ראה קראתי בשם בצלאל, “See, I have called by name, Betzalel.” Moses repeats this description of Betzalel’s qualifications when he says to them in This was necessary, as it was a miracle that a people who had been forced to perform basic slave labour for hundreds of years should have produced among themselves artisans capable of performing highly skilled work such as was envisioned for the making of the priestly garments, and for the furnishings of the Tabernacle. Betzalel, personally, had been endowed by G’d not only with the wisdom to carry out the physical work required, but he had been endowed with the spiritual insights necessary to comprehend the mystical aspects of the Tabernacle and everything connected with it. He was fully aware of the significance of both the materials used, the measurements G’d had commanded, and the manner in which the entire project represented a re-enactment of מעשה בראשית, the way in which G’d had created the universe. Our sages, in attempting to give us an inkling of all this, stated that G’d had shown Betzalel the book of Adam, the first human being. They meant that just as Adam, initially, had been on intimate terms with his Creator, so Betzalel had been endowed with something parallel, as much as this is possible in the present imperfect world. Some commentators interpret the word: “ראה” as meaning “I want you to know that in My eyes this man appears to be good.” Seeing that this is so, I want you, Moses, to relate to him in a similar manner.

ואת בגדי השרד, “and the knit vestments, etc.” According to Rashi the vestments mentioned here were the covers in which the furnishings of the Tabernacle were wrapped while the Israelites were en route from one encampment to the next. The literal meaning of the word שרד appears to be that the fabric of these vestments was very porous, like knitwear. According to Nachmanides this is not the issue, but the word שרד indicates that only one single kind of yarn was used in the construction of these covers, as opposed to the ceremonial garments of the High Priest which consisted of a variety of yarns all used in the making of a single garment. At any rate, I have an additional and basic difficulty with Rashi’s commentary. It appears unlikely that G’d would instruct Moses to have vestments made without telling him how many, what size, and what materials these were to be made of. Furthermore, what is astounding, if Rashi were correct, is that such auxiliary vestments would be mentioned ahead of the ceremonial garments of Aaron, or even before the garments of the ordinary priests. Moreover, the expression לשרת בקודש used in 35,19 is totally incomprehensible; what “service” would these vestments possibly perform if their purpose were just to serve as covers for the Tabernacle’s furnishings? Also what is the meaning of the words in verse 6 ועשו את כל אשר צויתיך, “they are to do in accordance with all that I commanded you,” and what follows are a list of things including the בגדי השרד?” Seeing the making of the בגדי השרד had not been commanded to Moses as yet how could they have been included in what is described in verses 7-11? From the words of our sages it would appear that the vestments referred to as בגדי השרד are none other than the priestly garments, and the reason that they are here referred to by the description בגדי השרד, is that the wearer be uniquely distinguished among his people. The word שריד appears in a similar context as referring to the unique phenomenon of someone escaping the general slaughter of Israel’s enemies in Joshua 8,22, and again in the sense of someone unique in Jeremiah The message here is that only one single individual in his generation may be clothed in these garments, i.e. the High Priest Aaron, and after his death the High Priest who replaces him. This may also be the reason why these garments are referred to for all times as בגדי אהרן, Aaron’s garments, not plain “the High Priest’s garments.” The term בגדי אהרן reflects the unique honour bestowed upon Aaron for whom these garments were designed and fashioned. It is not for nothing that the Torah refers to these garments as being לכבוד ולתפארת, “as marks of honour and glory.” This is also why in our literature the term בגדי השרד is equated with בגדי מלכות, “Royal garments,” garments reflecting the glory and authority of the king. As such they become automatically בגדי הקודש, the garments reflecting the sacred duties performed by their wearer. No one else is allowed to wear them. [we know of the unique image of the wearer of these garments when Haman desired to be dressed in the king’s clothes as a mark of the king’s regard for him. Esther, 6, 7-10. Ed.] When we are told in Parshat Pekudey that these garments were woven from blue wool, purple coloured wool, and red wool; it is noticeable that on that occasion no mention is made of the material שש, i.e. fine linen; the reason is that linen, even the finest linen, was considered as inferior to the three kinds of dyed wool mentioned. (compare Exodus) Possibly, there had been no excess donations of these three kinds of woolen threads. Seeing that in our verse the mention of the purpose of these garments to perform holy service in them has been omitted, the Torah may instead have referred to them as בגדי השרד as an alternate way of informing us of the distinction of these garments.

אך את שבתותי תשמורו, “However, you must observe My Sabbaths;” a reference to the numerous Sabbath days during the year. Rashi, pointing out that the word אך always precedes a restrictive clause, claims that the verse in front of us specifically addresses the subject of interrupting the construction of even such a sacred project as the building of the Tabernacle in order not to desecrate the Sabbath. Nachmanides questions Rashi’s interpretation, saying that on the contrary, the restrictive nature of the words אך and רק, should be interpreted as lifting the normal restrictions on building activity on the Sabbath out of deference to the sacred nature of the task of building a residence for G’d on earth. In all other examples of the words אך and רק where these appear in conjunction with a Torah commandment, the commandment’s applicability is limited as a result. If we were to interpret the appearance of this word here as a limitation on the work of the Tabernacle, the result would be that it may proceed even on the Sabbath. Other examples of such a restrictive clause being applied on account of these words result in circumcision on the eight’s day overriding the laws of the Sabbath; similarly, the commandment to save a life which is in danger overrides any forbidden activity of the Sabbath, if the life to be saved is in danger on the Sabbath. The Talmud Yerushalmi 8,5 in Yuma actually quotes our verse here as the source that saving someone’s life on the Sabbath when it involves violation of Biblical prohibitions on the Sabbath is not only permitted but mandatory. However, Rabbi Yochanan there adds that where the life in danger is so only marginally, violation of the Sabbath is not permitted on account of this. Mention of the Sabbath here must be viewed as the exception to the general rule in which the words אך and רק are applied, and that is why work on the Tabernacle was interrupted for the sake of observing the Sabbath. The plain meaning of our verse is: “keep working on the sacred project of building the Tabernacle but do not allow this project to interfere with observance of the Sabbath in any shape or form in order to complete this work sooner.”

ויתן אל משה, “He gave to Moses, etc.” Nachmanides writes that the subject of the word ויתן in our verse is the word אלוקים, although it appears only at the end of our verse. The construction is similar, in a sense, to Exodus 20,1 where the lineוידבר אלוקים את כל הדברים האלה , “G’d said all these words, etc.,” refer to what is yet to come, instead of to something that preceded it. The same is true in connection with the Tablets, where the Torah describes these Tablets as having been made by the Lord and inscribed by the Lord only in The handing over of the Tablets to Moses certainly preceded the end of G’d’s dialogue with Moses as is evident from