Midrash su Numeri 8:4

(Exodus 12:2) "This month shall be to you the beginning of months": R. Yishmael says: Moses pointed out the new moon to Israel and said to them: Thus shall it (the moon) look and the new month be designated thereby for all generations. R. Akiva says: This is one of the three things which Moses could not visualize until they were pointed out to him by the L rd. Likewise, (Leviticus 11:29) "And this shall be unclean for you from among all the things that swarm upon the earth." (Likewise,) (Numbers 8:4) "And this is the work of the menorah." Others say: He was likewise perplexed as to slaughtering, viz. (Numbers 29:38) "And this is what you shall do upon the altar." R. Shimon b. Yochai says: Were not all of the mitzvoth spoken to Moses in the daytime? How, then, could he have pointed out the moon? R. Elazar says: He spoke with him just before it got dark and showed it to him when it got dark.

(Numb. 8:2:) “When you set up the lamps.”⁷Numb. R. 15:3. You find that, when twelve tribes presented offerings at the dedication of the altar, the tribe of Levi did not offer anything. They were depressed and said, “Why were we removed from making an offering at the dedication of the altar?” A parable: To what is the matter comparable? To a king who made a banquet and each day invited various artisans. Now he had a certain friend who he loved exceedingly, but he did not invite him along with them. So he was depressed saying, “Perhaps the king harbors [some grievance] against me in his heart. [Perhaps] it is for this reason that the king has not invited me to any of the feasts.” When the days of the feast had passed [the king] called the friend [and] said to him, “For all the people of the province I made [that] feast, but for you only I am making one single feast for yourself. Why? Because you are my friend.” So this king is the King of kings, the Holy One, blessed be He. You find that the twelve tribes brought offerings for the dedication of the altar and the Holy One, blessed be He, accepted them, as stated (in Numb. 7:5), “Take it from them.” But the tribe of Levi did not bring an offering. When the dedication of the altar had passed, the Holy One, blessed be He, said to Aaron and his sons, “All the tribes have made a dedication. Now you make a dedication by yourselves.” It is therefore stated (in Numb. 8:2), “Speak unto Aaron [and say unto him], ‘When you set up the lamps,’” and afterwards [it is written] (in vs. 6), “Take the Levites.” Another interpretation (of Numb. 8:2), “Speak unto Aaron [and say unto him], ‘When you set up the lamps.’” You find that Moses experienced more difficulty in making the menorah then for all the [other] vessels of the tabernacle; until the Holy One, blessed be He, showed him with [His] finger.⁸Above Lev. 3:11 and the parallels listed there; Numb. R. 15:4. Moshe experienced difficulty with three things.... What is the meaning of hammered work (mqshh)? It is meaning to say, how difficult (mh qshh) it is to make. For Moses spent a lot of effort before the menorah was made; as it says so (in Exod. 25:31), “with difficulty (mqshh, revoweled as miqqashah)⁹A typical translation of the Masoretic pointing would be: OF HAMMERED WORK. shall the menorah be made.” When it became difficult for him, the Holy One, blessed be He, said to him, “Moses, take a talent of gold and cast it into the fire. Then take it out, and it will have been made automatically.” (Ibid. cont.:) “Its base, its shaft, its cups, its knobs, and its flowers from it,”¹⁰English translations usually render the end of this verse: …SHALL BE OF ONE PIECE or something similar; however, the midrash follows the interpretation given here. [is to mean] “Make a blow with a hammer, and it will be made automatically.” It was therefore stated (in Exod. 25:31), “of hammered work (i.e. with difficulty) shall [the menorah] be made (ty'sh).” [The verb is spelled] fully with a y (yod in Hebrew) and not written [with the normal spelling] as t'sh (which could be translated, "you shall make"). [It is written with the extra letter] so as to say [that] it shall be made automatically. What did Moses do? He took a talent of gold and threw it into the fire. Then Moses said, “Master of the world, here is the talent; it is cast into the midst of the fire. Let it be made (ty'sh) in front of You just as You wish.” Immediately the menorah came forth made as it should be. It is therefore written (in Numb. 8:4 end), “according to the pattern which the Lord had shown Moses, [so did he make the menorah].” "Moses made" is not written here, but merely “he made.” [So] who did make it? The Holy One, blessed be He. Therefore, the Holy One, blessed be He, told Moses to warn Aaron to light [the lamps] as stated (in Numb. 8:2), “When you set up the lamps.” The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Israel, “If you light [the lamps] before Me, I will preserve your souls from everything evil.” Thus their souls are likened to a lamp, as stated (in Prov. 20:27), “A person's soul is the lamp of the Lord.”

We are taught that R. Jose b. R. Juda says: "A fire in the shape of an ark, in the shape of a table and in the shape of a candle-stick, came down from heaven, which Moses saw and make like those shapes, for the passage says (Ex. 25, 40) And see that thou make them after their pattern, which is being shown thee in the mount." According to this then the verse (Ib. 26, 30) And thou shalt rear up the Tabernacle according to its rules thereof which hath been shown thee in the mount, does it also mean [that a fire in the shape of the Tabernacle was shown to Moses]? Here the passage says, according to its rules, but there [concerning the ark, the table, and the candle-stick] it is written according to their pattern. R. Chiya b. Abba said in the name of R. Jochanan that Gabriel attired himself with an apron and showed Moses how to make the candle-stick, as it is written (Num. 8, 4) And this was the work of the candle-stick. In the academy of R. Ishmael it was taught that three things were difficult for Moses to comprehend, until the Holy One, praised be He! showed them to him. The three things are: The candle-stick, the new moon and the [distinction between the clean and unclean] reptiles. Concerning the candle-stick we infer from the above-mentioned passage, And this was the work of the candle-stick; the new moon, as it is written (Ex. 12, 2) This month shall be unto you the beginning of months; reptiles, as it is written (Lev. 11, 29) And these shall be unclean unto you. According to some authorities also the laws concerning slaughtering were difficult for Moses to understand, as it is written (Ex. 29, 38) And this is what thou shall offer upon the altar.