מדי העבודה, “than what is required for the work;” the prefix letter מ in this word is superfluous, just as in Psalms 119,99: מכל מלמדי השכלתי, “I have become wiser through all those who have taught me something.”.

ויעבירו קול במחנה, “they sounded a proclamation throughout the camp;” this could have been expressed with one word, i.e.: ויכריזו. This is why our sages derived from this that it is forbidden on the Sabbath to carry something from one domain to another. They used the apparently superfluous word ויעבירו, and compared it to the same word in Leviticus 25,9: והעברת שופר תרועה, “you shall make a proclamation by means of a shofar, followed by the word תעבירו in the same sentence.” [in the Jubilee year. Ed.] Just as carrying is prohibited on the Day of Atonement, (a day also known as שבת שבתון) so it is prohibited on any other day called Sabbath

אל יעשו עוד מלאכה, “let them not perform any more work, etc.;” we know the meaning of the word מלאכה here, because the Torah continues with: ויכלא העם מהביא, “the people were stopped from bringing more.” In other words: carrying (הבאה) from one domain to another is an activity (מלאכה) that is prohibited on the Sabbath.

את המשכן, עשר יריעות, the inner curtains serving as the ceiling of the Tabernacle, ten each; they were the first parts of the Tabernacle to be constructed. This was followed by the structure itself, over which these curtains were spread, the structure being the most important part, they being the most beloved part. Following this, all the furnishings of the Tabernacle, inside and outside were constructed. This was followed by making the hanging curtains of the courtyard around it.

כרובים מעשה חושב, “cherublike figures skillfully woven into the fabric by human hands”. When the Torah describes the ten curtain like carpets forming the lowest of the four layers of the Tabernacle’s “roof,” figures which were visible to people allowed into the Sanctuary, the Torah added the words: מעשה חושב, “made by man.” The other eleven carpets above the first ten, which were not seen by anyone, did not have any such pictures woven into them, as who would be there to appreciate them?

והיו תואמים ויחדו יהיו תמים, ”they would match twin like, exactly at the bottom, and join together into a ring at the top (so that they will be eight);” the verse is to be understood as follows: the word יהיו next to the word יחדו is to be understood as in the present tense as in Exodus 18,26: יביאון אל משה “they would bring to Moses,“ or as at the end of that verse: ישפוטו הם, “they would judge.” The author cites more such examples of words sounding as if in the future tense really describing the present tense.

ויעש לה ארבעה עמודי שטים, “he made for it (the dividing curtain) four pillars of acacia wood.” We have explained already on Parshat Trumah 26,32, why the pillars for the dividing curtain and the pillars at the entrance to the Tabernacle were required, and their respective numbers.

וצפה ראשיהם וחשוקיהם זהב, “and he overlaid their tops and their fillets with gold.” According to Rashi’s commentary on Parshat Pekudey (38,22), Betzalel divined some matters which even his teacher Moses had not instructed him in.