Kommentar zu Schemot 38:32

נבוב לחות HOLLOW WITH TABLETS — נבוב signifies hollow, similar to, (Jeremiah 52:21) “And the thickness thereof was four fingers: it was hollow (נבוב)‎”.

נבוב לחת — The word נבוב being in the construct state and subordinate to לחות the meaning of the verse is: He made it (the altar) out of the hollow space formed by the tablets i. e. the planks of Shittim wood mentioned in v. 1 were oil all sides and the hollow space in the middle (thus the hollow space itself — which was filled with earth — formed the altar. Unlike the golden altar it had no roof; cf. Rashi on Exodus 27:8).

במראת הצבאת OF THE MIRRORS OF THE WOMEN CROWDING — The Israelitish women possessed mirrors of copper into which they used to look when they adorned themselves. Even these did they not hesitate to bring as a contribution towards the Tabernacle. Now Moses was about to reject them since they were made to pander to their vanity, but the Holy One, blessed be He, said to him, “Accept them; these are dearer to Me than all the other contributions, because through them the women reared those huge hosts in Egypt!” For when their husbands were tired through the crushing labour they used to bring them food and drink and induced them to eat. Then they would take the mirrors, and each gazed at herself in her mirror together with her husband, saying endearingly to him, “See, I am handsomer than you!” Thus they awakened their husbands’ affection and subsequently became the mothers of many children, at it is said, (Song 8:5) “I awakened thy love under the apple-tree”, (referring to the fields where the men worked). This is what it refers to when it states, מראות הצבאת “the mirrors of the women who reared the hosts (צבאות)” (Midrash Tanchuma, Pekudei 9). And it was for this reason that the laver was made of them (the mirrors) — because it served the purpose of promoting peace between man and wife viz., by giving of its waters to be drunk by a woman whose husband had shown himself jealous of her and who nevertheless had associated with another (cf. Numbers ch. V) thus affording her an opportunity to prove her innocence (cf. Sotah 15b). You may know that the מראות mentioned in the text were really mirrors (and that the word does not mean visions, or appearance, etc.), for it is said, (v. 29) “And the copper of the wave-offering was seventy talents etc. … and therewith he made [the sockets etc.]” — the laver, however, and its base are not mentioned there amongst the articles made from that copper; hence you may learn that the copper of which the laver was made was not a part of the copper of the weave-offering, which is the only copper mentioned as having been contributed by the people. Thus did R. Tanchuma 2:11:9 explain the term מראת הצבאת. And so does Onkelos also render it: במחזית נשיא, and this first word is the Targum translation of מראות, in the sense of mireors in old French, for we find that for the word (Isaiah 3:23) “And the גליונים”, which are mirrors, we have in the Targum the same word מחזיתא.

OF THE MIRRORS ‘HATZOVOTH’ (OF THE SERVING WOMEN). “The women of Israel possessed mirrors of brass which they used to look into when they adorned themselves, and even these they did not withhold [from donating to the Tabernacle]. But Moses was reluctant to accept them because they were made to arouse sensual desires. Said the Holy One, blessed be He, to Moses: ‘These are dearer to Me than all [other donations], for by means of them the women raised many hosts in Egypt, etc. For this reason the laver was made from these mirrors, because it was used in order to bring peace between husband and wife; for it was out of this laver that they took the water which they give to drink to a woman who was warned by her husband not to meet a certain man privately and who had nevertheless associated with him.”⁷⁸Numbers 5:17-24. This is Rashi’s language.
The meaning of this Midrash is that in the whole work of the Tabernacle they accepted ornaments from women, as it is written, And they came, both men and women… and brought nose-rings, and ear-rings, and signet-rings ‘v’chumaz’⁷⁹Above, 35:22. — the chumaz, according to its Midrashic interpretation, being even more undesirable.⁸⁰In Shabbath 64, the chumaz is explained as an ornament worn by women on their pudendum. There, however, all the donations became mixed together, whereas here they were to make one specific vessel purely from ornaments [i.e., the mirrors] which were made to arouse sensual desire. Therefore Moses did not consent at first [to accept them] until he was told to do so by the Almighty.
But I do not know how to explain according to this Midrash the phrase — that did service at the door of the Tent of Meeting — [since the Tent of Meeting had not yet been put up]. Perhaps it can be said that the women brought this donation to Moses’ tent, which he called the Tent of Meeting,⁸¹Above, 33:7. and he himself received it from them by word of G-d, since the tent of the Tabernacle had not yet been made. Onkelos’ translation, “women that came to pray at the door of the Tent of Meeting,” accords approximately to the words of Rabbi Abraham ibn Ezra, who said that these women worshipped G-d, and turned away from the desires of this world and gave their mirrors as a donation, coming each day to the door of the Tent of Meeting to pray and to hear instruction about the commandments.
In line with the plain meaning of Scripture, it is also possible to say that Moses made the laver and its base for the mirrors of the women who came in a great crowd,⁸²Ramban thus interprets the word tzavu as being from the root tzava (a host). Of the mirrors ‘hatzovoth’ would thus mean “of the mirrors of the hosts of women” who assembled at the door of the Tent of Meeting. and assembled at the door of the Tent of Meeting in order to give their mirrors in the generosity of their hearts. Now the brass of the mirrors was burnished brass,⁸³Ezekiel 1:7. resplendent and very beautiful. It is for this reason that he set aside this brass from the beginning for the making of this vessel. Upon seeing this [that Moses accepted it from them], the women gathered and came in many hosts, all of them wanting to give their mirrors for the making of the whole laver and its base. It is also correct to explain that they had in mind right at the start to offer them for the laver because of its use in connection with the suspected adulteress [as explained above], and they accepted the law [of the suspected adulteress] upon themselves with joy, and offered to give all their mirrors.
Pekudei

במראות הצובאות, this was not included in the נחושת התנופה, “copper for the waving,” as explained in verse 30 of this chapter in Parshat Pekudey. The copper basin and its stand are mentioned as having been constructed from the amount of copper representing these mirrors.

במראות הצובאות, “using the mirrors of the legions.” Rashi explains that the expression is to be understood literally. As to his comment that Moses was first appalled at the thought of using them for sacred purposes, this does not refer to the mirrors, but to the jewelry described as כומז, seeing that this jewelry is worn on the private parts of a woman’s body. Nachmanides explains that there (when the כומז is mentioned) this was one of a number of types of jewelry which the women donated for the use in building the Tabernacle (35,22) He therefore fails to understand how such jewelry could have been described as piling up at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting. Perhaps what is meant is that the women brought this jewelry to the tent of Moses [still outside the boundaries of the Israelites’ camp at that time, and appropriately called “tent of meeting.” Ed.] Moses personally accepted this only at the express command of G’d. At that time there was no Tabernacle, i.e. the Tabernacle whose alternate name was אהל מועד. [i.e. after the reconciliation between G’d and His people, it became known as such, as G’d’s Presence again was manifest within the camp. Ed.] Onkelos translates the words above as דאתין לצלאה בתרע משכן זמנא, “the women brought the mirrors (in a manner corresponding to their modesty) to the side of the entrance of Tabernacle.” His words tend to agree with those of Ibn Ezra who describes the women who gave up their mirrors as doing so from a sense of piety, preferring to come to the Tabernacle daily to offer prayers there or near there to admiring their reflection in a mirror.. It is also possible to understand the whole verse to mean that the basin and the stand supporting it, was constructed of the mirrors which the women had contributed in masses,הצובאות. These mirrors were made of polished copper and as such singularly suited for the purpose for which they were donated. Still other commentators understand the wordsמראות הצובאות not as referring to the “what” these mirrors were made of, but to the location. The women, who were not normally admitted to the courtyard of the Tabernacle, and who were anxious to observe some procedures, such as the woman suspected of infidelity drinking the מים המאררים, the waters designed to reveal her guilt or innocence, wanted to watch the proceedings by means of the mirrors reflecting same over a distance. Still another explanation understands that the basin was constructed from these mirrors as those priests who offered sacrifices on behalf of women had to be conscious of doing so on their behalf. By looking at the material this basin was made of, they would be stimulated to keep their donors, i.e. women, in mind. It was forbidden for the priests to look directly at the faces of the women on whose behalf they offered their sacrifices, both mandatory ones and voluntary ones. The woman would stand fairly close to the basin, and her image would be reflected in the mirror-like polish of the copper basin. This would enable the priest to obtain a visual image of the woman on whose behalf he was performing his task, so that he could do so with the proper concentration on the donor personally.

Their purpose is to incite the evil inclination . . . You might ask: The כומז , which is in the shape of the woman’s private parts, is even more repulsive. [Yet, Moshe readily accepted the כומז .] Why did Moshe not find it repulsive? The answer is: About the כומז it is written that the women brought it together with bracelets, nose-rings and fingerrings. Then it was all melted down together by fire, and the כומז became nullified among them. Here, however, they did not bring any copper other than the mirrors. An alternative answer: The כומז is for nullifying the evil inclination. I.e., it [guards the private parts and] prevents from coming to lewdness. But the mirrors facilitate lewdness, so Moshe found them repulsive.

Kap. 38. V. 8. במראת הצבאת. Eine Idee in entsprechendem Stoff ausführen wird durch עשה ב־ ausgedrückt. So Kap. 31, 4: לחשב מחשבת לעשות בזהב וגו׳. Indem es nun hier heißt: ויעש את הכיור וגו׳ במראת וגו׳, wird damit die Form und die Bestimmung der Gegenstände, aus welchen das כיור hergestellt wurde, als so wesentlich wie der Stoff selbst für die auszuführende Idee bezeichnet. Es ist tief bedeutsam, dass das Gerät des Heiligtums, welches die "sittliche Heiligung des Tuns und Strebens" קידוש ידים ורגלים, vergegenwärtigen sollte, aus Spiegeln, somit aus den Geräten hergestellt wurde, die ihrer Bestimmung gemäß die sinnlich leibliche Erscheinung des Menschen als Gegenstand besonderer Beachtung hervorheben. Es ist damit die sinnliche Seite des leiblichen Menschenwesens nicht nur als nicht ausgeschlossen aus der vom Heiligtum zu emanierenden Heiligung, sondern als erster und wesentlicher Gegenstand dieser Heiligung, ja in tiefem Grunde als diejenige Seite des Menschenwesens bezeichnet, die die sittliche Freiheit der anzustrebenden Heiligung in erster Linie bedingt. In großer Bedeutsamkeit tritt diese Bezeichnung des כיור in dem סוטה-Gesetze Bamidbar, 17 hervor (siehe daselbst). Ja, es kann der Ausdruck במראות הצובאות sogar die Bedeutung haben, dass die Spiegel nicht eingeschmolzen wurden, sondern das כיור aus den Spiegeln in fast unveränderter Form zusammengesetzt wurde, so dass dieselben noch an dem Becken kenntlich waren. Obgleich sonst כלי הדיוט nicht unverändert zu מלאכת גבוה verwendet werden sollten, so wäre dies doch hier eben wegen des darin sich aussprechenden tiefsittlichen Gedankens ausnahmsweise geschehen. Siehe אלי' רבה zu א'ח 147, 1, Anmerkung 4.

במראות הצובאות, “with the mirrors of the serving women.” (Women chastely performing tasks near the entrance of the Tabernacle) Moses wished that the women could observe how their mirrors donated for the construction of the Tabernacle had been used as a polished cover for the altar situated in front of the entrance to the Tabernacle. This was next to the washbasin for the priests from which they washed their hands and feet, and from the waters contained therein that a woman suspected of infidelity, Sotah would be made to drink in order to prove that she was innocent of that sin.

במראות הצובאות, “with the mirrors of the serving women.” The word מראות is based on ראיה, “eyesight.” The laver was placed between the entrance to the Tabernacle and the copper altar (the altar on which most sacrifices were offered) slightly north of center. It was placed there so that the women who had contributed their mirrors could see it from the section in the courtyard reserved for women. It would also serve as a reminder that women whose husbands suspected them of infidelity without having proof that could be presented at court, and who had denied the accusation, would have to drink “bitter” waters drawn from the water in the laver, and would risk their lives by doing so if they had lied. [Compare Numbers 5,1131.] According to Rashi, the prefix ב in the word במראות is to be understood as if it had been the letter מ, so that the word means: ”from the (material) of which their mirrors was made of,” i.e. polished copper. Exchanging the letter מ for the letter ב, is not unique. One example is found in Leviticus 8,32: והנותר בבשר ובלחם, “and whatever remains from the meat and from the bread.

אשר צבאו [THE WOMEN] WHO CAME IN CROWDS to bring their contribution.

אשר צבאו פתח אהל מועד, approaching this holy domain was intended to show that they wanted to hear the words of the living G’d. That this was an acceptable practice is already documented in 33,7 והיה כל מבקש ה' יצא אל אהל מועד, “anyone who wanted to seek out the Lord would go out to the Tent of Meeting.” The women who had donated these mirrors indicated that they had overcome their sense of vanity, they considered jewelry and the need for it a human weakness. Moreover, they knew that the time when these mirrors had been of constructive use was past.

God said to him: Accept. Meaning: you should accept them.

אשר צבאו פתח אהל מועד, “who assembled at the entrance of the Tent of meeting.” They did so in order to pray and recite the praises of the Almighty as near to the sacred compound as was allowable for ordinary Israelites who were ritually pure. They also wished to receive the blessings by the priests and Levites.

Entice him ( ומשדלתו) with words. ומשדלתו means verbal seducement, for Onkelos translates (22:15) כי יפתה [as ארי ישדל .]

That is the intent of what is said: “By the mirrors of the צובאות ” . . . I.e., הצובאות comes from צבאות (hosts). במראות הצובאות conveys: with the mirrors from which very many hosts came.

Whose husband expressed jealousy and she nevertheless concealed herself . . . I.e., he who expresses jealousy to his wife then tests her with these cursing waters, as written in Bamidbar 5:17.

Onkelos also translates it this way: במחזית of the women . . . I.e., also Onkelos translates מראות to mean mirrors used by women for adorning themselves. For he translates והגליונים as מחזייתא , and והגליונים are surely mirrors used by women for adorning themselves.

To bring their contribution. Rashi means as follows: the word צבאו comes from צבא (host). I.e., people gathering together. And [this raises the question:] why did he gather them together? Thus Rashi explains: to bring their contribution to the entrance of the Tent of Meeting.

מזה ומזה, “on this side and on that side.” These words apply to the two verses 14 and 15, each set of hanging curtains being on either side of the entrance gate to the courtyard.

V. 17. ווי העמודים וגו׳ וגו׳ והם מחשקים כסף כל עמדי החצר, diese Wiederholung des an den Vorhofsäulen befindlichen Silbers scheint den Gegensatz zu den kupfernen Füßen, und damit die Bedeutung des Vorhofs als aufstrebender Läuterungsstätte hervorheben zu sollen. Die Füße der Säulen waren Kupfer, allein die Haken und Reifen, sowie der Überzug der Kapitäle Silber, und es befanden sich somit nicht nur oben silberne Teile, sondern הם, die Säulen selbst waren ganz von unten auf von Silber umrankt, so dass die Säulen in ihrer ganzen Erscheinung das "Emporringen vom Kupfer- zum Silberstandpunkt" vergegenwärtigten.

לעמת קלעי החצר [AND THE SCREEN…] ANSWERING TO THE HANGINGS OF THE ENCLOSURE — i. e. according to the measure of the height of the hangings of the enclosure.

Like the measurements of the curtains of the courtyard. The word לעומת is ordinarily used for something that is “across from.” Yet, the curtains were not across from [the screen], but at its sides. Thus Rashi explains: “Like the measurements.” I.e., the screen should be the same size [as the curtains].

אלה פקודי THESE ARE THE SUMS [OF THE TABERNCLE] — In this section are enumerated all the weights of the metals given as a contribution for the Tabernacle, of silver, gold and copper, and also there are enumerated the vessels used for every kind of service in it.

THESE ARE THE ACCOUNTS OF THE TABERNACLE, THE TABERNACLE OF THE TESTIMONY. Scripture uses this expression because the term “Tabernacle” means the curtains of fine-twined linen, which are so called both when the command was given¹And thou shalt make the Tabernacle of ten curtains (above, 26:1). and at the construction of the Tabernacle,²And every wise-hearted man… made the Tabernacle of ten curtains (ibid., 36:8). See also Ramban further on, 39:33. while “the Tabernacle of the Testimony” includes the entire building, which is the Tabernacle made to house the Tablets of the Testimony.
In the opinion of many scholars³Rashi and Ibn Ezra. the phrase these are the accounts of the Tabernacle refers back to all the things mentioned above, the verse stating that the Tabernacle and its vessels, namely, the house and the court and all that was made for them, constituted the service entrusted to the Levites at the command of Moses by the hand of Ithamar [whose duty it was to hand over to each family the service that devolved upon it]. But the holy vessels — the ark, the table, the candelabrum, and the altars — are not included in the term “Tabernacle,” for they were in the hands of Eleazar.⁴Numbers 3:32. The verse refers to the time of the journeying through the wilderness. But this is not my opinion, for why should Scripture mention the entrusting of those things given to Ithamar, and not mention that of Eleazar, which was the more honored one? Rather, these are the accounts of hints at those things that Scripture mentions in the section further on, thus stating that the silver of them that were numbered of the congregation was a hundred talents etc.,⁵Further, Verse 25. — from which were made the sockets, the hooks for the pillars, the overlaying of their capitals and their fillets.⁶Ibid., Verses 27-28. And the brass of the wave-offering, which was seventy talents, from which were made the brazen altar and its grating and all its vessels, and the sockets of the court and the pins⁷Ibid., Verses 29-31. — all these Moses gave over by number and weight through the hand of Ithamar. Now the section does not say what was done with the gold, for that was partly in the charge of Ithamar, namely, that used for covering the boards and the bars, and part of it was in the charge of Eleazar — the ark and the cover, the candelabrum, the table, and the golden altar. Now since one cannot know exactly how much gold went into the covering of each of these vessels, Scripture did not say that Moses gave it over to them by number and weight. It is for this reason that Scripture did not mention here the entrusting of the things given to Eleazar, for its intention here is only to speak of the work of the Tabernacle, not of that involved in the journeyings. Do not object [to this explanation] because Scripture mentions here the brazen altar,⁸Ibid., Verse 30. which was in the charge of Eleazar,⁹Numbers 3:31-32. for Scripture had to state that they made it out of the brass of the wave-offering, therefore it was not particular to exclude this one item from the general list of objects of which it said that they were by the hand of Ithamar, this being the way of Scripture in many places.
Scripture does not mention in this section the laver and its base [which were also made of brass, and were under the charge of Ithamar], because it was not made according to a specified weight; instead, he put into it all the mirrors that the women brought together¹⁰see Ramban above, 38:8, towards the end. and thus Moses did not know its weight. It is possible that these were not under the charge of Ithamar [and therefore they are not mentioned], but they come into the category of that which Scripture says [of the children of Kohath, whose work was under the charge of Eleazar], and their charge was the ark, and the table, and the candelabrum, and the altars, and the vessels of the Sanctuary wherewith the priests minister,¹¹Numbers 3:31. for through the laver and its base the priests were enabled to minister at the altar. Thus they do not come into the listing given in this section.

The commentators argued about whether "these" [are the records] applies to the making of the Mishkan mentioned in parshat Vayakhel, or if it applies to what will be mentioned in this parsha. They also wondered why Moshe made an accounting of what he'd done with the silver and copper but not an accounting of what he'd done with the gold?! Therefore "I shall hazard a guess" (lit. "my heart shall imagine") to say: that "these are the records" applies to the making of the Mishkan mentioned before, since they had already completed the labors of the Mishkan in general and specific, and all that they had to do with the silver and copper had already been completely completed, and therefore Moshe was happy that they'd completed the work with silver and copper and was excited to give an accounting to remove himself from any suspicion. And he didn't want to delay until they'd also finished the priestly garments which are mentioned in this parsha to give an accounting of the silver and gold and copper all at once since of all the things mentioned in this parsha, none have any silver or copper. Since the labor with silver and copper was done, he saw fit to give an accounting immediately. But regarding the gold there was no need to yet give an accounting since they had not yet made the priestly garments discussed in this parsha, and those [garments] had gold, and they still needed more gold and there was no way to yet give an accounting of the gold.

אלה פקודי המשכן, all the individual components described previously are the ones concerning which the Torah wrote ובשמות תפקדו את כלי משמרת הקדש...ביד איתמר, “you shall list by name the objects that are their porterage tasks.” (Numbers 4,32-33) The meaning of the line is that each and everyone of these items was important enough to be known by its specific name. In other words, one did not refer to it only by the name of the category of utensils it belonged to, such as “fork,” but one had a name for each fork. This method of naming each item individually contributed to their being of permanent significance. The Talmud Yuma 71 goes to the length of stating categorically that if anyone thought that once such a utensil had been “used up,” i.e. had outlived its usefulness it would be permanently consigned to oblivion this is not so. It will even resurface after the resurrection of the people who used it when they were alive. This is derived from Exodus 26,15 עצי שטים עומדים, the word עומדים being taken to mean that they will endure indefinitely. Neither will any of the utensils used in the Tabernacle fall into the hands of our enemies. This is the opposite of what happened to the “permanent” Temple, בית עולמים, built by Solomon. It is significant that in the account of what Nebuchadnezzar captured not a word is mentioned about a single item that used to be part of the Tabernacle in the desert.

אלה פקודי המשכן, These are the accounts of the Tabernacle, etc. The Torah uses the word אלה to emphasise that the only true accounts are those following. Whatever man counts when he wants to determine the total of his possessions on earth are only apparent possessions; their count therefore is also only apparent, deceptive. The only true count on earth was of the components which comprised the Holy Tabernacle because it was something containing divine input תרומת השם, and because G'd had His residence within it. [The author implies that the very word מנה, to count, testifies to its being misleading, deceptive. Perhaps we can support this with Bileam's outcry (Numbers 23,10) מי מנה עפר יעקב, "who can count the dust of Jacob?" He referred to the deceptive nature of any "count." Ed.]

אלה פקודי, the count of the silver, gold, and copper contributed.

אלה פקודי המשכן העדות, “These are the reckonings of the Tabernacle of Testimony; when the word משכן appears without further details, such as משכן העדות, it refers to the carpet-like coverings forming the roof of that structure, i.e. the lowest layer of these coverings. In order to make sure that we understand that all parts of the structure are meant, the Torah wrote משכן העדות. The idea is that this was the structure that housed (within the Ark) the Tablets that were testimony to the revelation at Mount Sinai. Nachmanides writes that many commentators take the view that the words אלה פקודי refer back to the section which described the making and assembling pf the Tabernacle, its furnishings, and its surrounding courtyard, as well as the tasks which the priests and Levites were to perform in connection with this Tabernacle, and the sacrificial service. According to their view the tasks over which the son of Aaron, Ittamar, presided, are all included in the פקודים referred to in our verse. Nachmanides does not accept this approach, saying that if it were so, why are the tasks that Eleazar, the elder son of Aaron presided over, not included? Therefore, Nachmanides is of the opinion that the words אלה פקודי וגו' do not refer to what had been written before, but to what follows, namely details of the totals of the donations which had been collected for the project, especially the amounts of silver, gold and copper. The Torah describes the use that was made of the 100 talents of silver contributed for the sockets of the beams of the Tabernacle, the hooks by which the curtains of the courtyard were fastened to their pillars, etc., the copper most of which was used as overlay of the altar in the courtyard, as well as for the various tools used in servicing the fire on the altar, keeping it going around the clock, the vessels needed to remove ashes, etc. All the items that were made of copper and that weighed 70 talents, were under the supervision of Ittamar, son of Aaron. The reason that Eleazar’s name is not mentioned here is that all these items were not handed to him at this time for supervising their transport during the journeys. At this point we are told the amounts of metal used and Ittamar had been entrusted with supervising this. While it is true that the copper altar is mentioned here also, and this was within the domain of Eleazar, so much so that mention had to be made that it was constructed from the donations of copper which, as we already stated, deserved special recognition seeing that this metal was scarce and therefore much in demand. The details of how much gold had been used for that were not mentioned here as some gold was used in furnishings under the supervision of Eleazar, whereas other quantities of gold were used in overlays of the beams which were the mainstays of the Tabernacle, etc. It is completely possible that no one kept track of exactly how much gold was used up in each overlay of wooden furnishings, beams, etc. The basin and its stand have also not been enumerated here as it was not known precisely how much copper was used from the copper mirrors the women had donated for this purpose. Possibly, these vessels were not part of what belonged to the domain of Ittamar

All the weights of the contributions of the mishkon . . . Rashi is answering the question: Why did the verse not say, “And these are the accounts. . .” thereby connecting it to the preceding? Rashi answers, in order that we should not mistakenly think this section refers specifically to the vessels of the mishkon which is the subject of the section that immediately precedes it. For then we would ask: Why does the Torah count and mention the weights [of the vessels, if they were just mentioned]? For this reason it is written, “These are the accounts,” without the connecting “and,” to convey that our section refers also to the weights of the contributions to the mishkon, not just to the vessels of the mishkon.

V. 21. אלה פקודי. Die Auffassung dieser Worte bietet viele Schwierigkeiten. Die allgemeinste Auffassung versteht unter פקודי die Berechnung der eingegangenen Spenden und den Nachweis ihrer Verwendung. Diese Auffassung hat jedoch erhebliche Schwierigkeiten. Es wären dann nämlich die Berechnung und der Nachweis höchst unvollkommen. Es wird nur die Summe des gespendeten Goldes, sowie des gespendeten Kupfers genannt. Vom Silber wird nur die Summe der behufs der Gemeindezählung erhobenen halben Schekel berechnet, nicht aber die Summe des nach Kap. 35, 24 auch als freiwillige Spende eingegangenen Silbers. Das Quantum der anderen Stoffe ist gar nicht erwähnt, und vom Golde ist nur die Berechnung der eingegangenen Spenden, nicht aber der Nachweis ihrer Verwendung gegeben. Dazu kommt, dass es für die Bedeutung פקד als Größenberechnung eigentlich kein sonstiges Beispiel gibt. Es kommt sonst nur von Menschenzählung vor, dort entfernt es sich aber kaum von dem Grundbegriffe: denken. פקודי העדה sind alle die, die unter dem Begriff עדה gedacht werden, die der Begriff עדה umfasst, somit alle diejenigen, die zur Gemeinde gehören und als deren Glieder die Gemeinde ausmachen. Demgemäß wären פקודי המשכן alle die Gegenstände, die unter dem Begriff משכן zu denken sind, die zum משכן gehören und dasselbe wesentlich konstituieren. Es wären dies alle die angefertigten Gegenstände. Indem sie sämtlich unter die eine Bezeichnung פקודי המשכן zusammengefasst sind, wird ihnen sämtlich ihre wesentliche Bedeutung für das משכן vindiziert, es ist keiner derselben für den Gesamtzweck des משכן als משכן העדות gleichgültig. In diesem Sinne werden diese Worte auch von Siporno verstanden, und meint derselbe, die Summe der für dieses משכן zur Verwendung gekommenen Wertmetalle sei darum angegeben, um zu zeigen, wie gering diese Summe im Vergleich zu der an die späteren Tempel verwendeten Schätze sei, und doch habe keines die große Bedeutung in der Höhe wie dieses erste einfache Tempelzelt erreicht; nur in ihm war die שכינה durch die Wolke der Gottesherrlichkeit sichtbar gegenwärtig, nur es fiel nicht in Feindeshand. Den Bauten des zweiten Tempels fehlte sogar der eigentliche sichtbare Bewohner, die Zeugnislade und die Urim Wetumim. So wenig bedeutet die Pracht das Wesen des Tempels. Fügen wir hinzu, dass das משכן auch der einzige Tempel war, der ganz aus freiwilliger Hingebung der Nation hervorgegangen. Bei dieser Auffassung des פקודי wäre nur die Bedeutung des אלה zu bedenken, das, im Anfange des Kapitels, sich in der Regel auf Nachfolgendes, nicht aber auf Vorhergehendes bezieht. Diese Schwierigkeit dürfte jedoch durch die Erwägung sich heben, dass hier im Grunde ja der vorangehende Inhalt noch fortgesetzt wird. Auch im folgenden, vom Kap. 39, 1 an u. w., wird nicht nur von den für das Heiligtum angefertigten Gegenständen gesprochen, sondern es ist dies ganz eigentlich die Fortsetzung des Bisherigen. Es steht somit das אלה in der Mitte der Erzählung von dem Bau des Heiligtums und kann die Gegenstände, auf die es sich bezieht, füglich auch als nachfolgend denken. Wir haben dann zu übersetzen: "dies sind die zur Wohnung, zur Wohnung des Zeugnisses zu zählenden Gegenstände, welche auf Anordnung Mosche für sie bestimmt worden. Sie wurden die Dienstaufgabe der Leviten, durch Itamar, den Sohn Aarons, des Priesters." Dieses letztere hieße: das Gesamtinventar des Heiligtums wurde den Leviten unter Oberaufsicht des Itamar zur Bewahrung übergeben. Sie wurden die גזברים. Diese Bestimmung der Leviten im allgemeinen erhielt dann später (Bamidbar Kap. 3, 5 ff.) ihre speziellere Regulierung; auch die folgenden VV. 22 u. 23 erhielten durch diese Auffassung ihre geeignetere Stellung. Bei Erwähnung des Totalbegriffs der vollendeten Arbeiten werden die beiden Meister genannt, als deren Werk das Ganze vorzugsweise zu betrachten ist.

אלה פקודי המשכן, “these are the records of the Tabernacle, etc.;”

These are the records of the Tabernacle, the Tabernacle of the Pact -- so that you do not confuse it with another Tabernacle.

אלה פקודי המשכן, “these are the accounts of the Tabernacle;” which “Tabernacle” does the Torah refer to? “The Tabernacle that is testimony to the covenant between G-d and Israel, משכן העדות.” Seeing that this is not the only time the Torah used the expression: משכן, as it also occurs in Numbers 16,27, when it referred to the mishkan of Korach, as well as several times in the Book of prophets, the Torah wished to be precise beyond doubt. There was never another Tabernacle in which the Holy Ark containing the Tablets was housed.

המשכן משכן OF THE TABERNACLE, EVEN OF THE TABERNACLE — The word משכן is mentioned here twice in allusion to the Temple that was taken in pledge (משכן) — as it were — (as a security for Israel’s repentance) by being twice destroyed for Israel’s iniquities (Midrash Tanchuma, Pekudei 5).

And if you say there is still a difficulty: why did [Moshe] not do an accounting of the gold after the priestly garments were finished? An answer to this is: since it says in the midrash (Shemot Rabbah 51:6) brought by Rabbeinu Bachya on this parsha, and this is his language: When Moshe came to give an accounting, 1775 shekels were missing and he forgotten and did not know what he'd done with them. A divine voice cried out: "And [from] THE one thousand and THE seven hundred and seventy five he made hooks for the pillars" (Ex 38:28) to fulfill what is said: "not so my servant Moshe who is the most faithful in my house" (Numbers 12:7). Up until his [Rabbeinu Bachya's] language. It seems that the author of the midrash felt that the two extraneous heh's - as it says "v'et HAelef u'shva HAme'ot" and it should have read: "v'et elef u'shva me'ot" as it says early, "me'at kikar" (38:25) [just "a hundred kikar"] not "HAme'at kikar" ["THE hundred" kikar] with the definitive heh, so why was the definitive heh usd with the words "thousand" and "hundred" in this verse? It must be because Moshe forgot and did not know what he'd done with them [meaning the silver and copper] and Israel was accusing him saying he took them for himself! A divine voice rang out and said, "THE thousand" you are speaking about and THE seven hundred you are saying Moses took - it's not so! Rather he made hooks for the pillars. If so [meaning if that's what happened], after Israel saw that heaven testified for him [Moshe], therefore they no longer wanted to receive an accounting of the gold from him because they said: "If he'd have withheld something for himself from gold - heaven would not have testified for him regarding silver [which is much less valuable], for in the end, he never fulfilled an accounting [for the gold] and a divine voice [nevertheless] called out, "he is faithful in all my house," including regarding the gold! Therefore he didn't give a gold accounting.

משכן העדות, the Torah begins to list the many ways in which this Temple (Tabernacle) was superior to those that superseded it. Firstly, it was the משכן העדות, so named because the Tablets of the Testimony were deposited therein. Secondly, אשר פקד על פי משה, it had been put up at the command of Moses; thirdly, עבודת הלוים ביד איתמר, the entire service of the Levites had been entrusted to the illustrious Ittamar, son of Aaron. Fourthly, ובצלאל בן אורי בן חור למטה יהודה עשה, the divinely inspired Betzalel was its principal architect. In view of all the above advantages of this structure none of it fell into enemy hands.
By contrast, the Temple erected by Solomon, most of the work for which was performed by labourers from Tzor, even though the Shechinah came to rest on it, was eventually destroyed, all of it having been lost totally. The inferiority of that structure is evident from the fact that the building itself was in need of regular, almost annual, repairs, as we know from Kings II 22,5 The second Temple was so inferior that it could not even be called משכן העדות, the residence of the Testimony, the Tablets having long since been lost. Neither had it been established by G’d’s command but by a dream that a gentile named King Cyrus dreamed that it was his duty to build a temple to the G’d in heaven. Compare Ezra 8,15. Moreover, there were hardly any Levites that bothered to return to the land of Israel at the time to take part in that return to Zion. In addition to this, consider that among the people building this second Temple, there were also pagans called Tzidonim and Tzurim, as documented in the Book of Ezra.

Taken as “collateral” by being destroyed twice . . . You might ask: Is there not only one משכן extra, to be interpreted, for one is needed for the simple meaning? The answer is: Scripture altered the wording, saying המשכן [and then simply] משכן , rather than writing either both with a ה or both without a ה . Perforce, the ה conveys “the” special משכן , i.e., the Eternal House, which is the Beis Hamikdosh. If this is so [that it is referring to the Beis Hamikdosh,] the question arises: why does Scripture refer to it as משכן ? Perforce, [as Rashi explains]: “This is an allusion. . .”

The Torah may also have used the word פקודים in preference to such words as ספור or מנוי as we have been told in Baba Metzia 42 that matters which have been "counted" do not enjoy lasting blessing. The Torah wished to emphasis that all the materials contributed for the construction of the Holy Tabernacle enjoyed lasting blessing. Normally, G'd objects to headcount; in this instance G'd did not object to a count. On the contrary, every single component contributed and accounted for increased the amount of blessings G'd bestowed on the Holy Tabernacle.

העדות, “the testimony;” The Tabernacle served as testimony to the gentile nations that Hashem had forgiven His people for the sin of the golden calf. It proved that His glory resided amongst them again. An alternate interpretation: the word עדות, serves as testimony on behalf of Moses that at the time when the people suspected him of having stolen from the shekalim which had served Moses at the census, Moses had asked that once the Tabernacle would be complete its existence should serve as testimony that he had not taken a single piece of silver for himself. The people examined the amounts of silver used in the construction of the Tabernacle and found that the silver they thought had disappeared had actually been used in making the hooks for the hangings around the Tabernacle’s courtyard. This is hinted at in the text of the Torah in Exodus 36,7, where the respective first letters in the line: והמלאכה היתה דים , “the raw material they had was sufficient,” have a numerical value of 15, i.e. there had been 15 hooks in those hangings which had been constructed from the “excess” silver not used up for making the sockets of the boards and the entrance pillars. In our daily morning prayers 15 adjectives of the Lord being Truth recited immediately after the kriat sh’ma are appended as a reminder of this.

the Tabernacle of the Pact this Tabernacle, the tablets of the Pact were placed in it.

משכן העדת THE TABERNACLE OF THE TESTIMONY — The Tabernacle was a testimony to Israel that God had shown Himself indulgent to them in respect to the incident of the golden calf, for through the Temple He made His Shechinah dwell amongst them (Midrash Tanchuma, Pekudei 6).

There are those who say that even initially they [the people] did not request an accounting from Moshe, but rather Moshe himself wanted to acquit himself, and that is why it says "which were accounted at the word of Moshe."

It bears witness for Yisrael . . . But the fact that God gave them the [second] tablets does not bear witness. [Rashi knows this] because God could have given them [the tablets] in order not to actively reject them [from Torah observance]. Although they sinned, they were like apostate Jews, who are still called Jews. For it is written (Yehoshua 7:11), “Yisrael has sinned” — [interpreted in Sanhedrin 44a to mean] although one has sinned, he is still called Yisrael. (Re”m) But it seems to me that [Re”m’s explanation is incorrect.] Those who sinned in the presence of witnesses, after being warned, were killed by the Levites. If there were witnesses but no warning, they died in the plague. And if there were neither witnesses nor a warning, they were examined in the manner that a sotah is examined. Thus, whoever remained had not sinned. [Nevertheless, the tablets merely stated laws and obligations, whereas the mishkon was an open testimony of God’s love.]

We may also be able to understand the word אלה as reflecting an advice given to us in Vayikra Rabbah 21,5. We are told there that the remedy for someone who has committed a string of sins is to engage in the performance of a string of מצות, good deeds. The only proper way to rehabilitate oneself from sin is through demonstrating this by deed. The string of מצות one performs serve as a demonstration to G'd that one has truly reformed oneself. The Torah enumerates all the components of the Tabernacle, i.e. אלה, thereby pointing at the string of good deeds performed by the Israelites who had previously been guilty of the sin of the golden calf. The reason that the Tabernacle is called משכן העדות, the Tabernacle of testimony, is that it testified to the fact that G'd had forgiven the sin of the golden calf. If you will examine the details of the sin of the golden calf, you will find that the Israelites performed מצות corresponding to each of the parts of that sin when they contributed to and helped erect the Tabernacle. They had expressed the wish for a god to walk ahead of them (32,1) and they now had erected a Tabernacle which would be evidence that the true G'd was in their midst and that His presence would precede them. They had built an altar (32,6) for the golden calf and offered total offferings on that altar; they had now erected a copper altar for the offering of total offerings; they had contributed their gold to enable the golden calf to be made; they had now contributed their gold and precious possessions to help build the Tabernacle. They had removed their nose-rings at the time in order for those to serve as raw material for the golden calf; they now not only contributed the nose-rings but all kinds of other personal jewelry as well for the building of the Holy Tabernacle. We have already explained on 35,22 that during the episode of the golden calf the Israelites appointed themselves to make the golden calf; in this instance they were content to entrust Betzalel with the construction of the Tabernacle. At that time they had said: אלה אלוהיך ישראל; now the Torah describes the completion of the Tabernacle by using the parallel term אלה פקודי המשכן.

ביד איתמר, “by the hand of Ittamar;” even though Moses was the commander in chief, it was necessary to mention Ittamar also, as authority is not exercised over the Jewish people by fewer than at least two people.

עבדת הלוים THE SERVICE OF THE LEVITES — The things in the Tabernacle which were counted and its vessels constituted the service entrusted to the Levites in the wilderness — to carry them, to take them down and to set them up, each man according to the burden which was assigned to him, as is set forth in the section נשא (Numbers 4).

To carry, to disassemble, and to set it up . . . Rashi is answering the question: Is not the simple meaning of the verse that the work of the Levites was to make the accounts of the mishkon, i.e., to count the vessels of the mishkon? [But this cannot be, as the Levites were not involved at all with the construction of the mishkon.] Thus Rashi explains: “. . .To carry, to disassemble. . .”

The use of the word אלה may reflect yet another consideration. Seeing that Moses (alone) had made the count of the materials contributed for the Tabernacle, the Torah testifies that his count was indeed accurate. The Torah goes out of its way by stating that it accepted Moses' count by using the words על פי משה, "according to what Moses said;" the reason the Torah did not write אשר פקד משה, was to demonstrate that Moses needed no witnesses to confirm the accuracy of his count. We encounter something of a similar nature in Leviticus 23,2 where G'd employs the word אלה מועדי השם calling the dates fixed by the Sanhedrin for certain festivals to occur "My festivals." G'd does not doublecheck the calculations of the Sanhedrin. We live by the Torah Moses has handed down to us orally. It would have been an insult to send in "auditors" to check his calculations. The Torah has made it clear in 36,3 that Moses alone accepted all the donations.

ביד איתמר BY THE HAND OF ITHAMAR — He was the officer appointed over them (the Levites) with the duty to hand over to each “house of the father” (בית אב) the service that devolved upon it.

The reason that Moses gave a detailed account of what he had received was so that he would not be suspected of dishonesty; actually, it was quite inconceivable that a man with whom G'd spoke constantly could be dishonest. Surely G'd would not speak with him if he was even slightly dishonest. Moses may have reasoned that although G'd had commanded him to receive all these donations alone (see our commentary on Exodus 25,2), "G'd's ways are straight, and the honest people can walk them although the wicked will stumble even on straight roads."

Yet another reason for the peculiarly worded sentence: אלה פקודי המשכן משכן העדות, is that the last words are a confirmation of the first words. The meter of the verse is this: "How do we know that the amounts reported by Moses as the total contributions for this project are accurate and have not been understated? Answer: The Tabernacle itself is called the "Tent of Testimony." In this connection it is worthwile to recall a statement in Shemot Rabbah 52,4 on 39,33 ויביאו את המשכן אל משה, they brought the Tabernacle to Moses. We are told there that all the scholars were unable to devise a way to erect the Tabernacle. In the end they took all its components and brought them to Moses. Moses was ovecome by the Holy Spirit and immediately put up the Tabernacle. Thus far the Midrash. Here we have proof of Moses' integrity seeing we have a principle that G'd does not perform miracles for dishonest people. [The author has made the same claim in Parshat Vayechi see our translation on page 433. Ed.]

We may ask: "what kind of proof is it to claim that Moses' ability to erect the Tabernacle proved his integrity? Was he not an exceptionally powerful individual, stronger than any other Israelite?" The Torah therefore added in our verse: עבודת הלוים ביד איתמר. We know that it was the task of the Levites to transport the planks for the Tabernacle under the supervision of Ittamar (Numbers 1,51); they were the ones who had to dismantle these planks and to put them up again (each one was 20 feet tall and had a circumference of over 12 feet plus its golden overlay). We note therefore that the people's and their leaders' inability to erect the Tabernacle was not due to lack of physical prowess; otherwise how could the Levites have managed such a task?" Moreover, if physical prowess was the reason Moses managed to erect the Tabernacle, why did the Torah have to mention Ittamar altogether in this context? Why did the Torah not mention also Eleazar, Ittamar's brother? When you adopt my explanation that Moses' ability to do what no one else had been able to do was proof of his integrity, the words עבודת הלוים ביד איתמר make sense as it disabuses us of the premise that only a Moses was strong enough physically to erect the Tabernacle.

What we have said so far still does not exclude the possibility that Moses' ability to erect the Tabernacle was not due to supernatural help but that his intellectual powers were equal to the challenge to put together and erect the Tabernacle. The Torah therefore adds in the next verse that Betzalel son of Uri made everything G'd had commanded Moses to do. Our sages deduce from this verse that Betzalel even carried out details which Moses had not told him about and that Moses subsequently expressed his approval. The Torah goes on to say that Betzalel's assistant Oholiov also contributed to his knowledge; our sages in the above quoted Midrash Shemot Rabbah 52 stated that even all the combined wisdom of these two architects of the projects did not suffice to enable them to erect the Tabernacle. There really had been no need to tell us once more of Betzalel's contribution to the project. If the Torah nonetheless mentioned it again it may have been to exclude the assumption by the reader that in the end the Tabernacle was erected without supernatural assistance, i.e. to remind us that Moses had a divine assist. Once the erection of the Tabernacle by Moses is accepted as demonstrating divine assistance, his accounting may certainly be considered as approved by G'd.

Shemot Rabbah 51 explained that the erection of the Tabernacle represented the atonement for the sin of the golden calf. We have also been told in Chulin 5 that being guilty of the sin of idolatry is tantamount to one's having violated all the commandments of the Torah. The words אלה פקודי should be translated the same way as does Onkelos who renders the words in Leviticus 27,34: "These are the commandments" as: אלין פקדיא. If we were to apply this translation to our verse, we would have to understand the words אלה פקודי in the sense of: "these are the instructions, read commandments, i.e. the Tabernacle represented all of G'd's commandments and thereby compensated for the sin of the golden calf. [In modern Hebrew the word פקודה means "a military order" as most of you are aware. Ed.] We may find an allusion to this when we look at the numerical value of the letters in the words פקודי המשכן which total 615, i.e. the 613 commandments plus 2 for the two Tablets they were recorded on. The meaning of the words then is: אלה, "these" will help G'd forget the 613 commandments which Israel violated when it served the golden calf.

The reason the Torah adds: עבודת הלוים, "the service by the Levites" is, that we are to remember what happened for all times. We are not to think that seeing that G'd had forgiven the sin of the golden calf, the privilege of performing the service in the Tabernacle would revert to the firstborn from whom it had been taken away because of their involvement in that sin. In our verse the entire tribe of the Levites is included in the description "priests," seeing that the priests too are referred to as Levites on occasion such as in Deut.27,9.

The Torah continues: ביד איתמר, to make it clear that the exclusion of the firstborn from their erstwhile position as priests affected not only their right to offer sacrifices or to carry the Holy Ark, etc., but even the right to perform the tasks over which Ittamar presided. These comprised duties involving materials of a relatively minor degree of sanctity such as the beams of the Tabernacle and all that belonged to them (Numbers 4,29-33). All of this was a reminder that the sin of the golden calf had not been erased in such a way that no trace of it could be detected. The best proof of this is what G'd said in Exodus 32,34 that whenever He has occasion to punish the Jewish people He will add an extra measure of punishment as part of what they have not yet received.

The words פקודי המשכן also allude to the expression "appointment" such as in Numbers 4,16 where Torah describes Eleazar as being "in charge of" i.e. "appointed" over the oil for lighting, incense, etc. The Torah in our verse hints that all the appointees for the Tabernacle were "in charge" of the respective parts of the Tabernacle or its appurtenances assigned to them. They had to ensure that the Tabernacle continued to exist and take the necessary precautions to prevent any part of it from deteriorating or disintegrating. Inasmuch as the Tabernacle represented the Torah, the task of the first of its appointees was to maintain משכן העדות, the Torah proper. As long as the Israelites would study the Torah and live by its precepts the continued existence of the Tabernacle was assured. Failing that, there would be no Tabernacle. This is what the sages in Bamidbar Rabbah meant when they commented on Psalms 78,60: "He forsook the Tabernacle of Shiloh, the Tent He had set up amongst men." The Midrash observes that we must understand the wording as: "G'd had set up a Tent by means of man." If people prepare themselves spiritually to study Torah and to observe it, not only the commandments engraved on the Tablets and the written Torah, but אשר פקד על פי משה, the oral Torah Moses taught the people, then we are assured of G'd setting His Tent amongst men. This is the second group of "appointees" then that we are told about in our verse. The third group of "appointees," were the people performing the service involving the Tabernacle, i.e. the Levites; the fourth group of appointees were Aaron and his sons. The Torah mentions "Aaron's son" rather than Aaron himself and even the word בן אהרון may refer to Eleazar (seeing everybody knew that Ittamar was Aaron's son). This was because Aaron's share in the sin of the golden calf affair had not yet been completely atoned for. This occurred only after the seven days of the inaugural offerings and the death of his two older sons on the eighth day when Aaron offered sin-offerings. The Torah therefore mentions the fact that he too was an appointee only obliquely, by mentioning who was the father of his son. The fifth appointee was Betzalel who had performed the work for the Tabernacle and Oholiov his assistant. You therefore find that there were a total of five appointees to ensure the permanence of the Tabernacle. 1) The Torah itself; 2) Moses who was entrusted with teaching; 3) The Levites who had to erect and dismantle the Tabernacle every time the Israelites journeyed; 4) the priests who had to perform the sacrificial service and who were counted with the Levites of the houses of Kehot and Gershom whose duties were also considered עבודה; 5) Betzalel and Oholiov who were in charge of construction. This then is the meanig of אלה פקודי המשכן, "these are the appointees of the Tabernacle."

ובצלאל בן אורי וגו׳ עשה את כל אשר צוה ה' את משה AND BEZALEEL THE SON OF URI etc. MADE ALL THAT THE LORD COMMANDED MOSES — It is not stated here: אשר צֻוָּה (Bezaleel made all that he had been commanded), but “[Bezaleel made] all that the Lord commanded Moses” — even regarding such things which his teacher (Moses) did not tell him, his own opinion was in agreement with what had been told to Moses on Sinai (Jerusalem Talmud Peah 1:1; Bereishit Rabbah 1:14). [For Moses bade Bezaleel to make the vessels first and the Tabernacle afterwards but Bezaleel said to him: “Surely, it is the way of the world (the usual way) first to build a house and then to place the household utensils in it!” He (Moses) replied to him: “So, indeed, did I hear from the mouth of the Holy One, blessed be He”. Moses further said to him: (בצלאל), you must have been sitting in the shadow of God (בצל אל), for certainly did thus God command me!” And consequently Bezaleel made the Tabernacle first and afterwards he made the vessels (cf. Berakhot 55a).

AND BEZALEL THE SON OF URI, THE SON OF HUR, OF THE TRIBE OF JUDAH, MADE ALL THAT THE ETERNAL COMMANDED MOSES. The meaning of this is that everything was done through his direction, for he acted as instructor to all the wise men, and they all did heir work in his presence and showed him all that they had done, just as it is said, And He hath put in his heart that he may teach.¹²Above, 35:34. But all the wise-hearted men also did the work, as it is said, and every wise-hearted man among them that wrought the work made the Tabernacle.¹³Ibid., 36:8. In the opinion of our Rabbis,¹⁴Yerushalmi Peah I, 1; and quoted here by Rashi. this verse is intended to praise Bezalel, and to say that even these things that his master Moses did not tell him, he understood through his own mind in exactly the same way that they had been told to Moses on Sinai.¹⁵See in Seder Vayakheil Note 72. Moses agreed that originally G-d had told him to do it as Bezalel said it should be done. Thus the intention of Scripture is not to state that Bezalel did all the work, but that in all which was done through him, he fulfilled all that the Eternal commanded Moses. It is for this reason that Scripture does not state in connection with anything that was done until now: “as G-d spoke to Moses,” for this would have implied: “as Moses said by the word of G-d,” and he [i.e., Bezalel] changed their order from that which Moses had told him. Therefore Scripture stated everything in general terms, and said that Bezalel did everything as G-d had said, as I have written above.¹⁶Above, 36:8 (towards the end).

All that Ad-noy commanded Moshe. It is never mentioned anywhere that Moshe actually told Betzalel what he was to do. Apparently Betzalel knew through Divine inspiration. That is why it is written that he did “all that Ad-noy commanded Moshe,” and not, “all that Moshe commanded him”.

ובצלאל בן אורי...עשה, “and Betzalel son of Uri fashioned, etc.” Seeing that Betzalel was the chief architect, and supervised all the people working on the project “Tabernacle,” the Torah accords him the credit as if he personally had done all this with his own two hands. Our sages deduce from the words את כל אשר צוה ה' את משה, “everything that Hashem had commanded to Moses,” instead of “everything he had been commanded by Moses,” that even items which Moses had forgotten to tell him about, he divined as things G’d had spoken to Moses about, and he proceeded to include these items in his project. The wording of the Torah proves that changes in the order of what was to be constructed first and what last were what G’d had told Moses, although Moses had not related this in the same order.

'ובצלאל בן אורי בן חור וגו, “and Betzalel, son of Uri, son of Chur, etc.;” he also constructed items that his teacher Moses had not specifically instructed him to construct, as he was on the same spiritual wavelength as his teacher. [Our author had already made this point on Exodus 36,38. Ed.]

ככר [TWENTY NINE] TALENTS — A common kikkar contains sixty common manehs, and the maneh of the Sanctuary (that used for purposes connected with the Temple) was double the common maneh. Consequently the kikkar here mentioned was 120 common manehs. Now a common maneh contained 25 Sela’im (or shekels), and the kikkar of the Sanctuary equals three thousand shekels. That is why Scripture counts (mentions the number of) all the shekels that are fewer than 3,000 as a separate item, because these do not together amount to a kikkar (cf. Bekhorot 5a).

כל הזהב, the Torah testifies that the contributions of gold, silver, and copper for the building of the Tabernacle were miniscule in value when compared to the amount of such precious metals which were used in the building of Solomon’s Temple. We read there in Kings I 6, 20-35 and Kings I 7, 45-50 about the opulence of that structure. Compared to the restoration of the second Temple in the days of Herod, even Solomon’s Temple could be considered a poor attempt at impressing the world with the Jewish people’s wealth. Notwithstanding all the material wealth invested in both Solomon’s Temple and that of Herod, Moses’ Tabernacle, a collapsible structure, enjoyed far more of G’d’s presence than the Temple Solomon built, not to speak of the second Temple in which the Presence of G’d was never manifest. All of these historical facts teach us that material wealth, even if donated generously, is not a major factor in the success of a Temple dedicated to house the Presence of G’d on earth. G’d’s presence in such a Temple depends on His approval of the lifestyle of the Jews who have built such a Temple for Him.

כל הזהב העשוי למלאכה, All the gold used in the construction, etc. The words ויהי זהב התנופה in this verse seem superfluous or at least not in their proper place. The words כל הזהב העשוי do not seem to fit at all. Perhaps the Torah wishes to underline that of all the gold handed over to the various artisans not an ounce remained unaccounted for; it was all used up in the construction of the vessels which were to be made of gold. The whole verse then is testimony to the integrity of the artisans employed in fashioning all the parts made of gold. The words בכל מלאכת הקודש mean that all the gold was used up in the construction of the sacred vessels.

The maneh associated with the Sanctuary was double. . . Rashi is answering the question: If the maneh was not double, and the kikar was only sixty maneh, and a maneh equals twenty-five selaim (shekalim), then there would be 201 kikar [of silver, yet the following verse says there was only half that amount]. This is because there were 301,775 whole shekalim. And 1,500 shekalim equal a kikar. This is because ten maneh equal 250 shekalim, and twenty maneh equal 500 shekalim. According to this reckoning, sixty maneh equal 1,500 shekalim. Thus, ten kikar would equal 15,000 shekalim, and one hundred kikar would equal 150,000 shekalim. So according to this reckoning there should be 201 kikar. Rashi answers that the maneh of the Sanctuary was double the weight of the common maneh. Therefore, 3,000 shekalim equal one kikar, and one hundred kikar equal 300,000 shekalim.

V. 24. כל הזהב העשוי למלאכה בכל מלאכת הקדש erscheint als ein abgerissener Satzteil, da mit dem folgenden ויהי וגו׳ ein neuer vollständiger Satz beginnt. Nach der gewöhnlichen Auffassung des V. 21, der zufolge hier Berechnung und Nachweis der Spenden gegeben sein soll, ließe es sich vielleicht also erklären. Oben Kap. 36, 6 wird bereits das Herbeischaffen und Bringen der Spenden als עשית מלאכה bezeichnet. כל הזהב העשוי למלאכה könnte demnach heißen: alles zum Werk geschaffte Gold, d.h. alles als Spende gebrachte Gold war בכל מלאכת הקדש, war in dem ganzen Werk des Heiligtums, d. h. war ganz in das Werk des Heiligtums aufgegangen, es war ganz verbraucht.

ויהי זהב התנופה, “all the gold used for the waveoffering amounted to, etc.;” the reason why the Torah used the expression תנופה, here, an expression usually used only with specific offerings for specific purposes by an individual donor, is that when presenting his gift, the owner had had to lift it.

It counts as units all the shekalim . . . Explanation: if the maneh of the Sanctuary was double, it is understandable that 1,775 extra shekalim are counted as units, as they did not add up to a kikar. However, if we say the maneh was not double, then 1,500 shekalim equal a kikar. So why are 1,750 shekalim counted [as units that did not add up to a kikar]? The count should be 201 kikar, plus 275 shekalim that did not add up to a kikar. Thus we must conclude that the maneh was double. [It comes out that] this, too, is a proof that the maneh of the sanctuary was double, making the kikar [also] double.

The Torah may also allude to miracles which occurred to the gold used for the vessels of the Tabernacle. We all know that when one constructs vessels out of any metal including gold, the fact that it has to be melted down, etc., results in some diminution of the original amount of metal one started with. The more the original lump of gold had to be divided in order to construct all the various smaller parts made of gold, the greater the percentage lost in the process. The Torah testifies here that there was absolutely no wastage; all the original material was used up fully to become part of the sacred work בכל מלאכת הקודש. The word העשוי may be translated as "fit to be used to make something of." If something that the Israelites contributed was fit to be used in the construction of the Tabernacle, it was fully made use of. The word בכל means that all of the original amount contributed was immediately put to use in the construction. If this had not been the case, the miracle that nothing was left over would not have been noticeable. One could have added materials from the pool of raw materials whenever one ran short of something. This was not the case, however. The miracle was noticeable only because there was neither excess nor shortage during any stage of the construction of the many items required for the project.

Es scheint jedoch unter הקדש hier speziell das אהל מועד im Gegensatz zum חצר verstanden zu sein, wie aus אדני הקדש (V. 27) erhellt, wo entschieden nur die Füße des אהל מועד im Gegensatz zu den Füßen des Vorhofs, die von Kupfer waren, verstanden sein können. Es dürfte dann, und dies insbesondere nach der zweiten Auffassung des V. 21, hier die ideelle Reihenfolge der Räume des Heiligtums an der Verwendung der Metalle vergegenwärtigt sein. Nachdem in dem Begriff פקודי המשכן alles Angefertigte als gleich wesentliche Bestandteile der "Wohnung des Zeugnisses" bezeichnet worden, werden sie uns nun in ihrer gleichwohl ideellen Abstufung charakterisiert: alles Gold kam nur zu dem קדש zur Verwendung; aus Silber bestanden die Füße des קדש und die Häupter, Halter und Umrankungen der Vorhofssäulen; aus Kupfer die Füße und Geräte des Vorhofes. Es ist dies die Projektion des Gesamttempelheiligtums in dreifacher Abstufung. (siehe Kap. 27, 18.) Es ist dann auch begreiflich, warum beim Silber und Kupfer die Verwendung spezifiziert ist, beim Golde aber eine solche spezifizierte Angabe fehlt. Es genügte beim Golde zu sagen: במלאכת הקדש; außer dem קדש hatte Gold keine Verwendung. Silber aber gehört keinem speziellen Raum an, bildet vielmehr die überleitende Mittelstufe zwischen חצר und קדש, es zeichnet die Zielhöhe des חצר und die Basis des קדש. Und auch die Verwendung des Kupfers ließ sich nicht einfach durch חצר bezeichnen, da die אדני פתח אהל מועד (siehe Kap. 26, 37.), sowie die יתדות המשכן von Kupfer waren, übrigens auch das dem חצר angehörige כיור nicht von dem "Kupfer der Spende", sondern speziell aus den Spiegeln der Frauen gebildet war.

'תשע ועשרים ככר וגו, twenty nine talents, plus. seven hundred and thirty shekels; for anyone interested, the total amount of gold used in the construction of the Tabernacle amounted to 1460 liters” [we are not familiar with the units used by our author that his readers in France were obviously familiar with Ed.]

Die Summe des freiwillig gespendeten Silbers ist aber gar nicht genannt, weil dies überhaupt keine vorgeschriebene Verwendung beim Bau des Heiligtums hatte. Mutmaßlich sind davon מזרקות ,כלי שרת zum Opferaltar, die nach Kap. 27, 3 nur von Kupfer zu sein brauchten, jedoch auch von Silber sein durften (רמב׳׳ם הל׳ בית הבחירה יט wא), gemacht worden.

Ein gewöhnlicher ככר hatte 60 מנה, ein סלעים 25 מנה, gleichbedeutend mit שקלים (wie דינרין 4 :סלע, daher ein מנה im Talmud: 100 דינרץ). Der ככר des Heiligtums war aber doppelt und hatte 120 מנה, oder 120 x 25. — 3000 שקל (Bechorot 5a) halbe 603.550 halbe שקל = 301.775 ganzeשקל . 300.000 שקל = 100ככר à 3000. Bleiben 1.775 שקל zur Verwendung für צפן׳ רשא׳ העמודים וויהם וחשוקיהם

'וכסף פקודי בעדה מאת ככר וגו, the author explains how the amount is arrived at, 1 talent being 3000 shekel so that the 600.000 half shekel per head collected amounted to 100 talents, plus the small change mentioned here.

וכסף פקודי העדה מאת ככר, “and the silver contributed by the men of the congregation who had been mobilized for military duty,…amounted to100 talents.” Some commentators, basing themselves on the failure of the Torah to describe this silver as a “תרומה,” or a similar expression as used with the gold and copper contributions, that a great deal of silver was donated, and the reason why the total was not revealed here was that here we are only interested in how much of it was used in the actual construction of the Tabernacle. The balance was given to the Temple treasurer for use directly or indirectly in maintenance work, as and when necessary, as well as in the purchase of the animals of the mandatory communal offerings, especially at times when there was a dearth of voluntary offerings. If so, the scholar who holds that the tribe of Levi was also counted at the time of the first census is correct, as the shekel contributions of these Levites would make up the surfeit handed over to the trustee in charge of the Temple treasury.

וכסף פקודי העדה, “and the excess silver shekalim (1750) etc.” these were not shekalim from the census or donations for construction of the Tabernacle as described in verse 29 as נחושת התנופה,”copper from the elevation offering;” the Torah wishes to tell us that the people as a whole did not have more than this amount of silver left in their possession after parting with their donations of silver shekalim.
ובכסף ונחושת, “and with the silver and the copper, etc;” The Torah now proceeds to tell us for what all this silver and copper had been used when constructing the Tabernacle. This had not been spelled when the Torah told us what the gold was used for, as no complete item other than the menorah, candlestick, was made of gold. Gold was used as an overlay both for the altar, the Holy Ark, the Table and the boards of the walls. It is worthwhile to reflect on how important the Tabernacle was relative to the creation of the physical universe, and how this was reflected in many of the details surrounding it, On the first day G–d was reported as having created heaven and earth before giving the order to light to come into existence. [Heaven and earth you will recall were wrapped completely in darkness. Ed.] G–d’s activity on that day is described in Psalms 104,2 as נוטה שים כיריעה, “spreading the heavens like a carpet.” The corresponding activity when constructing the Tabernacle was covering its walls with goat-skins. (Exodus 26,7) On the second day G–d had created the horizon and divided the lower waters from the upper waters. (Genesis 1,6) The corresponding activity involving the construction of the Tabernacle was the installation of the dividing curtain, פרוכת, between the Holy of Holies, and the Sanctuary proper. (Exodus 26,33) On the third day G–d had commanded the earth beneath the oceans to form a coherent surface and to become visible above the waters of the ocean. (Genesis 1,9) The corresponding activity during the construction of the Tabernacle was the making of the water-basin, כיור used by the priests to purify their hands and feet. (Exodus 30,18) On the fourth day G–d had positioned the Luminaries in the sky, (Genesis 1,14). The corresponding activity had been the making and placing of the menorah in the Tabernacle and kindling it. (Exodus 25,31) On the fifth day G–d had created the fish and the birds (Genesis 1,20), and the corresponding activity during the construction of the Tabernacle had been the winged cherubs which had been constructed and placed on the cover of the Holy Ark. (Exodus 25,6) On the sixth day G–d had created the first human being, (Genesis 1,27); the corresponding activity during construction of the Tabernacle was the order to Moses to consecrate his brother Aaron as High Priest. (Exodus 28,1.) On the seventh day, G–d had “rested,” (Genesis 2,1) the corresponding report concerning the Tabernacle is found in Exodus 39,43, with the words: ותכל כל עבודת המשכן, “all the work of constructing the Tabernacle had been completed” After G–d had completed to create the universe He blessed it and all its inhabitant and he sanctified the Sabbath (Genesis 2,1) Moses did likewise in Numbers 7,1. The Holy of Holies in the Tabernacle reminds us of the heavens, source of our spiritual inspiration, whereas the table is symbolic of earth and its products is reminding us of how the Creator has provided for all His creatures. The showbreads are the visible symbol on that Table. The six rows on which they were placed are reminiscent of the six seasons of the year: sowing, harvesting, cold season, hot season, summer and winter.

וכסף פקודי העדה, “and the silver that was counted which had been contributed by the congregation, etc.: the Torah spells out in detail what exactly all the silver and copper donated was used for. The reason for this is that the silver was used as ransom for the people who had somehow become guilty during the episode of the golden calf. The reason why the Torah does not enumerate in detail what the gold was used for is that no item was wholly made of gold except for the candlestick and the cover for the Holy Ark. All the other furnishings were only overlaid with gold.

מאת ככר ואלף ושבע מאות וחמשה שקלים, one hundred talents and seventeen hundred and fifty shekels.” [One kikar used for sacred purposes was equivalent to 3000 “holy” shekels, or 6000 ordinary shekels of silver. Ed.]

בקע (from בָּקַע to split) is the name given to a weight of half a shekel.

This is the name of the weight . . . Rashi is answering the question: Does בקע not mean “splitting” throughout Scripture? But here, “splitting” does not fit as a meaning.

בקע לגלגלת, beka, per head (half a holy shekel). The people relied on G-d being aware that this amount would suffice for the silver needed in connection with the Tabernacle.

לשש מאות אלף וגו׳ FOR SIX HUNDRED THOUSAND [AND THREE THOUSAND etc.] — Thus were the Israelites in number, and thus did their number amount to after the Tabernacle was set up, as it is stated in the Book of Numbers (ch. II), and at this time, also, when they contributed toward the Tabernacle they were just as many (cf. Rashi on Exodus 30:16). The half-shekels of 600,000 amount to a hundred talents, each talents consisting of three thousand shekels (cf. v. 25). How is this? 600,000 half-shekels are 300,000 whole shekels, making one hundred talents and the remaining 3550 half-shekels make 1775 whole shekels, as stated in the text.

This was the count of the Israelites . . . Rashi is answering the question: Surely, the count was higher. When they were counted in seifer Bamidbar, there were 603,550 men. This was besides the Levites, who were not counted among the B’nei Yisrael. So regarding the donations to the mishkon, where Israelites and Levites gave, should there not be more? Therefore Rashi explains: “This was the count of the Israelites.” The beka per person was given only by the Israelites, [i.e., the non-Levites]. They had sinned by making the Calf, and they needed to give the donation for the mishkon in order to atone for it. But the Levites, who did not sin, did not need to give. Re”m offers a similar explanation.

לצקת means as the Targum has it: לאתכא, TO CAST.

THE SOCKETS OF THE SANCTUARY, AND THE SOCKETS OF THE VEIL. Scripture calls the Tabernacle “the Sanctuary,” and mentioned the veil separately, because it divided between the holy place and the most holy.¹⁷Ibid., 26:33. Thus it is as if it said, “the sockets of the holy place and the sockets of the most holy.”

את אדני הקודש ואת אדני הפרוכת, “for the sockets of the Sanctuary (planks), and the sockets of the dividing curtain(s).” There were a total of 100 such sockets, 48 for the planks, requiring 96 sockets and 4 for the pillars supporting the dividing curtain, making a total of 100.

את אדני הקדש THE SOCKETS OF THE SANCTUARY — i. e. of the boards of the Tabernacle (the Sanctuary) which were forty-eight boards, and for these ninety-six sockets were required. The sockets for the partition vail were four in number, so we have altogether one hundred. As regards all the other sockets (those of the enclosure and of the vail at its entrance) they are not taken into account here, because “copper” was written concerning them (Scripture prescribes that they were to be of copper).

וצפה ראשיהם [HE MADE HOOKS FOR THE COLUMNS] AND OVERLAID THEIR TOPS – the tops of the columns (not of the hooks) with them (the 1775 shekels of silver), for it is said with regard of all of them (the columns of the enclosure as well as of those of the vail at the entrance) (v. 19) “and the overlaying of their chapiters and their fillets were of silver”.

ואת האלף ושבע מאות, and of the one thousand and seven hundred, etc. This refers to the silver not described as having been used to make the sockets. Our sages in Shemot Rabbah 51,5 claim that while Moses was busy enumerating what had been made out of all the gold and silver, etc., he sat down for a moment and forgot what had been made out of these 1775 shekels of silver. When he remembered, the Torah added the letter ו in the word ואת.

Of the pillars with them . . . Rashi is answering the question: The verse seems to say that the caps of the hooks should be overlaid [with silver]! Why do they need this? The hooks were made completely of silver! [Rashi answers that the overlaying is for the pillars, not for the hooks.] Rashi adds the phrase, “With them,” to convey that the overlaying, the hooks and the bands — not just the hooks alone — were made with this [1,775 shekalim of] silver. Rashi’s proof is that no silver was collected in the community census other than the one hundred kikar from which the sockets were made, and the 1,775 [shekalim] were less than a kikar. [Thus, everything else must have been made from the 1,775 shekalim].

According to commentators such as Rabbi Avraham ibn Ezra (compare his comments on Exodus 25,3) who hold that the only silver which was contributed for the Tabernacle consisted of the half-shekel every male over twenty had to contribute (Exodus 30,13-14), the words ואת האלף ושבע מאות וחמשה ושבעים have to be explained differently. We know that the male Israelites had to contribute a half shekel each, and that the total number of males counted were 603.550 (compare Numbers 1,46). Since a "kikar" silver consists of 3.000 shekels, the figure given in our verse (as the left-over silver) corresponds exactly to that which had not been used for the 100 sockets which were each one kikar in weight. We do not find that G'd had commanded that anything other than the sockets, the hooks and the fillets had to be made of silver. The Torah did not, however, specify the size of the hooks or the fillets. Betzalel considered the number of hooks and fillets required and constructed them in sizes which used up the 1775 shekels silver remaining, making sure there was no overage. The words עשה ווים mean that he made the total remaining silver into hooks dividing them as required. He was quite certain that the remaining silver was to be used for this purpose as the fact that G'd had told him how much silver to use for the socket had made it plain to start with that there would be an overage of silver worth 1775 shekels. If G'd had told Betzalel about the size of each of these hooks beforehand, the execution of that command should have been reported as ויעש ווים. The fact that the Torah writes instead: עשה ווים is proof that he used his own initiative as to the size of these hooks.

I do not subscribe to the theory that there was no other silver except that contributed from the count of the males above the age of twenty. How else are we to explain 35,24: "Everyone who set apart an offering of silver and copper?" That verse cannot be reconciled with Rabbi Avraham ibn Ezra's comment on 25,3: "and this is the offering, etc." Every serious student will appreciate what I mean. I believe we can explain our verse in accordance with what we have written on verse 24 on the words כל הזהב, that even when such small items as hooks were made nothing went to waste, nor did the material used fail to be used up completely. The meaning of עשה ווים is that Betzalel used up everything in the making of these hooks.

ונחושת התנופה שבעים ככר ואלפים וארבע מאות שקל .“and the copper used for the wave offering was seventy talents plus 2400 shekels. Our author translates this into denominations of coins used in France in his time. Ed.]

ויעש בה, “he made of it, etc;” the word בה is used here instead of the word ממנה, which we might have expected.

את אדני פתח אהל מועד, “the sockets of the pillars supporting the curtain at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. Sixty five talents of copper were used for constructing sockets. They were needed for each side of the courtyard around the Tabernacle, one talent for each socket. From the five talents plus remaining, they made the cover for the copper altar, as well as its appurtenances and the clasps needed to hold together the curtains used for the roof which had loops accommodating these clasps. They also made copper hammers to drive into the ground the pegs needed to hold down the edges of the curtains above the Tabernacle which straddled the ground, as Rashi has explained at the end of Parshat T’rumah. We do not have to wonder how they had copper left over for the construction of the laver and its stand. Seeing that the materials for those items had been donated by the women, i.e. their mirrors, they are not counted separately as donations of copper. No one should think that only the amounts mentioned here were donated by the people. Much more was donated. The Torah only accounts for the amounts which were used directly in the construction of the Tabernacle. The excess of the donations became part of the Temple treasury, and was used for all manner of communal needs. Just as the number 600000, that the Torah included in the census did not include the people who had not yet reached the age of twenty or the ones who were past the age of sixty, and all the women, so that most likely the total number of Israelites at the time exceeded 23 million, so it would be foolish to assume that only the amounts recorded in our portion were donated. From chapter 35,24, it is clear that anyone who felt inclined to make a donation could do so, and no doubt that included people under the age of twenty and over the age of sixty, and the women. Even the males between twenty and sixty who had to contribute a half shekel, most likely donated in excess of this and not only silver coins. The Torah wrote that there was oversubscription, compare 36,7.