[OF THE MIRRORS.] Be-marot (of the mirrors) has a bet rather than a mem prefaced to it.¹, for a mem prefaced to a word means from or of. On the other hand, a bet prefaced to a word means in or with. Hence our verse should have read mi-marot rather than be-marot. It is proper Hebrew to do so.² may be used in place of a mem. We find the same in the verse ve-ha-notar ba-basar u-va-lachem (and that which remaineth of the flesh and of the bread) (Lev. 8:32).³ is used in place of a mem, for we would expect ve-ha-notar me-ha-basar u-me-ha-lachem. It is the same case in Arabic.

footnotes: ¹ The usual way to say “of the mirrors” is mi-marot ² In other words, the bet ³ Here too a bet

[THAT DID SERVICE.] Scripture states this because it is the custom of all women to beautify themselves. They look at their faces in brass or glass mirrors every morning to arrange the head coverings⁴. upon their heads. These head coverings are mentioned in the Book of Isaiah.⁵ (the headtires). The custom of Israel was the same as the Moslem practice unto this very day.⁶ Now there were in Israel women who served God and removed themselves from the pleasures of this world. These women gave their mirrors as a free-will offering because they had no need to beautify themselves. They rather came daily to the door of the tent of meeting to pray and to hear the words of the commandments. Scripture states, that did service (tzave’u)⁷ is in the plural. at the door of the tent of meeting because there were many such women.

footnotes: ⁴ Hebrew, pe’arim ⁵ Is. 3:20 speaks of the pe’arim ⁶ Moslem women in I.E.’s day placed head coverings on their heads. Hence I.E.’s comment. ⁷ Tzave’u

[THE LAVER.] Scripture does not mention the dimensions of the laver as it does in the case of the lavers that Solomon made.⁸ (I Kings 7:38). The laver⁹ was rather made out of all the mirrors that were brought.¹⁰

footnotes: ⁸ Each one of the lavers made by Solomon contained forty baths ⁹ Mentioned in our verse. ¹⁰ It had no preconceived measure. It measured whatever size all the brass mirrors came to.

[THE BASE.] The ken,¹¹ that is, the base,¹² (base), which is the same as the mekhonah (base) mentioned in I Kings 7:38, was in all instances the same size as the laver. was in all instances the same size as the laver¹³ as is normally the case.

footnotes: ¹¹ Referred to in our verse. ¹² Weiser renders: The ken ¹³ “By the same size” I.E. means that a larger laver had a larger base, a smaller laver had a smaller base.

AND FOR THE WEST SIDE. Scripture¹⁴ refers to the west as the hinder part¹⁵. because the tent’s opening was on the east, which is referred to as the face. Scripture¹⁶ refers to the sides which were close to the door¹⁷ as shoulders,¹⁸ (side), which literally means a shoulder. for they¹⁹ are compared to the shoulders of a human being.

footnotes: ¹⁴ In Ex. 26:22; 36:27. ¹⁵ Hebrew, yerakhim ¹⁶ In verses 14 and 15. ¹⁷ Of the tabernacle. ¹⁸ Verses 14 and 15 refer to each of the sides of the tabernacle as a katef ¹⁹ The sides.

Give thanks to God and ascribe power to Him O “Father of a multitude,”²⁰. Now that you have reached the opening of the Torah portion Ellah Pekude.

footnotes: ²⁰ An allusion to Abraham ibn Ezra. See Gen. 17:5, where Abraham is a shortened form for father of a multitude of nations

THESE ARE THE ACCOUNTS OF THE TABERNACLE. Its meaning is: these are the accounts of the vessels of the tabernacle, for the word tabernacle includes everything.²¹ Scripture goes on to explain why the structure was referred to as a mishkan (tabernacle).²² literally means a resting place. It was so called because the tablets of testimony were placed in it.²³. Now Scripture was brief.²⁴ is short for: even the tabernacle of the tablets of testimony. The tablets were truly a testimony, because God’s writing was inscribed upon them.

footnotes: ²¹ It does not refer only to the sanctuary’s structure; it refers to its contents as well. ²² The word mishkan ²³ Hence Scripture reads, even the tabernacle of the testimony ²⁴ Even the tabernacle of the testimony

[THROUGH THE SERVICE OF THE LEVITES.] Its meaning is: through the service of the Levites who carry the tabernacle and all of its vessels which Ithamar appointed to them. For the Gershonites and the Merarites were the Levites under the direction of Ithamar, who listed all the objects they were assigned to carry.²⁵

footnotes: ²⁵ See Num. 4:22-32.

AND BEZALEL. Scripture notes that Bezalel and Oholiab, who were first in rank,²⁶ executed all of their tasks properly.

footnotes: ²⁶ They were the chief workers. “Everything was done through (Bezalel’s) direction, for he acted as instructor to all the wise men, and they did their work in his presence and showed him all that they had done” (Nahmanides).

ALL THE GOLD. Saadiah Gaon asks, “Why does Scripture note what was done with the silver but does not mention what the donated gold was used for?”²⁷ He answers, “Look. Scripture notes that the menorah was made out of a talent of gold.²⁸ This was also the case with the ark cover²⁹ and the gold utilized for the ark and the altar of incense.”³⁰ Now this is incorrect.³¹ Only the menorah was entirely made of gold. This was not the case with the ark. The ark was only overlaid with gold on the inside and on the outside. The same was true of the altar of incense. The table, the staves, the boards, and the bars were all overlaid with gold. The ark cover was made completely of gold.³² According to the tradition passed on to us by our fathers the ark cover was made from a talent of gold because it was very broad and very wide. I believe that Scripture mentions what they did with the silver because the silver was given for atonement.³³ Observe. Scripture notes that the tabernacle, which included all the vessels, stood on the silver which the Israelites were obligated to give.³⁴ This served as a memorial for the children of Israel.³⁵ Who can estimate³⁶ how much gold was needed to overlay all the vessels of the tabernacle?³⁷

footnotes: ²⁷ Scripture, in verses 27 and 28, itemizes what the silver was used for. However, it does not do the same for the gold. ²⁸ Ex. 25:39. ²⁹ According to Ex. 25:17 the ark cover was made of pure gold. However, it does not state how much gold was used to make it. ³⁰ Saadiah Gaon apparently held that since Scripture tells us that the menorah was made from a talent of gold, the same was true of the ark, the table, and the altar of incense. Thus Scripture does in fact tell us what the gold was utilized for. The remaining gold was then used for various other items. See I.E.’s short commentary on this verse. We thus know what four talents of gold was used for. ³¹ That the ark, table, and altar of incense were each made from a talent of gold. ³² As noted in Ex. 25:17. ³³ See Ex. 30:15. ³⁴ The silver which the Israelites were obligated to give to atone for their souls. See Ex. 30:14. ³⁵ See Ex. 30:16. ³⁶ In advance. ³⁷ There is no way to estimate in advance precisely how much gold would be needed to overlay each one of the objects that were to be covered by gold. Hence Scripture did not itemize the amount of gold needed for each object. Nahmanides similarly comments, “Now since one cannot know exactly how much gold went into the covering of each of these vessels, Scripture did not say that Moses gave it over to them by number and weight” (Nahmanides on v. 8, Chavel translation).

AND THE SILVER. Look. We learn from the sum mentioned in this verse that a talent consists of three thousand shekalim. And the silver of them that were numbered of the congregation proves this.³⁸ (v. 26). The aforementioned thus contributed 301,775 shekalim. Our verse gives the amount as 100 talents and 1,775 shekalim. Thus 100 talents = 300,000 shekalim, which is another way of saying that one talent = 3,000 shekalim.

footnotes: ³⁸ Those numbered came to 603,350 (v. 26). Each one of those numbered gave half a shekel

A BEKA. Half a shekel. Its meaning is: when the shekel will be broken, behold its half.³⁹ is related to the verb baka. Baka means to break. When the shekel is broken, i.e., divided, we have half a shekel.

footnotes: ³⁹ Beka

FOR EVERY ONE THAT PASSED. All those that passed twenty complete years. I have already explained the reason for this.⁴⁰

footnotes: ⁴⁰ See I.E. on Ex. 30:13.

FOR CASTING. La-tzeket (for casting) comes from a root whose first letter is a yod.⁴¹. It is similar to the word la-redet⁴². (to descend).⁴³ is similar to the form la-redet. La-tzeket is not the usual form of kal infinitives. Hence I.E.’s comment.

footnotes: ⁴¹ Its root is yod, tzadi, kof ⁴² Its root is yod, resh, dalet ⁴³ I.E.’s point is that the form la-tzeket

AND OF THE THOUSAND SEVEN HUNDRED SEVENTY AND FIVE SHEKELS. Which did not serve to complete a talent.⁴⁴

footnotes: ⁴⁴ Which were in excess of a talent. See note 40.

AND THE BRASS. Scripture also⁴⁵ mentions the brass vessels.⁴⁶

footnotes: ⁴⁵ In other words, not only does Scripture mention what the silver was used for, it does the same with the brass. ⁴⁶ Scripture lists the vessels which were made from the brass which the Israelites donated to the tabernacle.