i
If, when the people are in the Desert, a man will slaughter an animal outside of the Camp, then he must bring that animal to the door of the Tent of Meeting.
He must make a sacrifice of it there to God.
ii
The people Israel dwell in the Camp.
The Tent of Meeting is at the Camp’s center.
*
The Tent of Meeting is the Tent where the people gather together:
They encounter each other there.
They encounter God there.
They encounter God there.
iii
To be of the people Israel is to locate yourself in reference to the Camp.
It is to locate yourself in reference to the place of your people.
It is to carry yourself, all your doings, to the meeting of Israel and God—that place’s heart, that place’s center.
It is to carry yourself, all your doings, to the meeting of Israel and God—that place’s heart, that place’s center.
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I am indebted to an essay on the Virtual Beit Midrash for the nuance of "Tent of Meeting" as a national gathering spot.