Mishkan perfects doing, preparing to hear the Voice

בפסוק ובבוא משה כו' וישמע הקול מדבר אליו כו' דכתיב עושי דברו לשמוע בקול דברו.

On the pasuk "And when Moshe came… he heard the Voice speaking to him…" — as it is written, "those who do His word, to hearken to the voice of His word."

The Sefas Emes links the Voice that Moshe heard in the Mishkan (Bamidbar 7:89) to the pasuk in Tehillim (103:20) describing those who first "do His word" and then merit "to hearken to the voice of His word." Doing precedes hearing.

ומעשה המשכן הי' הכנה לזה הקול.

And the making of the Mishkan was a preparation for this Voice.

Building the Mishkan was the "doing" that prepared the vessel through which the divine Voice could then be heard.

ולכן ויקריבו נשיאי ישראל.

And therefore "the princes of Yisrael brought offerings."

Hence the nesi'im brought their dedication offerings — completing the human "doing" that precedes the Voice.

ובמד' מי הקים כל אפסי ארץ.

And in the Midrash: "Who established all the ends of the earth?"

The Midrash on the nesi'im connects them to the verse about establishing the "ends of the earth," pointing to their role as foundations of the world.

כי הי"ב שבטים המה בחי' י"ב גבולי עולם והעולם עומד עליהם כענין י"ב בקר והים עליהם.

For the twelve tribes are the aspect of the twelve boundaries of the world, and the world stands upon them, like the twelve oxen with the Sea resting upon them.

The twelve Shevatim correspond to the twelve cosmic boundaries (directions/structures) that uphold creation, just as the twelve oxen supported the great copper "Sea" in Shlomo's Mikdash.

והמה בחי' עושי דברו כמ"ש וזאת אשר דיבר להם אביהם.

And they are the aspect of "those who do His word," as it is written, "And this is what their father spoke to them."

The Shevatim are the "doers of His word," shaped by the blessing and "word" that Yaakov Avinu, their father, spoke over them.

כי יעקב הוא הקול והארת יעקב אע"ה מתפשט ומתרחב באמצעיות הי"ב שבטים.

For Yaakov is the "Voice," and the illumination of Yaakov Avinu spreads and expands through the medium of the twelve tribes.

Yaakov Avinu is the source-"Voice," and his spiritual light radiates into the world specifically through his twelve sons, the Shevatim.

וכ' לה' עין אדם וכ' שבטי ישראל.

And it is written, "the eye of man is toward Hashem," and it is written, "the tribes of Yisrael."

He juxtaposes two pesukim (Zechariah 9:1 and the "tribes of Yisrael") to identify "the eye of man" with Yaakov and his Shevatim.

עין אדם הוא בחי' יעקב מעין שופרי' דאדם קדמאה.

"The eye of man" is the aspect of Yaakov, who shares in the beauty of Adam HaRishon (the primordial man).

Yaakov is the "eye of man," for Chazal teach that his beauty resembled that of Adam HaRishon — he embodies the ideal human form.

הצורה החקוקה תחת כסה"כ וכל שבטי ישראל המה מקבלים כחו של יעקב.

The form engraved beneath the Throne of Glory; and all the tribes of Yisrael receive the power of Yaakov.

Yaakov's image is engraved beneath the Kisei HaKavod, and the twelve Shevatim each draw their strength from him.

ולכן המה מכוונים לי"ב חדשי השנה שהם במקום שצריך התחדשות וזה הי' חנוכת הנשיאים שהניחו כח התחדשות בהמשכן.

Therefore they correspond to the twelve months of the year, which are the place requiring renewal; and this was the dedication of the nesi'im — that they instilled a power of renewal into the Mishkan.

The twelve tribes align with the twelve months, the dimension of time that constantly needs renewal. Through their dedication offerings the nesi'im embedded a power of hischadshus (renewal) into the Mishkan.

וזה הי' תיקון העשי' כדאיתא במד' כלות משה.

And this was the rectification of "making/doing," as is brought in the Midrash on "when Moshe finished (kalos Moshe)."

The completion of the Mishkan was the perfecting of the realm of action, as the Midrash draws from the word kalos (finished/like a bride).

ושם כתיב ויכולו ששקול מעשה המשכן למעשה בראשית.

And there it is written, "and they were completed (vayechulu)" — for the making of the Mishkan is equivalent to the making of creation.

The same word vayechulu used at the close of Creation appears at the Mishkan's completion, teaching that erecting the Mishkan paralleled and completed Maaseh Bereishis.

והיינו שנתקן העשי' והי' מזה הכנה לשמוע בקול דברו כנ"ל:

That is, the realm of "doing" was perfected, and from this came the preparation "to hearken to the voice of His word," as above.

By perfecting the world of action through the Mishkan, Bnei Yisrael readied themselves for the higher stage — hearing the divine Voice.

Summary: The making of the Mishkan, climaxing in the offerings of the twelve nesi'im, perfected the realm of "doing" (aseh) — and this is what prepared Bnei Yisrael to "hearken to the voice of His word." The twelve tribes, channels of Yaakov Avinu's light, uphold the world and align with the twelve months, instilling a constant power of renewal; the Mishkan's completion paralleled Creation itself.