[pl. “Mishkanim”] – Sanctuary, or Portable Temple. This was the first institutionalized mechanism for the presence of G-d on earth. It was moved from place to place with the Jewish People during the period of their forty year sojourn in the wilderness. Later, in the Land of Israel, before the Temple was built in Yerushalayim, the Mishkan was still present, and existed in a number of places, such as Shiloh, Nov and Givon.