Komentaryo sa Exodo 30:4: Rashi, Chizkuni, Da'at Zekenim & Sforno

צלעתיו Here this word must signify “corners” (not “sides” as Rashi explains in Exodus 25:12), as it is translated in the Targum, since it is stated afterwards, על שני צדיו, “upon the two sides of it”, so that the phrases mean, “the two corners that are on its two sides”.

לשאת אותו בהמה, the Levites carrying these furnishings would walk one behind another to carry it on either side of it.

על שני צדיו, “on its two sides.” According to Rashi, what is meant here are the two corners of each side of the (golden) altar to which the rings had been fastened. Apparently, there were four rings which had been fastened to the four corners. This appears problematic. Seeing that the dimensions of the golden altar were only one cubit in length and one cubit in width, (60cm by 60cm), how could two men stand behind one another supporting the staves of this altar when carrying it? When explaining the position of the rings and the staves attached to the Holy Ark, it was understood that they were attached to the two long sides of the Ark, which were two and a half cubits long each. The reason they carried it in such a fashion was that the alternative, namely carrying it on the short sides which were one and a half cubits wide, (50% longer than the golden altar’s sides) was not considered long enough to enable two men to walk behind each other while carrying it, The only way we can understand Rashi, would be that only two men carried that altar, one on each side. They must have positioned themselves between the walls of the altar and the wooden staves supported by the rings through which they had been inserted.

והיה (lit., “and it shall be”, not “they shall be”) — i. e. the making of these rings (this ring-work) shall be (shall serve) —

לבתים לבדים FOR PLACES FOR THE STAVES — i.e. the ring shall serve as a place for the stave (cf. Rashi on Exodus 25:27).