Chumashחומש

ואת פארי המגבעת. תִּפְאֶרֶת הַמִּגְבָּעוֹת – הַמִּגְבָּעוֹת הַמְּפֹאָרוֹת:

ואת פארי המגבעות means the beauty of the high caps — this is equivalent to: the beautiful high caps.

לתת על המצנפת מלמעלה. וְעַ"יְ הַפְּתִילִים הָיָה מוֹשִׁיבוֹ עַל הַמִּצְנֶפֶת כְּמִין כֶּתֶר; וְאִ"אֶ לוֹמַר הַצִּיץ עַל הַמִּצְנֶפֶת, שֶׁהֲרֵי בִשְׁחִיטַת קָדָשִׁים שָׁנִינוּ שְׂעָרוֹ הָיָה נִרְאֶה בֵּין צִיץ לַמִּצְנֶפֶת שֶׁשָּׁם מֵנִיחַ תְּפִלִּין, וְהַצִּיץ הָיָה נָתוּן עַל הַמֶּצַח, הֲרֵי הַמִּצְנֶפֶת לְמַעְלָה וְהַצִּיץ לְמַטָּה, וּמַהוּ עַל הַמִּצְנֶפֶת מִלְמָעְלָה? וְעוֹד הִקְשֵׁיתִי בָהּ – כָּאן הוּא אוֹמֵר וַיִּתְּנוּ עָלָיו פְּתִיל תְּכֵלֶת, וּבְעִנְיַן הַצַּוָּאָה הוּא אוֹמֵר וְשַׂמְתָּ אוֹתוֹ עַל פְּתִיל תְּכֵלֶת? וְאוֹמֵר אֲנִי, פְּתִיל תְּכֵלֶת זֶה חוּטִין הֵן, לְקָשְׁרוֹ בָּהֶן בַּמִּצְנֶפֶת – לְפִי שֶׁהַצִּיץ אֵינוֹ אֶלָּא מֵאֹזֶן לְאֹזֶן וּבַמֶּה יִקְשְׁרֶנּוּ בְמִצְחוֹ? – וְהָיוּ קְבוּעִין בּוֹ חוּטֵי תְכֵלֶת לִשְׁנֵי רָאשָׁיו וּבְאֶמְצָעִיתוֹ, שֶׁבָּהֶן קוֹשְׁרוֹ וְתוֹלֵהוּ בַמִּצְנֶפֶת כְּשֶׁהוּא בְרֹאשׁוֹ, וּשְׁנֵי חוּטִין הָיוּ בְּכָל קָצֶה וְקָצֶה, אֶחָד מִמַּעַל וְאֶחָד מִתַּחַת לְצַד מִצְחוֹ, וְכֵן בְּאֶמְצָעוֹ, שֶׁכָּךְ הוּא נֹחַ לִקְשֹׁר, וְאֵין דֶּרֶךְ קְשִׁירָה בְּפָחוֹת מִשְּׁנֵי חוּטִין, לְכָךְ נֶאֱמַר עַל פְּתִיל תְּכֵלֶת, וְעָלָיו פְּתִיל תְּכֵלֶת, וְקוֹשֵׁר רָאשֵׁיהֶם הַשְּׁנַיִם כֻּלָּן יַחַד מֵאֲחוֹרָיו לְמוּל עָרְפּוֹ, וּמוֹשִׁיבוֹ עַל הַמִּצְנֶפֶת; וְאַל תִּתְמַהּ שֶׁלֹּא נֶאֱמַר פְּתִילֵי תְכֵלֶת הוֹאִיל וּמְרֻבִּין הֵן, שֶׁהֲרֵי מָצִינוּ בְחֹשֶׁן וְאֵפוֹד וַיִּרְכְּסוּ אֶת הַחֹשֶׁן … בִּפְתִיל תְּכֵלֶת, וְעַל כָּרְחֲךָ פָּחוֹת מִשְּׁנַיִם לֹא הָיוּ שֶׁהֲרֵי בִשְׁנֵי קְצוֹת הַחֹשֶׁן הָיוּ ב' טַבְּעוֹת הַחֹשֶׁן, וּבִשְׁתֵּי כִתְפוֹת הָאֵפוֹד הָיוּ ב' טַבְּעוֹת הָאֵפוֹד, שֶׁכְּנֶגְדָן, וּלְפִי דֶּרֶךְ קְשִׁירָה ד' חוּטִין הָיוּ וּמִכָּל מָקוֹם פָּחוֹת מִשְּׁנַיִם אִ"אֶ:

לתת על המצנפת מלמעלה TO FASTEN IT ON HIGH UPON THE MITRE — and by means of the threads he placed it on the mitre as though it were a kind of crown. It is, however, impossible to say that לתת על המצנפת means to put the plate on the mitre, for in the Treatise on the Slaughter of the Sacrifices (Zevachim 19a) we learn: His (the High Priest’s) hair was visible between the plate and the mitre, whereon he placed the Tephillin”. Now the plate rested on his forehead (cf. Exodus 28:38), consequently the mitre was above (on the crown of the head) and the plate beneath (on the forehead). What then can be the meaning of “to fasten it on high upon the mitre”? Besides, I have put another question about this: here it says, “and they put upon it (the plate) a thread of blue purple” and in the section where the command is given it states, (Exodus 28:37) “And thou shalt put it on a blue purple string” (so that the plate was above the thread, not beneath it as is here commanded). I therefore say that this פתיל of blue purple mentioned here was not an ornament but threads by which to tie it (the plate) on the mitre. For the plate reached only from one ear to the other, so with what could they tie it to his forehead? So blue purple threads were attached to it at its (the plate’s) two ends and on the middle by means of which they tied it on and hung it on the mitre whenever this was on his head. There were two threads on each end (of the plate) one on its upper side and the other underneath, on the side next to the forehead and so also at the middle of it (the plate) — because in this way it was easy to tie it on. Since, however, the way of tying a thing on is by not less than two threads the text is justified in saying both, (Exodus 23:37) “[And thou shalt put it] on a blue purple thread” and here “and they put upon it a thread of blue purple”. He (the High Priest) tied both ends of all of them (of all the threads) together behind him on his neck, and thus placed it (the plate) on the mitre. Do not be puzzled because it does not say “threads of blue purple” seeing that there were many (three double threads altogether), for we find the same thing in the case of the breast-plate and the ephod: (Exodus 28:28) “And they shall fasten the breast-plate by the rings thereof unto the rings of the ephod … with a string (and not with strings) of blue purple” and you must admit that there could not have been less than two strings, for at the two ends of the breast-plate were the two rings of the breast-plate and on the two shoulder-pieces of the ephod were the two rings of the ephod opposite to them. Now according to the way the breast-plate was tied on there were four threads, and under any circumstances with less than two it would have been impossible to tie it on, and yet Scripture speaks of “a string” of blue purple.

ויעשו בני ישראל. אֶת הַמְּלָאכָה ככל אשר צוה ה' וגו':

ויעשו בני ישראל AND THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL MADE the work ככל אשר צוה ה' וגו׳ ACCORDING TO ALL THAT THE LORD COMMANDED MOSES [SO DID THEY] or [SO THEY MADE IT].

ויביאו את המשכן וגו'. שֶׁלֹּא הָיוּ יְכוֹלִין לַהֲקִימוֹ; וּלְפִי שֶׁלֹּא עָשָׂה מֹשֶׁה שׁוּם מְלָאכָה בַמִּשְׁכָּן, הִנִּיחַ לוֹ הַקָּבָּ"ה הֲקָמָתוֹ, שֶׁלֹּא הָיָה יָכוֹל לַהֲקִימוֹ שׁוּם אָדָם מֵחֲמַת כֹּבֶד הַקְּרָשִׁים, שֶׁאֵין כֹּחַ בָּאָדָם לְזָקְפָן, וּמֹשֶׁה הֶעֱמִידוֹ; אָמַר מֹשֶׁה לִפְנֵי הַקָּבָּ"ה אֵיךְ אֶפְשָׁר הֲקָמָתוֹ עַ"יְ אָדָם? אָמַר לוֹ עֲסֹק אַתָּה בְּיָדְךָ, וְנִרְאֶה כִּמְקִימוֹ וְהוּא נִזְקָף וְקָם מֵאֵלָיו, וְזֶהוּ שֶׁנֶּ' הוּקַם הַמִּשְׁכָּן (שמות מ') – הוּקַם מֵאֵלָיו; מִדְרַשׁ רַ' תַנְחוּמָא:

ויביאו את המשכן וגו׳ AND THEY BROUGHT THE TABERNACLE [UNTO MOSES etc.], for they themselves were unable to erect it. Since Moses had done no work in the Mishkan, the Holy One, blessed is He, left for him the task of erecting it, for nobody was able to set it up because of the weight of the boards which no human strength was capable of setting up. Moses, however, succeeded in placing it in position. Moses said to the Holy One, blessed be He, “How is its erection possible by human beings?” God answered him: “You be busy with your hand!” He appeared to be erecting it, but in fact it set itself up and rose of its own accord. That is why Scripture says, (Exodus 40:17) “The Tabernacle was erected (הוקם)” — was erected by itself. This is a Midrash of Rabbi Tanchuma 2:11:11.

ויברך אתם משה. אָמַר לָהֶם יְהִי רָצוֹן שֶׁתִּשְׁרֶה שְׁכִינָה בְמַעֲשֵׂה יְדֵיכֶם, וִיהִי נֹעַם ה' אֱלֹהֵינוּ עָלֵינוּ וְגוֹ', וְהוּא אֶחָד מִי"א מִזְמוֹרִים שֶׁבִּתְפִלָּה לְמֹשֶׁה (ספרא):

ויברך אתם משה AND MOSES BLESSED THEM — He said to them “May it be the will of God that His Shechinah rest upon the work of your hands; ‘and let the beauty of the Lord our God be upon us and establish Thou the work of our hands upon us’” (Psalms 90:17.) (Sifra, Shemini, Mechilta d'Miluim 2 15) This (from ויהי נועם onward) is part of one of the eleven Psalms (90—100) that are in the section beginning with, תפלה למשה; (Numbers Rabbah 12:9).