Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ibn Ezra · Torah

Ibn Ezra on Exodus 38/אבן עזרא על שמות ל״ח

אובי"ת במראות. תחת מ"ם כי נכון הוא בלשון הקדש, כמו והנותר בבשר ובלחם (ויקרא ח לב) וככה בלשון ישמעאל:

1[OF THE MIRRORS.] Be-marot (of the mirrors) has a bet rather than a mem prefaced to it.¹, for a mem prefaced to a word means from or of. On the other hand, a bet prefaced to a word means in or with. Hence our verse should have read mi-marot rather than be-marot. It is proper Hebrew to do so.² may be used in place of a mem. We find the same in the verse ve-ha-notar ba-basar u-va-lachem (and that which remaineth of the flesh and of the bread) (Lev. 8:32).³ is used in place of a mem, for we would expect ve-ha-notar me-ha-basar u-me-ha-lachem. It is the same case in Arabic.

בוטעם הצובאות. כי משפט כל הנשים להתיפות לראות פניהם בכל בקר במראות נחשת או זכוכית לתקן הפארים שעל ראשיהם, הם הנזכרים בספר ישעיה כי מנהג ישראל היה כמנהג ישמעאל עד היום, והנה היו בישראל נשים עובדות השם שסרו מתאות זה העולם, ונתנו מראותיהן נדבה, כי אין להם צורך עוד להתיפות, רק באות יום יום אל פתח האהל מועד להתפלל ולשמוע דברי המצות, וזהו אשר צבאו פתח אהל מועד, כי היו רבות:

2[THAT DID SERVICE.] Scripture states this because it is the custom of all women to beautify themselves. They look at their faces in brass or glass mirrors every morning to arrange the head coverings⁴. upon their heads. These head coverings are mentioned in the Book of Isaiah.⁵ (the headtires). The custom of Israel was the same as the Moslem practice unto this very day.⁶ Now there were in Israel women who served God and removed themselves from the pleasures of this world. These women gave their mirrors as a free-will offering because they had no need to beautify themselves. They rather came daily to the door of the tent of meeting to pray and to hear the words of the commandments. Scripture states, that did service (tzave’u)⁷ is in the plural. at the door of the tent of meeting because there were many such women.

גולא הזכיר הכתוב מדת הכיור, כאשר הזכיר מדת הכיורים שעשה שלמה רק נעשה בכל המראות שהביאו:

3[THE LAVER.] Scripture does not mention the dimensions of the laver as it does in the case of the lavers that Solomon made.⁸ (I Kings 7:38). The laver⁹ was rather made out of all the mirrors that were brought.¹⁰

דוהכן שהוא המכונה לעולם הוא כמדת הכיור, וכן המשפט:

4[THE BASE.] The ken,¹¹ that is, the base,¹² (base), which is the same as the mekhonah (base) mentioned in I Kings 7:38, was in all instances the same size as the laver. was in all instances the same size as the laver¹³ as is normally the case.

אובעבור שפתח אוהל מועד למזרח כמו הפנים על כן קרא לפאת ים ירכים וקרא הקרובים אל הפתח כתפים ככתפות איש:

1AND FOR THE WEST SIDE. Scripture¹⁴ refers to the west as the hinder part¹⁵. because the tent’s opening was on the east, which is referred to as the face. Scripture¹⁶ refers to the sides which were close to the door¹⁷ as shoulders,¹⁸ (side), which literally means a shoulder. for they¹⁹ are compared to the shoulders of a human being.

אתנה עוז אב המון לשם והודה, בהגיעך לראש אלה פקודי

1Give thanks to God and ascribe power to Him O “Father of a multitude,”²⁰. Now that you have reached the opening of the Torah portion Ellah Pekude.

באלה פקודי. הטעם פקודי הכלים כי מלת משכן כוללת הכל, ופירש למה נקרא משכן, בעבור הארון ששם לוחות העדות, והנה אחז דרך קצרה וזה האמת בעבור מכתב אלהים:

2THESE ARE THE ACCOUNTS OF THE TABERNACLE. Its meaning is: these are the accounts of the vessels of the tabernacle, for the word tabernacle includes everything.²¹ Scripture goes on to explain why the structure was referred to as a mishkan (tabernacle).²² literally means a resting place. It was so called because the tablets of testimony were placed in it.²³. Now Scripture was brief.²⁴ is short for: even the tabernacle of the tablets of testimony. The tablets were truly a testimony, because God’s writing was inscribed upon them.

גוטעם עבודת הלוים. שהם נושאים את המשכן ואת כל כליו שהיה מפקיד עליהם איתמר כי הגרשונים והמררים הלוים על יד איתמר שהיה פוקד בשמות כל משאם:

3[THROUGH THE SERVICE OF THE LEVITES.] Its meaning is: through the service of the Levites who carry the tabernacle and all of its vessels which Ithamar appointed to them. For the Gershonites and the Merarites were the Levites under the direction of Ithamar, who listed all the objects they were assigned to carry.²⁵

אובצלאל. הזכיר הכתוב כי בצלאל ואהליאב שהם הראשונים עשו כל מעשיהם כהוגן:

1AND BEZALEL. Scripture notes that Bezalel and Oholiab, who were first in rank,²⁶ executed all of their tasks properly.

אכל הזהב. אמר הגאון למה הזכיר מה עשו בכסף, ולא הזכיר מה עשו בזהב התנופה, והוא השיב, הנה הזכיר כי המנורה היתה ככר זהב, גם ככה הכפורת וזהב הארון ומזבח הקטרת, ואין זה נכון, כי המנורה כלה היתה זהב, ולא כן הארון, רק צפוי זהב הוא מבית ומחוץ, וכן מזבח הקטרת, והשלחן והבדים והקרשים, והבריחים מצופים זהב הם כולם, והכפורת היתה זהב כולה וכפי מה שקבלנו מאבותינו ככר אחד היתה כי ארכה רב ורחבה רב, ולפי דעתי שהזכיר מה עשו בכסף שהוא כסף הכפורים, והנה הזכיר כי על כסף החיוב היה עומד המשכן שהוא הכולל לכל הכלים, וזה זכרון לבני ישראל, ומי יוכל לשער כמה זהב צפוי כל כלי המשכן:

1ALL THE GOLD. Saadiah Gaon asks, “Why does Scripture note what was done with the silver but does not mention what the donated gold was used for?”²⁷ He answers, “Look. Scripture notes that the menorah was made out of a talent of gold.²⁸ This was also the case with the ark cover²⁹ and the gold utilized for the ark and the altar of incense.”³⁰ Now this is incorrect.³¹ Only the menorah was entirely made of gold. This was not the case with the ark. The ark was only overlaid with gold on the inside and on the outside. The same was true of the altar of incense. The table, the staves, the boards, and the bars were all overlaid with gold. The ark cover was made completely of gold.³² According to the tradition passed on to us by our fathers the ark cover was made from a talent of gold because it was very broad and very wide. I believe that Scripture mentions what they did with the silver because the silver was given for atonement.³³ Observe. Scripture notes that the tabernacle, which included all the vessels, stood on the silver which the Israelites were obligated to give.³⁴ This served as a memorial for the children of Israel.³⁵ Who can estimate³⁶ how much gold was needed to overlay all the vessels of the tabernacle?³⁷

אוכסף. הנה ידענו מזה המספר כי הככר ג' אלפים שקלים, והעד וכסף פקודי העדה:

1AND THE SILVER. Look. We learn from the sum mentioned in this verse that a talent consists of three thousand shekalim. And the silver of them that were numbered of the congregation proves this.³⁸ (v. 26). The aforementioned thus contributed 301,775 shekalim. Our verse gives the amount as 100 talents and 1,775 shekalim. Thus 100 talents = 300,000 shekalim, which is another way of saying that one talent = 3,000 shekalim.

אבקע. חצי שקל, וטעמו כאשר יבוקע השקל הנה חציו:

1A BEKA. Half a shekel. Its meaning is: when the shekel will be broken, behold its half.³⁹ is related to the verb baka. Baka means to break. When the shekel is broken, i.e., divided, we have half a shekel.

בלכל העובר. שעברו עליו עשרים שנה שלימות, וכבר הזכרתי טעם זה:

2FOR EVERY ONE THAT PASSED. All those that passed twenty complete years. I have already explained the reason for this.⁴⁰

אלצקת. מבעלי היו"ד כמו לרדת:

1FOR CASTING. La-tzeket (for casting) comes from a root whose first letter is a yod.⁴¹. It is similar to the word la-redet⁴². (to descend).⁴³ is similar to the form la-redet. La-tzeket is not the usual form of kal infinitives. Hence I.E.’s comment.

אואת. שלא השלים ככר:

1AND OF THE THOUSAND SEVEN HUNDRED SEVENTY AND FIVE SHEKELS. Which did not serve to complete a talent.⁴⁴

אונחשת. גם הזכיר כלי הנחשת:

1AND THE BRASS. Scripture also⁴⁵ mentions the brass vessels.⁴⁶