Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ibn Ezra · Torah
Ibn Ezra on Exodus 36/אבן עזרא על שמות ל״ו
אועשה. הנה בצלאל הוא בעצמו יעשה הנכבד ויורה הוא ואהליאב:
1SHALL WORK. Look. Bezalel himself shall make the glorious object.1 (shall work or shall make) is in the singular. Hence I.E.’s interpretation (Filwarg, Krinsky). However, he and Oholiab shall teach.2
אויקרא, ה"א לקרבה. נוסף כמו ולדבקה בו (דבר' יא, כב), וחכם גדול טעה שאמר כי כמוהו, לשמור את בריתי לעמדה (יחז' יז יד) כי הוא מפיק ה"א ומלת עומד עומדת על כן הפי' לעמוד בה:
1CALLED. The heh of the word le-korvah (to come) is superfluous. It is like the heh in the word u-le-dovkah (and to cleave)3 in and to cleave unto Him (Deut. 11:22). A great scholar erred in saying that the word le-omdah (it might stand) (Ezek. 17:14) is similar, for the heh in le-omdah has a mappik4 in it.5 with a mappik means it. Omed is an intransitive verb.6 with a mappik suffixed to it. The heh with a mappik usually indicates the direct object. The meaning of le-omdah (it might stand) is therefore7 is intransitive. to stand by it.8 with a mappik does not mean to stand it but to stand by it, for omed is intransitive (see note 6). I.E. interprets Ezek. 17:14 as follows: To keep his covenant and to stand (abide) by it.
אויקחו. את כל התרומה אשר הביאו:
1AND THEY RECEIVED. All the offering which they9 had brought.
בוהם. ישראל היו עוד מביאים נדבה אל משה בכל בקר:
2AND THEY. The Israelites10 (and they) refers to the Israelites. continued to bring free-will offerings to Moses every morning.
אויבאו. אל אהל משה, ואמרו מרבים העם:
1AND ALL THE WISE MEN…CAME. To Moses’ tent and said, The people bring much more [than enough for the service of the work] (v. 5).
אמ"ם מדי. נותר כמ"ם מכל מלמדי השכלתי (תה' קיט צט) כאשר פירשתיו:
1[MUCH MORE THAN ENOUGH.] The mem of mi-de (much more than enough) means: much more than. It is, in keeping with my interpretation,11 like the mem of mi-kol (more than all) in I have more understanding than all my teachers (Ps. 119:99).12 in mi-kol melammedai hiskalti (I have more understanding than all my teachers) means: from all. See Abot 4:1: “Ben Zoma said: Who is wise? He who learns from all men; as it is said, From all (mi-kol) my teachers I have gotten understanding.” According to I.E. it means: more than all.
אויעבירו קול. כמו ויעבור הרנה (מ"א, כב לו):
1AND THEY CAUSED IT TO BE PROCLAIMED. Va-ya’aviru (and they caused to be proclaimed) is similar to va-ya’avor (and there went)13 means to pass over. It usually refers to people or objects. Hence I.E. points out that the term is also used in reference to sound. in And there went a cry throughout the host (I Kings 22:36).
אוהמלאכה. שהיתה עשויה:
1FOR THE STUFF. The work which was done.14. Its literal meaning is: and the work was, which I.E.’s interprets as the work which was done. I.E. disagrees with the definition of melakhah as stuff.
בומ"ם דים. שב אל כל החכמים:
2[SUFFICIENT.] The mem of dayyam (sufficient) refers to all of the wise men.15 of dayyam is a suffix meaning for them, the reference being to the wise men mentioned in verse 4.
גלכל המלאכה. שהיו צריכים לעשות:
3FOR ALL THE WORK. That they had to do.
דוהותר. שם הפועל, וטעם והותר הותירה:
4AND TOO MUCH. Ve-hoter (and too much) is an infinitive. Its meaning is, ho-tirah (and they produced more than enough).16 is here to be interpreted as a feminine perfect, for ve-hoter refers to melakhah, which is feminine. The work which they had done produced more than enough. So Filwarg.
אויעשו. החל מהמשכן:
1MADE. Scripture begins with the making of the tabernacle.
במשזר. בלשון ישמעאל אורך, דע כי דקדוק מספר האחד בחשבון משונה מדרך לשון הקדש, גם ככה הוא בלשון כשדים משונה גם בלשון ישמעאל, כי לעולם הה"א בסוף השמות סימן לנקבה ולשון זכר בלא סימן, והנה בחשבון שלשה בה"א סימן זכרים וככה בחשבון ארבעה גם שמונה גם עשרה, ומשם והלאה עד עשרים הזכר בלא ה"א אחד עשר, שנים עשר, תשעה עשר, והנקבה בה"א, רק בשנוי מלת עשרה שלא תתערב על לשון זכר אמרו שתים עֶשְׂרֵה וככה כולם, והנה לשון נקבה שלש וארבע ועשר, ואם היתה מלת חשבון סמוכה תהיה בתי"ו לזכרים ולנקבות שלשת האנשים האלה (יחז' יד טז) ושלשת נשי בניו (ברא' ז יג), והנה שמונָה לזכרים כמשפט ושנוי לנקבה לומר שמונֶה כדרך עשתי עשרה:
2TWINED. Moshzar (twined) means long in Arabic. Note that the single digit numbers17 (the ones), as in Vat. Ebr. 38. The printed editions read, “Note that the number one (ha-echad) is grammatically irregular.” The problem with this reading is that I.E. nowhere discusses “the number one” in his comment. Weiser suggests that our text is defective. On the other hand, Filwarg and others interpret ha-echad as achadim. are grammatically irregular in Hebrew. This is also the case in Aramaic. They are similarly irregular in Arabic. The heh18 preceded by a kamatz. at the end of a word indicates the feminine; the masculine does not have any sign.19 Now the heh in the number sheloshah (three) indicates the masculine.20 The same is true of the numbers arba’ah (four), shemonah (eight), asarah (ten).21 (five), shishah (six), shivah (seven), and tishah (nine). From there22 through twenty the masculine numbers do not have a heh at the end. We thus say achad asar (eleven),23. shenem asar (twelve),24 tishah asar (nineteen). The feminine25 is written with a heh.26 (11), shetem esreh (12), shelosh esreh (13), etc. However, its vocalization is changed27 as is usual in the feminine, but with a tzere. See note 19. so that it reads esreh.28. This is done so that the word not be confused with the masculine.29 (ten). Hence we say shetem esreh (twelve). The same applies to all of the numbers.30 Look. Shalosh (three), arba (four), and eser (ten) are feminine. If their sum is in the construct then it ends in a tav both in the masculine and in the feminine. Compare, sheloshet ha-anashim ha-elleh (these three men) (Ezek. 14:16); and u-sheloshet neshe vanav (and the three wives of his sons) (Gen. 7:13). Now the masculine form for the number eight is shemonah, as the rule says.31 in the masculine. The feminine is unique in that one says shemoneh (eight)32 is usually a masculine ending. Compare, moreh (teacher), sadeh (field) (Weiser). in the same way that one says ashte esreh (eleven).33 (eleven), a feminine, is vocalized with a tzere even though the tzere is the construct form of masculine nouns ending in a segol.
אאולי טעם באמה. היא הידוע אולי היתה כמדת בית ראשון שהיתה אצילה:
1[CUBITS.] It is possible that the reason our verse reads ba-ammah (cubits)34 beneath the bet indicates the definite article. is that it refers to a specific cubit. It possibly refers to the noble cubit of the first temple.35
אתי"ו הלולאות. סימן הנקבה, ואחת לולה, ובא תחת האל"ף ה"א, וי"א כי מזאת הגזרה הרה ללת (ש"א ד יט):
1[THE LOOPS.] The tav of ha-lula’ot (the loops)36 is spelled lamed, vav, lamed, alef, vav, tav. indicates the feminine. The singular form of the word is lulah.37 is spelled lamed, vav, lamed, heh. The heh [in lulah] takes the place of the alef.38 (see notes 36 and 37). Hence I.E.’s comment. Some say that the word lalat (near to be delivered) in was with child, near to be delivered (I Sam. 4:19) comes from the same root.39. According to I.E. we should render I Sam. 4:19: was with child, seized by labor pains.
אלאהל. להיות אהל:
1FOR THE TENT. La-ohel (for tent) means to serve as a tent.40 (for tent) literally means to tent. Hence I.E.’s interpretation.
אומלת לברוח. מהבנין הקל, וטעם כמו מבריח שהוא מהבנין הכבד כמו, ירה, ויורה (מ"ב יג יז) ורבים ככה:
1[TO PASS THROUGH.] The word livro’ach (to pass through) is a kal. It has the same meaning as the hifil mavri’ach (pass through).41 is a participle. What I.E. means is that the word livro’ach (to pass through), which is an infinitive in the kal has the same meaning as the word le-havri’ach (to pass through), which is a hifil infinitive. Indeed, this is precisely what I.E. says in his short commentary. We find the same with the words yereh (shoot)42 is a kal. and va-yoreh (and he shot)43 is a hifil. (II Kings 13:17).44 There are many such instances.45