ויקהל משה AND MOSES ASSEMBLED [ALL THE CONGREGATION OF THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL] — on the morrow after the Day of Atonement when he came down from the mountain. It (the word ויקהל) is used in the verbal form that expresses the idea of causing a thing to be done, because one does not actually assemble people with one’s hands, but they are assembled by his command. The Targum therefore should be ואכניש (not וכנש as some editions have).

ששת ימים SIX DAYS [MAY WORK BE DONE] — He intentionally mentioned to them the prohibition in reference to the Sabbath before the command about the building of the Tabernacle in order to intimate that it does not set aside (supersede) the Sabbath (cf. Mekhilta).

לא תבערו אש YE SHALL NOT KINDLE A FIRE [THROUGHOUT YOUR HABITATIONS ON THEE SABBATH DAY] — There are some of our Rabbis who say that the law about kindling fire is singled out (more lit., goes forth from the general proposition; i. e. it is specially mentioned here although it is included in לא תעשה כל מלאכה, the law prohibiting all work on Sabbath) in order to constitute it a mere negative command (thus indicating that, like all other negative commands, its infringement is punishable by lashes but does not make the offender liable to death as does the doing of other work on Sabbath). Others, however, say that it was singled out in order to separate the various kinds of work comprised in the term כל מלאכה (thus indicating that each transgression of the Sabbath law is to be atoned for separately if several of them have been committed at the same time and under the same circumstances) (cf. Shabbat 70a; Yevamot 6b; Sanhedrin 35b; cf. also Pesachim 5b).

זה הדבר אשד צוה ה׳ THIS IS THE THING WHICH THE LORD COMMANDED me, לאמר TO TELL you.

נדיב לבו [WHOSOEVER] IS OF A WILLING HEART — Because his heart prompts one to generosity, he is called נדיב לב, one who is prompted to generosity by the heart. I have already explained the various materials which formed the contribution towards the Tabernacle and the work done for it in the passages where the commands about them were given.

את המשכן THE TABERNACLE — The lower curtains which were visible within the building are called משכן.

את אהלו ITS TENT — this is the covering of goats’ skins which was made to serve as a roofing.

ואת מכסהו AND ITS COVERING — the covering of rams’ skins and tachash skins.

ואת פרכת המסך means THE CURTAIN OF (that serves for) PARTITIONING — Everything that screens an object, whether it hangs above or in front of it is called מָסָךְ or סְכַךְ. Of similar meaning are: (Job 1:10) “[Hast Thou not] put a partition in front of him?” (שכת = סכת); (Hosea 2:8) “Behold I will partition off (סך = שך) thy way [with thorns]”.

לחם הפנים THE SHOW BREAD — I have already explained (Exodus 25:29) that it was so called because it had two faces turning in this direction and in that, because it was made like a case open on two sides.

ואת כליה AND ITS VESSELS — the tongs and snuff-dishes.

נרתיה ITS LAMPS — luces in old French — bowls into which the oil and the wicks were placed.

ואת שמן המאר AND THE OIL ALSO FOR THE LIGHT — This also required wise-hearted men for preparing it (and therefore Scripture mentions it also after its statement v. 10 “And every wise hearted man … shall make…”), for it was different from other oils, as it is explained in Menachot 86a: he lets it (the olive) ripen on the top of the olive-tree etc. and thus it (the oil) is “beaten and yet clear” as Scripture prescribes (Exodus 27:20).

מסך הפתח THE SCREEN FOR THE ENTRANCE — the curtain that was in front of the east side of the Tabernacle, for there were neither boards nor curtains there.

את עמדיו ואת אדניה ITS COLUMNS AND ITS SOCKETS — עמדיו has a masculine and אדניה a feminine suffix; thus חצר is here used as (lit., called) masculine and feminine noun. Similar it is with many things (cf. Rashi on Genesis 32:9).

ואת מסך שער החצר AND THE SCREEN FOR THE GATE OF THE ENCLOSURE — the curtain which was hanging on the east side covering the twenty middle cubits in the width of the enclosure which latter was fifty cubits wide. Of this fifteen cubits on the north side were closed by hangings and so, too, on the south side, as it is said, (Exodus 27:14, 15) “The hangings of one side of the gate shall be fifteen cubits … [and on the other side shall be hangings fifteen cubits]”.

יתדת THE PINS — in order to insert them into the ground and to fasten thereby the edges of the curtains that they should not be moved about by the wind.

מיתריהם THEIR CORDS to bind with.

בגדי השרד THE KNITTED GARMENTS — to cover up the Ark, the table, the candelabrum and the altars at the time of removing and packing up the articles in the Tabernacle when they set out on their journeyings.

על הנשים means with the women and closely following them.

חח is a circular golden ornament placed upon the arm; it is the צמיד which is often mentioned in Scripture (cf. e. g., Numbers 31:50).

כומז was a golden ornament worn by the women upon their private parts, Our Rabbis explain the name כּוּמָז as [an acrostic]: כַּאן מְקוֹם זִמָּה, [meaning] here is the place of licentiousness. (cf. Shabbat 64a).

וכל איש אשר נמצא אתו AND EVERY MAN WITH WHOM WAS FOUND blue purple, or red purple, or crimson, or rams’ skins, or tachash skins — all of them brought whatever they had.

טוו את העזים [AND THE WOMEN] SPUN THE GOATS’ HAIR (lit., the goats) — This required extraordinary skill, for they spun it (the goats’ hair) from off the backs of the goats (whilst it was still on the living animals) (Shabbat 99a).

והנשאם הביאו AND THE PRINCES BROUGHT [ONYX STONES] R. Nathan asked, “What reason had the princes to give their contributions at the dedication of the altar (Numbers 7:12ff.) first of all the people, whereas at the work of the Tabernacle they were not the first, but the last to contribute?” But — replied he — the princes spoke thus: “Let the community in general contribute all they with to give and what will then be lacking we shall supply” But when the community gave everything needed in its entirety — as it is said, (Exodus 36:7) “For the stuff they had was enough [for all the work to make it, and some was left]” — the princes asked, “What can we now do?” therefore הביאו את אבני השהם וגו׳ THEY BROUGHT THE ONYX STONES etc. That is why they were the first to contribute at the consecration of the altar. Because, however, they were dilatory at the beginning, a letter is missing here from their title (thus intimating that something, viz., zeal was lacking in them): for it is written והנשאם instead of והנשיאים (Numbers Rabbah 12:16).

חור HUR was the son the Miriam (Sotah 11b; cf. Rashi on Exodus 24:14).

ואהליאב AND OHOLIAB — he was of the tribe of Dan, of one of the lowest of the tribes, of the sons of the handmaids, and yet the Omnipresent placed him with regard to the work of the Tabernacle on a level with Bezalel although he was a member of one of the noble tribes (Judah)! in order to confirm what Scripture says, (Job 34:19) “He regardeth not the rich more than the poor” (Midrash Tanchuma 2:10:13).