Comentário sobre Êxodo 27:10

ועמדיו עשרים AND TWENTY COLUMNS THEREOF — There was a space of five cubits between one column and the other

וחשוקיהם מוקפים כסף. The raw material that the bands consisted of matched that of the hooks, i.e. silver.

ועמודיו עשרים, “and its pillars twenty.” The Torah fails to mention the raw material these pillars were made of. Presumably, we are to deduce this by comparing them to other pillars, such as the ones at the entrance to the Sanctuary, and the pillars that supported the dividing curtain. These were all made from acacia wood, expressly stated. (26,32) Also the fact that these pillars were overlaid with silver is not mentioned here, although it is mentioned in Parshat Vayakhel, (36,36)

From one pillar to the next. I.e., [the five amohs] include the width of the pillar, which was one amoh. You might ask: Since there were twenty pillars, and five amohs between pillars, does that not make [nineteen spaces, which is] only ninety-five amohs? But in the verse it is written one hundred amohs, so five amohs are missing! The answer is: The twenty southern pillars and the ten western pillars were set up so that the first western pillar was aligned with the southern pillars. Thus, the southern side actually had twenty-one pillars, with five amohs between each pillar, making one hundred amohs. And the same setup was on the northern side: the first eastern pillar was aligned with the northern pillars, so that the northern side actually had twenty-one pillars. However, since the corner pillars belonged to the setup of the pillars of the width and not to the length, therefore Scripture wrote [regarding the length]: “It shall have twenty pillars,” and not, “twenty-one pillars.” And so with the pillars of the [western] width: the first northern pillar was aligned with the pillars of the width, so that the width had eleven pillars and ten spaces. And so for all the sides. And [regarding the eastern side:] The enclosure’s entrance was from the fourth pillar to the eighth pillar. It was four pillars. From the first pillar to the fourth were the three pillars [of the flank], because the fourth pillar was part of the four pillars of the entrance. Thus the first flank had three spaces, totaling fifteen amohs. From the fourth pillar to the eighth were the four pillars of the entrance, with four spaces, and comprised the twenty amohs of the entrance. [It was just four pillars] because the eighth pillar was counted among the three pillars of the second flank. From the eighth pillar to the tenth were three pillars, with three spaces, and comprised the fifteen amohs of the second flank. Although three pillars make only two spaces, the tenth pillar did not belong to the pillars of the [southern] length. Thus, there was an extra space between the tenth pillar of the [eastern] width and the first pillar of the [southern] length. This resolves [the difficulties with] Rashi’s explanation. (Re”m) In fact, Rashi clearly explains this way (vs. 13-14). See there.

V. 10. חשקיהם, da die Säulen V. 17 מחֻשקים genannt werden, so können חשוקים nicht ein Zubehör, sondern nur eine Beschaffenheit der Säulen bedeuten. חשק, als Ausdruck eines starken Verlangens nach einem Gegenstande, ist bekannt. Verwandt ist die Wurzel mit עשׂק, עשׁק, עזק, אזק, חזק, חשׂך, חשׁך, denen allen der Begriff eines starken Erfassens, sei es in konkretem oder geistigem Sinne, zu Grunde liegt. Auch חֵשֶׁק als starkes Verlangen ist das Umfassen eines Gegenstandes im Geiste, und ist es hier in konkretem Sinne eine silberne Umfassung, Umreifung der Säulen.

ועמודיו עשרים, “and its pillars shall be twenty 20.”Our author wonders why Rashi does not mention howmany pillars there were in the courtyard. [I suppose the author refers to the Torah not mentioning the number of pillars in the eastern section of the courtyard, as the Torah gave us the numbers for the other three sides. Ed.]

ואדניהם AND THE SOCKETS of the columns SHALL BE OF COPPER (i. e. the word נחשת is to be connected only with the preceding word ואדניהם, not with ועמדיו at the beginning of the verse). The sockets rested on the ground and the columns were inserted in them. There was made a kind of rail which is called pals in old French, six handbreadths by three, and a copper ring was fixed in its centre. They folded the upper edge of the curtaining round it (round each rail) by cords at the places where the curtaining came opposite each column and they hung the rail by its ring on the hook which was on the column and which was made like the letter ו — one of its ends being bent upward and the other end being driven into the column, like those hooks which are made to fix doors upon them, and which are called in old French gonds. Thus the width of curtain was hanging down and this width formed the height of the walls of the court.

[I.e., the sockets] of the pillars. . . [Rashi is saying that the sockets belonged to the pillars,] not to the curtains. Otherwise, why is it written, “It shall have twenty pillars,” in the singular form, referring to the enclosure, and then say, “And they shall have twenty copper sockets,” in the plural form? Perforce, “they” refers to the just-mentioned pillars.

ווי העמדים are the hooks already mentioned.

He made a kind of rod. . . I.e., he took a piece of wood and made it into a kind of rod whose length was six tefachim.

וחשקיהם AND THEIR FILLETS — The columns were encircled with silver threads. I do not know, however, whether this was done over their whole surface or at the top only or round the middle only, but I do know that חשוק denotes “tied on”, for we find in the account of the concubine of Gibeah (Judges 19:10): “there were with him a couple of asses saddled (חבושים lit., bound)” which latter word the Targum renders by חשוקים‎.