נֹצֵ֣ר תְּ֭אֵנָה יֹאכַ֣ל פִּרְיָ֑הּ וְשֹׁמֵ֖ר אֲדֹנָ֣יו יְכֻבָּֽד׃
דער װאָס היט דעם פֿײַגנבױם, װעט עסן זײַן פֿרוכט, און דער װאָס פּאַסט אױף זײַן האַר, װעט האָבן כּבֿוד.
Rabbeinu Bahya
A Midrashic approach: the words: “It was on the day Moses completed the erecting of the Tabernacle” are reminiscent of Proverbs 27,18: “He who tends the fig tree will eat its fruit; he who waits on his master will be honoured.” G’d does not withhold the appropriate reward for any creature. If man has toiled and devoted his best efforts to something worthy he will be rewarded. The Midrash illustrates this with the example of David, his son Solomon, and the Temple. It is well known that the scheme to build the Temple originated with David. Not only did he amass most of the funds and materials for the project but he had drawn up detailed blue prints. This is why we find that psalm 30,1 credits the Temple to David rather than to his son Solomon who had spent seven years building it. At the inauguration the hymn commences with the words מזמור שיר חנוכת הבית לדוד, “a psalm for David. A song for the dedication of the House.” You will observe a similar phenomenon with the Tabernacle. Seeing that Moses had devoted so much effort to see the Tabernacle built, had assembled it, erected it, etc., we find here that though Betzalel was the chief architect and executive carrying out the construction, that the Torah speaks about the day “Moses completed the Tabernacle.” This is the way the Torah expresses its recognition of the contribution by people whose efforts is likened to those who plant a fig tree.
Another Midrashic insight: the words: “it was on the day Moses completed the Tabernacle,” are reminiscent of another part of Psalms 51,2--21 “May it please You to make Zion prosper; rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. Then You will want sacrifices offered in righteousness, burnt and whole offerings; the bulls will be offered on Your altar.” Seeing that in this world, at the inauguration of the Tabernacle the sacrifices were quantitatively minuscule, as described in verse 12, G’d could have reacted to such measly offerings with some degree of indignation. The Jewish people, forestalling such a complaint explained that seeing they were not in Jerusalem, did not yet have a home of their own, were traveling through the desert, they only presented a token of their esteem for their king G’d. They hinted in this psalm that as soon as their king would lead them to their permanent home they would reciprocate by presenting the King with sacrifices more in keeping with his stature. In fact when you will study the report of the inauguration of Solomon’s Temple and compare it with the inauguration of the Tabernacle you will be amazed at the quantitative difference. The courtyard of the Temple had to be enlarged (the sanctified area) in order to accommodate all the animals being slaughtered on that occasion. Kings I 8,63 tells of 22,000 oxen, 120,0000 sheep. being sacrificed at that time. Even during the days of Ezra, at the inauguration of the second Temple, when the economic and numerical condition of the Jewish people was a far cry from the glorious days of Solomon, we read that 100 bulls, 200 rams, 400 lambs, and 12 goats were offered on that occasion (Ezra 6,17).
Another interpretation: The choice of the word כלות in the verse ויהי ביום כלות משה להקים את המשכן causes Rabbi Yochanan to understand the meaning of the word in the same sense as in Genesis 18,21 where it referred to total extinction of the people of Sodom. As long as the Tabernacle had not been erected the various destructive forces commonly known as demons had free reign on earth. When Moses had ascended Mount Sinai he recited Psalms 91,1 יושב בסתר עליון בצל שדי יתלונן, extolling “the Jewish people who had been allowed to reside in the shelter of the Most High and abide in the protection of Shaddai.” Tanchuma Nasso 23 understands these words slightly differently i.e. the word צל, shadow, has a numerical value of 120. This is the combined number of days (3 times 40) which Moses spent in that “hideout” near G’d on the mountain. In verse two of that hymn Moses says to G’d: “my refuge and stronghold, my G’d in whom I trust.” G’d responded: “seeing you placed your trust in Me, I will indeed stand by you.” This is why the following verses dealing with miraculous rescues refer particularly to David whom G’d rescued from certain death at the hands of King Shaul (compare Samuel I 23,26). On the words ותחת כנפיו תחסה צנה וסוחרה אמתו, “and under His wings you will find refuge; His fidelity is an encircling shield (verse 4),” Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish comments in that same Midrash that G’d promises to act in the fashion described for all who are true students of Torah. The next verse in the psalm, speaking of there being no need to fear the terror by night or the arrow that flies by day, is a reference to destructive forces on earth known by Moses in the psalm, i.e. the ones who fly around by day. The term קטב מרירי mentioned in verse six is a destructive agent whose sighting the victim is not likely to survive at all. It kills man and beast alike without direct contact. To help identify this creature, our author describes its head as similar to the head of a calf, it sprouts one horn on the middle of its forehead; the time of year when it is rampant is between the 17th of Tammuz and the ninth of Av, i.e. the period when the city of Jerusalem and at the end the Temple were captured and destroyed.
When the psalmist (Moses) continues in verse 10 with: “no harm will befall you, no disease will touch your tent,” this is a reference to the Tent of Meeting, the Tabernacle. As long as the Tabernacle had not become functional these various destructive forces were commonplace; from the day described in our verse they ceased to exist.
Another Midrashic insight: the words: “it was on the day Moses completed the Tabernacle,” are reminiscent of another part of Psalms 51,2--21 “May it please You to make Zion prosper; rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. Then You will want sacrifices offered in righteousness, burnt and whole offerings; the bulls will be offered on Your altar.” Seeing that in this world, at the inauguration of the Tabernacle the sacrifices were quantitatively minuscule, as described in verse 12, G’d could have reacted to such measly offerings with some degree of indignation. The Jewish people, forestalling such a complaint explained that seeing they were not in Jerusalem, did not yet have a home of their own, were traveling through the desert, they only presented a token of their esteem for their king G’d. They hinted in this psalm that as soon as their king would lead them to their permanent home they would reciprocate by presenting the King with sacrifices more in keeping with his stature. In fact when you will study the report of the inauguration of Solomon’s Temple and compare it with the inauguration of the Tabernacle you will be amazed at the quantitative difference. The courtyard of the Temple had to be enlarged (the sanctified area) in order to accommodate all the animals being slaughtered on that occasion. Kings I 8,63 tells of 22,000 oxen, 120,0000 sheep. being sacrificed at that time. Even during the days of Ezra, at the inauguration of the second Temple, when the economic and numerical condition of the Jewish people was a far cry from the glorious days of Solomon, we read that 100 bulls, 200 rams, 400 lambs, and 12 goats were offered on that occasion (Ezra 6,17).
Another interpretation: The choice of the word כלות in the verse ויהי ביום כלות משה להקים את המשכן causes Rabbi Yochanan to understand the meaning of the word in the same sense as in Genesis 18,21 where it referred to total extinction of the people of Sodom. As long as the Tabernacle had not been erected the various destructive forces commonly known as demons had free reign on earth. When Moses had ascended Mount Sinai he recited Psalms 91,1 יושב בסתר עליון בצל שדי יתלונן, extolling “the Jewish people who had been allowed to reside in the shelter of the Most High and abide in the protection of Shaddai.” Tanchuma Nasso 23 understands these words slightly differently i.e. the word צל, shadow, has a numerical value of 120. This is the combined number of days (3 times 40) which Moses spent in that “hideout” near G’d on the mountain. In verse two of that hymn Moses says to G’d: “my refuge and stronghold, my G’d in whom I trust.” G’d responded: “seeing you placed your trust in Me, I will indeed stand by you.” This is why the following verses dealing with miraculous rescues refer particularly to David whom G’d rescued from certain death at the hands of King Shaul (compare Samuel I 23,26). On the words ותחת כנפיו תחסה צנה וסוחרה אמתו, “and under His wings you will find refuge; His fidelity is an encircling shield (verse 4),” Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish comments in that same Midrash that G’d promises to act in the fashion described for all who are true students of Torah. The next verse in the psalm, speaking of there being no need to fear the terror by night or the arrow that flies by day, is a reference to destructive forces on earth known by Moses in the psalm, i.e. the ones who fly around by day. The term קטב מרירי mentioned in verse six is a destructive agent whose sighting the victim is not likely to survive at all. It kills man and beast alike without direct contact. To help identify this creature, our author describes its head as similar to the head of a calf, it sprouts one horn on the middle of its forehead; the time of year when it is rampant is between the 17th of Tammuz and the ninth of Av, i.e. the period when the city of Jerusalem and at the end the Temple were captured and destroyed.
When the psalmist (Moses) continues in verse 10 with: “no harm will befall you, no disease will touch your tent,” this is a reference to the Tent of Meeting, the Tabernacle. As long as the Tabernacle had not become functional these various destructive forces were commonplace; from the day described in our verse they ceased to exist.
Rav Hirsch
יסובבנהו: er umgab es mit Schutz, den ihm die Natur- und Menschenmacht versagte, יבוננהו: gab seinem wachgewordenen Innern Verständnis und Einsicht seiner Lehre, יצרנהו כאישון עינו: überwacht es, wie der Mensch seinen Augapfel wahrt. נצר bedeutet weniger ein Schützen vor Verletzung von außen, als ein Zurückhalten von jeglichem Selbstverderbnis und in Verlust geraten. So נוצר האדם (Job. 7, 20) נוצר נפשך הוא ידע (Prov. 24, 12), vom Überwachen des Menschen hinsichtlich seines sittlichen Verhaltens. נוצר תאנה (Prov. 27, 18), נוצר פיו שומר נפשו (daselbst 13, 3), wer seinen Mund bewacht, schützt sich vor Übel. שומר נפשו נוצר דרכו (daselbst 16, 17), נצר לשונך מרע )Daher auch dem Erkennen anderer Vorenthalten .(Ps. 34, 14): בל תורוצנ (Prov. 7, 10). ונצורות ולא ידעתם (Jes. 48, 7). Von ברית ,עדות ,מצות: seinem Bewusstsein die göttlichen Gebote immer gegenwärtig halten, sie sich nicht entgehen lassen. Es ist lautverwandt mit נזר zurückhalten von etwas. In נשר, Wurzel von משור: die Säge, und נסרים chald. Bretter tritt der Begriff des Trennens hervor. Vielleicht auch נשר der Adler als der auf hohem einsamem Horste sich Zurückziehende. Hier erscheint es wohl wie נוצר האדם und נוצר תאנה in dem Sinne einer wartenden und überwachenden Pflege der geistigen und sittlichen Entwicklung. Vergl. אני ד׳ נוצרה לרגעים אשקנה פן יפקד עליה לילה ויום אצרנה (Jes. 27, 3), wo das Bild einer solchen wartenden Pflege ausgeführt ist. Der Vergleich כאישון עינו bezieht sich dann weniger auf die Art der Wartung, als auf den Wert des Gegenstandes, wie dem Menschen die Erhaltung der Gesundheit seines Augapfels am Herzen liegt. אישון siehe Bereschit 2, 21.
Kli Yakar
And afterward, it says, “And you shall overlay it with pure gold, inside and outside you shall overlay it.” In making the acacia wood, it says they shall make, but regarding the gold overlay, it says you shall overlay. This is because everyone can support those who study Torah, which is alluded to by the wood, but not everyone can comprehend both the revealed and hidden aspects of Torah, which is alluded to by saying inside and outside you shall overlay it. Similarly, not everyone’s inside matches their outside, as will be explained. It’s reasonable to say that the Ark itself was made of wood because every tree produces fruit, which hints at the good reward for those who engage in Torah study, as it says He who guards the fig tree shall eat its fruit (Proverbs 27:18). This is something everyone desires, and therefore it says, They shall make an ark of acacia wood. But the gold overlay inside and outside, which alludes to the essence of the deed, is not something in which all people are equal. It is unique to Moses and exceptional individuals of his caliber, therefore it says, you shall overlay.
The overlay is mentioned twice to distinguish between the inside and the outside, because first it says, you shall overlay it with pure gold inside, and afterward it says, and outside you shall overlay it, without mentioning “pure gold” for the outside. Although undoubtedly it was all made of pure gold, nevertheless, it doesn’t mention “pure gold” in relation to the outside because every craftsman’s way is to beautify a vessel more on the outside than on the inside, for the sake of those who see it. Therefore, it was only necessary to mention pure gold for the inside, but for the outside, there is no need to caution that the overlay should also be of gold, as this is all the more obvious based on the interior.
This was given to teach that those who make them should be like them themselves, for all Torah students need extra caution regarding the purity of their inner heart, which is seen only by God alone. But regarding their exterior, they don’t need as much caution, because everyone naturally tends to beautify themselves in order to find favor in the eyes of others.
The overlay is mentioned twice to distinguish between the inside and the outside, because first it says, you shall overlay it with pure gold inside, and afterward it says, and outside you shall overlay it, without mentioning “pure gold” for the outside. Although undoubtedly it was all made of pure gold, nevertheless, it doesn’t mention “pure gold” in relation to the outside because every craftsman’s way is to beautify a vessel more on the outside than on the inside, for the sake of those who see it. Therefore, it was only necessary to mention pure gold for the inside, but for the outside, there is no need to caution that the overlay should also be of gold, as this is all the more obvious based on the interior.
This was given to teach that those who make them should be like them themselves, for all Torah students need extra caution regarding the purity of their inner heart, which is seen only by God alone. But regarding their exterior, they don’t need as much caution, because everyone naturally tends to beautify themselves in order to find favor in the eyes of others.
Rashi
יפקד ה׳ LET THE LORD … SET [A MAN OVER THE CONGREGATION] — When Moses heard that the Omnipresent said to him, “Give the inheritance of Zelophehad to his daughters”, he said to himself, “The time has come that I should ask something that I want — that my sons should inherit my high position”. God replied to him, “Not thus has entered My mind; Joshua deserves to receive the reward of his ministrations, because “he has never departed from out the tent” (Exodus XXXIII 11). — This is what Solomon said, (Proverbs 27:18) ‘‘Whoso keepeth the fig-tree shall eat the fruit thereof, [and he that waiteth on his master shall be honoured]” (Midrash Tanchuma, Pinchas 11).
Rashi
He builds...as a moth As a moth, who builds his hole which does not endure, and like a booth that the watchman of the fig tree and the vineyard makes, which is not permanent. (Another explanation: that the watchman of the vineyard, who does not watch it at all times, made. I heard this. Absent in certain editions.)