Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ibn Ezra · Torah

Ibn Ezra on Exodus 39/אבן עזרא על שמות ל״ט

אבגדי שרד. הם הנזכרים בפרשת במדבר סיני כי צוה השם שיכסו הארון בפרכת בעבור כבודו, ועל הפרוכת כסוי עור תחש, ועל זה הכסוי בגד כליל תכלת ועל דרך הסברא, כי התכלת בעבור כבוד הארון, אם היה האויר זך, ואם ירד גשם יסירהו ויעמוד עליו כסוי עור תחש ועל שלחן הפנים בגד תכלת, ובגד תולעת שני, ולמעלה כסוי עור תחש, ובגד תכלת על המנורה ועל מזבח הזהב וארגמן על מזבח העולה ועל הכל עור תחש, ואחר שהזכיר בגדי שרד, הזכיר בגדי הקדש שהם לאהרן שהוא הכהן הגדול, והחל לפרש אותם:

1PLAITED GARMENTS.¹. According to I.E. the reference is to the garments which were used as covers for the tabernacle’s furniture when Israel journeyed. See I.E. on Ex. 31:10 and the notes thereto. These garments are the ones that are mentioned in the Torah portion Be-Midbar Sinai (in the wilderness of Sinai).² God commanded that the ark be covered with the veil³ as a mark of honor.⁴ A sealskin covering was placed over the veil. A blue cloth covering was placed over this covering.⁵ Logically speaking, the blue cloth covering was employed as an ark covering⁶ as a mark of honor⁷ when the weather was clear. However, if it rained then they would remove the blue cover and they would place a sealskin cover over it.⁸ A blue cloth and a cloth of scarlet were placed over the table of showbread. A cover of sealskin was placed over them.⁹ A blue cloth was placed over the menorah and the golden altar. A purple cloth was placed over the altar. A sealskin was placed over all of them.¹⁰ After mentioning the plaited garments Scripture mentions the holy garments of Aaron the high priest and then commences to describe them.

אויעש את האפוד. איך שמו הזהב בתוך התכלת:

1AND HE MADE THE EPHOD. Scripture describes¹¹ how they placed the gold amidst the blue.¹²

אוטעם ויעשו את אבני השוהם. כדרך תקון, כמו וימהר לעשות אותו (ברא' יח ז):

1[AND THEY WROUGHT THE ONYX STONES.] The meaning of va-ya’as (and they wrought)¹³ usually has the meaning of: and they made. However, one cannot make onyx stones. Hence I.E.’s comment. is, they set. It is like the word la’asot (to dress)¹⁴ in and he hastened to dress it (Gen. 18:7).¹⁵ does not always mean to make. See I.E. on Gen. 18:7.

אומלת כליל תכלת. כלו תכלת והוא סמוך:

1[ALL OF BLUE.] Kelil tekhelet means entirely of blue. The word kelil is in the construct.¹⁶ is vocalized with a sheva. I.E. comments thus because we find the kaf vocalized with a kamatz in kalil toktar in Lev. 6:15 (Weiser).

אואת המצנפת שש. שהוא לאהרן:

1AND THE MITRE OF FINE LINEN. Worn by Aaron.

בואת פארי המגבעות. לבניו כי אין דרך המצנפת כמו המגבעות

2AND THE GOODLY HEAD-TIRES. Which were worn by Aaron’s sons. The mitre and the head-tire differ.¹⁷

אותכל. כמשקל ותרב משאת בנימין (ברא' מג לד):

1THUS WAS FINISHED. Va-tekhel (thus was finished)¹⁸. is vocalized like the word ve-terev (was so much)¹⁹. in but Benjamin’s portion was so much (Gen. 43:34).²⁰ and ve-terev are short forms of a verb ending in a heh.

אויביאו את המשכן. והנה את מיתריו ויתדותיה (פ' מ) כמו את קלעי החצר ואת עמודיו ואת אדניה (למעלה לה יז):

1AND THEY BROUGHT THE TABERNACLE. Look. Et metarav²¹, which refers to the court, has a masculine ending. It thus treats chatzer (court) as a masculine noun. vi-yetedotehah²², referring to the court (chatzer), has a feminine ending. We thus have two words in the same verse referring to the same word in two genders. (the cords thereof, and the pins thereof) (v. 40) is similar to et kale he-chatzer et ammudav²³, which refers to the court (chatzer), has a masculine ending. It thus treats (court) as a masculine noun. ve-et adonehah²⁴, which refers to the court, has a feminine ending. (the hangings of the court, the pillars thereof, and their sockets) (Ex. 35:17).²⁵ treated both as a masculine and as a feminine in one verse.