, He promises that the exalted God will bring them close to Him.
Abarbanel was convinced, based on his interpretation of biblical prophecy, that the Anusim would one day return to the people of Israel. But their return is not only about their own longing—it is also about the Jewish world opening its heart to receive them.
Today, as in the past, the return of the Anusim is a subject symbolized in many Jewish communities as an indication of Israel's redemption. Their story is one of trails of tears, triumph, and faithfulness. After several centuries of forced conversions, persecution, and even exile, they did not completely lose their Jewish identity. The Jewish soul within them is now crying out: “we need to come back home”! Their return today stands as a testament to the restoration of Israel echoing the prophetic vision of Ezekiel’s valley of dry bones:
Behold, I will open your graves and raise you from your graves, O My people. And I will bring you into the land of Israel. (Ezekiel 37:12)
The medieval Jewish thinker Rabbi Yehuda HaLevi wrote in The Kuzari about the vision of Israel’s restoration in Ezekiel:
These bones retain a trace of vitality, because they were once the vessels of a living heart, head, spirit, soul, and mind.
This image fits the Anusim, who, though hidden for centuries, remained a vital part of Israel’s spiritual body. The prophet Jeremiah also foresaw this restoration embodied in a Renewed Covenant that is made with all Israel:
“Behold, the days are coming,” says the Lord, “when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah. . . . I will put My law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be My people.” (Jeremiah 31:31, 33)
These days, conversations around the return of the Anusim are increasing in scholarly discussions. But to what extent does this issue concern the Jewish follower of Yeshua? What is essential is that if we trust in the future redemption of Israel, we must also accept that the return of the Anusim is an act of God, with Yeshua at the epicenter. Will our movement play any role in this prophetic gathering of our people?
In Brazil, Ministério Ensinando de Sião (Teaching from Zion Ministry), Congregation Har Tzion, and the Museum of the History of the Inquisition are actively working to reconnect the Anusim with their Jewish heritage. Through historical research, education, and spiritual guidance, we help them rediscover their place in the covenantal story of Israel, keeping the most important gift Israel has given them: Yeshua as our promised Messiah!
It is more than just an interesting subject and a tragic story; the restoration of the Anusim is one of Israel’s redemptive motifs. God will certainly bring the outcasts of Israel back, whether we wish to get involved or not. The good news, however, is that He is giving us the chance to engage in this redemption, being His partners. The question is, will we accept this challenge as Jewish followers of Yeshua?
Yeshua’s focus was on restoration—looking for the lost sheep from the House of Israel and waiting for the world’s redemption. The building of the Mishkan was a divine mission which symbolized a restored Israel as the indwelling of the divine glory, reflecting God’s light to all humanity. The return of the Anusim is part of this process.
“In that day I will restore David's fallen Tabernacle. I will repair its broken places, restore its ruins, and build it as it used to be, so that they may possess the remnant of Edom and all the nations that bear my name,” declares the Lord, who will do these things. (Amos 9:11–12)
While reflecting on Parashat Terumah, let us never forget that we are living tabernacles of His Shechinah. And our goal is to show forth His light, demonstrate love, and actively take part in His covenantal promises. “The kingdom of God is within you” (Luke 17:21).
Let's appreciate this call and work with the Almighty to restore Israel, so that the whole world once again can be a place of God’s divine presence.