Chumashחומש

פרכת. לְשׁוֹן מְחִצָּה הוּא, וּבִלְשׁוֹן חֲכָמִים פַּרְגּוֹד דָּבָר הַמַּבְדִּיל בֵּין הַמֶּלֶךְ וּבֵין הָעָם:

פרכת is a term denoting a partition; in the language of the Sages (in Rabbinical Hebrew) פרגוד is something which separates the king from the people (Berakhot 18b).

תכלת וארגמן. כָּל מִין וָמִין הָיָה כָפוּל בְּכָל חוּט וָחוּט שִׁשָּׁה חוּטִין:

תכלת וארגמן BLUE PURPLE, AND RED PURPLE — every material was intertwined in each strand by six threads (Yoma 71b).

מעשה חשב. כְּבָר פֵּרַשְׁתִּי שֶׁזּוֹ הִיא אֲרִיגָה שֶׁל שְׁתֵּי קִירוֹת, וְהַצִּיּוּרִין שֶׁמִּשְּׁנֵי עֲבָרֶיהָ אֵינָן דּוֹמִין זֶה לָזֶה:

מעשה חשב THE WORK OF AN ARTIST — I have already explained (v. 9) that this is a weaving on the two surfaces, the designs on the two sides not being similar to one another.

כרבים. צִיּוּרִין שֶׁל בְּרִיּוֹת יַעֲשֶׂה בָהּ:

כרבים CHERUBIM — i. e. he shall make on it figures of different creatures.

ארבעה עמודי שטים. תְּקוּעִים בְּתוֹךְ אַרְבָּעָה אֲדָנִים, וְאוּנְקְלִיּוֹת קְבוּעִין בָּהֵן, עֲקֻמִּים לְמַעְלָה, לְהוֹשִׁיב עֲלֵיהֶן כְּלוֹנָס שֶׁרֹאשׁ הַפָּרֹכֶת כָּרוּךְ בָּהּ, וְהָאוּנְקְלִיּוֹת הֵן הַוָּוִין – שֶׁהֲרֵי כְמִין וָוִין הֵן עֲשׂוּיִים – וְהַפָּרֹכֶת אָרְכָּהּ עֶשֶׂר אַמּוֹת לְרָחְבּוֹ שֶׁל מִשְׁכָּן וְרָחְבָּהּ עֶשֶׂר אַמּוֹת כְּגָבְהָן שֶׁל קְרָשִׁים, פְּרוּסָה בִּשְׁלִישִׁית שֶׁל מִשְׁכָּן, שֶׁיְּהֵא הֵימֶנָּה וְלִפְנִים עֶשֶׂר אַמּוֹת וְהֵימֶנָּה וְלַחוּץ עֶשְׂרִים אַמָּה, נִמְצָא בֵית קָדְשֵׁי הַקֳּדָשִׁים עֶשֶׂר עַל עֶשֶׂר, שֶׁנֶּ' וְנָתַתָּה אֶת הַפָּרֹכֶת תַּחַת הַקְּרָסִים – הַמְחַבְּרִים אֶת שְׁתֵּי חוֹבְרוֹת שֶׁל יְרִיעוֹת הַמִּשְׁכָּן; רֹחַב הַחוֹבֶרֶת עֶשְׂרִים אַמָּה, וּכְשֶׁפְּרָשָׂהּ עַל גַּג הַמִּשְׁכָּן מִן הַפֶּתַח לַמַּעֲרָב, כָּלְתָה בִּשְׁנֵי שְׁלִישִׁי הַמִּשְׁכָּן, וְהַחוֹבֶרֶת הַשֵּׁנִית כִּסְּתָה שְׁלִישׁוֹ שֶׁל מִשְׁכָּן, וְהַמּוֹתָר תָּלוּי לַאֲחוֹרָיו לְכַסּוֹת אֶת הַקְּרָשִׁים:

ארבעה עמודי FOUR COLUMNS inserted into four sockets. Hooks were fixed upon them, bent upward, upon each of which to hang a pole round which the top of the partition veil was wrappped. The hooks are the ווים mentioned in the text, for they were made in the form of the letter וי"ו. The partition veil was ten cubits long corresponding to the breadth of the Tabernacle and ten cubits wide as was the height of the boards. It was hung at one-third of the length of the Tabernacle from the western side so that from it there should be inward (i. e. to that side) ten cubits and from it outward (to the entrance) twenty cubits. It follows therefore that the Holy of Holies was ten by ten cubits, and this agrees with what is said, (v. 33) “and thou shalt hang up the partition veil under the catches” that coupled the two sections of the curtaining of the Tabernacle together. For the breadth of one section was twenty cubits and when it was laid over the top of the Tabernacle from the entrance to the west, its end with the catches came at two-thirds of the length of the Tabernacle (20 cubits), exactly where we have stated that the veil was hanging. The second section covered the other third of the length of the Tabornacle (10 cubits) and what was left over (10 cubits) hung behind to cover the boards (which were 10 cubits in height; cf. Rashi on v. 5).

ושמת את השלחן. שֻׁלְחָן בַּצָּפוֹן, מָשׁוּךְ מִן הַכֹּתֶל הַצְּפוֹנִי שְׁתֵּי אַמּוֹת וּמֶחֱצָה, וּמְנוֹרָה בַדָּרוֹם, מְשׁוּכָה מִן הַכֹּתֶל הַדְּרוֹמִי שְׁתֵּי אַמּוֹת וּמֶחֱצָה, וּמִזְבַּח הַזָּהָב נָתוּן כְּנֶגֶד אֲוִיר שֶׁבֵּין שֻׁלְחָן לַמְּנוֹרָה מָשׁוּךְ קִמְעָא כְּלַפֵּי הַמִּזְרָח, וְכֻלָּם נְתוּנִים מִן חֲצִי הַמִּשְׁכָּן וְלִפְנִים; כֵּיצַד? אֹרֶךְ הַמִּשְׁכָּן מִן הַפֶּתַח לַפָּרֹכֶת עֶשְׂרִים אַמָּה, הַמִּזְבֵּחַ וְהַשֻּׁלְחָן וְהַמְּנוֹרָה מְשׁוּכִים מִן הַפֶּתַח לְצַד מַעֲרָב עֶשֶׂר אַמּוֹת (יומא ל"ג):

ושמת את השלחן AND THOU SHALT PUT THE TABLE [WITHOUT THE PARTITION VEIL] — The table was in the north, distant from the north wall two cubits and a half. The candelabrum was in the south, distant from the south wall two cubits and a half. The golden altar was opposite the space which was between the table and candelabrum drawn back slightly towards the east (cf. Rashi on Exodus 30:6). All these three were placed in that part which extended from one-half the length of the Tabcrnacle (not including the Holy of Holies) inward. How so? The length of the Tabernacle from the entrance to the partition veil was 20 cubits, and the altar, the table and the candelabrum were distant from the entrance in a western direction 10 cubits(Yoma 33b).

ועשית מסך. וִילוֹן, הוּא מָסָךְ כְּנֶגֶד הַפֶּתַח, כְּמוֹ שַׂכְתָּ בַעֲדוֹ (איוב א'), לְשׁוֹן מָגֵן:

ועשית מסך AND THOU SHALT MAKE A SCREEN — a curtain which formed a protecting screen in front of the entrance. the word מסך being of the same meaning as the verb in (Job 1. 10) “Hast Thou not hedged (שכת) him about?” It is an expression denoting protecting.

מעשה רקם. הַצּוּרוֹת עֲשׂוּיוֹת בּוֹ מַעֲשֵׂה מַחַט, כְּפַרְצוּף שֶׁל עֵבֶר זֶה כָּךְ פַּרְצוּף שֶׁל עֵבֶר זֶה:

מעשה רקם THE WORK OF AN EMBROIDERER — The designs were made on it by needle-work; as were the figures on one side so were the figures on the other side.

רקם. שֵׁם הָאָמָּן וְלֹא שֵׁם הָאָמָּנוּת, וְתַרְגּוּמוֹ עוֹבַד צַיָּר וְלֹא עוֹבַד צִיּוּר. מִדַּת הַמָּסָךְ כְּמִדַּת הַפָּרֹכֶת – עֶשֶׂר אַמּוֹת עַל עֶשֶׂר אַמּוֹת:

רקם — This word is the name of the workman (an embroiderer), not the name of the trade (embroidery). The Targum therefore should be עובד צַיָּר “work of an embroiderer,” not עובד צִיּוּר “work of embroidery.” The size of the screen was the same as the size of the partition veil, viz., 10 cubits by 10 cubits.