קחו מוסרי ואל כסף ודעת מחרוץ נבחר, “accept my discipline instead of silver; accept knowledge instead of gold.” (Proverbs 8,10).

In this verse Solomon warns man that he should harness his powers of alertness and energy for the pursuit of the ethical values of Torah rather than for the amassing of silver and gold. The reason is that the values Torah has to offer are useful both in this world and in the hereafter whereas silver and gold are useful only in this life. Not only that, a surfeit of silver and gold is potentially quite destructive and brings with it many causes for worry. This is what the sages said in Avot 2,7: “he who amasses silver (money) increases his worries.” The only thing which cannot be amassed to excess without negative results is Torah. The meaning of the words: “and knowledge is preferable to gold” is “accept the knowledge dispensed by Torah for it is superior to gold.” The reason Solomon employed the word קחו for the acquisition of ethical imperatives is that just as material benefits are acquired by the owner “taking” them, i.e. they are not usually the result of a windfall, so a similar effort is required to obtain proficiency in Torah knowledge and for the student to embrace its ethical message. Anyone displaying laziness in his attitude to the acquisition of Torah is liable to punishment even if he does observe the relevant commandment. If he were to pay lip-service to the importance of Torah-study and implementing its teachings but he relates to it with a lukewarm heart, he is guilty of a sin too great to carry. On the one hand, he does perform (go through the motions) the commandment, but on the other hand, he is subject to punishment for the disdain he displayed in the manner in which he fulfills the commandment. The same applies to people who say their prayers regularly, but as a form of routine, possibly even thinking of their business affairs while uttering the holy words of the prayers as composed by our sages. Anyone who acts in this manner is almost guilty of violating the commandment (20,23) “You shall not make (gods) of what is with Me, either out of silver or even out of gold.” We have already explained that the principal meaning of this line is that “while you are standing in My presence, addressing Me, you shall not think of either silver or gold, i.e. your private affairs.” Any petitioner, or even person who simply offers up praises to the Lord, estranges himself from G’d by doing so. It is something one would not dare do during an audience with a mortal king, a king of flesh and blood; how much more offensive is it when done vis-a-vis the King of Kings. When a person wears his phylacteries and is too lazy to take them off before going to sleep, he is guilty of a similar severe offense against G’d. Similarly, one must not pass gas while wearing the phylacteries. Anything the sages legislated with regard to proper respect for the phylacteries applies to the performance of the other commandments also. You have now learned that even while performing a commandment one may become guilty of a sin by the very manner in which one performs the commandment because of the lazy manner in which one performs it. The matter is comparable to vinegar drunk by people at the physicians’ urging. This drink may be beneficial to one’s health or it may even be detrimental. It all depends. While it may cure one’s stomach, it may harm one’s teeth. Similarly, the heat of a fire may be gut-warming and may dissipate the effects of winter. At the same time, the accompanying smoke and its inhalation may cause harm to one’s lungs. What follows from all this is how important it is to ensure that one’s mitzvah-performance does not result in unwelcome side-effects. This is the reason Solomon always condemns laziness, considering it a very negative character trait. (compare Proverbs 10,26: “as vinegar is to the teeth, and smoke to the eyes, so is the lazy man to those who send him on a mission.”) Another verse in which Solomon expresses his disdain for the lazy is Proverbs 13,4: “the soul of the lazy man desires but has nothing;” What Solomon means is that if someone desires something and comes to the conclusion that he does not lack anything worth desiring, this is proof that he is lazy. Had he made a serious effort to find things which need improving he would have found such matters. [An example would be someone looking to do charity but not finding a person in need of charity. Ed.] Our sages (Megillah 6) phrase it thus: if a person says to you: ‘I have tried but could not find, do not believe him’; if he said: ‘I did not try but I did find, do not believe him either.’ If, however, he says: “I have tried to find and succeeded in finding, do believe him!” This is why Solomon was so insistent that laziness is a very bad character trait. Another occasion in the Book of Proverbs where Solomon makes the point of exhorting us in the name of the Torah to be diligent is in Proverbs 6,6: “go to the ant, you lazybones; study its ways and wise up!” The ant is to serve as an inspiration to man. Although it is one of the most inferior of all the crawling insects it uses the summer in order to stock up for a winter without being forced to do so by a ruler.

When a person is diligent in perfecting his character traits he will experience that he enjoys constant personality growth. He will find that every day he is walking in a forward direction, never regressing (Jeremiah 7,24). Concerning the people mentioned by Jeremiah, Solomon said (Proverbs 15,19): “the way of the lazy man is like a hedge of thorns, but the way of the upright is paved.” A lazy man has prevented himself from making progress by his very laziness. Instead of progressing morally and ethically he regresses using his lethargic manner to prevent him from accomplishing anything. If we were to compare such a man to a wheat field with all its potential to produce a useful crop, he would instead produce only nettles. Solomon employs this parable when saying in Proverbs 24,30-31: “I have passed by the field of the lazy man, and passed the vineyard of the man devoid of understanding. Here it was, all overgrown with thorns; its surface was covered with nettles, its stone fence was broken down. Solomon compared a person who is too lazy to perfect his personality to a farmer who is too lazy to tend the various forms of labour required to produce a crop. Seeing that most people do have the energy to bestir themselves in the pursuit of silver or gold, Solomon demands that they apply themselves with equal vigour to the study of Torah and the ethical imperatives contained in the Torah. Torah is also called מוסר “ethical teaching,” as we know from Proverbs 6,23 ודרך חיים תוכחת מוסר, “instructive rebukes are a way of life.” By applying these teachings to oneself man acquires eternal life in the hereafter where he will feast on the glory of the Shechinah. Our sages in Proverbs 2,21 interpreted the words: “for the upright dwell on earth, and the blameless will remain on it,” to mean that the word ישכנו in that verse is a reference to these people enjoying the glory of the Shechinah when their time comes to move to the celestial regions. The Shechinah is always close to the Torah. When G’d gave the Ten Commandments at Mount Sinai the Torah wrote (Exodus 24,16) וישכון כבוד ה’ על הר סיני, “the Shechinah of G’d rested on Mount Sinai as the attribute of כבוד, ‘honour, glory.’” “It”, i.e. the Torah, is the cause that the Shechinah rested on Mount Sinai when G’d revealed Himself there, and the word וישכון refers to a hidden presence of the Shechinah, whereas the word כבוד refers to the revealed nature of that appearance of the Shechinah during the giving of the Torah. This was confirmed when the Torah described this manifestation in Exodus 24,17 as ומראה כבוד ה’ כאש אוכלת בראש ההר לעיני בני ישראל. “Now the Presence of the Lord appeared in the sight of the Israelites as a consuming fire on the top of the mountain.” Later on, when the Tabernacle was constructed, this Shechinah was hidden inside the Holy of Holies and in order to proceed with the construction of the Tabernacle housing the Shechinah the people were bidden to bring their respective contributions.

ויקחו לי תרומה מאת כל איש אשר ידבנו לבו תקחו את תרומתי, “and from every person whose heart so moves him you shall accept the gifts for Me.” The plain meaning of the text is that these gifts were dedicated to G’d’s name. The word תרומה means something set aside. In other words, the Israelites were to set aside a voluntary contribution for the building of the Tabernacle each out of his or her own funds. The whole concept of the Tabernacle has to be understood as an internalized version of what transpired during the revelation at Mount Sinai (based on Nachmanides). The very attribute כבוד which rested on Mount Sinai for all to see afterwards was manifest inside the Holy of Holies on the ark between the cherubs on an ongoing basis. The principal difference was that it could no longer be seen. Moses had said in Deut. 5,21 “here the Lord has shown us His majestic Presence כבוד וגדלו,“ and this has been repeated in connection with the Tabernacle twice more. Once in Exodus 40,34: “and the Presence of the Lord filled the Tabernacle.” In the verse immediately following, the Torah also writes that Moses was unable to enter the Tabernacle as the cloud had settled over it and “the Presence of the Lord filled the Tabernacle.” Just as the Torah wrote in connection with the Mount Sinai experience (Deut. 4,36) “From the heavens He let you hear His voice to discipline you; on the earth He let you see His great fire; and from amidst the fire you heard His words,” so a parallel experience is described in connection with the Tabernacle in Numbers 7,89: “he (Moses) would hear the voice addressing him from above the cover that was on top of the Ark of the covenant between the two cherubs; thus He spoke to him.” If, at Mount Sinai, the “nobles” were described as: “they saw the G’d of Israel,” we find something similar in connection with the Tabernacle in that the G’d of Israel “sat” on the cherubs (Samuel II 6,20). This is also what the prophet Ezekiel reported as seeing in his vision (Ezekiel 10,19-20) וכבוד אלו-הי ישראל עליהם מלמעלה, היא החיה אשר ראיתי תחת אלו-הי ישראל בנהר כבר ואדע כי כרובים המה, “and the glory of the G’d of Israel was above them; this was the Chayah which I saw beneath the G’d of Israel at the river Kevar.”

תקחו את תרומתי, “take (accept) the contribution for Me.” After the Torah had first mentioned whose heart would be moved by generosity of spirit the Torah informs us that such a spirit results in the gift being described by G’d as “My gift,” as if it were G’d’s own contribution. G’d feels close to people who are of generous heart whereas He hates people who are stingy by nature. Furthermore, the word תרומתי, is meant to teach that once the donation has been made (promised), it belongs to G’d, and if the donor does not pay it he is liable to punishment as he has stolen from G’d. Once the gift has left the domain of the donor, he is no longer responsible for what happens to it.

It is possible to explain the fact that the word תרומה occurs here three times in two verses as meaning that the Torah speaks of three different contributions by means of which the world is elevated. They are: חכמה, תבונה, ודעת, “wisdom-insight-know-ledge.” This is based on Proverbs 3,19-20: “G’d founded the earth with wisdom; He established the heavens with understanding. By His knowledge the depths were broken up.” The reason why these facts were alluded to here was that the construction of the Tabernacle was comparable to the construction of the universe (Bamidbar Rabbah 12,13). The first of these gifts was the one mentioned here which was used for the construction of the Tabernacle. The second תרומה consisted of the half-shekel which every male over the age of 20 had to contribute after the sin of the golden calf for the construction of the sockets of the beams making up the walls of the Tabernacle (Exodus 30,13). The third was the contribution known as תרומת המזבח, the half shekel contributed by all the males for financing the cost of the daily public offerings to be brought on behalf of the entire people. This is the תרומה mentioned in Numbers 1,2 where Moses was commanded to count the males above the age of twenty. The counting took place by means of each Israelite contributing a coin of a half-shekel. Of these three תרומות, contributions, two were considered sacred (the money), whereas the third, the one mentioned in 30,13 was not of sacred character as the occasion was the need to atone for the donor’s part in the sin of the golden calf. This is spelled out in detail by the words ונתנו איש כופר נפשו, “they shall each contribute (the half shekel) as an atonement for his soul” (30,12). When the Israelites entered the Holy Land they were once more commanded three times to contribute a תרומה. Two of these contributions were sacred in character, whereas the third was profane. The third, i.e. חלה, was profane seeing that it is applicable not only in the Holy Land but also in the Diaspora. The reason that the commandment of חלה, a תרומה for the priest, is the exception in that it also has to be set aside in the Diaspora is to ensure that the knowledge of this commandment will not be forgotten during the long years of exile the Jewish people experienced. In order to make it clear to us that the Tabernacle’s construction equaled that of the creation of the universe the Torah mentioned all the three תרומות which contributed to the founding of earth (as per the verse in Proverbs) at the beginning of the portion before we hear the details of the materials and quantities and measurements required. This is why the Torah writes about Betzalel the master-craftsman in charge of the construction of the Tabernacle: “I have filled him with a Godly spirit, with wisdom, insight, and knowledge, and with every craft” (Exodus 31,3). According to Berachot 55 Betzalel was able to combine the letters of the alphabet or of the Torah in the manner in which they had been used to create the universe. The wording of our verse is what I have just quoted, and the wording in Proverbs is: “G’d founded earth with wisdom, etc.” Our sages wanted to hint when writing all this that there was a parallelism of the wisdom required in creating the universe and in the wisdom required to carry out the instructions pertaining to constructing the Tabernacle and its contents.

You will find in Pirke d'Rabbi Eliezer chapter 3 that Solomon employed all of these three elements (wisdom, insight, and knowledge) to build his Temple. You find in Mechilta 7,14 that Chirom (compare Kings I 4,13-14) “was the son of a widowed woman from the tribe of Naftali whose father had been a coppersmith in the city of Tyre. He was endowed with חכמה, תבונה, ודעת,” exactly the same talents as mentioned in connection with Betzalel and mentioned by Solomon in Proverbs. In the future, when the third Temple will be built, the same three attributes will also be employed in its construction. The precise wording is (Proverbs 24,3-4) ”a house is built by wisdom; it is established through understanding; its rooms are filled with knowledge.” G’d will endow the Israelites with all three as a gift as we know from Proverbs 2,6: ”for the Lord will grant wisdom, etc.” You will note that Solomon did not speak about wisdom having been granted but about wisdom which will be granted in the future. All of these three attributes will be granted to King Messiah as we know from Isaiah 11,2: ”a spirit of wisdom and insight, a spirit of counsel and valor; a spirit of knowledge and reverence for the Lord.”

A Midrashic approach: “What do the words ויקחו לי תרומה, “and they will take a gift for Me mean?” After I, G’d, already have given them My gift, i.e. the Torah, in which is written כי לקח טוב נתתי לכם תורתי, “for I have given you good instructions, My Torah, etc., I ask you to bring Me a gift” (compare Proverbs 4,2). How are we to understand the words כי לקח טוב נתתי לכם? Tanchuma Terumah 2-3 describes the following parable. There were two merchants. One had pepper the other had silk. They exchanged their respective merchandise, the former one taking the silk, the latter took the pepper. As a result of these transactions, each of the merchants now lacked what he had previously possessed. Not so with Torah. If someone studies tractate Moed this will become his property. If another studies tractate Zeraim this will become his property. He who has mastered tractate Moed can now teach the one who had not learned it as yet without giving up what he already possesses. This is the meaning of “for I have given you good instruction.” You will retain it. It happened once that a certain person found himself on a boat together with many merchants each of whom carried his wares with him. Seeing that the scholar did not have a bundle they asked him: “where is your merchandise?” He answered them: “my merchandise is superior to yours.” The other merchants searched the whole boat without being able to locate that scholar’s merchandise. They began to ridicule this merchant (scholar) who did not have a bundle. In the meantime the boat was attacked by pirates who stole all the other merchants’ wares. When the boat docked and everyone went ashore, the other merchants found themselves in a strange country without money or food, etc. The scholar, however, went to the nearest Torah Academy where the local Jewish population received him with great honour. When the merchants became aware of this they went to the scholar asking his forgiveness for their rude behaviour towards him. They then asked him to do them a favour and to intercede on their behalf with the local population so that they would receive food and lodging. They appealed to him to tell the local people that they had been robbed and were not penniless beggars. Thereupon the scholar turned to them saying: “did I not tell you that my merchandise was superior to yours? Yours has ben lost whereas my merchandise endures. Not only this. Anyone who deals in tangible merchandise can do so only at certain hours on certain days. Customers do not always come to buy. My merchandise is available at any time and I can deliver it both by day and by night. Torah is a standby not only in this life but also in the hereafter.” All this is included in the verse כי לקח טוב נתתי לכם תורתי.

A Kabbalistic approach: the words ויקחו לי תרומה may be understood as an invitation for the כנסת ישראל, the spiritual concept of the Jewish nation to gather around G’d. They are to be considered as a gift to G’d, collectively. It is the כנסת ישראל which is referred to by the word זאת in verse 3. This is why the Torah wrote here: וזאת התרומה אשר תקחו מאתם, “and this is the gift you are to take from them.” The word וזאת is also featured in Genesis 49,28 where I have explained this in detail. We have a verse in Psalms 118,23 מאת ה’ היתה זאת, “the זאת is from Hashem,” which makes a similar point. The reason for the wording ויקחו לי “let them take for Me,” is that it is an invitation to bring together the celestial forces with those on earth and vice-versa. Seeing that in all such matters the driving force is the heart and the mind, the Torah states that in order to attain such an objective it is necessary מאת כל איש אשר ידבנו לבו, “for every such person to be motivated by his heart.”

This is all alluded to in the Tanchuma 24 on Emor where the point is made that the Torah did not merely write ויקחו תרומה but ויקחו לי תרומה. According to that Midrash the word לי may be understood as אותי, as if the Torah meant: “you will take Me.” G’d meant, so to speak, “take Me to take up residence amongst you.” Another penetrating comment found in Shemot Rabbah 49,2 is that the words mean that it is the כנסת ישראל which is the תרומה, the gift. The Midrash bases this on the verse קדש ישראל לה’ ראשית תבואתו, “Israel is holy to the Lord, the first of His harvest” (Jeremiah 2,3).

In the Sefer Habahir item 103 you will find the following explanation of our verse: “they shall take for the Holy One a gift which is equivalent to י i.e. the tenth. How do I know that the tenth is holy? Because we read in Leviticus 27,32 “the tenth shall be holy for the Lord.” What precisely is the meaning of קדש,”holy?” Ezekiel 44,30 explains וראשית כל בכורי כל וכל תרומת כל, “All the choice first fruits of every kind and all terumah of any kind-of all your terumah gifts;” the word ראשית is equivalent to חכמה, compare Psalms 111,10 ראשית חכמה. Thus far the Sefer Habahir. [I believe the intention of the author as well as the author of Sefer Habahir is to read the word לי as ”ל”י “as a tenth.” Ed.]

When the Torah writes a little while later on (verse 9) ככל אשר אני מראה אותך, the meaning is that G’d showed Moses all this already while he was on the mountain (27,8). The word אני refers to he attribute of Justice in this instance. This is not the only time the attribute of Justice appears in connection with the Tabernacle or Temple. We find the same, also in connection with construction of a Temple, in (Chronicles I 28,19) where David says that הכל בכתב מיד ה’ עלי השכיל כל מלאכת התבנית. “All this the Lord made me understand by His hand on me, I give you in writing- the blueprint of all the works” (David speaking to his son Solomon). The words יד ה’ in that verse also refer to the attribute of Justice.

You should realize that beginning with the words ויקחו לי up until the end of that verse the Torah speaks about a תרומה עליונה, a gift to heaven, whereas the words in the following verse dealing with gold, silver and copper, etc., refer to a תרומת המשכן the contributions to be made for constructing the Tabernacle. The meaning of all this is that when the Israelites would bring such contributions as gold, silver, copper etc., they would be considered as having made simultaneous contributions to the celestial regions. This concept enables us to understand the words ועשו לי מקדש. The contributions for the Tabernacle are considered as making a Temple for G’d, as a result of which ושכנתי בתוכם, “I will dwell within them,” i.e. this is the result of the תרומה עליונה, the spiritual aspect of the gift, the motivation of generosity. The mystical dimension of the words יביאה את תרומת ה’, “he will bring G’d’s gift,” is that this gift will come with the terrestrial gift. The Shechinah moving to earth and taking up residence inside the Tabernacle will be the result of the תרומה עליונה. The gift of gold, silver, etc., only provides the location for the Shechinah if we merit its presence amongst us. To sum up: donating materials without the gift representing the right spirit will result in an empty Tabernacle, one in which the presence of G’d is not manifest.

זהב וכסף ונחשת, “gold, silver, and copper.” The Torah mentions three types of metal and three types of wool (different colours). We do not find that silk was used in the construction of the Tabernacle. The reason is that silk is the product of the body of a שרץ, a worm, and the only materials which were found suitable for forming part of the materials used in the construction of the Tabernacle are those that originate in ritually pure animals (compare Shabbat 28). In this connection it is well to remember that our sages explain in connection with Tachash (Shabbat 28) that the color derived from such worms as the shamir is not derived from the actual body of the respective animal/worm but from a berry which was also inhabited by a worm which took its name from the berry. This applies also to the expression תולעת השני which does not mean that the red color was taken from the worm but that that worm used to lodge in a berry from which the red color for dying the wool was taken. Afterwards the Torah lists שש, another name for flax, i.e. linen. Immediately afterwards the Torah mentions contributions of עזים, i.e. goats’ wool, not the skins or the animals themselves. This is also the reason that Onkelos does not translate the words as עזיא, goat, but as מעזיא a product of the goat. The product in question is the hair, i.e. the wool. Even though the Torah has prohibited the combining of wool and linen, the priests when they entered the holy precincts had to wear garments in which wool and linen were interwoven. I shall explain the mystical dimension of this in Parshat Kedoshim where the prohibition is written.

ועורות תחשים, “and the skins of the tachash.” The tachash was some kind of free-roaming beast. Our sages in Shabbat 28 are of the opinion that the tachash was an animal which existed only during that generation and had a single horn on its forehead. Its whole function was to have its skin serve as one of the coverings of the Tabernacle. Apparently, the colour of their skin was so beautiful that it was not to be used again for secular purposes so that G’d allowed this animal to become extinct as soon as it had fulfilled its purpose. Our sages on that same folio explain that the fact that it had a horn on its forehead was proof that it was a ritually pure animal. According to our tradition the ox offered by Adam as a sacrifice also had only a single horn on its forehead. This is based on Psalms 69,32: “ותיטיב לה’ משור פר מקרן מפריס, “that will please the Lord more than oxen, than a bull with a horn and hooves.” The singular of the word קרן means that a particular bull had only one horn. Although the vowel pattern under the word מקרן suggests more than one, the absence of the letter י suggests that David speaks about a single-horned bull. At any rate, unless the tachash had been ritually pure, none of its parts would have qualified for use in the Tabernacle. We have a strong allusion to this in the words of Exodus 13,9 למען תהיה תורת ה’ בפיך, “so that what goes into your mouth should conform to the Torah of the Lord.” Seeing that the tachash had so many colours Onkelos translates ססגונה, “proud of its being multi-coloured.”

ועצי שטים, “and wood of the Shittim tree.” Where did the Israelites take these trees from? According to Tanchuma Terumah 9 Yaakov foresaw in his holy spirit that these trees would be required when the Israelites would build a Tabernacle in the desert and having this in mind he brought acacia trees with him to Egypt which were planted there. He commanded his children that when they would leave Egypt they were to take these trees with them.

שמן למאור, “Oil for illumination;” fine olive oil for lighting the eternal flame.” בשמים לשמן המשחה ולקטורת הסמים, “spices for the oil of anointment and the aromatic incense.” The meaning of the words is that in order for the incense to be offered up they were to bring gifts consisting of a variety of spices. There is a difference between spices, בשמים, and סמים, an inedible kind of fragrance. בשמים are a kind of food which are distinguished by their rich fragrance. סמים are medicinal herbs which are quite unsuitable as food or as additives to food. Frankincense is one of such ingredients known as סמים. The reason that gold is mentioned as the very first material that was to be contributed was to indicate that at the time the materials for the Tabernacle were collected, the sin of the golden calf had already been forgiven. This is why it was appropriate that the very material which had served as the instrument to commit such a grievous sin should now be donated freely to demonstrate the about-face of the Jewish people who were now ready to donate their most precious material to serve the Lord (Tanchuma Terumah 8). This is also the reason that when the Torah legislates which animals make fit sacrifices, the calf heads the list. compare Leviticus 22,27. G’d wanted to emphasize that the sin of the golden calf had been forgiven. This entire commandment to contribute materials for the construction of the Tabernacle was commanded on the day following Yom Kippur, the day when the sin of the golden calf had been forgiven, finally (compare Rashi). Even though that sin had been committed prior to the building of the Tabernacle, seeing it had been committed in the month of Tammuz and the building of the Tabernacle had been commanded only after the Day of Atonement, so that the Torah quite clearly does not report things in chronological sequence here, the Torah, whose paths are all designed to promote peace and harmony decided to write things in this order. G’d is normally at pains to provide (make available) the cure before the onset of the disease (Megillah 13). It was important to G’d to show that before we read about the sin of the golden calf that the means to make the people’s repentance effective had been outlined already. We have a verse in Hoseah 7,1 which spells out this concept that G’d prepares the cure before He inflicts the disease, i.e. “When I would heal Israel the guilt of Ephrayim reveals itself.”

In order to show that the sin had been completely forgiven, the Torah commences the list of contributions to be donated for building the Tabernacle with gold. This means that the very means which had caused their disgrace would now become the means by which G’d would express His goodwill. A Biblical verse expressing the same sentiment is found in Hoseah 7,3, ברעתם ישמחו מלך, ”with their very malice they make a king merry.”

A Midrashic approach (based on Tanchuma Terumah 8): The words “gold, silver, copper,” refer to three different host-countries in which the Jews have been exiles. “Gold” refers to the kingdom of Babylon. We know that Nevuchadnezzar said (Daniel 2,38) “You O G’d are the head of gold.” The word “silver” is an allusion to the exile under the Medes, for it is written of Haman that he was offering ten thousand talents of silver in order to obtain permission to kill all the Jews (Megillat Esther 3,9). Copper is an allusion to the exile under the Greeks which was the most abominable of the three kingdoms mentioned. The words אלים מאדמים “red-dyed ram skins,” are an allusion to the Roman Empire. Esau, the progenitor of the Romans, was described as red-skinned already at his birth (compare Genesis 28,25) ויצא הראשון אדמוני. The allusion to the exile under the descendants of Esau is followed immediately by the words ושמן למאור, “and anointing oil,” i.e. a reference to the מלך המשיח King Messiah of whom it is written in Psalms 132,17 שם אצמיח קרן לדוד ערכתי נר למשיחי, “There I will make a horn sprout for David, I have prepared a lamp for My anointed one.” The words בשמים לשמן המשחה are an allusion to the fact that in the future the High Priest will once more be anointed with this oil; the words לקטורת הסמים are a promise that the Jewish people will once again enjoy being in G’d’s good graces. This has been promised by Ezekiel 20,41 בריח ניחוח ארצה אתכם, “by means of sweet smelling fragrances I will display My goodwill for you.” The words אבני שוהם refer to אבני כדכד of which Isaiah 54,12 said: ושמתי כדכד שמשותיך,”I will make your battlements of rubies.” The words ועשו לי מקדש refer to the Holy Temple which may soon be rebuilt in our days. The words ושכנתי בתוכם are an assurance that when that time comes G’d will dwell in our midst forever.

אבני שהם ואבני מילואים, “shoham stones and (other) stones for the settings.” The sequence of the words in our verse is: “shoham stones for the Ephod, and the other gemstones for the breastplate to be set in it.” There were two shoham stones and twelve stones for the breastplate. Nachmanides explains that the reason the stones for the breastplate are called מלואים is that they were whole gemstones each, had not been polished or cut to size by craftsmen. This is also reflected in the translation by Onkelos who writes אבני אשלמותא, “whole stones.” According to Nachmanides the spiritual value of these various gemstones is dependent on their being whole as found in the ground. This is the reason the Torah instructs in 28,17 ומלאת בו מלואת אבן, “you shall fill it with stone;” we have a second verse concerning this procedure in verse 20 of that chapter requiring that these stones be במלואתם, “in their wholeness.” Significantly, no such restrictions are mentioned in connection with the stones for the Ephod, i.e. the shoham stones. It is possible that the names of the tribes of the Children of Israel were engraved on the shoham stones similar to the way a signet ring is engraved, the seal sticking out when one presses it on to the sealing wax. At any rate, 28,11 makes it rather clear that a jeweler’s craft was required in connection with the two shoham stones and the names to be engraved in them. In connection with the twelve stones to be mounted on the breastplate such words as מעשה חרש אבן, “a jeweler’s handiwork,” are totally absent. However, the Torah did stipulate פתוחי חותם, (verse 21) “engraved like a signet ring.” This was the reason Moses had to use the shamir worm in order to achieve the engraving by chemical means, i.e. through secretions of that worm applied minutely. Had this not been the case, the requirement that they remain במלואותם, “in their wholeness,” could not have been met. This is the way our sages in Sotah 48 describe the procedure: “these stones were not inscribed with ink as the Torah stipulates פתוחי חותם; on the other hand, they were also not engraved with an engraving tool as the Torah stipulates that they were to remain whole, i.e. במלואותם.” What did Moses do? He first wrote the letters with ink and then exposed them to the shamir worm. When thus exposed (at some distance) the stones cracked in the required places, so that the names appeared as if they had been engraved on the respective stones. Nonetheless, not a single splinter of the original stone was missing as a result. Thus far Nachmanides.

It is important to realize that there are a total of 15 items mentioned in this paragraph which list the various donations for the Tabernacle. בשמים וסמים are treated as a single item. (Normally, we think of these contributions in terms of 13 different items). The shoham stones and the stones for the settings in the breastplate are considered as items 14 and 15 respectively. When you examine the first verse in Genesis you will find that it has 15 syllables, (not counting the half-vowels called sheva) so that the items which formed the materials of the Tabernacle paralleled the beginning of the creation, i.e. the Tabernacle represented a re-enactment of מעשה בראשית. This was intended by Isaiah when he wrote (Isaiah 26,4) כי בי-ה ה’ צור עולמים, “for in Yah, the Lord you have an everlasting Rock.” [If I understand the allusion correctly it means that the presence of the Shechinah in the Tabernacle demonstrated that unlike human artists, G’d did not withdraw from His creation once He had completed it. Ed.] We also find that in the descriptions of the distances between the seven layers of heaven that the number 500 (years of walking) is mentioned 15 times. Each such רקיע is described as 500 such years distant from the next one (Chagigah 13). This gives us a total of 13 times 500, seeing the thickness of that heaven is also 500 years of walking distance. Beyond the seventh heaven are the chayot, presumably a region of similar distance. Above the chayot is another heavenly region. So this gives us a total of 15 times 500 years walking distance from earth to that highest region. G’d, of course, is above all that. The sages who composed the prayers in our liturgy included 15 different praises in the prayer called ישתבח which is the conclusion of the פסוקי דזמרה, the verses of songs recited daily prior to the קריאת שמע and its benedictions. After the קריאת שמע we recite a paragraph commencing with the words אמת ויציב which contains references to 15 attributes of G’d. Except for the word אמת itself, each one of these attributes is linked to the next one by the letter ו The first one, i.e. the attribute אמת, is not introduced by the letter ו as it is the name of G’d. This is why we find a verse in Jeremiah 10,10: וה’ אלו-הים אמת, showing that the word אמת is also a name of G’d. Furthermore, we find that David composed a list of 15 praises of the Lord when he wrote in Chronicles I 29, 10-11: לך ה’ הגדולה והגבורה והתפארת והנצח וההוד כי כל בשמים ובארץ לך ה’ הממלכה והמתנשא לכל לראש, והעושר והכבוד מלפניך ואתה מושל בכל ובידך כח וגבורה לגדל ולחזק לכל. He also composed 15 hymns commencing with the words שיר המעלות in Psalms 121-134 all in allusion to these 15 items mentioned in 15 syllables in the first verse in Genesis. We also find that the blessing pronounced by the Priests contains 15 words, corresponding to the same concept. In Deut. 26,17 we also find the programmatic verse commencing with the words את ה’ האמרת היום as containing 15 words. This too is an allusion to the relationship between Israel and its G’d being the purpose of creation of the universe.

ועשו לי מקדש, “They shall make a Sanctuary for Me.” The reason the Torah refers to the Tabernacle as Temple, Sanctuary, from the word קדש holy, is that it was sanctified by the very Presence within it of the Shechinah. According to Shemot Rabbah 34,4 the words ועשו לי imply that Israel are G’d’s flock and He is their shepherd. This is the meaning of Ezekiel 34,17: “As for you, My flock, thus said the Lord G’d, etc.” The fact that G’d considers Himself our shepherd is based on Psalms 80,2: “Give ear, O shepherd of Israel! Appear, You who are enthroned on the cherubim.” There are numerous other verses quoted by the author, such as Isaiah 5,7, Psalms 121,4, Deut. 14,1 and Jeremiah 31,8 all making essentially the same point about the G’d-Israel relationship. This relationship bespeaks honour for the children when they are in the proximity of their father, and honour for the father when he is within the home of his children and feels welcome there. All of this is the meaning of the reciprocal relationship suggested by the words: “they shall make for Me a Sanctuary and I shall dwell amongst them. The words ושכנתי בתוכם may also be read as ושכינתי בתוכם, “so that My Presence will be amongst them.”

The numerical value of the letters in the word ושכנתי alludes to the 410 years the first Temple stood, i.e. the word לשכני בתוכם in Exodus 29,46. When we break up the word ושכנתי into ושכן ת’י we get the same result, i.e. “He will reside for 410 (years).” By re-arranging the letters to read ושני ת’כ “and the second (Temple) 420,” you get an allusion to the length of time the second Temple remained standing.

את תבנית המשכן ואת תבנית כל כליו, “the pattern of the Tabernacle, and the pattern of all its vessels.” It is an accepted concept that the various components of the Tabernacle on earth were replicas or symbols of concepts which exist in higher regions. One of the outstanding features of the Tabernacle was the fact that it was divided into three parts. 1) The area beyond the dividing curtain, the western part; 2) the area in front of the dividing curtain known as אהל מועד. 3) The courtyard in front of the Tabernacle which was enclosed by curtains. These three sections symbolized the three parts of the cosmos, 1) the world of the disembodied beings, the angels; 2) the world of the inert bodies, the stars and the planets; 3) our terrestrial universe, inhabited by living creatures with bodies (and souls, some of them). Upon examination we shall find that man, the most important creature in our lower world, is also composed of three parts representing the division of the whole cosmos into three parts. This is why man is called a microcosm, a world in miniature, by the sages (compare our author’s comment on Genesis 1,27). The three parts are: 1) the world of דבור, creatures capable of verbal communications. 2) the world of חיות, all kinds of living and moving creatures. 3) the world of vegetation, life and motion limited to the roots of these plants in the soil. The innermost part of the Tabernacle contained the Holy Ark, the Tablets, the cherubs, all of which were interior vessels that remained hidden from view as they housed the entourage of the Shechinah. This is what was meant in Ezekiel 10,19: וכבוד אלו-הי ישראל מלמעלה, “and the attribute כבוד of the G’d of Israel was above.” This attribute has also been described as dwelling with the cherubs in Psalms 80,2. This part of the Tabernacle was patterned after the celestial regions, the home of the angels. They are not visible, partly because they are disembodied spirits, forming the entourage and throne of G’d. Man’s equivalent to that part of the cosmos is his head, i.e. what is inside it, his brain; it is the Temple of his wisdom, and it is the region in which disembodied שכל, intelligence, makes its impact on man’s brain. A truly righteous man is himself an entourage for the Divine. Our patriarchs were such people. The Shechinah rests over such צדיקים by means of the phylacteries they wear on their heads and on their arms. These phylacteries inspire man’s head and heart respectively. They do for the צדיק what the cherubs accomplished within the Holy of Holies in the macrocosm. Having had this explained to you, you can now understand the tremendous importance of the commandment to lay תפילין and the great potential contained in that commandment. The second part of the Tabernacle, the one without the dividing curtain, was the part containing the table, the candelabra, and the altar for incense, all of which were very important interior vessels although they were not of the prime importance of the vessels inside the Holy of Holies. They corresponded to the world of the planets and stars which have all been infused with intelligence by their Creator and whose constant orbit is directly responsible for keeping this cosmos a going concern. In the microcosm called the world of man, they are represented by the heart which is an interior organ without which the body could not function. The constant pumping of blood to different parts of the human body does for our bodies what the motion of the stars and planet does for the cosmos. The third part of the Tabernacle, the courtyard around it, contained the copper altar, the one on which most animal sacrifices were offered up. This was where the animals used in that procedure lost their lives. The courtyard corresponded to our terrestrial universe which by definition is populated by creatures all of which die sooner or later, just like the animals on the altar. The corresponding part to the courtyard of the Tabernacle in man is the part from the navel downwards, the area where his life originated and which in turn is usually the beginning of the process of his life disintegrating. The very loss of life is simultaneously the cause of its coming into existence. If our world were not condemned to the death of its inhabitants there would be no need for new life to be generated. You have now learned that the Tabernacle in its three sections corresponded to the cosmos in its three parts concerning which David said (Psalms 103,20) “bless the Lord, O His angels, mighty creatures who do His bidding, bless the Lord, all His hosts.” David’s son Solomon followed in his father’s footsteps when he said in three consecutive verses in Song of Songs 5-13,14,15) “His cheeks are like beds of spices;” “His hands are rods of gold;” “His legs are like marble pillars;” I have already explained the meaning of these allusions in connection with Yaakov’s dream of the ladder in Genesis 28,12.

A Midrashic approach: the words את תבנית המשכן ואת תבנית כל כליו teach that G’d had shown to Moses “green fire, black fire, white fire, and red fire.” He now told him: “in accordance with all that I have shown you” (verse 40). He instructed him: “construct it like this.” The matter can be illustrated by means of a parable. A King had a very costly pearl-studded garment. He instructed one of his servants to make him another one like it. The servant replied: ‘My lord king where am I going to get the raw materials to make another garment such as this?’ This is precisely what Moses asked G’d: “where am I going to take green fire, black fire, white fire and red fire from in order to construct a replica of the cosmos?” G’d said to him: “You do the best you can with the materials at your disposal.” Not only that. But, “if you will construct something comparable to what you have seen in My celestial spheres down on earth, I shall leave My celestial court and confine My Shechinah to the extent necessary in order to take up residence in the Tabernacle you will construct on earth.” Just as in the celestial regions there are upright standing Seraphim (angels) so on earth there will be upright standing columns of acacia wood (compare 26,15). Just as there are stars in the heavens there are stars down on earth.” Rabbi Chiyah added: “this teaches that the golden clasps appeared like stars on the carpets forming the ceiling of the Tabernacle.”

ועשו ארון עצי שטים, “They shall construct an ark made of acacia wood.” When the Torah introduces the instructions to construct any of the other furnishings of the Tabernacle it always uses direct language, i.e. ועשית שלחן, “you shall construct a table, etc.” Why does the Torah switch to issuing the instruction to make the ark by using the third person, “they shall construct?” Shemot Rabbah 34,3 discusses this anomaly. Rabbi Yehudah son of Shalom said that G’d said: “let them all come and be occupied with the construction of the ark in order that all of them will acquire the merit of providing a housing for the Torah. They were all to contribute for the making of the ark.”

According to the plain meaning of the text, the ark was a kind of box within which the Tablets of the covenant were to be stored and hidden. Seeing that Torah was called ראשית “a first,” it was appropriate that the ark should be the first of the furnishings to be constructed. The reason this box was called ארון is that the word is connected to the word אורה, “light.” Seeing that this box contained the Torah, the description of it by means of a word recalling “light” is most appropriate. The height of this ark which the Torah described as being “one and a half cubits,” takes into consideration the fact that cubits used in the Torah are six handbreadths long. The height of that ark therefore was 9 such handbreadths. When you add the fact that the lid (kapporet) had a thickness of one handbreadth you will find that the total height of the ark was ten handbreadths. The number 10 also resurfaces in connection with the table of which the Torah also writes that its height was to be one and a half cubits (verse 23). Seeing the Torah also designated what is termed a “crown”, i.e. sort of a frame around the top of the table, and this “crown” was one handbreadth high, the overall height of the table was also 10 handbreadths. The same height was designated for the candelabra (verse 31) where the word תיעשה is spelled with an unaccountable letter י. This motivated Solomon to construct 10 candelabras. The meaning of the letter י was not that Solomon was to make 10 candelabras out of the one in the Tabernacle. Similarly, we find that Solomon constructed 10 tables for his Temple as well as 10 basins for the priests to wash their hands (Chronicles II 4,7-8). He did not do so arbitrarily but there had been a long-standing tradition that when the Temple would be built there should be this number of such furnishings. There is another allusion to the number 10 connected with the candelabra seeing the Torah speaks about 7 arms, 1 knob, 1 cup and 1 flower to be part of each of the seven arms (verses 31-35). The number 10 is again prominent in connection with the Tabernacle itself whose beams were 10 cubits high (26,16). The “carpets” forming its inner ceiling were also ten in number, though they were joined to each other (26,1). The number 10 is featured again in connection with the copper altar which was five cubits long and five cubits wide (27,1) giving the altar a combined length and width of ten cubits. Furthermore, the height of the altar was also 10 cubits as I will explain at the end of this portion [seeing the Torah first describes it as 5 cubits high. Ed.] As a result of all this you find that the number 10 was of cardinal importance in all aspects of the Tabernacle.

A Midrashic approach based on Bamidbar Rabbah 4,13: there are allusions in our paragraph to the kabbalistic statement that the composition of the Holy Ark was as dear to G’d as His throne in the celestial regions. They base this on Exodus 15,17 מכון לשבתך פעלת ה’, “You G’d have made the foundation of Your dwelling place.” This teaches that the Temple corresponds to the throne in the celestial regions. The two cherubs are as dear to G’d as are heaven and earth, both of whom contain residences of the Lord. The entire Tabernacle was constructed only for the sake of the Holy Ark as the Shechinah resided within it. All the miracles performed for the Jewish people after the construction of the Tabernacle were performed by means of the Holy Ark which always traveled in front of the camp of the Israelites (Numbers 10,33). It would kill poisonous snakes on the way as well as any other antagonists lying in wait for the Jewish people. Rabbi Eleazar son of Pedot quotes in the name of Rabbi Yossi ben Zimta (Shir Hashirim Rabbah 3,5): “two sparks used to come forth from between the lid of the Ark killing snakes, hornets, etc., and burning the nettles and other harmful growths in the desert. The smoke rising from this fire would rise and sweep the whole earth with a pleasant fragrance. The nations of the world would react to this phenomenon with the words of Song of Songs 3,6: ‘Who is she that comes up from the desert like columns of smoke in clouds of myrrh and frankincense of all the powders of the merchant?’” Thus far the words of the Midrash.

We have to add to this that the words: “they shall construct an Ark out of acacia wood” refer to the people who preoccupy themselves with the Torah (Yuma 72). וצפית אותו זהב טהור, “you shall overlay it with pure gold.” This is an allusion to the tradition that in the future G’d would make a special “shade” for the people studying Torah and generally supporting Torah, concerning whom Solomon said in Kohelet 7,12: “for to be in the shade (shelter) of wisdom is also to be in the shelter of silver.” Solomon also wrote in Proverbs 3,18: “she (the Torah) is a tree of life for all those who support it.” He did not write: “for those who study it,” but “for those who support it.” If merely supporting Torah and its institutions is considered holding on to ”a tree of life,” how much more must this be so for the people who actually study the Torah!והבאת את הבדים בטבעות, “you are to insert the staves into rings, etc.” This is a reference to the multitude whose duty it is to maintain Torah scholars in a manner similar to the staves maintaining the Ark. This is the meaning of the words לשאת את הארון בהם, “by means of which they will be carried (sustained) by the Ark.” People who support Torah institutions will find themselves uplifted by what they do.” Our sages in Sifra Emor section 1,2 explain these words as meaning that such supporters of Torah (the Ark) will be raised to a higher level than their brethren. We find an explanation very similar to this in Chulin 92 where the Talmud states: “let the grapes pray for the leaves; for if it were not for the leaves there would not be any grapes either.” The meaning of this parable is: “when one plants a vine one should not have in mind the grapes exclusively, although, of course, they were the reason that one plants the vine; nonetheless the leaves fulfill a crucial function protecting the plant from excess heat and cold, etc.” There is a statement by our sages according to which “all the cubits inside the Ark were ‘broken.’” [I believe this means that after allowing for the insertion of the golden overlay on the inside of the Ark, the height, length, and breadth measurements left inside were fractions of cubits rather than whole cubits. Ed.] At any rate, the lesson to be derived from that fact is that a Torah scholar should always feel as well as deport himself in a somewhat broken manner, as opposed to appearing haughty and of an imposing appearance.

A rational approach to these measurements: it is possible to explain the words: “they shall make an Ark for Me,” as an instruction that the Ark and its lid with the cherubs were to symbolise the three parts the human being is made of, i.e. body-soul-intellect. The wooden part of the Ark represents the body of man; the four rings represent the four basic materials that the body consists of. These materials are what keep him alive and functioning. The two staves correspond to the two “strings” which run through man’s body, i.e. the spine (vertebrae) and the spinal cord inside it. The two tablets which were to be deposited inside the Ark represented two special organs within man’s body which enable him to understand the wisdom of the Torah, i.e. the brain and the heart. The two cherubs represent the soul and the intelligence, the former being feminine the latter masculine.

You are aware already that the masculine element is the predominating one. The male is the active element, the female element is responsive by nature. This is what Solomon referred to in Proverbs 19,2 when he wrote: גם בלא דעת נפש לא טוב, “it is also not good for a person (soul) to lack knowledge.” He meant that the soul cannot attain its objective, its fulfillment, unless it possesses intelligence. There is no need to add that if this is true of the creatures in our “lower” terrestrial world this is certainly true of the world of the planets and the stars. In that part of the cosmos we also have male and female forces such as the sun being a masculine, active force, whereas the moon is responsive, feminine. This is why both of these forces appeared in Joseph’s dream (Genesis 37,9), i.e. the masculine and the feminine force in the middle part of the cosmos, the world of the planets and stars. Even in the celestial regions this division between masculine and feminine forces exists as it is the function of the soul to eventually return to G’d as a soul which has absorbed divine intelligence [as if the feminine נפש after it had become impregnated with the masculine שכל, intelligence, had achieved its purpose, Ed]. Both of the cherubs, which represented the male and female elements in the celestial spheres were constructed out of the pure gold of the kapporet, the lid. of the Ark, in a single piece, מקשה. This kapporet was an allusion to the throne of G’d the source of חכמה, wisdom. The word כפורת, of course, is derived from כפרה, atonement. A return of the soul to its origin is impossible unless atonement for sins committed while inside the body had first been obtained. Similarly, without knowledge of the Torah a return to its holy roots is also impossible as during its stay on earth the soul otherwise becomes contaminated by the body. We learn from this whole description of the construction of the Holy Ark that by means of knowledge of the Torah which is stored inside the Holy Ark the soul as well as the intelligence, both of which were “emanated” from celestial regions down to man on earth from their origin near the throne of the attribute כבוד will be able to regain their roots if they make prudent use of their potential. This is hinted at when the Torah describes the cherubs as סוככים בכנפיהם על הכפורת, “they shall have their wings spread out shielding the cover with their wings.”

Another way of looking at the Ark is that it symbolised a garden (Gan Eden) and that the two Tablets inside it symbolise the two kinds of commandments respectively, i.e. commandments to be fulfilled by one’s body and the ones to be fulfilled with one’s intellect. This corresponds to the tree of knowledge and the tree of life in the original Gan Eden. The kapporet represents the ערבות, the highest of the seven heavens, the one which covers all the other heavens. The cherubs on top of this kapporet are an allusion to the angels above this highest of the seven heavens. The are the region from which prophecy emanates to all the other prophets. The cherubs extending their wings upwards symbolized their readiness and eagerness to receive spiritual input from G’d directly, a prophecy which was direct such as that of Moses which came directly from G’d without intermediaries. This is what the sages meant when they described the Shechinah as speaking to Moses from between these two cherubs.

A Kabbalistic approach: the words: “they shall make an Ark” mean that this Ark was a symbol or replica of the throne of the attribute כבוד. This is the deeper meaning of the words ואת תבנית כל כליו, “and a pattern of all its furnishings.” It means that G’d showed Moses a “sample” of all the furnishings of the Tabernacle. The reason why the Ark had to be covered with a blue colored garment was that the color blue is reminiscent of the sky and the sky in turn reminds us of the throne of G’d (Sotah 17), and this is what is meant in Numbers 4,6 that when Aaron and his sons would approach the Ark prior to the Israelites breaking camp, “they are to cover the Ark completely with a blue-colored woolen cloth and adjust its staves.” The word כליל תכלת used by the Torah in that connection means that it was to resemble the color of the sky in its entirety. The color was to symbolize the color of the celestial spheres which is also perceived as consisting of that shade of blue. Seeing that I have explained in connection with 24,10 that the throne of G’d consisted of three foundations of three colors, Betzalel made the Ark out of three separate “boxes” to reflect that concept (Compare Tanchuma Vayakhel 7). He based himself on the instruction to overlay the Ark with gold both from the inside and from the outside (verse 11). Although there were in fact three separate boxes, they looked as if there were only a single box. This is also why you find in this paragraph all the letters of the alphabet except for the letter ג which the Torah wanted to conceal in order to conceal the fact that the throne of G’d consisted of three foundations. Betzalel, on the other hand, hinted at this missing letter ג by constructing three Arks which looked like one. This is also the reason that in Parshat Noach the Torah wrote the word קשת, “rainbow,” three times in the paragraph where G’d explains the rainbow as the symbol of His covenant with mankind not to bring on another deluge, ever (compare Genesis 9, 13-14-16).

One of the peculiarities of the Holy Ark which we must try and understand has been described in Pirke d'Rabbi Eliezer (chapter 4?) in connection with the Ark’s uncanny ability to carry its carriers as we know from Joshua 4,11. According to Rabbi Eliezer, just as the chayot appeared to be carrying (supporting) the throne of G’d whereas in fact the throne carried them (supported them), so something similar occurred with the people assigned to transport the Holy Ark. Our sages in Sotah 35 explained Joshua 4,11: “when all the people finished crossing, the Ark of the Lord carried its carriers and crossed with the priests ahead of the people.” There is another verse (Joshua 4,18) “the soles of the feet of the priests carrying the Ark of the covenant were torn away onto dry ground, and the waters of the Jordan resumed their flow.” According to this the feet of the priests were torn away backwards, raising the question how the Ark crossed the Jordan river afterwards. The only explanation is that the Ark carried its carriers across subsequent to what was reported in verse 18. The operative letter enabling us to understand all this is the letter כ which is read instead of the letter ב which is written in the verse, i.e. בעלות. This is what was meant by the words in verse 11 “the Ark of the Lord crossed and the priests were in front of the people.” Had the author of the Book of Joshua meant that the priests crossed the river on foot, he would have had to write ויעברו, “they crossed.” Just as the throne of G’d carried the four chayot described in the vision of Ezekiel, so the Ark carried the four men who were assigned to carry it upon their shoulders. You find this spelled out in Menachot 98. We find that the Holy Ark is also referred to as אדון כל הארץ, “master of the whole earth,” in Joshua 3,11. This is so because the Shechinah cleaves to the Torah. You also find a verse in Chronicles II 6,41 in which the Ark and G’d are almost equated when Solomon said אתה וארון עוזך, “You and the Ark representing Your power.” The word עזיך, “Your might, or Your power,” is spelled with the letter י as if the word were in the plural. When we find the Ark described as ארון העדות, as “the Ark of testimony” in verse 22 the meaning is that the presence of the Ark is proof that the Shechinah is present in Israel (compare Shabbat 22). The sages in Baba Batra 99 stated that the Ark did not take up measurable space in the Temple. What they meant by this was that one of the miracles in connection with the Ark was that its presence did not diminish the space in the Tabernacle or Temple. [In other words it did not occupy the three-dimensional space which forms the basis of our measuring things. Ed.] This was another aspect in which the Ark paralleled the throne of G’d whose location or measurements we also do not know. This is why the angels are reported as formulating their blessing by saying ברוך ה' ממקומו “blessed be the Lord wherever His location” (compare Pessikta Zutrata).

וצפית אותו זהב טהור מבית ומחוץ תצפנו, “you are to overlay it with pure gold, from the inside and the outside you are to overlay it.” This verse is used by our sages (Yuma 72) to demand that Torah scholars must be able to demonstrate that they practice what they preach. They base this on the Ark which was gold on the inside as well as on the outside. Although no one actually saw the inside, it had to correspond to its exterior. Another verse which alludes to this subject is Job 29,14: “I clothed myself in righteousness and it robed me; Justice was my cloak and turban.” The repetition in this verse means that one’s inside must match the image one creates for oneself on the outside. Our sages add further on this subject: “why were the words of Torah compared to glass?, i.e. (Job, 28,17) “gold or glass cannot match its value?” Answer: just as glass is transparent and allows you to see not only the outside but also the interior, so bearers of Torah must be able to be equally transparent, not hiding character weakness not visible to their students or to their peers.

ועשית עליו זר זהב סביב, “you are to construct on it a golden crown all around it.” When the Torah issues similar instructions concerning the table and the altar, the wording is not עליו, ”on it,” but לו “for it.” The reason is that the table itself was a symbol of the “crown” of Royalty, whereas the altar was a symbol of the “crown” of priesthood (compare Avot 4,13). The “crown” of priest-hood as well as the “crown” of Royalty is acquired by its wearer at birth, through inheritance. The “crown” of Torah is not acquired by birth. The word לו implies that this crown is an integral part of the table or altar respectively, i.e. “it belongs.” Seeing that the crown of Torah has first to be earned by the eventual wearer, the word עליו, “upon him” indicates that it will be placed on the Torah scholar at the appropriate time, at his ordination. Hereditary Royalty in Israel was the exclusive right of Kings descended from David, whereas hereditary priesthood was reserved for the descendants of Aaron. The word לו in a similar sense is used by the Torah in connection with the duty of the King to write two Torah scrolls for himself. We read in Deut. 17,18 וכתב לו את משנה התורה וגו', “he is to write for himself two copies of the Torah, etc.” The Torah immediately (verse 20) continues to supply the reason for this by writing למען יאריך ימים על ממלכתו, “in order that the days of his dynasty be long ones, etc.” We find something similar in connection with the priesthood where the Torah writes in Numbers 25,13 after Pinchas had been elevated to the priesthood: והיתה לו ולזרעו אחריו, “and it shall be his and for his offspring after him a covenant of an eternal priesthood, etc.” Seeing that the crown on the Ark represents a different kind of concept, one based on יחוס עצמו, “personal achievement,” the preposition the Torah chose to use in connection with it is עליו instead of לו.

A Midrashic approach to this wording (Shemot Rabbah 34,2): the reason the Torah writes the word עליו in connection with the crown on top of the Ark as distinct from the way it describes the crowns of the table and the altar respectively, is that the crown of Torah is considered the most superior of the three (4) crowns mentioned in the Mishnah in Avot we quoted before. By writing the word עליו, “above,” the Torah indicates that he who has acquired the crown of Torah is as if he had also acquired the other crowns mentioned in that Mishnah. This thought is also expressed in the word סביב, “around it,” i.e. the crown of Torah is all-embracing. Note that the word זר for “crown” is spelled without the letter י. This is a hint that unless a person merits wearing this crown Torah is considered alien to him, i.e. זר, “strange, uninitiated.” [The assumption is that because of the vowel tzeyreh under the letter ז, the normal spelling of the word ought to have been זיר. Ed.]

ונתתה על ארבע פעמותיו, “you shall place it (them) on its four corners.” Rashi writes that the word פעמותיו is to be understood in accordance with the rendering by Onkelos i.e. זויתה, “its corners.” The rings were attached at the corners close to the top of the Ark, immediately beneath the kapporet. I believe that the correct explanation of the verse is found in the commentary by Nachmanides who understands the word פעמותיו as derived from, or similar in meaning to, פסיעות, steps. The word פעמות occurs as meaning “steps” in Song of Songs 7,2 מה יפו פעמיך, “how lovely are your steps.” It is a fact that the rings were attached at the respective corners near the very bottom of the Ark as it would not have been seemly for the Ark to be sort of suspended below the shoulders of the priests who carried it. It was much more dignified and in keeping with the lofty ideals that the Ark represented that it be carried above the shoulders of those priests charged with transporting it.

לא יסורו ממנו, ‘they are not to be removed from it.” Our sages in Yuma 72 explain that the staves were never totally removed from the rings through which they had been placed. Anyone who did remove the staves from the Ark contravened this commandment. Another comment found on that folio on the words והבאת את הבדים בטבעות is that the staves moved to and fro within the rings. You might assume that this means that sometimes they would slip out of the rings altogether? The Torah reassures you by saying לא יסורו הבדים, the staves will not be totally removed, i.e. “fall out of the rings.” Had the Torah only written these last words I would have thought that the staves never moved at all. This is why the Torah added והבאת את הבדים בטבעות, “place the staves through the rings.” How was this to be accomplished?” Answer: they were thicker at the extremities and thinner in the middle so that they could be introduced with ease but could be extracted only with great difficulty. [If you are interested in the tricky question of how both parts of the instructions in the Torah could be observed, see Or Hachayim on our verse. Ed.]

ועשית שנים כרובים, “you are to construct two cherubs, etc.” According to the plain meaning of the text the reason that such figures of angels were placed both in the Tabernacle and in the permanent Temple is to keep alive the idea that there are such beings whom G’d designated from time to time to perform miracles on earth. Just as we have been commanded to have a firm belief in the existence of G’d Himself and the fact that He is the original Existence, and this is one of the fundamental concepts of the Torah as proven by the first words of the Decalogue: “I am the Lord your G’d, etc.,” so we are required to believe in the existence of angels as the second fundamental concept in the list of our religious beliefs. Had there not been such angels, i.e. instruments by means of whom G’d makes His will known from time to time to His prophets, there would be no prophecy, no Torah, in short no “hot line” to the Creator. This is why G’d commanded that these figures be made and installed inside the Tabernacle (where nobody could see them). The reason that two such angel-like figures had to be made was to ensure that none of us would think that the solitary angel-like figure represented the Creator Himself, the One whom we worship and serve. If you were to reply that by making two such figures people might conclude that there are in fact two domains, i.e. that G’d shares power with another, this is not a valid objection seeing both of these cherubs’ wings were pointed upwards towards heaven indicating that they themselves were recipients of Divine input rather than original dispensers of Divine bounty. This is Maimonides’ view concerning the cherubs though I changed his wording a little (compare Moreh Nevuchim section 3 chapter 45).

Seeing that I believe that the cherubs represented the existence of the angels and there are many angels, we can surely say that the word כרובים was chosen to convey the idea that there are many such beings. This is also why G’d Himself is described (Psalms 80,2) sometimes as יושב הכרובים, “enthroned above the Cherubs.” G’d is described there as taking care of flocks of such cherubs. According to Sukkah 5 the meaning of the word כרוב is the same as כרביא in Aramaic, i.e. “young child.” From the above it appears that the word כרובים has two meanings, “a multitude of something,“ and ”children.” In both of these meanings the first letter כ is not part of the actual noun but is additional. It symbolises the כסא, the throne of G’d. In fact we have a tradition that the name כסא is based on the letter כ. (Compare what we wrote on Leviticus 27,2 under the heading “a kabbalistic approach.”) At the same time, the letter כ also alludes to the word or attribute כבוד, and we have already explained that it is this attribute of G’d which occupies the throne כסא. The function of some of the angels is to welcome this attribute of G’d as it is written וכבוד אלו-הי ישראל עליהם מלמעלה, “and the attribute כבוד of the Lord G’d of Israel was above them (the cherubs)” (Ezekiel 10,19). We may say further that the cherubs were positioned at a height which corresponded to the high end of the lower third of the overall height of the Tabernacle. The same was true of the position of the cherubs in Solomon’s Temple as our sages pointed out in Sukkah 5. The reason for this is that the angel is considered as “one third of the world,” this is why the cherubs were positioned only in the lower third of the Tabernacle. This was to demonstrate that though the angel’s regular habitat is in the upper third of the three parts of the cosmos, nonetheless they represent the lower third of that domain in relation to the Lord Who “rides” above them. This is not so in connection with the mezzuzah which is affixed on the upper third of the frame of the door or entrance (compare our comments on Deut. 6,9).

When the Torah writes here: “you shall construct 2 cherubs of gold,” using the word שנים instead of שני to describe the possessive clause, the word שני denotes the equality of the two cherubs such as in שני לוחות העדות, or in שני כשבים, “the two Tablets of testimony,” or “two sheep.” In order to teach that these two cherubs were not identical, could not be interchanged, the Torah had to write the word שנים instead of שני. One of the cherubs was male, the other female. This is confirmed by the fact that once we established that these cherubs were indeed different from one another, the Torah could write in verse 22 מבין שני הכרובים. Similarly, in 37,2 the Torah was able to write ויעש שני כרובים זהב, as in these verses the Torah emphasised what the two cherubs had in common, i.e. that both of them were constructed out of gold.

An approach based on the plain meaning of the text. The words שנים כרובים are necessary to teach that the two cherubs were male and female. The Torah wanted to teach that the Children of Israel are as beloved of Him as the love that exists between man and woman. This corresponds to what the sages said in Yuma 54: “Rabbi Ketina said that at the time when the Israelites are in the habit of appearing at the Temple on the three festivals requiring them to do so, they used to roll back the dividing curtain so as to show the pilgrims the cherubs on top of the Ark which were embracing one another and they would say to them: ‘see how beloved you are in the eyes of the Lord, just like the love that exists between man and wife.’” There is a verse in Kings I 7,36 which expresses the words of Rabbi Ketina where we read: כמער איש וליות סביב, “joined in an embrace (of their arms) like man and woman.”

It is necessary to understand these similes correctly. The Rabbis meant that the very shape and position of the cherubs was such that they suggested a readiness to embrace each other. They did not mean that these cherubs performed such activities, especially not when exposed to public view. The idea the Rabbis wanted to convey was that as opposed to the Gentiles who require an intermediary in their approach to the Lord, the Jewish people are so beloved of G’d that they do not require an intermediary just as man and wife do not require an intermediary if they want to express their love for one another. For He, the Exalted, leads Israel all by Himself without the help of any intermediary (compare Deut. 32,12). The Gentiles, on the other hand, are assigned to intermediaries as we know from Deut. 4,19). It would have been possible to construct the cherubs in a way that one was the figure of an adult and the other the figure of a child. Ezekiel saw it like this in his vision (Ezekiel 10,14) “the appearance of the face of one was that of a minor whereas the face of the other looked like that of אדם, “an adult person.” In his vision the message would have been that the love of G’d for Israel was like the love of a father for a son, a very formidable kind of love. However, in the Tabernacle the intention was to describe an ongoing close relationship. Seeing that it was impossible to inform us of the type of relationship which exists between G’d and the Jewish people, the Torah decided to describe this by means of the cherubs in the Tabernacle.

Another reason for telling us all this by means of a visible symbol is to encourage us to pray for this relationship without intermediary to be maintained. This was the reason that the Ark was placed in the Holy of Holies, the site where the Shechinah resides, the ruin towards which all the eyes of Israel focus in prayer.

If you will study the writings of Maimonides carefully (Moreh Nevuchim 3,3) you will find that he understood the cherubs in the Tabernacle as corresponding to the cherubs which Ezekiel saw in his vision, i.e. the chayot hakodesh. Even though Ezekiel reported seeing four chayot, in reality they were really only one. We can confirm this from the wording in Ezekiel 10,20 when he refers to them in the singular, i.e. היא החיה אשר ראיתי תחת אלו-הי ישראל בנהר כבר ואדע כי כרובים המה, “they are the chayah which I had seen under the Lord G’d of Israel at the river Kevar. So now I knew they were cherubs. After Ezekiel had earlier described 4 chayot, he had subsequently realised that they were in reality a single chayah and the same as the cherubs. After Ezekiel had understood this he mentioned a second insight he had acquired that they are the Ophanim which he had previously observed next to the chayot though somewhat lower than the chayot. The wording in the text (Ezekiel 1,15) is as follows: וארא את החיות והנה אופן אחד בארץ אצל החיות, “When I saw the chayot, and here one Ophan was on the ground near the four-faced chayot.” Already during his first insight (Ezekiel 1,4) when he had the vision of the chayot he had said: וארא והנה רוח סערה גדולה: “I saw that there was a stormy wind,” etc. Still later Ezekiel speaks of a third insight he had, an insight superior to the previous ones, the understanding of the phenomenon called Chashmal. Concerning these three separate insights granted to him he applied the word Chashmal. He used the wordוארא three times to indicate that he had three separate visions. These visions are what is described in Chagigah 13 as מעשה מרכבה, the traditional name for Ezekiel’s vision. There is some disagreement as to how far the מעשה מרכבה extends. Rabbi says that it concludes with the words וארא where this word appears for the last time (1,27), whereas Rabbi Yitzchak holds that it extends only until the word חשמל, (1,4) and that what follows are headings for different aspects of what is known as מעשה מרכבה, “a description of G’d’s entourage.” [The author goes to some length to compare the construction of the cherubs, their appearance, the gold they were made of, etc., to the vision of Ezekiel. I have decided to omit this. Ed.]

... Our sages in Bereshit Rabbah 1,20 explain that the angels were created on the second day of creation and that the heaven described as רקיע was created on the same day. They understand the meaning of the directive יהי רקיע in Genesis 1,6 as a reference to the “heaven” inhabited by the angels known as chayot.

It is important for us to appreciate that the habitat of these chayot is in the seventh רקיע, the one known as ערבות. Our sages in Chagigah 12 stated this specifically.

Some Kabbalists believe that above that region is one called מעון, i.e. an eighth heaven. This heaven supposedly contains what are known in kabbalistic circles as נהרי שמחה, “rivers of joy.” This is why in the seven benedictions and the introduction to the grace after meals during wedding festivities we speak of the heavens as שהשמחה במעונו, “the heaven called Ma-on which contains joy.” Above that region is yet another heaven, the ninth, known as מכון. All the last three heavens together are part of what is known as ערבות. The holy chayot are within the general domain known as ערבות. The region known as מעון is inclined above their heads. The ninth heaven, the one called מכון, contains the throne of G’d’s attribute כבוד. We know that this is also part of the general region known as ערבות from David who speaks of סולו לרוכב בערבות בי-ה שמו, “extol Him who rides the regions of heaven known as ערבות, ‘the Lord” is His name” (Psalms 68,5). We have another verse referring to the region called מכון in Kings I 8,13 where Solomon describes that region as the one where G’d has His residence, eternally.

A kabbalistic approach to the two cherubs. Both the cherubs in the Tabernacle and the ones in the Temple were symbolic of the fire and the thunder the Israelites experienced during the revelation at Mount Sinai. Moses had reminded the people of their experience in Deut. 4,36 when he emphasised that the origin of these phenomena had been in heaven, i.e. מן השמים. They were both constructed of gold seeing that both were recipients of input from the attributes חסד and דין, Love, and Justice. They were constructed of a single chunk of gold, מקשה, to symbolise the underlying unity of these attributes. They were male and female respectively in order to teach that these two genders represent the משפיע and the מושפע, the initiating force and the responsive force respectively. The reason they were placed at opposite ends of the kapporet (verse 19) was that one represented the “head” i.e. the beginning of the בנין in the lower, terrestrial world, whereas the other represented the סוף, the conclusion of that בנין “construction.” This is what is implied in the wording מן הכפורת תעשו את הכרובים על שני קצותיו, “from the kapporet shall you make the two cherubs at its two ends.” והיו הכרובים פורשי כנפים למעלה, the meaning of these words is that the cherubs are to receive spiritual input from the celestial regions. ופניהם איש אל אחיו, “with their faces opposite each other.” Our sages (Baba Batra 89) explain that as long as the Jewish people carry out the will of their Lord the faces of the cherubs will be turned towards the kapporet like the student who lowers his eyes before the teacher out of deference and fear. We need to understand that the kapporet together with its cherubs is an allusion to the five “lower” regions who raise their wings in an upward direction, i.e. facing the five “upper regions.”

This concept helps you to understand how appropriate it was that the Tablets were underneath the cherubs inside the Ark. By facing the Ark with their faces (as opposed to their wings), the cherubs indicated that they looked for inspiration from the Torah (Tablets) below them inside the Ark. Just as we heard the Torah i.e. what is inscribed on the Tablets, through fire and thunder at Mount Sinai, the cherubs’ facial direction symbolised this. The reason that the Torah repeats once moreואל הארון תתן את העדות אשר אתן אליך, “and into the Ark you shall place the Testimony which I will give you,” is a warning that the Ark is not to remain empty, without the Tablets. This is similar to the instructions (Menachot 99) that the table is not to be empty overnight of the show-breads. The Tablets inside the Ark were a symbol of G’d’s Presence as described in Isaiah 26,4 and in Exodus 23,21, where the Presence of G’d in the Tabernacle is referred to. The cherubs which Ezekiel saw, i.e. the chayot hakodesh, corresponded to the cherubs in the Temple on the lid of the Ark. This is the meaning of what he said (Ezekiel 10,20): ואדע כי כרובים המה, “I realised that they were the cherubs.” Seeing that he had already seen cherubs which were chayot hakodesh, he realised that in a still higher region there were other cherubs, angels which he had not seen although he had seen a “sample, a pattern,” of them.

The cherubs which Ezekiel did see as well as the cherubs in the Tabernacle and the Temple all were a pattern of the cherubs in the higher celestial regions which he knew of but had not seen. The term “cherubs” includes such phenomena as the throne of G’d’s attribute כבוד; they are the ones to which Isaiah 64,10 referred when he said בית קדשנו ותפארתנו אשר הללוך אבותינו, “our holy Temple, our pride, where our fathers praised You.” You are aware that the sound of G’d’s voice was heard by Moses as emanating from between the two cherubs on the kapporet, from the single handbreadth of open space between their outstretched wings. This is where G’d had “compressed” His Shechinah. He did so although we have been told elsewhere (Jeremiah 23,24) “for I fill heaven and earth, says the Lord.”

You also find in Tanchuma Vayakhel 7 that Rabbi Joshua from Sakinin said: “the way to understand all this is by means of a parable: there was a cave at the beach of the sea. Whenever the sea was rough the cave was filled with water; nonetheless the sea did not appear to have lost any of its volume.” In a similar manner G’d compressed His Shechinah into a small space without impairing the truth of the statement in Psalms 148,13 הודו על ארץ ושמים, “that His splendour covers heaven and earth.”

When we consider the framework of man you will find that man possesses three special organs, each one of which is about the size of the space between the wings of the cherubs in the Tabernacle. These three organs contain the letters of the tetragrammaton, each organ, one of them. (The organs are מילה, פה,לשון — the male organ, the mouth and the tongue). The word הלב has the fourth letter of the tetragrammaton i.e. the second letter ה of the name “Hashem.”

Our sages in Bamidbar Rabbah 12,10 say that the kapporet on the Ark corresponds to the Seraphim in the celestial regions which are above the throne as we know from Isaiah 6,2 שרפים עומדים ממעל לו “Seraphim were standing ‘above’ him.” These Seraphim are “advisors” of the Shechinah. There are two of them. They too are part of the beings called cherubs.

סוככים בכנפיהם על הכפורת , “spreading their wings over the kapporet.” This verse refers to these cherubs which were 10 handbreadths in height; this is the source of the sages proving that the interior height of the Sukkah, exclusive of its covering must not be less than ten handbreadths (Sukkah 5). The cherubs occupied the lower third of the Tabernacle seeing that the interior of the Tabernacle was 10 cubits high and the cubit comprised 6 handbreadths. We have already shown that the height of the Ark including the kapporet but excluding the cherubs was also ten handbreadths, so that the cherubs occupied the upper ten of the lower 20 handbreadths. This is what was meant by the statement that they were standing in the “third” of the Tabernacle, i.e. the lower third. The words סוככים על הכפורת mean that there was enough space beneath their wings to form the minimum height for a Sukkah.

ועשית שלחן, “you are to construct a table.” It has already been demonstrated that there was a real need for the Ark seeing that it served to house the Tablets. The kapporet was also essential as it served as the lid for the Ark. The word כפורת is also derived from וכפרת אותה “you shall cover it,” used in connection with waterproofing the boards of the Ark of Noach (Genesis 6,14). The cherubs on top of the kapporet were needed to demonstrate that there are such beings as angels. This leaves the question of what need did the presence of the table actually fill? The question is equally relevant to the presence of the table in the Tabernacle as to its presence in the Temple.

According to the plain meaning of the text the table was needed in order that the show-breads which the Torah commanded to be ever-present in the Tabernacle (Temple) could be placed upon it. These show-breads were necessary as the basic minimum to which G’d’s bounty could attach itself. The weekly offerings of these show-breads were consumed by the priests who performed the service in the Tabernacle or Temple during the week in question. A small part of this bread was sufficient for many priests. Our sages in Yuma 39 illustrated this point when they said that if a priest received as little as the size of a bean of that bread this would suffice to still his hunger. This then is the reason that this structure was called “table,” seeing G’d provided His blessing for the bread which was placed upon it. From this table G’d’s blessing for the food of the Jewish people would proliferate to all parts of the country, indeed to all parts of the earth. This blessing was in the nature of a יש מיש , “something based on something else.” It was of the same category as that demonstrated by such prophets as Elijah and Elisha who were able to make a minute amount of flour or oil grow into huge amounts. It was a precondition for these prophets to have something, i.e. a “יש” to work with (compare Kings II 4,2 and Kings I 17,16). Creating something out of nothing is something reserved for G’d Himself and such power has not been given to any prophet. In fact we do not know that a type of יש מאין creative activity ever occurred again after G’d commenced creating His universe in such a fashion.

A Midrashic approach: the word שטים in the phrase ועשית שלחן עצי שטים, “you are to construct a table out of shittim wood,” may be understood as an acrostic of the first letters of the words שלום, טובה, ישועה, מחילה; we also find similar acrostics in connection with the Ark and the Altar, i.e. that these furnishings of the Tabernacle contained within them the essence of all the principal blessings man is in need of. In fact, the table (in each man’s house) symbolises the altar, the instrument through which man is able to achieve atonement for his errors. The bread on the table is considered as a surrogate for animal sacrifice on the altar provided man is generous and shares his blessings (food, etc.) with the poor. This is the deeper meaning of what the sages said (Berachot 55) when they commented on Ezekiel 41,22 והמזבח עץ שלוש אמות......וידבר אלי זה השלחן אשר לפני ה', “and the altar, a wooden block, three cubits high,.....and He said to me: ‘this is the table before Hashem.” The remarkable thing in that vision is that it commenced with the altar and concluded with the table. The message to Ezekiel was that as long as the Temple was standing and the altar was functioning, man’s atonement was achieved through the sacrifices offered on the altar. When there is no altar upon which to offer sacrifices, man must achieve his atonement by means of his table. ...

It became an accepted practice amongst the pious Jews of France to construct their caskets out of the wood of their tables in order to demonstrate the idea that their table become the means of their atonement just as death is the means to achieve our ultimate atonement. It also was to signify that man does not take with him any of the material things he enjoyed on earth. The only thing he can take with him is the evidence of the charitable deeds he performed while alive. The table was a prime symbol of such charitable deeds. This is also why the sages (Berachot 54) said that he who spends a long time over his meal will have his life extended.” [The idea is that the poor may come to his door while he is still eating and they will be invited to share. Ed.]

וציפית אותו זהב טהור, “you shall overlay it with pure gold.” We find here an allusion to the three basic benedictions which comprise our grace after meals which are considered as Biblical in nature. They are the acrostic formed by the respective first letters in the words זן, הארץ, בונה . forming the word זהב.

ועשית לו זר זהב, “you are to make for it a golden crown.” In the words זר זהב you can detect an allusion to the dynasty of the Kingdom of David.

A Kabbalistic approach: the table with its golden crown is an allusion to the attribute of Justice in the higher emanations. This is why it was positioned in the northern part of the Sanctuary which is also the “left side,” traditionally the side representing negative influences. We have a verse supporting this view in Job 37,22: “by the north wind the golden rays emerge.” The meaning of the statement that he who wishes to amass material gains should turn his attention to the north (Baba Batra 25), is that that is where the attribute גבורה is found. This is the reason that the table had two different colors in the two coverings used to transport it, i.e. red and blue (Numbers 4,7-8), The red corresponded to the attribute of Justice in the higher emanations, whereas the blue was symbolic of the attribute Justice in the lower terrestrial regions (the emanation מלכות) The procedure followed on the table was as follows: first they placed the show-breads on the table directly without anything intervening between the bread and the surface of the table. This is the meaning of the words; ולחם התמיד עליו יהיה, “and the constant bread shall remain on it.” (Numbers 4,7) They would spread a blue-coloured woolen cloth over the breads and all the various appurtenances of the table were placed on top of the blue-coloured woollen cloth and subsequently they would place the re-coloured woollen cloth on top of all this so that a symbol of the attribute of Justice in the higher emanations would be above the symbol of the attribute of Justice in the lowest emanation. The ‘Higher” attribute of Justice makes its impact on the lower attribute of Justice known as the emanation מלכות, the one alluded to by the word זהב formed by the acrostic we mentioned earlier, which hinted at the dynasty of David. [This was the procedure when the Israelites were moving. Ed.] The table thereby established a link between the concepts of מלכות in the celestial and the terrestrial regions respectively. This forms the background to he statement דוד מלך ישראל חי וקיים that “David King of Israel is alive and well.” [Renewal of the moon is reassurance concerning renewal of the active dynasty of David. Ed.] It is common knowledge that the blessing connected with the supply of material welfare is dependent on the goodwill and generosity of the king (govt.) and an example of this is found in the wording of the banquet given by King Ahasverus to his people where the Book of Esther 1,7 speaks of the lavishness being כיד המלך, “in accordance with the king’s generosity.” Our sages (Bamidbar Rabbah 4,14) also say that the table is a symbol of the כתר מלכות in the celestial regions. To sum up: the livelihood for mankind and the world has its origin in those regions. Both the celestial regions and the terrestrial regions receive their requirements from that source as this is the emanation from which טרף לביתה וחוק לנערותיה (Proverbs 31,15) “provisions for her household” are provided.

This makes it easier to understand the height of the table, i.e. 10 handbreadths plus what is on top of it [a total of 20 handbreadths when the superstructure of twice six layers of these breads housing the show breads one above the other is included, symbolising both celestial and terrestrial regions. Ed.]

ועשית קערותיו, “you shall construct its dishes, etc.” The forms in which the show breads were baked and displayed are called by the Torah קערה. Rashi explains the word to mean “its forms.” The form was made like the forms in which bread is baked, sort of a box broken in half from both directions. It had upright elevated sides. The surface of the bread was visible from three sides; this is why these loaves were called “show-breads,” as each loaf actually had three surfaces, “u” shaped.” There were two forms, one of iron and one of gold. The breads were baked in the iron form. When they came out of the oven they were placed in the golden forms and placed on the table where they remained until the following Sabbath. וכפותיו, “and its spoons.” the frankincense was placed inside these “spoons.” There were two of them each holding a kometz, fistful, of frankincense. One spoon of it was placed on each of the shelf-like arrangement holding the show-breads. וקשותיו, “and its shelving tubes.” These were hollow tubes cut in half to allow for air to circulate between the forms with the breads. ומנקיותיו, “and its pillars;” these were upright standing golden posts extending well above the height of the actual table and forming the anchors for the hollowed shelving tubes supporting the forms on which the show-breads were positioned. There are different opinions between the commentators as to the most appropriate translation of the word, especially in view of the apparent meaning of the word having to do with “cleanliness.” Probably, and in accordance with Onkelos, the meaning is “pillars of support.”

לחם פנים לפני תמיד, “show-breads before Me, always.” According to the plain meaning of the text the word פנים, literally, “face,” is used as three sides of these breads faced the onlooker. They were positioned in such a way that they “faced” three different directions inside the Tabernacle.

According to the Midrash the reason for the word פנים is that they were one handbreadth thick, and our sages said (Sukkah 5) that the word פנים is not used for something thinner than one handbreadth. We refer to Leviticus 16,2 אל פני הכפורת, “facing the kapporet,” and we had explained in connection with the Ark that the thickness of the kapporet was 1 handbreadth. We have another verse in Genesis 27,30 מאת פני יצחק אביו, “from the face of his father Yitzchak.” The face of a human being is never thinner than a handbreadth.

A Kabbalistic approach: the reason these breads were given the adjective פנים was because the Torah added לפני תמיד, “before Me, always, i.e. “facing Me always.” We have already explained the mystical dimension of the meaning of the word פנים in connection with Exodus 20,3 on the words לא יהיה לך......על פני.

ועשית מנורת זהב טהור, “you are to construct a golden lampstand.” According to the plain meaning of the text the purpose of the Menorah in both the Tabernacle and the Temple was to establish the lofty meaning of the Temple in the minds of people and their souls. They should forever display reverence for what the Temple stood for, just as the Torah wrote (Leviticus 19,30) ומקדשי תיראו, “and you shall be in awe of My Sanctuaries.” This is why the lampstand had to be positioned outside the dividing curtain and not beyond it like the Ark. This is why the Torah emphasizes this with the words מחוץ לפרוכת העדות באהל מועד יערוך אותו, “outside the dividing curtain within the Tent of Testimony he shall position it, etc.” It should be possible to be viewed by everyone who entered the Tabernacle and who left it. Furthermore, it should also teach that the Shechinah which was beyond the dividing curtain did not need to be supplied with light from us (humans). This is also why (refers to the need to make us awe-struck) it was constructed out of gold, the most precious of all the metals. The number of lamps on it were seven in order to correspond to the middle ground between a daily and a monthly cycle.

It is known that the soul itself benefits when lights are lit and it derives pleasure and joy from its light. Once the soul is in a joyous state its joy spreads seeing the soul itself is perceived as if it were hewn out of the light of man’s intelligence. This relationship between light and intelligence is the reason why the soul is drawn after light which is of its own kind although basically the “light” of our intelligence is essentially physical in nature, whereas the light represented by the soul is of a spiritual nature. This is why Solomon was able to compare a lamp (physical light) to the soul (spiritual light) when he said (Proverbs 20,27) “the soul is the light of the Lord.”

A Midrashic approach (Tanchuma Behaalotcha 5): The Menorah with its seven lamps corresponded to the seven fixed stars which orbit the whole globe; the meaning of these words is that these seven fixed stars are perceived as separate light bodies in the skies exerting their respective influences on the creatures in the terrestrial world and providing guidance for our world both by day and by night. The seven lamps on the Menorah were burning around the clock by day and by night just as the seven fixed stars supply their light by day and by night without interruption. The middle lamp represented the sun which is constant in its light and the center of the seven fixed stars.

A rational approach: The Menorah with its seven lamps is an allusion to the Torah which is generally known as אור, light. This is confirmed by the verse in Proverbs 20,27 we quoted earlier. Torah comprises seven different kinds (disciplines) of wisdoms (compare an analysis by Ibn Ezra). This is why the Menorah had seven lamps. The six arms which extended from the center shaft represented the six different directions in our three-dimensional terrestrial globe. They were to be a reminder that all parts and all extremities of this globe are dependent on the Torah which was given to the Jewish people on the sixth of Sivan and for the sake of which the earth continues to exist. This is what Jeremiah had in mind when he said (Jeremiah 33,25) “if it were not for My covenant (with the Jewish people through the Torah) which is the basis of day and night, etc.” שלשה גביעים משוקדים בקנה האחד, “three “cups” engraved like almonds on the one arm.” On each arm there were 3 such “cups.” This gives us a total of 18 “cups” for the six arms. The centre shaft of the Menorah had 4 “cups.” This means there were a total of 22 “cups.” This number corresponds to the letters in the Hebrew alphabet. These 22 letters are symbolic of 22 parts of the universe: wind, water, fire, the seven fixed stars, and the 12 signs of the zodiac. These letters in the Hebrew alphabet also are symbolized by the 22 parts of the human body: head, heart, kidneys, seven orifices of the body; 12 organs (compare Sefer Yetzirah). We note that the Menorah and its arms had 3 different “decorations;” there were “knobs,” “cups” and “flowers.” The “knob” was like a round apple which protruded from the centre shaft in every direction. The “knob” symbolized the world of the angels who are basking in the radiation of the Shechinah’s brilliance in uninterrupted delight. The roundness of the “apple” symbolized the idea that something was never ending, everlasting. Our sages in Taanit 31 alluded to this delight when they said: “in the future G’d is going to make a ‘circle’ for the righteous and His glory will be amongst them.” The word used by the sages is מחול, something round which has no beginning and no end. This is the reason spiritual delights are always described in such terms to remind us that they are something enduring, something permanent. The “cup” is a vessel which is a receptacle, it irrigates and provides water. This corresponds to the world of the planets and the atmosphere which at one and the same time receive beneficial input from the world of the angels and in turn distribute it beneficially to the inhabitants of the lower, terrestrial part of the universe. The “flower” symbolizes our terrestrial part of the universe on which all the outstanding people of earth spend their lives. They are characterized as flowers, plants, etc. The overall idea gained from the appearance of the Menorah is that the 22 letters of the Torah (alphabet) enable man to achieve this greatness in all three parts of the universe.

ומלקחיה ומחתותיה, “Its tongs and its fire pans,” it is well known that עצה ומחשבה, deliberation (counsel) and thought, are “tongs” with which to extract Torah-knowledge. This is what is meant by Proverbs 1,5: ונבון תחבולות יקנה, “and a man of understanding will attain wise counsel.” מחשבה, “thought,” originates in the heart. The Torah here compares the heart to a fire pan as just as the fire pan is a vessel from which one takes the fire to light the lamps so the heart is the instrument of the intelligence which a person employs in studying Torah. The lampstand's weight was a talent of gold (verse 39) neither less nor more. The reason the weight had to be precise was to remind us that one is not free to add or to detract from Torah in any manner. This is the meaning of Psalms 19,8 that תורת ה' תמימה, that “G’d’s Torah is perfect.” It was constructed out of a single chunk of gold to teach the unity of the Torah as is written (Exodus 12,49) תורה אחת, “a single Torah.” It was placed in the southern half of the Tabernacle as most wisdom is found in the south (Baba Batra 25). The land of Israel is known as ארץ הדרום, “the land of the south,” as it is situated climate-wise in the choicest locations of the earth’s seven climatic belts (compare author’s comment on Exodus 1,2-3). It is protected from extremes of heat and cold thus enabling people in it to think more clearly. This is the meaning of Bereshit Rabbah 16,3 that “the gold of that place is good” (Genesis 2,12). The Rabbis there comment that there is no ethical moral teaching (Torah) comparable to that of our Torah just as there is no wisdom comparable to the wisdom found in the land of Israel. Furthermore, the sages in Baba Batra 155 also taught that the very air one breathes in the land of Israel is causing one to become wiser.

It is worth reflecting on the fact that the table and the Menorah respectively were placed opposite each other (south and north) as the two spiritual “winds” represented by these two directions complement each other. This is why the Torah wrote (26,35) “you are to place the table outside the dividing curtain and the lampstand opposite it.” The reason for this is that in order for wisdom to endure its owner has to have the physical wherewithal, i.e. food and drink, etc. The table in the north is a symbol of material wealth as we have pointed out previously.

A kabbalistic approach: The Menorah alludes to all levels of emanations, excellence, superiority. The fact that it was made of a single chunk of gold symbolises the concept of perfect unity. The six “arms” protruding from the centre shaft in both directions symbolise the six proliferations from the centre line of the diagram of the emanations, ספירות. The lamp which burned on top of these arms symbolised בינה, insight, an emanation above the lower six and supplied with direct input from the essence of G’d. It is the lamp (light) which is described by Solomon as (the origin of) man’s soul (Proverbs 20,27). It was placed in the south opposite the emanation wisdom. This is the mystical dimension of the statement in Baba Batra 25 that “he who wishes to become rich should turn south.” The oil is also known as יצהר, corresponding to the crown, which is another word for the מאור הגדול, “the great luminary.” This is the mystical dimension of the significance of the oil used for anointing the High Priests and the kings (of the Davidic dynasty). When doing the anointing the figure of the letter כ was painted on the heads of the recipients (in oil), to symbolise the shape of the letter כ for כתר in that ceremony. Some hold that the pattern described during this anointing was the letters כ'י which would symbolise that the recipient was endowed with the emanations from “head to toe.” [According to Horiot 12 there were different patterns of oil traced on the heads of the priests and the Kings respectively. Ed.]

The word מנורת (in the possessive clause in verse 31) with the tone-sign tipcha underneath, an unusual use of the possessive clause at the beginning of the whole subject, may be understood to mean here that the whole concept of the Menorah is secondary (possessive clause) to our light. The possessive clause makes no sense unless there is at least another Menorah (or independent source of light) to which it can be compared. The “other” Menorah is the light provided by us humans studying the Torah. The possessive clause inherent in the word מנורת instead of מנורה does not only apply to the word זהב טהור, “pure gold,” of which the Menorah is to be constructed, Had this been the Torah’s intention there should be a connecting makkaf between the words מנורה and זהב. We find, for instance, that also the prophet Zecharyah mentions the Menorah in the possessive clause at the very first occasion when it is mentioned (compare Zecharyah 4,2 ראיתי והנה מנורת זהב כלה), and even though it is mentioned in the possessive clause the tone-signs there clearly indicate that the words מנורת זהב do not belong together but that the word מנורת is to be read as belonging to what was written before, i.e. ראיתי, and not to the words זהב כלה “all made of gold.” The reason for this is that the author wanted to emphasise that the material aspect of the fact that the Menorah in the vision was made of gold was of very subordinate significance. The possessive clause was used only to draw attention to the fact that there was another luminary which served as the inspiration for this physical luminary, the golden Menorah. The possessive clause was to alert the reader to some hidden Menorah which is in some relationship to the one mentioned in this verse. The deliberate separation of the word “gold” and “Menorat” is designed to show how different the “other,” unmentioned Menorah is from the one mentioned in the verse.

ככר זהב יעשה אותה את כל הכלים האלה, “he is to make it out of a talent of gold with all these vessels.” The Menorah with its lamps comprised a total of one talent (weight). The other subsidiary vessels such as the tongs, etc., were not included in the weight given here by the Torah (Menachot 88). The verse is to be read as follows: “he shall make it out of one talent of gold together with its integral parts, i.e. the arms protruding from its centre shaft; all of these vessels are to be made of pure gold.”

This is also the way the Torah reports the execution of these instructions in 37,24: “of a talent of pure gold he made it and all its utensils.” The words: “and all its utensils” refer to the fact that they were of pure gold, not to the fact that they were part of the talent of gold mentioned. The weight measurement “one talent” refers only to the lampstand and the lamps. This is what the Talmud taught in Menachot 88. The Talmud there says expressly that the words must be read in such a way that the extra words את כל כליה, mean that all its utensils were to be made of gold, whereas only the Menorah itself and its lamps were to be part of the talent of pure gold mentioned.

Rabbeinu Chananel, in connection with the symbolic/moral meaning of these various furnishings of the Tabernacle writes that the Ark was an allusion to the truly righteous and learned individual whose interior matches his exterior and vice versa. This is the meaning of the Ark being covered with gold both on the inside and on the outside. Just as the bottom of the Ark had an area of two and one half cubits by one and a half cubits giving us a total of 4 square cubits minus one quarter cubit square, so the righteous person should remain constantly aware that the four elements which make up his physicality should not become the sum total of his existence but should be augmented liberally with physical matters such as the performance of good deeds for others, etc. Just as the walls of the Ark when combined were twelve cubits (when measuring the combined total of the outside dimensions 1.5x2.5 1,5+2.5 +1,5+2.5) seeing the long walls measured a total of 7.5 cubits and the shorter walls forming the sides measured 4,5 cubits, so the righteous person is expected to fulfill all the 12 conditions mentioned in Psalm 15,1 as the qualifications for dwelling in G’d’s holy precincts (the entire Psalm is devoted to listing these 12 requirements). If one wishes to attain a loftier level of relative perfection than that of a “mere” righteous individual, the next step up is becoming a נביא a prophet, or at least acquiring the spiritual level expected of a prophet. This is symbolised by the kapporet above the Ark. The fact that the entire kapporet was made of pure gold, that it was not only overlaid with gold, indicates that it symbolises something even purer than the Ark itself. We know that a prophet is considered as כלו צדק, “totally righteous” from Proverbs 8,8 “all the words of my mouth are with righteousness.” The cherubs above the kapporet are an allusion to the angels, beings on an even higher spiritual level than the prophets. They were spreading their wings heavenward in an allusion to their striving to be near the Shechinah which is higher than the angels seeing the angels are the throne, ever ready to welcome the attribute of כבוד, occupant of that throne. This is the meaning of the words in verse 20 אל הכפורת יהיו פני הכרובים, “the faces of the cherubs will be turned toward the kapporet.” They had to look downwards towards the lid and were forbidden to gaze at the Shechinah. Above everything is G’d Himself as is written in Samuel II 6,2: אשר נקרא שם שם ה' צבאות יושב הכרובים עליו, ”to which the Name was attached, the name of the Lord of Hosts Enthroned on the cherubs.” Solomon also constructed the cherubs in the Temple out of wood as is written (Kings I 6,23) “he made in the sanctuary two cherubs out of olive wood.” The table represented the kings of Israel who entertain the scholars of Israel at their table. This is what David told his son Solomon on his death-bed: “Barzilai‘s sons shall be amongst the people who are regular guests at your table” (Kings I 2,7). We also have a verse in Kings I 5,2 describing the lavishness of King Solomon’s table and the quantities of food consumed on a daily basis. The Torah, in describing the table in the Tabernacle as overlaid with gold, illustrates that the function of Royalty was primarily to make a great impression on the outside world. After Samuel had told Saul that he would be replaced as king by someone more worthy, Saul still begged the prophet to honour him at least in public as he wanted to maintain the appearance of power although he knew this was no longer his position (compare Samuel I 15,30). The reason that the length of the table was two cubits was in order to symbolise two requirements of every king. 1) He must be competent in meting out justice; 2) he must be competent in waging war. This is what the people had told the prophet Samuel when they asked him to appoint a king for them (Samuel I 8,20). They said: “that we may be like all the other nations; let our king rule over us and go out at our head and fight our battles.” The size and height of the walls which amount to nine cubits symbolise the nine commandments specifically addressed to a Jewish King. They are: 1) “he shall not keep many horses,” or 2) “send people back to Egypt to add to his horses;” 3) “he shall not have too many wives.” 4) “He shall not become haughty,” and 5) “he must not turn away from G’d’s commandments to right or to the left.” 6) “he shall write for himself 2 copies of the Torah.” 7) “He shall read in the Torah every day of his life.” 8) “He shall not amass too much silver and gold.” 9) “He shall not turn away from the commandments.” (Deut. 17,8-20.) The purpose of the border around the table was to prevent the show-breads sliding off it for whatever reason. It was intended to protect the show-breads just as the priests and the Levites are supposed to be on guard against the kings deviating from the path of the Torah. We have an example of this in Chronicles II 24,2: “Yoash (the King) did what was right in the eyes of the Lord as long as Yehoyadah the High Priest was alive.” In connection with King Uzziah we read in Chronicles II 26,5: “he applied himself to the worship of G’d during the time of Zechariah, instructor of the visions of G’d.” All the details that the Torah writes about in connection with all the vessels of the Tabernacle have similar moral allusions. The Ark represents the righteous people. The table corresponds to the kings of Israel. The Menorah corresponds to the scholars of Israel. The golden altar corresponds to the priests, whereas the copper altar corresponds to the people of Israel at large. Thus far Rabbeinu Chananel.

וראה ועשה בתבניתם , “See and construct according to their pattern, etc.” It would seem that the preposition כ would have been more appropriate here than the preposition ב seeing that this is the preposition always used when two matters are being compared as being similar in some respects though not in all respects. Seeing that what Moses had been shown was only a mental image and he had not seen a physical pattern or miniature, it would therefore appear to have been appropriate for the Torah to write כתבניתם. Why then did the Torah write בתבניתם as if the construction of the Tabernacle and everything connected with it corresponded in detail to all he had been shown on the Mountain? This argument is also reflected in our sages quoting Moses as saying to G’d: “from where am I going to take all the red fire, white fire, green fire, and black fire which You have shown me as the pattern?” (Bamidbar Rabbah 12,10)

It is important to understand the difference between the preposition ב and the preposition כ in Hebrew. The best way to illustrate this is to look at the words בצלמנו כדמותנו, “in our image and in our likeness.” Why do we have two different prepositions in that verse in Genesis 1,26? The answer is that the word צלם refers to a “form” which is a strictly abstract term, describing something in the mind, something spiritual in nature. The word applies to disembodied creatures, creatures whose essence is spiritual. The word דמות on the other hand, refers to the corresponding idea in the physical world, describing creatures with bodies. When G’d created man He said that in some essential respects man would be like the disembodied beings in the heavens, like the angels. In other, less essential respects he would be different seeing that he would have a body. This difference is indicated by the use of two different prepositions when referring to צלם and דמות respectively. Seeing that man’s likeness to the angels was primary, the “face,” the preposition ב reflected this when the Torah writes בצלמנו. Seeing that what Moses saw and what was constructed corresponded in essence to what he had been shown, the Torah was correct in writing בתבניתם.