The Torah provides an elaborate description of the construction of the Mishkan. It includes materials and measurements for the structure itself and the articles inside. Parshat Pekudei provides some accounting.

שמות לח:כד

(כד) כׇּל־הַזָּהָ֗ב הֶֽעָשׂוּי֙ לַמְּלָאכָ֔ה בְּכֹ֖ל מְלֶ֣אכֶת הַקֹּ֑דֶשׁ וַיְהִ֣י׀ זְהַ֣ב הַתְּנוּפָ֗ה תֵּ֤שַׁע וְעֶשְׂרִים֙ כִּכָּ֔ר וּשְׁבַ֨ע מֵא֧וֹת וּשְׁלֹשִׁ֛ים שֶׁ֖קֶל בְּשֶׁ֥קֶל הַקֹּֽדֶשׁ׃

Shemot 38:24

All the gold that had been used for the work in all the work of the Holy the gold of the waving was twenty nine talents, seven hundred and thirty shekels, according to the holy shekel.

What are we to gain from the numerical accounting of all the gold utilized in the construction of the Mishkan. Is it a lot or a little? What are we to compare it to for scale?

ספורנו שמות לח:כד

כל הזהב – העיד על קצבת הזהב והכסף והנחשת שנכנסה במלאכת המשכן, שהיה דבר מועט מאד בערך אל העושר שהיה בבית ראשון, כמבואר בספר מלכים (מלכים א ו':כ'-ל"ה, ז':מ"ח-נ'), ויותר ממנו העושר שהיה בבנין הורדוס. ועם כל זה יותר התמיד מראה כבוד ה' במשכן של משה ממה שהתמיד במקדש ראשון, ולא נראה כלל במקדש שני. ובזה הורה שלא קצבת העושר וגודל הבנין יהיו סבה להשרות השכינה בישראל, אבל רוצה ה' את יראיו ומעשיהם לשכנו בתוכם.

Sforno on Shemot 38:24

All the gold – (The Torah) attests to, and defines the (quantity) of gold, silver and brass included in the work of the Mishkan, which was a very small amount compared to the riches of the First Temple, as explained in the Book of Kings (I Kings 6: 20-35 and 7: 48-50), and even more so were the riches of Herod's temple. Nevertheless the appearance of God's glory was more constantly (found) in the Mishkan of Moses than in the First Temple, and was not present at all in the Second Temple. This teaches us that it is not the amount of riches and the size of the structure which causes the Divine Presence to dwell in Israel, but God desires those who fear Him, and their deeds, in order to dwell in their midst.

The Sforno provides us with some context. The amount of precious metals used in the construction of the Mishkan was minuscule compared to those used in the First Temple. The resources used in the First Temple pale in comparison to those used in the Second Temple. He also asserts a specific lesson to be gleaned. There is no relationship between the expense and physical stature of a building and the manifestation of the Divine Presence. In fact, an inverse relationship is almost implied. Historically speaking, the more gold the less manifestation of Hashem.

תלמוד בבלי סוכה נא:

תָּנוּ רַבָּנַן מִי שֶׁלֹּא רָאָה שִׂמְחַת בֵּית הַשּׁוֹאֵבָה לֹא רָאָה שִׂמְחָה מִיָּמָיו מִי שֶׁלֹּא רָאָה יְרוּשָׁלַיִם בְּתִפְאַרְתָּהּ לֹא רָאָה כְּרַךְ נֶחְמָד מֵעוֹלָם מִי שֶׁלֹּא רָאָה בֵּית הַמִּקְדָּשׁ בְּבִנְיָנוֹ לֹא רָאָה בִּנְיָן מְפוֹאָר מֵעוֹלָם מַאי הִיא אָמַר אַבָּיֵי וְאִיתֵּימָא רַב חִסְדָּא זֶה בִּנְיַן הוֹרְדוֹס. בְּמַאי בַּנְיֵהּ אָמַר (רָבָא) בְּאַבְנֵי שֵׁישָׁא וּמַרְמְרָא אִיכָּא דְּאָמְרִי בְּאַבְנֵי שֵׁישָׁא כּוּחְלָא וּמַרְמְרָא אַפֵּיק שָׂפָה וְעַיֵּיל שָׂפָה כִּי הֵיכִי דִּלְקַבֵּל סִידָא סְבַר למשעיין בְּדַהֲבָא אֲמַרוּ לֵיהּ רַבָּנַן שִׁבְקֵיהּ דְּהָכִי שַׁפִּיר טְפֵי דְּמִיתְחֲזֵי כְּאִדְוָתָא דְיַמָּא.

Talmud Bavli – Sukkah 51b

The Sages taught: One who did not see the Celebration of the Place of the Drawing of the Water, never saw celebration in his life. One who did not see Jerusalem in its glory, never saw a beautiful city. One who did not see the Temple in its constructed state, never saw a magnificent structure. The Gemara asks: What is the Temple building to which the Sages refer? Abaye said, and some say that it was Rav Ḥisda who said: This is referring to the magnificent building of Herod, who renovated the Second Temple. The Gemara asks: With what materials did he construct it? Rava said: It was with stones of green-gray marble and white marble [marmara]. Some say: It was with stones of blue marble and white marble. The rows of stones were set with one row slightly protruded and one row slightly indented, so that the plaster would take better. He thought to plate the Temple with gold, but the Sages said to him: Leave it as is, and do not plate it, as it is better this way, as with the different colors and the staggered arrangement of the rows of stones, it has the appearance of waves of the sea.

It is interesting that the Talmud appears to praise the magnificence of the Second Temple built by Herod. This is apparently despite the fact that there was no manifestation of the Divine Presence there. However, Abaye and Rav Hisda may merely be praising the physical structure itself and not its spiritual status.

It is noteworthy that the Sages themselves interceded to convince Herod not to plate the Second Temple entirely with gold. They opted for the beauty of blue and white, or green and white, resembling the colors of the sea. It was preferable for the walls of the Temple to possess awe-inspiring beauty orienting toward the natural world, rather than a show of wealth. Opulence is rarely a conduit to spirituality. Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik notes that “many halakhic scholars insisted upon utmost simplicity of the synagogue, and disapproved of elaborate ornaments in general” (2005). Based on the Sforno’s analysis, displays of opulence have been historically incongruous with the manifestation of the Divine Presence.

References

Rosenberg, A. (1980). A new English translation of the Hebrew Bible text and Rashi, with a commentary digest. New York: Judaica Press. Retrieved from: https://www.chabad.org/library/bible_cdo/

Sforno O. ben J. & Pelcovitz R. (1987). Sforno : commentary on the torah = beʼur ʻal ha-torah le-rabi ʻovadyah sforno (1st ed.). Mesorah.

Soloveitchik, J. D., & Helfgoṭ, N. (2005). Community, covenant, and commitment : selected letters and communications of Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik. Published for the Toras HoRav Foundation by Ktav Pub. House.

Steinsaltz, A., In Weinreb, T. H., In Schreier, J., & Hotsaat Koren (Jerusalem),. (2017). Koren Talmud Bavli, the Noe edition: Talmud Bavli. Retrieved from: https://shas.alhatorah.org/

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