Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Sforno · Torah
Sforno on Exodus 36:8/ספורנו על שמות ל״ו:ח׳
אוַיַּעֲשׂוּ כָל חֲכַם לֵב בְּעֹשֵׂי הַמְּלָאכָה. הַיּוֹתֵר חֲכָמִים שֶׁבָּהֶם עָשׂוּ אֶת הַמִּשְׁכָּן שֶׁהָיָה מַעֲשֵׂה חוֹשֵׁב עַל צוּרוֹת שׁוֹנוֹת מִשְּׁנֵי עֲבָרֵיהֶם, כְּמוֹ שֶׁהִזְכִּירוּ זִכְרוֹנָם לִבְרָכָה (יומא עב.), וְלֹא הָיוּ הַיְרִיעוֹת עָבוֹת כְּמוֹ הַפָּרֹכֶת. וְכָפַל בְּפָרָשָׁה זוֹ כָּל הָאָמוּר לְמַעְלָה בַּצִּוּוּי בְּפָרָשַׁת תְּרוּמָה, לְהוֹדִיעַ שֶׁעָשׂוּ הַכֹּל בְּכִוּוּן לַעֲשׂוֹת כִּרְצוֹן מִי שֶׁצִּוָּה וּלְתַכְלִיתוֹ. וְהָאָרוֹן שֶׁהָיָה הַמְיוּחָד שֶׁבַּכֵּלִים נַעֲשָׂה עַל יְדֵי בְּצַלְאֵל שֶׁהָיָה הַגָּדוֹל שֶׁבְּכֻלָּם, כְּאָמְרָם זִכְרוֹנָם לִבְרָכָה (ברכות נה.) יוֹדֵעַ הָיָה בְּצַלְאֵל לְצָרֵף אוֹתִיּוֹת שֶׁבָּהֶם נִבְרְאוּ שָׁמַיִם וָאָרֶץ.
1ויעשו כל חכם לב בעושי המלאכה, the most qualified among them built the Tabernacle (components) which involved weaving shapes of figures into the cloth so that they could be seen both on the outside and on the inside. (compare Yuma 72) These “curtains” were not thick as was the dividing curtain, פרכת. This portion repeats everything that has already been mentioned in connection with the instructions in Parshat Terumah. The reason why the Torah repeated all this is to inform us that when it came to the execution of the project they did everything so as to correspond to G’d’s will and to bring it to conclusion and make it functional as G’d desired. הארון, seeing that the Ark was the most distinguished of the furnishings of the Tabernacle, Betzalel, the master craftsman and architect fashioned this item personally. The sages say of Betzalel that he was capable of using the letters of the alphabet of the Holy Tongue in a manner similar to the way G’d had used them when creating the universe. (compare Berachot 55)