It is interesting to note that the Torah includes the “Tamid” offering in the list of these sacrifices.

The Tamid offering that was brought every day, from the very first day of the dedication to the very last day when the Romans destroyed the second temple 1500 years later. As long as the Temple stood, the Jewish people brought the Tamid.

Why does the Torah include the Tamid with the offerings that were brought exclusively for the dedication of the Temple?

To answer this question it is necessary for us to understand the function of the Tamid.

The Tamid was a daily offering that consisted of two sheep. One was sacrificed in the morning and one in the evening. Both of these sheep were property of the nation. If a private individual wished to contribute a sheep for this offering it was not accepted. It was essential that it should come from the national fund.

All offerings carry much symbolic meaning. The sheep is the animal that is tended to and protected by its shepherd. The shepherd cares for his sheep, makes sure they have what to eat and what to drink. The sheep is an animal that predators target and are only spared by their shepherd. They do not have their own means of protecting themselves.

Let us take for example the very first offering that we brought as a people. This was the Pesach offering, a sheep, which we brought the night before we left Egypt. The symbolic significance of this offering was that we expressed our acknowledgment that our freedom was not a hard fought freedom which we accomplished by our own might and power. It was our Shepherd who gave us that freedom. We recognized that our future as a nation was to be dependent on our Shepherd.

This is the symbolism of the Tamid, every day in the morning and evening we remind ourselves that our existence is dependent on their Shepherd, left to our own devices we would not survive.

The Mishkon was the national sanctuary through which the People of Israel develop their connection with HaShem. It is therefore essential that the Tamid offering be included in the dedication. Although the Tamid is a regular korban and is not unique to the dedication ceremony, nevertheless, it is an integral part of creating an effective Mishkon.

We are living in a time where our existence as a people is being challenged daily. In Israel, America and wherever Jews reside we are being challenged. Not so long ago the cry of “Never Again” was heard loud and clear. We were committed to insure that never again was there to be a challenge to our existence. We even developed one of the best armies in the world. A tiny people making up one fifth of one percent of world – the Jew, has one of the most powerful armies in the world! And nevertheless, we can do nothing to shake off this challenge.

We must remember that we really are sheep. Sheep do not have their own natural way of protecting themselves as most other animals do. Although we are obligated to do our best to protect ourselves and build our military strength, nevertheless, we must remember that it is He Who is our Shepherd, it is He Who will bring success to our efforts, it is He Who will grant the critical intelligence that we need. Our Shepherd is capable, we only need to stay close to Him and He will be there to protect us.