Commentaire sur Les Nombres 4:25

את יריעת המשכן THE CURTAINS OF THE TABERNACLE — the ten lower ones,

ומכסה התחש אשר עליו, “and the covering of Tachash hide which was over it, etc.” Ibn Ezra writes that the verse abbreviated the description, omitting reference to the covering consisting of the ram’s hides dyed red, which also covered the Tabernacle. (Compare Exodus 36,19) Some commentators believe that both of these coverings were glued to one another so that they formed one cover.

The ten lower ones. Re’m explains that Rashi knew this because the Torah afterwards writes “and [of] the אהל (Tent) of Meeting,” which refers to the eleven goat-hair tapestries. They were termed an אהל when the Torah wrote “and make goat-hair tapestries לאהל (to cover)” (Shemos 26:7).

ואת אהל מועד AND THE TENT OF MEETING i.e. the curtains of goats’ skins which were made as a tent above it (the Tabernacle).

Goat-hair tapestries. I explained all of this is Parshas Veyakhel (Shemos 35:11).

מכסהו ITS COVERING — the rams’ skins dyed red.

Red dyed. As if the Torah had said ומכסהו (and its covering) however it omitted the vav; there are many examples like this. If one did not say this, why would the Torah have mentioned the tachash skins alone without the cover of the ram skins?

מסך פתח THE SCREEN FOR THE ENTRANCE — the Veil at the east side.

The eastern curtain. This was already explained in Parshas Bamidbar (3:25). When Rashi writes “the eastern [curtain]” this does distinguish it, because there was no other curtain at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting aside from the eastern one. Thus this is only an embellishment of the explanation. Gur Aryeh explains that Rashi means to exclude the half curtain that was folded over in front of the entrance to the Tent of Meeting, to the east, as mentioned previously in Parshas Terumah (Shemos 26:9). It was joined to the other curtains and it did not have a distinct identity in of itself.