Hebrew Bible Study
Hebrew Bible Study

Commentary for Exodus 37:17

וַיַּ֥עַשׂ אֶת־הַמְּנֹרָ֖ה זָהָ֣ב טָה֑וֹר מִקְשָׁ֞ה עָשָׂ֤ה אֶת־הַמְּנֹרָה֙ יְרֵכָ֣הּ וְקָנָ֔הּ גְּבִיעֶ֛יהָ כַּפְתֹּרֶ֥יהָ וּפְרָחֶ֖יהָ מִמֶּ֥נָּה הָיֽוּ׃

And he made the candlestick of pure gold: of beaten work made he the candlestick, even its base, and its shaft; its cups, its knops, and its flowers, were of one piece with it.

Or HaChaim on Exodus

ויעש את המנורה, He constructed the candlestick, etc. You will find that the Torah refers to the various furnishings of the Tabernacle by the same description both when we are told about what was required and when the execution is reported. Why, in this instance, did the Torah depart from this rule and instead of describing the candlestick as "the candlestick for illumination" or as "the golden candlestick," it is simply described as "the candlestick?"
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Or HaChaim on Exodus

Perhaps the answer may be found in the rule (Menachot 28) that under certain conditions the candlestick could be made from other metals, as hinted in the word תיעשה, (25,31). The Torah mentioned in chapter 25 that the candlestick had to be made of gold in order to remind us that the rule that it could be made of cheaper metals did not apply under the conditions prevailing then. It could also be that the meaning of the words "the golden candlestick" simply means that it was to be made of gold and not of any other metal although such a candlestick is acceptable in principle. In our context the Torah simply emphasised that Betzalel conformed to the instruction and made the candlestick out of gold as ordered.
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