פירוש על שמות 39:44

ומן התכלת והארגמן וגו׳ AND OF THE BLUE PURPLE AND OF THE RED PURPLE etc. — But there is no mention of linen here. From this fact I derive (cf. Rashi on Exodus 31:10) that these בגדי שרד mentioned here were not identical with the garments of the priests, for there was linen in the garments of the priests. But these were the cloths with which they covered up the holy vessels at the time of removing and packing up the articles in the Tabernacle when they set out on their journeyings which indeed had no linen in them.

בגדי שרד, covers about which the only information we have is that the picture on each indicated which object each one was to cover.

כאשר צוה ה׳ את משה; as G'd had commanded Moses. The Torah emphasises this to tell us that the Tabernacle corresponded to G'd's instructions in all its details as we already explained in connection with 27,20 that G'd considered that Moses had a personal share, i.e. merit, in every detail of the construction of the Tabernacle although he personally had not been commanded to perform the work.

Kap. 39. V. 1. בגדי השרד (siehe Kap. 31, 10). Auch der Umstand, dass die פקודי המשכן nach Beendigung des Heiligtums, nicht aber erst nach gänzlicher Beendigung aller von den Spenden anzufertigenden heiligen Gegenstände, wozu ja auch die Priestergewänder gehören, stehen, spricht dafür, dass es sich hier nicht um eine Abrechnung über das Erhaltene und dessen Verwendung handelt. — כאשר צוה ד׳ וגו׳: dieser Schluss findet sich bei Anfertigung der Gewänder, nicht aber bei Anfertigung der das משכן bildenden Teile. Von diesen ist es erst nach Zusammensetzung und Aufstellung derselben Kap. 40, 19 u. 21 ff. gesagt. Ein jedes Gewandstück ist mit der Anfertigung vollendet. Die die Wohnung bildenden Teppiche etc. und Geräte fanden ihre Vollendung erst nach deren Zusammensetzung und Aufstellung.

עשו בגדי שרד, “they made into sacramental vestments.” Each garment was composed of a different kind of fabric. How did this work out? All the coverings needed to transport the Tabernacle’s furnishings in, such as the candlestick, the table, the golden altar, the laver, etc., were made totally of blue wool, תכלת. For instance, the coverings for the copper altar were made of red wool, (Numbers 4,13), and the covers for the Table and the showbreads were made of purple coloured wool, (Numbers 4,8). All the details have been spelled out in the Book of Numbers chapter 4.

Another meaning of the verse is simply that when the artisans were about to commence any part of the work, they would first say "as per G'd's instructions to Moses."

Another reason the Torah had to write this verse is that there is no commandment which does not contain elements over and beyond its performance with one's hands or other parts of one's body. The Torah never revealed more than a fraction of the totality of a commandment as we know from a statement of Rabbi Yochanan in Gittin 60. There were then intellectual dimensions to the commandments G'd had given to Moses which are not recorded in the written text. The Torah here testified that all these dimensions were complied with and that the artisans deserved credit for this. Whereas some of these hidden dimensions of a מצוה are alluded to by the way the legislation in question is recorded in the Torah such as the "crowns" on the letters, others are not, though most of the hidden aspects of each מצוה were revealed to Moses while he was on Mount Sinai. We have Rabbi Akiva telling us in Sanhedrin 106 that one could deduce 300 halachot from the shape of the uppper part of the letter ל alone. At any rate, the message of the Torah here is that all the hidden aspects connected with construction of the Holy Tabernacle were carried out by those concerned with constructing it.

וירקעו AND THEY DID EXTEND — וירקעו is of the same root and meaning as, (Psalms 136:6) “To Him that stretcheth out (לרקע) the earth”. Render וירקעו as the Targum does: ורדידו, they extended by beating. Plates did they beat out of the gold; in old French estendre — to extend into thin plates. Here it informs you how they wove the gold together with the woollen threads. They beat out the thin plates and from them they cut threads along the length of the plates to make of these threads a mixture (to mix them) with each of the different kind of woolen threads in the ephod and the breast-plate in regard to which gold is mentioned in this connection. One thread of gold they intertwined with six threads of blue purple, and so with each kind of wool. For all the materials had their threads six-fold, and the gold formed the seventh with each of them (cf. Yoma 72a).

AND THEY BEAT THE GOLD INTO THIN PLATES. In all the sacred work that was done, Scripture did not add an explanation as to the method of execution except for here. It should rather have said: “and they made the ephod of gold, and blue-purple etc., the work of a skilful workman; they made shoulder-pieces for it etc.,” for such is the way it describes all of them. It is possible that Scripture relates here [how it was made] because of the original thought that they had to put into making the gold threads, for they were greatly astonished [to be told] that the gold should be spun and twined as is done with wool or linen, for no-one ever heard of doing such a thing until that day.

וירקעו את פחי הזהב, the donours of the gold for the priestly garment already flattened the gold into thin stripes so they could easily be converted and cut into “threads” to be embroidered in these garments.

וירקעו את פחי הזהב, “they hammered out the thin sheets of gold;” Nachmanides comments that nowhere has this process of turning gold into sheets been described in the whole Torah except here. It is quite possible that the Torah here reports on a new discovery of how to make golden threads. Subsequently, these golden threads could be interwoven as easily as linen and wool. It had not occurred to anyone to do this prior to the making of the priestly garments.

V. 3. פחי הזהב. Die Bedeutung von פחים hier und Bamidbar 17, 3 als dünn geschlagene Metallbleche ist wohl unzweifelhaft. Schwierig ist die Ableitung und die Bedeutungsgemeinschaft mit פח: Schlinge, Falle. Die Wurzel scheint פחה, lautverwandt mit פהה, der Wurzel von פֶה: Mund, und פה: hier zu sein. Von פֶה und ist die gemeinschaftliche Grundbedeutung: zur Aufnahme eines Gegenstandes sich öffnen פה oder dazu offenstehen. Unmittelbar verwandt damit wäre פח (von פחה) als: Falle. Allein der Übergang zu פח: dünn geschlagenes Metall bleibt schwierig. Vielleicht ist die durch Schlagen gewonnene Ausdehnung eines Metallstückes als räumliche Erweiterung, d. i.: Öffnen anzusehen. — וירקעו וגו׳ וקצץ, ebenso früher: ויעש — ויעשו את בגדי את האפד und so im folgenden, ist wohl überall entweder das begrifflich Bedeutsamere oder das technisch Schwierigere im Singular unmittelbar Bezalel zugeschrieben.

וקצץ פתילים, the respective artisan. He used the flat sheets of gold to cut the threads from.

כאשר צוה ה' את משה, in every detail of every activity connected with the construction of the Tabernacle the people carrying out the word did so imbued with the thought that they were carrying out G’d’s will as it had been revealed to Moses.

ויעשו את אבני השהם, “they “made,” i.e. arranged the onyx stones;” the root עשה is also used in this sense elsewhere, as in Genesis 18,7: וימהר לעשות אותו, “he hastened to prepare it.”

על שני קצות החשן, “at the two ends of the breastplate.” Here the Torah used the preposition: על whereas in Exodus 28,24, it used the preposition: אל.

ולא יזה החשן, “so that the breastplate would not come loose;” this is a present tense.

AND THEY MADE UPON THE SKIRTS OF THE ROBE POMEGRANATES OF BLUE-PURPLE AND RED-PURPLE, AND SCARLET, AND TWINED LINEN. This means¹⁸Since the pomegranates were not made upon the robe, but instead were made separately and then attached to the robe, Ramban found difficulty in the language of the verse, And they made upon the skirts of the robe pomegranates. Hence his interpretation: “This means, etc.” that they made the pomegranates in order to put them around the bottom of the skirts of the robe, and they made bells of pure gold,¹⁹Verse 25. and then they put the bells inside the pomegranates before they put them on the robe. Thus the bells were within the pomegranates whilst they were still detached, and they put the pomegranates on the skirts of the robe round about while the bells were within them [i.e., the pomegranates]. This is why Scripture mentions the phrase within the pomegranates twice,²⁰Ibid.: and they put the bells within the pomegranates upon the skirts of the robe round about, within the pomegranates. — The repetition of the phrase is in order to indicate etc. in order to indicate that the bells were within the pomegranates from the beginning, and also when they hung them upon the skirts of the robe round about. This too is proof to what we have explained in Seder V’atah Tetzaveh.²¹Above, 28:31. Ramban there discusses Rashi’s opinion that the bells were hung separately on the skirts of the robe alongside the pomegranates. On this point he differs and holds that the bells were within the pomegranates. The proof to his opinion Ramban finds in the repetition of the phrase: within the pomegranates, which indicates that they were so to begin with and also when attached to the robe. But according to Rashi the repetition is redundant. — It should be noted that the J. P. S. translation of b’thoch harimonim: “between the pomegranates” [instead of “within the pomegranates”], follows Rashi’s interpretations.

על שולי המעיל, on the hem of the robe, etc. The wording makes clear that the sages who hold that the pomegranates were next to the bells as opposed to the bells being inside the pomegranates were correct. Why else would the Torah first report that the pomegranates were attached to the hem of the robe and then report the making of the bells as a separate item in a separate verse? Later the Torah reports that these bells were placed in between the pomegranates "on the hem of the robe." The repetition of the words "on the hem of the robe" makes no sense if these bells were inside the pomegranates, i.e. surrounded by them. I am very surprised at Nachmanides who has rejected this approach. As to Nachmanides' answer to the above argument that the pomegranates were not actually suspended at the hem of the robe until after the bells had been placed inside them, it seems to me that the text says exactly the opposite. Nachmanides' using the fact that the Torah repeated the statement that the bells were inside the pomegranates as proof for his contention is not tenable. He does not explain why the Torah should have given the command to place the pomegranates from the hem of the robe at that point (compare 28,33). I believe that in this instance Nachmanides did not examine the text with his customary care.

ויעשו על שולי המעיל, “on the hem of the robe they made, etc.” Nachmanides writes that these pomegranates were not integral parts of the robe, but were attached from underneath the hem.

בתוך הרמונים, amongst the pomegranates. The reason the Torah has repeated this instruction is to ensure that these bells should alternate and be on the same level as the pomegranates along the hem of the robe. The bells should not either protrude below the level of the pomegranates or be closer to the hem. We could not have deduced this if the Torah had written the line: "a bell and a pomegranate, a bell and a pomegranate on the hem of the robe," only once. We would then have thought that the reason the Torah gave these instructions was that the row should commence with a bell followed by a pomegranate, followed by another bell. As it is, the row should begin with the suspension of a pomegranate followed by a bell, followed again by a pomegranate so that the bells were "within," i.e. flanked each by two pomegranates. These instructions were necessary as the hem of the robe was not round (as was the upper part described in verse 23) but slit in such a way that there were two rows of material which between them made up the "hem." This is also the reason why in the Baraitha giving details about the robe, it does not say that the number of bells corresponded to the number of pomegranates. There had to be more pomegranates than bells. Zevachim 88 lists only the number of bells not the number of pomegranates.

ויתנו את הפעמונים בתוך הרמונים, ”they placed the bells amid the pomegranates.” This was done before either of the decorative appendages (in lieu of tassels) were connected to the robe. The bells were inserted within the pomegranate-shaped knobs. The Torah repeats the words בתוך הרמונים a second time, to inform us that not only did the artisans insert the bells inside the pomegranates before suspending the pomegranates from the hem of the robe, but they remained in place also afterwards.

פעמון ורמון, פעמון ורמון, a bell and a pomegranate, a bell and a pomegranate (alternating). The Torah had to write this as otherwise one could have hung two or three bells between each pomegranate or vice versa and this would still have corresponded to the definition "between the pomegranates." The first statement teaches that one pomegranate and one bell should alternate, i.e. there should not be two bells between a set of pomegranates. The second statement is to prohibit the reverse, i.e. two pomegranates between each set of bells.

AND THEY MADE THE TUNICS OF FINE LINEN OF WOVEN WORK FOR AARON, AND FOR HIS SONS. It appears from here that the tunics were identical for father [Aaron] and sons. For even though in the case of the tunic made for Aaron it says, And thou shalt make the tunic of chequer-work from fine linen,²²Above, 28:39. and in speaking of those made for his sons it just says, thou shalt make tunics²³Ibid., Verse 40. [without specifying that they should be of chequer-work], the intention is: “thou shalt make tunics similar to the one mentioned.” And thus it is written, a breastplate, and an ephod, and a robe, and a tunic of chequer-work, a mitre, and a belt; and they shall make holy garments for Aaron thy brother, and his sons, that they may minister unto Me,²⁴Ibid., Verse 4. for the expression for Aaron… and his sons refers back to the tunic of chequer-work, the mitre and the belt, which were alike for all of them. Similarly, that which Scripture says here, and the mitre of fine linen, and the beautiful head-tires, refers to those of both Aaron and his sons, since the mitznepheth (mitre) and the migba’ath (the head-tire) were made in the same way, except that Aaron wound it [around his head, fold upon fold], and his sons set them upon their heads tightly, as I have explained.²⁵Ibid., Verse 31 (towards the end) and Verse 37.

ויעשו את הכתנות שש מעשה אורג.לאהרן ולבניו, “they made the tunics of the fine linen of weaver’s work, for Aaron and his sons.” This means that these tunics and the headdresses as well as the sash for Aaron and his sons were made of the same material. The Torah, describes the sash, and the trousers as being made of שש משזר, linen woven of twisted (multiple) threads as well as blue wool, red and purple wool, something that had not been mentioned in the instructions. We must assume therefore that the difference between the two kinds of headgear מצנפת and מגבעת respectively, was not in the materials used, but in the manner in which they were worn. Moreover, when three kinds of thread, i.e. תכלת, ארגמן תולעת שני, are used, the method of combining them is known as מעשה רוקם, embroiderer’s work.

ואת פארי המגבעות means the beauty of the high caps — this is equivalent to: the beautiful high caps.

The splendid turbans. Rashi needed to explain this so we will not mistakenly think that פארי means as it does in, “He will cut the branches ( פארה ) with terror” (Yeshaya 10:33). Thus Rashi explains that it means, “The splendor of the turbans.” פארי is the plural of פאר , and means the same as פארים (splendors). Rashi says, “The splendid turbans,” because if the turbans were not splendid, there would not be any פארים [at all, since פארים is not an object that stands on its own] — and in that case it would not say פארי המגבעות .

PA’AREI HAMIGBA’OTH.’ The term (the beautiful head-tires) means that these head-dresses rose upon the head like turbans, similar to the expressions, ‘hap’eirim’ (the head-tires) and the armlets;²⁶Isaiah 3:20. ‘pa’arei’ (tires of) linen they shall have upon their heads.²⁷Ezekiel 44:18.
Scripture explained with reference to the belt [in the following verse], that they made it of fine-twined linen, and blue-purple, and red-purple, and scarlet. This, however, was not explained at the command, except for that which it said briefly about the belt, that thou shalt make it the work of the weaver in colors,²²Above, 28:39. from which it is known that it was to be woven of these four kinds, as it said with reference to the screen, And thou shalt make a screen for the door of the Tent, of blue-purple, and red-purple, and scarlet, and fine-twined linen, the work of the weaver in colors.²⁸Above, 26:36. This belt referred to was also for both Aaron and his sons, in accordance with the opinion of the Sage who says²⁹Yoma 12a. The opinion is that of Rabbi Dosa (ibid., b). that the belt of the High Priest was made in the same way as that of the common priest. In the opinion, however, of the Sage who says³⁰The opinion is that of Rabbi Yehudah Hanasi. that the High Priest’s belt was not the same as that of the common priest, [for that of the common priest was merely of plain linen, whilst the High Priest’s was of the above-mentioned four kinds — blue-purple, red-purple, scarlet, and twined linen], Scripture explained with reference to the belt of Aaron that it should be the work of the weaver in colors,²²Above, 28:39. but it was not even necessary to mention that the one for his sons should be made of linen, just as it said, And for Aaron’s sons thou shalt make tunics, and thou shalt make for them belts, and head-tires shalt thou make for them,²³Ibid., Verse 40. [and it is self-understood] that all of them should be made of linen just like the tunics.

פארי המגבעות, “the decorated turbans;” Rav Hai gaon explains that the word means something that looks like a button on top of the headgear.

ואת האבנט שש משזר, our sages in Yuma 6 are of two minds if the avnet mentioned here was that of the High Priest or if it refers to the ones worn by the ordinary priests.

לתת על המצנפת מלמעלה TO FASTEN IT ON HIGH UPON THE MITRE — and by means of the threads he placed it on the mitre as though it were a kind of crown. It is, however, impossible to say that לתת על המצנפת means to put the plate on the mitre, for in the Treatise on the Slaughter of the Sacrifices (Zevachim 19a) we learn: His (the High Priest’s) hair was visible between the plate and the mitre, whereon he placed the Tephillin”. Now the plate rested on his forehead (cf. Exodus 28:38), consequently the mitre was above (on the crown of the head) and the plate beneath (on the forehead). What then can be the meaning of “to fasten it on high upon the mitre”? Besides, I have put another question about this: here it says, “and they put upon it (the plate) a thread of blue purple” and in the section where the command is given it states, (Exodus 28:37) “And thou shalt put it on a blue purple string” (so that the plate was above the thread, not beneath it as is here commanded). I therefore say that this פתיל of blue purple mentioned here was not an ornament but threads by which to tie it (the plate) on the mitre. For the plate reached only from one ear to the other, so with what could they tie it to his forehead? So blue purple threads were attached to it at its (the plate’s) two ends and on the middle by means of which they tied it on and hung it on the mitre whenever this was on his head. There were two threads on each end (of the plate) one on its upper side and the other underneath, on the side next to the forehead and so also at the middle of it (the plate) — because in this way it was easy to tie it on. Since, however, the way of tying a thing on is by not less than two threads the text is justified in saying both, (Exodus 23:37) “[And thou shalt put it] on a blue purple thread” and here “and they put upon it a thread of blue purple”. He (the High Priest) tied both ends of all of them (of all the threads) together behind him on his neck, and thus placed it (the plate) on the mitre. Do not be puzzled because it does not say “threads of blue purple” seeing that there were many (three double threads altogether), for we find the same thing in the case of the breast-plate and the ephod: (Exodus 28:28) “And they shall fasten the breast-plate by the rings thereof unto the rings of the ephod … with a string (and not with strings) of blue purple” and you must admit that there could not have been less than two strings, for at the two ends of the breast-plate were the two rings of the breast-plate and on the two shoulder-pieces of the ephod were the two rings of the ephod opposite to them. Now according to the way the breast-plate was tied on there were four threads, and under any circumstances with less than two it would have been impossible to tie it on, and yet Scripture speaks of “a string” of blue purple.

ויעשו בני ישראל AND THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL MADE the work ככל אשר צוה ה' וגו׳ ACCORDING TO ALL THAT THE LORD COMMANDED MOSES [SO DID THEY] or [SO THEY MADE IT].

ותכל...ויעשו בני ישראל, the work in its totality was attributed to all the people of Israel seeing that each one of them had a direct or indirect share in it, whether by contributing material, labour, or skill.

ותכל כל עבודת משכן האהל, All the work of the Tabernacle, the Tent was complete, etc. The word ותכל indicates that the completion was not the result of the Israelites not continuing; as far as they were concerned they would gladly have continued to work on that project. The word ותכל refers to the end of the verse, i.e. "what G'd had commanded." The project was terminated in accordance with G'd's instructions.

ותכל, the construction of this word parallels Genesis 43,34 ותרב, where the Torah describes the gift Joseph gave to his brother Binyamin as being larger than the ones he gave to his other brothers.

The work. Rashi adds the phrase, “The work,” to inform us what B’nei Yisrael did. For it is written [just before], “Thus was completed all the work of the mishkon.” If so, they surely did the work [already], so what does it mean that they “did”? Therefore, Rashi explains, “The work.” The verse is conveying that the work they did was not any different, but rather they did it just as God commanded Moshe.

ותכל כל עבודת, “thus was completed all the work;” according to our sages the work was completed on the 25th day in the month of kislev, the day we commence to celebrate the festival of Chanukkah.

כן עשו. They did exactly as instructed, neither adding nor subtracting from the instructions.

It also indicates that some of the tasks were completed on their own and not by the B’nei Yisrael, such as the menorah (see Rashi on 25:31).

The word may also be understood in the sense of Psalms 84,3: נכספה וגם כלתה נפשי לחצרות השם. "I long, I yearn for the courtyards of the Lord." Our verse describes the enthusiasm with which the work was performed from start to finish.

ויעשו בני ישראל, the children of Israel did, etc. The Torah teaches that a person's delegate is accounted as like the person who has delegated him. The Torah here credits all of the Israelites with having constructed the Holy Tabernacle although it was only Betzalel (and his helpers) who had actually performed all the work. While it is true that Betzalel had received his instructions from G'd and not from the Israelites, the fact that the Israelites had given their silent consent to Betzalel's appointment meant that he acted as their delegate.

It appears that the Torah teaches us a general rule about the way Torah can be observed successfully by showing how the Israelites conferred merits one upon the other. The Torah (in its entirety) is only capable of fulfilment by means of the entire Jewish nation. Every individual Jew is charged with the duty to perform those commandments which he is able to fulfil, keeping in mind his individual status [an Israelite cannot perform service in the Temple, for instance, Ed.] This is the true meaning of Leviticus 19,18: "you shall love your fellow Jew as he is part of yourself." Without the fellow Jew, no individual Jew would be able to function as a total Jew. Each Jew has a task to help another Jew to become a whole Jew by means of his fulfilling commandments which the second Jew is unable to fulfil either at that moment or ever. As a result, the fellow Jew is not אחר "someone else," but is part of "oneself," כמוך.

This is the only way in which we can reconcile ourselves to G'd's commanding us to fulfil 613 commandments without which our body and soul are not really truly "healthy." The Torah has actually denied us a chance to fulfil a substantial part of all these 613 commandments. Are we to be permanent physical and spiritual cripples? Clearly, Torah and its observance then is not only a project for the individual but for the community. The Torah drove home this point by legislating laws which can be performed only by women, only by Levites, only by priests, and, in some instances, only by sinners, i.e. sinners who are anxious to rehabilitate them selves. Our verse describing the whole nation as performing what G'd had commanded Moses that they do, teaches this lesson. The reason that this was an appropriate time to teach us this lesson is that the 13 basic raw materials needed for the Tabernacle were as interdependent one upon the other as Jews are dependent upon each other in order to achieve the harmonious personality G'd desires for each Jew to develop into by means of his מצוה performance. It makes perfect sense therefore, that the Torah considers every Jew as having contributed all 13 kinds of raw materials needed for the Tabernacle.

ככל אשר צוה השם, in accordance with all that G'd had commanded, etc. The Torah emphasises this point to prevent people from drawing the wrong conclusion when they would observe the whole Tabernacle being dismantled two months and twenty days later (when the Israelites started their journey away from Mount Sinai compare Numbers 10,11 and Shemot Rabbah 52,2). One should not interpret the dismantling as proof that there had been structural defects or defects in the design of the Tabernacle and that this was the reason it was being dismantled. The Torah therefore testified that every detail of the execution of G'd's instruction of how to make the Tabernacle had been strictly adhered to. Another reason some Israelites might think that there were imperfections in the Tabernacle was the fact that it had been completed already on the 25th of Kislev though it is reported as having been erected only on the first of Nissan (40,2). G'd waited with having the Tabernacle erected until that date as the month of Nissan ushers in the period of the redemption from Egypt and the tyranny the Israelites had experienced there. According to another interpretation also mentioned in Shemot Rabbah 52, it was the anniversary of the birthday of Isaac, or the anniversary of the day G'd had first told Abraham that Isaac would be born.

אשר צוה השם, which G'd had commanded, etc. The reason the Torah added the words: כן עשו, "so they did," and did not content itself by simply writing ויעשו, they did is, that the Torah wished to credit the Israelites not only with construction of the Tabernacle but with carrying out all the commandments G'd had given to Moses, i.e. ככל, in accordance with everything G'd had commanded Moses, i.e. the entire Torah. With these words G'd "burned and scattered the ashes of the sin of the golden calf," i.e. finally disposed of any visible remnants of that sin.

ויביאו את המשכן וגו׳ AND THEY BROUGHT THE TABERNACLE [UNTO MOSES etc.], for they themselves were unable to erect it. Since Moses had done no work in the Mishkan, the Holy One, blessed is He, left for him the task of erecting it, for nobody was able to set it up because of the weight of the boards which no human strength was capable of setting up. Moses, however, succeeded in placing it in position. Moses said to the Holy One, blessed be He, “How is its erection possible by human beings?” God answered him: “You be busy with your hand!” He appeared to be erecting it, but in fact it set itself up and rose of its own accord. That is why Scripture says, (Exodus 40:17) “The Tabernacle was erected (הוקם)” — was erected by itself. This is a Midrash of Rabbi Tanchuma 2:11:11.

AND THEY BROUGHT THE TABERNACLE UNTO MOSES, THE TENT, AND ALL ITS VESSELS. The translation of this verse is as if it were written with the connective vav [which indicates “and”], thus making the sense of the verse: “and they brought the Tabernacle unto Moses, ‘and’ the tent and all its vessels,” for it was the curtains of fine-twined linen that are called “Tabernacle,” as it is said, And thou shalt make the Tabernacle with ten curtains of fine-twined linen,³¹Above, 26:1. and then it continues, and thou shalt couple the curtains… that the Tabernacle may be one whole.³²Ibid., Verse 6. The “tent,” however, means the curtains of goats’ hair, as Scripture says with reference to them, And thou shalt make curtains of goats’ hair for a tent over the Tabernacle;³³Ibid., Verse 7. and thou shalt couple the tent together, that it may be one.³⁴Ibid., Verse 11. Similarly, the Tabernacle, its tent, and its covering³⁵Ibid., 35:11. means “and its tent.” So also here the meaning of the verse is, “and they brought the Tabernacle unto Moses, and the tent, and all its vessels,” as Scripture mentions here [in this section] the names of all its parts. At times the whole house is called “the Tent of Meeting,” as He said, and they shall make all that I have commanded thee: the Tent of Meeting, and the ark of the Testimony,³⁶Ibid., 31:6-7. for “the Tent of Meeting” is the house in its totality, where He would meet with Moses.³⁷Ibid., 30:6. Similarly, all the vessels of the service of the Tabernacle of the Tent of Meeting³⁸Further, Verse 40. [refers to the building as a whole].

ויביאו את המשכן, the curtains which were artistically woven;

ויביאו את המשכן, They brought the Tabernacle, etc. This means that they presented all the parts of the Tabernacle to Moses.

ויביאו את המשכן אל משה, את האהל וגו', “They brought the Tabernacle to Moses; the tent, etc.;” according to Nachmanides the words את האהל have to be understood as if the Torah had written: ואת האהל, “and the tent.” The reason that this is not strange is that the term משכן whenever it appears without further adjective, refers only to the coverings of the Tabernacle, the various layers of it, the lowest one, the one that formed the ceiling visible from within. Compare Exodus 26,1:ואת המשכן תעשה עשר יריעות, “and the mishkan you are to construct of ten carpet-like curtains.” It also is written there that upon joining these ten “curtains,” the משכן will become a single unit. The second layer of coverings made of the skins of goats was known as אהל. Finally, the upper covering consisting of the skins of rams was known as מכסה. (compare 26,7 and 14 respectively.) There are occasions when the entire structure is referred to as אהל מועד, as in ועשית את אהל מועד כאשר צויתיך, “you are to construct the Tent of Meeting as I have commanded you “ A similar description is found is found in verse 40 of our chapter.

For they were unable to erect it . . . [Rashi knows this] because otherwise, they would not have brought it [to Moshe] in pieces, since it is the way of craftsmen to erect a house and then to show what they built. Therefore Rashi explains, “For they were unable to erect it.” Rashi then answers a further question: Every time they traveled from place to place, they erected the mishkon [themselves]. If so, why did they not do so now as well? Therefore Rashi explains, “Because Moshe did no work. . ..” Thus the first time, it was erected through Moshe, of its own. And from then on, each time they traveled, it stood upright on its own, and through those who erected it. (Nachalas Yaakov) Here it is implied that even Moshe erected it [only] by a miracle. But in Shabbos 92a, Berachos 54b and Bechoros 44a, it is implied that since Moshe was ten amohs tall, he therefore had the strength to erect it. See there.

את האהל, the carpets made of goats’ hair.

ואת כל כליו, pertaining to the Tabernacle, i.e. the brackets, loops and hooks. Even the colossal boards were also included in what is called here the כלי המשכן, the “furnishings of the Tabernacle.” So were the bolts, the heavy silver sockets for the boards, etc.

THE LAMPS THEREOF, EVEN THE LAMPS TO BE SET IN ORDER. It is possible that there are candelabrums with lamps on them purely for decorative purposes, or that they should give additional light if more is required. But this was not the case with the candelabrum of the Sanctuary, for it only had seven lamps. Therefore He explained, even the lamps to be set in order, for they were always set in order at dusk.

את נרותיה נרות המערכה, ”its lamps the ones of the prescribed order,” Nachmanides writes that it is possible that generally speaking, candelabra were equipped with lamps whose light-giving mechanism was adjustable so that depending on the need for more or less light, the wicks and their supply of oil would be regulated. To reflect this mechanism, the Torah may have added the expression נרות המערכה. The singular mode used in this expression is to inform us that the Menorah in the Tabernacle did not have such a mechanism, but that the oil supply to the wicks was maintained at a constant rate. [Except for the light on the center shaft, the other lamps were lit in the evening, and the oil supply allowed for the length of the night. Ed.]

את המנורה הטהורה, “the candlestick, the pure one.” The reason why the Torah added the adjective “the pure one,” is because no sacrificial blood was ever sprinkled on the candlestick so that it remained ritually pure.

נרות המערכה, “the lamps in its proper order;” the expression מערכה or its equivalent יערוך, “he would do so in proper order,” first occurred in Exodus 27,21 where the functions of the priests are discussed. Alternately, it may allude to the showbreads which were arranged in order on the table and illuminated by the lamps of the candlestick.

את מיתריו ויתדותיה, “its cords and its pegs;” compare a similar mixture of masculine and feminine in 35,17.

ACCORDING TO ALL THAT THE ETERNAL COMMANDED MOSES, SO THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL DID ALL ‘HA’AVODAH’ (THE WORK) — all the work of the Tabernacle. Scripture calls it avodah [a term which means also “the Service” to G-d], in order to indicate that they did it for the service of the Glorious Name, it being similar to that which is said, ‘v’avad’tem’ (and ye shall serve) the Eternal your G-d;³⁹Above, 23:25. and Him ‘ta’avodu’ (shall ye serve).⁴⁰Deuteronomy 13:5. It is possible that the phrase all the ‘avodah’ refers here also to all the vessels, similar to the expression, “all the vessels of the ‘avodah’ (service) of the Tabernacle.”⁴¹The source is unknown to me. Thus Scripture first mentioned the vessels, in order to say that even in making the vessels they were careful to do them exactly as they were commanded, and afterwards it states, And Moses saw all the work…⁴²Verse 43.

ככל אשר צוה השם; in accordance with all that G'd had commanded Moses, etc. We find this statement altogether three times. Perhaps the Torah wanted us to understand that rehabilitation from the vestiges of the sin of the golden calf had to comprise three levels: 1) idolatrous thought; 2) idolatrous speech; 3) idolatrous actions. I have mentioned this aspect in its place in Parshat Ki Tissa.

כן עשו בני ישראל את כל העובדה, “so did the Children of Israel perform all the labour.” Nachmanides writes that all labour, work performed in connection with the Tabernacle, is called עבודה, “service,” by the Torah. This reflects the fact that all these activities were performed in order to serve the Lord, to honour Him. By doing so the people fulfilled the commandment (Exodus 23,25) ועבדתם את ה' אלוקיכם, “you are to serve the Lord your G’d.” Alternatively, the word העבודה refers to the sacred vessels used in performing these various tasks. These vessels have been referred to on a number of occasions as כלי עבודת הקודש, i.e. due to their designated purpose the vessels themselves acquired an elevated status, as “sacred vessels,” although they only served a sacred purpose. [this latter explanation would account for the Children of Israel, collectively, being mentioned in our verse rather than either the artisans or the priests. Ed.]

כן עשו בני ישראל את כל העבודה, “so did the Children of Israel perform all the labour.” We would have expected the Torah to write כל המלאכה instead of כל העבודה. The Torah, however, wanted to remind us that all work performed for the building of the Tabernacle was equivalent in spiritual value to service in the Sanctuary, עבודה, i.e. something sacred, holy. Just as the expression עבודה is always used in connection with directly serving the Lord, so this too was directly serving the Lord. (compare Deut. 13,5 or Exodus 23,28).

כן עשו בני ישראל את כל העבודה, “so the Israelites had done all the work;” the Mishnah in tractate Sotah folio 9 states that as soon as Solomon’s temple was completed the Tabernacle and all its appurtenances were hidden. To the question where it was hidden, the Talmud replied that it was “stored” beneath the cavities of the Sanctuary.

ויברך אתם משה AND MOSES BLESSED THEM — He said to them “May it be the will of God that His Shechinah rest upon the work of your hands; ‘and let the beauty of the Lord our God be upon us and establish Thou the work of our hands upon us’” (Psalms 90:17.) (Sifra, Shemini, Mechilta d'Miluim 2 15) This (from ויהי נועם onward) is part of one of the eleven Psalms (90—100) that are in the section beginning with, תפלה למשה; (Numbers Rabbah 12:9).

והנה עשו…כן עשו, and behold they had done it…so they had done. The additional word והנה in this verse alludes to the speed with which the Tabernacle was built, something that was very pleasing to Moses when he looked at the components the people presented him with.

May the pleasantness . . . Rashi is answering the question: What blessing did Moshe give them? Therefore Rashi explains that it was the blessing of ויהי נועם , which Moshe composed upon the completion of the building of the mishkon.

V. 43. וירא וגו׳ והנה עשו אתה ,כאשר צוה ד׳ כן עשו. Mosche überschaute das ganze vollendete Werk, da war dem Werke ein Zwiefaches charakteristisch aufgeprägt: עשו אותה, "sie hatten es gemacht" in jedem Kleinsten und Größten sprach sich die ganze Persönlichkeit, die Hingebung, die freiwillige Begeisterung und die Tatkraft der Nation und ihrer Kräfte aus, und, zweitens: כאשר צוה ד׳ כן עשו "wie Gott geboten hatte, also hatten sie es gemacht", dieser ganze tatkräftige Eifer hatte sich doch im ganzen und einzelnen völlig dem göttlichen Gebote untergeordnet, nirgends das Bestreben, durch irgend subjektives Ab- und Zutun seine Idee, seine Individualität im Werke geltend zu machen, vielmehr hatte allen und jedem das als die Palme der Leistung vorgeschwebt, mit gehorchender Gewissenhaftigkeit nicht die eigene Idee, sondern den Gottesgedanken und das Gottesgebot mit äußerster Präzision zur Ausführung zu bringen. Dieser freie, freudige Gehorsam, diese Freiheit im Gehorsam und dieser Gehorsam in der Freiheit, die der eigenen Persönlichkeit gerade in der höchsten Unterordnung unter den göttlichen Willen mit freudigstem Selbstgefühl sich bewusst wird, sie bilden aber überhaupt das wesentlichste Merkmal, das die höchste sittliche Vollendung jüdischer Menschentat, das den Menschen als עבד ד׳ charakterisiert, und dass eben sie für immer das Gepräge des jüdischen Tatenlebens bleiben mögen, das spricht der Schlusssatz der großen Tefilla Mosche (Ps. 90, 17) als höchsten Wunsch für die Zukunft seines Volkes aus, die daher die Weisen auch an unserer Stelle als Inhalt des ויברך אתם משה wiedergeben. Jene Tefilla schließt mit den Worten: "Möge deinen Dienern dein Wirken sichtbar werden und deine Herrlichkeit bei ihren Kindern bleiben! Möge das Beglückende unseres Gottes, meines Herrn, unser Los bleiben: das Tun unserer Hände gründe auf uns und das Tun unserer Hände stelle Du fest!" מעשה ידינו כוננה עלינו, das ist die Freiheit, ומעשה ידינו כוננהו, das ist der Gehorsam, nur beides in identischer, inniger Vereinigung gewährt das נועם, die Glückseligkeit, die unser Gott uns bereitet, indem wir Ihm als unserm "Herrn" uns weihen, und unser Vers: וירא משה את כל המלאכה והנה עשו אתה כאשר צוה ד׳ כן עשו ויברך אתם משה ist die Quelle, aus welcher jene Tefillagedanken Mosche quollen. Daher die Worte der Weisen: ויברך אותם משה אמר להם יהי רצון שתשרה שכינה במעשה ידיכם ויהי נועם ד׳ אלדינו עלינו וגו׳.

This is one of the eleven Psalms . . . It seems that Rashi needed to bring this as proof [that Moshe blessed them with ויהי נועם ] because [one opinion] in Sifra ch.1 says that they [the people] said ויהי נועם to Moshe. Similarly in Yalkut Shimoni, Pekudei 418. (Nachalas Yaakov)

The addition of the word אותה in the line עשו אותה, testifies to the quality of the work. The artisans had put to use all their intelligence in constructing these parts and the result had proved successful.

If we follow the approach of the Talmud Zevachim 62 that every commandment contains details which are not mandatory but which are desirable, the Torah tells us that the artisans performed even all those details which were not mandatory. This explains why the Torah repeated the word עשו, they did, i.e. the artisans did both what was mandatory and what was in effect optional.

ויברך אותם משה, Moses blessed them. The reason the Torah wrote the name Moses instead of simply "he blessed them," (seeing that his name was mentioned at the beginning of our verse) is to teach us not to take this blessing lightly. It is something very special to be blessed by a man of G'd such as Moses. If the people had been blessed by someone of lesser stature the Torah would not have recorded this as something we have to know so many thousands of years later. Normally, the Torah could have written משה ברך אותם, or: הוא ברך אותם. By placing the name Moses at the end of the line the Torah taught us the significance of being blessed by someone of Moses' standing.