Comentários de Citação sobre Êxodo 28:6

שש משזר ותכלת וארגמן ותלעת שני OF FINE TWINED LINEN AND BLUE PURPLE, AND RED PURPLE, AND CRIMSON — Thus there were four different materials in every thread, one of linen and three of wool, each of the strands of which a thread was composed being sixfold (the word is taken here in the double sense of שש “linen” and of שש “six”). Consequently the four materials intertwined into one thread gave a twenty-four-fold thread (Yoma 71b; Baraita DeMelekhet HaMishkan ch. 2).

And these are the garments that they shall make: a breastplate and an ephod. Here the breastplate is mentioned before the ephod, but later when listing them in detail, the ephod is mentioned first, and afterward and you shall make a breastplate. Similarly, at the time of construction in Parshat Pekudei, the ephod is also mentioned before the breastplate. Additionally, there is another difficulty: in all other instances it says and you shall make, but here it says and they shall make the ephod. I am surprised that all the commentators who questioned why it says and they shall make an ark regarding the Ark, here no one says a word. According to what will be explained soon regarding the purpose of the ephod, which came as atonement for idolatry, specifically for the [golden] calf that they made, which caused the breaking of the tablets that Moses carried on his shoulders — therefore the ephod was placed on his [the High Priest’s] two shoulders, and it is written two shoulder pieces shall be joined to it, corresponding to the two tablets which had five commandments opposite five. Therefore, it appropriately says and they shall make in the plural form, for the same reason that it says and they shall make regarding the Ark.

a consecrated linen tunic This verse does not mention the breastplate, or the ephod, or its robe, since they are already mentioned in the passage that ends in the verse “its sound shall be heard when he enters the holy place….” [Exodus 28:35]. However, the men of the Second Temple did learn from this verse that the High Priest may officiate without the ’Urim and the Tummim (moreover, there were prophets then to take their place).

engines, invented by skillful men - Heb. חִשְּׁבֹנוֹת מַחֲשֶׁבֶת חוֹשֵׁב, similar to (Exod. 28:6): “expert work (מַעֲשֵׂה חֹשֵׁב.)” He made war engines with craftsmanship, such as siege mounds and battering rams, as it is written (Prov. 24:6): “For you shall wage war with strategies.”

על שפתו אשר על עבר האפוד ביתה ON THE BORDER THEREOF WHICH IS ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE EPHOD INWARD — Here you have two indications of the position of the rings: one, that he should place them on the two ends of the lower edge, for it was this which was over against the ephod, because its upper edge was not over against the ephod since it was close to the neck and the ephod was placed a little above his loins (consequently the upper edge of the breastplate which was near the priest’s neck was nowhere near the ephod which was girded round him just above the loins. See Rashi on v. 7). It gives another indication by the use of the word ביתה : that, he should not fix them on that side of the breast-plate which faced outside, but on that side which faced inward, because it is said ביתה, inward. It was that side which was turned toward the ephod, for the ends of the lower edge of that side of the breast-plate really lay upon the ephod since the priest tied the belt of the ephod around him and the apron was folded over in front of the priest upon his loins and upon a part of his stomach on both sides as far as against the ends of the breast-plate (i. e. the corners of the lower edge), the ends of which lay upon it.