Commento su Esodo 38:8

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.