Comentário sobre Êxodo 26:30

והקמת את המשכן AND THOU SHALT SET UP THE TABERNACLE — after it is completed set it up. ...

והקמתה את המשכן, "And you shall erect the Tabernacle, etc." According to Rabbi Avraham ibn Ezra, Moses was to relay these instructions to the people described earlier as חכמי לב. Rabbi ibn Ezra considered the totality of the commandment to construct (and erect) the Tabernacle and concluded that just as all the directives which had been given to Moses in direct speech did not mean that Moses personally was to carry them out, so this commandment too was addressed to the people who were to perform the work of construction. I do not agree with Rabbi ibn Ezra's premise. All the directives given to Moses in direct speech meant that only he himself was to carry them out unless G'd repeated the instructions and said specifically that others should execute the directive. In those instances the reason G'd addressed Moses himself in the first instance was that inasmuch as Moses would delegate the work he himself would receive credit for it as if he himself had perfomed all the details personally. Although in our portion the directive about all the details of the building of the Tabernacle were addressed to Moses, the Torah repeats them in פרשת כי תשא when Betzalel, Oholiov, and all the חכמי לב, men of understanding heart, were put in charge of supervising the execution of all these plans. In 31,6 the Torah specifically charges these people with carrying out "all that I have commanded you (Moses)." This is the Torah's way of making clear that Moses personally was not involved in the construction of any of these parts. Seeing that G'd's instructions to Moses to erect the Tabernacle were not repeated, however, means that only he himself was charged with that task. In fact it was Moses who personally erected the Tabernacle as we know from 40,18 where the Torah reports Moses as personally erecting the Tabernacle. This is what our sages say in Shemot Rabbah 52. Any other interpretation is to be disregarded.

After it is completed, erect it! I.e., this is a command to Moshe to erect the mishkon himself. [Alternatively,] the Nachalas Yaakov (citing Sifri) says it means: When all the work of the mishkon and all its vessels is completed, erect it at one time. Do not erect each part as it is completed, rather, [erect it] all at once.

V. 30 והקמת וגו׳, siehe zu V. 6.

הראית בהר This must be translated: WHICH THOU WILT before then HAVE BEEN SHOWN IN THE MOUTAIN — (The verb is future perfect). For later on I shall instruct thee and show thee the way to erect it.

Before this. . . Meaning: before it is erected. Hashem had not yet shown it to Moshe, so properly speaking it should say, “. . .According to its rules as will be shown to you on the mountain.” Nevertheless, the verse is in the past tense form because when the mishkon will be erected, He will already have shown it to Moshe on the mountain.