The purpose of the tabernacle is to
- act like a hinge and provide a pivot for raising the mast
- keep the mast aligned with the mast support, so compression loads are properly transferred while sailing
- prevent the mast from getting bounced off the mast support (compression post or lower half of the mast) in a sea way
All of these functions can in principle be handled by different solutions. For example, if your tabernacle is the common kind that connects a short lower and long upper piece of mast profile, you could wrap the joint with a sturdy piece of flat aluminum. You would bend it tightly around the mast profile to eliminate wiggle room and then rivet it to, say, the lower half. Now you have a cup or socket into which you could lower the upper part of your mast, to keep it aligned and prevent it from being bounced off. But you would then need a different technique to getting the mast vertical, because you no longer have that hinge.
You can get a mast vertical when it's on the ground, by having a helper step on the bottom end, while you push up the other end until the mast is vertical. You could then, together, maintain the mast in a vertical position while moving it over and inserting it into that cup or socket. And then one person can connect the stays while the other one holds up the mast. (This is how it's done for many types of dinghies with desk-stepped masts, but they generally sit lower to the ground on their trailers, which makes transfer from ground to deck a much easier proposition. Alternatively, you could try to right the mast in the cockpit and, once vertical, lift it up from there).
If this sounds cumbersome, that's because it is a very roundabout way to do something that is made very easy by the tabernacle. I'm only mentioning it in case you need a short-term emergency solution, or a reason why repairing or replacing the tabernacle is generally the best option.
Note that the tabernacle is never intended to hold the mast upright without the stays; if you try that, it will most likely pull out of the bottom of your mast, or the top of your compression post / lower portion of mast profile.
Without a picture, we can't assess the actual damage, but it's often possible to straighten a tabernacle and re-attach it. Or replace it (source: DR Marine). You may need to drill holes in new locations, which is fine as long as not too much material was ripped out. In the worst case, you might need to cut a little bit off the bottom of your mast or the top of your compression post. Sometimes, you can make up for the lost length with some kind of shim on the mast step in the cuddy, sometimes, the best option may be to shorten the stays so they match a now shorter mast.