Commentaire de citation sur L’Exode 26:15

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.

Whenever one is using something that grew from the ground for a mitzvah he must use it in the way that it grew, meaning that the part that was below is below and the part that is up top, is towards the top. Rashi gives two examples—the boards used in making the Tabernacle, and the lulav. The proof text is the odd phrase in Exodus 26:15, “acacia wood standing up.” Why does the Torah need to say “standing up”? Of course, if the planks are used to build the Tabernacle they will be “standing up.” R. Shimon b. Yohai interprets this to mean that the part that grew below should be below. The same is true for the lulav. When we take the lulav we take the part that grew out of the trunk in our hands, and the lulav goes up, as it did on the palm tree. Holding the lulav or any of the other species upside down would prevent one from fulfilling his obligation.