Month: February 2021

EXO 25

8 And let them make me a sanctuary, that I may dwell in their midst.

Rashi’s Commentary

And let them make me a sanctuary—And let them make in my name a house of sanctity.

What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; as God said,

“I will make my dwelling among them and walk among them,

and I will be their God,

and they shall be my people.” 2CO 6:16

but Christ is faithful over God’s house as a son. And we are his house, if indeed we hold fast our confidence and our boasting in our hope. HEB 3:6

And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God.” REV 21:3

The Ark of the Covenant

10 They shall make an ark of acacia wood. Two cubits and a half shall be its length, a cubit and a half its breadth, and a cubit and a half its height.

Rashi’s Commentary

They shall make an ark—Like the chests that are made without feet, made like a sort of chest called escrin in Old French, ecrin in modern French, (i.e., a chest or box), which rests on its bottom without being raised off the floor by the attachment of legs.

having the golden altar of incense and the ark of the covenant covered on all sides with gold, in which was a golden urn holding the manna, and Aaron’s staff that budded, and the tablets of the covenant. HEB 9:4

Then God’s temple in heaven was opened, and the ark of his covenant was seen within his temple. There were flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder, an earthquake, and heavy hail. REV 11:19

17 You shall make an ark cover of pure gold. Two cubits and a half shall be its length, and a cubit and a half its breadth.

Rashi’s Commentary

An ark cover—Heb. כַפֹּרֶת a cover over the ark, which was open from above. He Moses placed it the cover over it the ark like a board.

Two cubits and a half shall be its length—Like the length of the ark. Its width was like the width of the ark, and it lay on the thickness of the four walls. Although Scripture does not give a measure for its thickness, our Rabbis explained that it was a handbreadth thick.

whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. ROM 3:25

Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. HEB 4:16

Above it were the cherubim of glory overshadowing the mercy seat. Of these things we cannot now speak in detail. HEB 9:5

He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world. 1JN 2:2

20 The cherubim shall spread out their wings above, overshadowing the mercy seat with their wings, their faces one to another; toward the mercy seat shall the faces of the cherubim be.

Rashi’s Commentary

Spread out their wings—This means that you shall not make their wings lying down resting next to their bodies, but spread high alongside their heads, so that there should be ten handbreadths in the space between the wings and the mercy seat.

And he will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other. MAT 24:31

And he said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.” JOH 1:51

For I think that God has exhibited us apostles as last of all, like men sentenced to death, because we have become a spectacle to the world, to angels, and to men. 1CO 4:9

That is why a wife ought to have a symbol of authority on her head, because of the angels. 1CO 11:10

so that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. EPH 3:10

and you have been filled in him, who is the head of all rule and authority. COL 2:10

Are they not all ministering spirits sent out to serve for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation? HEB 1:14

It was revealed to them that they were serving not themselves but you, in the things that have now been announced to you through those who preached the good news to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven, things into which angels long to look. 1PE 1:12

who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers having been subjected to him. 1PE 3:22

11 Then I looked, and I heard around the throne and the living creatures and the elders the voice of many angels, numbering myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands,

12 saying with a loud voice,

“Worthy is the Lamb who was slain,

to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might

and honor and glory and blessing!” REV 5:11-12

The Table for Bread

23 You shall make a table of acacia wood. Two cubits shall be its length, a cubit its breadth, and a cubit and a half its height.

Rashi’s Commentary

Its height—The height of its legs together with the thickness of the table top.

33 three decorated cups on one branch, each with calyx and flower, and three decorated cups on the other branch, each with calyx and flower—so for the six branches going out of the lampstand.

Rashi’s Commentary

Decorated—Heb. מְשֻׁקָּדִים, as the Targum Onkelos renders מְצַיְירִין. They were decorated in the manner that silver and gold vessels are made, which is called nieler in Old French, nieller in modern French, niello in English.

Each with calyx and flower—Were on each branch.

And three decorated cups—Protruding from each branch.

39 It shall be made, with all these utensils, out of a talent of pure gold.

Rashi’s Commentary

A talent of pure gold—Heb. כִּכַּר. This means that its weight along with all its utensils shall be nothing but a talent, no less and no more. The talent used for mundane matters was sixty maneh, and the one used for holy matters was double, thus one hundred twenty maneh. The maneh is the litra with which silver is weighed according to the weight used in Cologne, which is the equivalent of one hundred gold pieces or twenty-five selas, for the sela is equivalent to four gold pieces. This is the equivalent of sixty-four pounds.

EXO 26

3 Five curtains shall be coupled to one another, and the other five curtains shall be coupled to one another.

Rashi’s Commentary

Shall be coupled—He Bezalel would sew them with a needle, one curtain alongside the other, five separately and the other five separately.

To one another—Lit., a woman to her sister. It is customary for Scripture to speak this way concerning a noun in the feminine gender, and concerning a noun in the masculine gender, a man to his brother, as it is said concerning the cherubim (Exo 25:20).

7 You shall also make curtains of goats’ hair for a tent over the tabernacle; eleven curtains shall you make.

Rashi’s Commentary

Curtains of goats’ hair—Heb. עִזִים, goats, from the hair of goats.

For a tent over the tabernacle—To spread them over the lower curtains.

but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God’s sight is very precious. 1PE 3:4

Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” 1PE 5:5

30 Then you shall erect the tabernacle according to the plan for it that you were shown on the mountain.

Rashi’s Commentary

Then you shall erect the tabernacle—After it is completed, erect it.

You were shown on the mountain—Prior to this, for I am destined to teach you and show you the order of its erection.

Our fathers had the tent of witness in the wilderness, just as he who spoke to Moses directed him to make it, according to the pattern that he had seen. ACT 7:44

2 a minister in the holy places, in the true tent that the Lord set up, not man.

5 They serve a copy and shadow of the heavenly things. For when Moses was about to erect the tent, he was instructed by God, saying, “See that you make everything according to the pattern that was shown you on the mountain.” HEB 8:2, 5

Thus it was necessary for the copies of the heavenly things to be purified with these rites, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. HEB 9:23

35 And you shall place the table outside the veil, and the lampstand on the south side of the tabernacle opposite the table, and you shall place the table on the north side.

Rashi’s Commentary

And you shall place the table—The table was in the north, drawn away from the north wall of the tabernacle by two and one-half cubits. The lampstand was placed in the south, drawn away from the south wall by two and one-half cubits. The golden altar was placed opposite the space between the table and the lampstand, drawn a short distance toward the east. They the table, lampstand, and golden altar were all situated in the inner half of the tabernacle. How was this? The length of the tabernacle from the entrance to the veil was twenty cubits. The altar, the table, and the lampstand were drawn away from the entrance toward the western side ten cubits.

2 For a tent was prepared, the first section, in which were the lampstand and the table and the bread of the Presence. It is called the Holy Place.

8 By this the Holy Spirit indicates that the way into the holy places is not yet opened as long as the first section is still standing

9 (which is symbolic for the present age). According to this arrangement, gifts and sacrifices are offered that cannot perfect the conscience of the worshiper, HEB 9:2, 8-9

EXO 27

4 You shall also make for it a grating, a network of bronze, and on the net you shall make four bronze rings at its four corners.

Rashi’s Commentary

Grating—Heb. מִכְבָּר, a word meaning a sieve (כְּבָרָה), which is called crible in French, meaning a sort of garment made for the altar, made with holes like a sort of net. This verse is inverted, and this is its meaning: You shall also make for it a grating, a network of bronze.

The Court of the Tabernacle

9 You shall make the court of the tabernacle. On the south side the court shall have hangings of fine twined linen a hundred cubits long for one side.

Rashi’s Commentary

Hangings—Heb. קְלָעִים. Made like the sails of a ship, with many holes, braided, and not the work of a weaver. Its Aramaic translation is סְרָדִין a sieve, like the Aramaic translation of מִכְבָּר, which is סְרָדָא, because they were both perforated like a sieve.

For one side—The entire side is called פֵּאָה. Although פֵּאָה usually means a corner, in this case it refers to the entire side.

1KI 5

27 King Solomon drafted forced labor out of all Israel, and the draft numbered 30,000 men.

Rashi’s Commentary

And the draft numbered 30,000 men—Which amounted to the wages of 30,000 men.

29 Solomon also had 70,000 who bore burdens and 80,000 hewers in the hill country,

Rashi’s Commentary

70,000 that bore burdens—To bring the stones from the hill country to the city, and the 80,000 men were the ones who hewed them in the hill country, There is altogether one hundred fifty thousand men. And they were all proselytes who were drawn and attracted to the Jewish people, that converted because of Solomon’s greatness and hospitality. And it is likewise written in 2Ch (2:16) “Then Solomon numbered all the resident aliens that were in the land of Israel . . . and there were found a hundred and fifty thousand. Seventy thousand he set . . .”

30 besides Solomon’s 3,300 chief officers who were over the work, who had charge of the people who carried on the work.

Rashi’s Commentary

The chief officers—These were the oppressors and overseers over those who did the work.

3,300—And in 2Ch (2:1) it says 3,600. It is, therefore, my opinion that the three thousand three hundred men were in charge of one hundred fifty thousand men, so that each one was in charge of forty five and some odd men, and the three hundred men who were added in Chronicles were in charge of all of them, so that each of these three hundred men was in charge of five hundred and some odd men. And you shall know the evidence in support of my opinion that there are two other passages on this subject, and they contradict one another. For it says on this topic in this book of 1Ki (9:23) “These were the chief officers that were over Solomon’s work: 550.” and in the book of 2Ch (8:10) it says “two hundred and fifty.” There are, therefore, altogether, four verses contradicting one another. But we may explain it thus. Those that are mentioned in the latter verses in 1Ki 9:23 and in 2Ch (8:10), were in charge of all of them. And it is a fact that Solomon had employed these proselytes to be bearers of burdens and to hew stones in the mountains. And, in addition, he had the remaining workers for the store cities which he also built, who were native born Jews. Because these passages are stated there in 2Ch which discusses the store-cities. And to sum it up then, in the book of Kings he counted the proselyte officers in two separate totals. First, he counted the three thousand three hundred men, the officers who were in charge of forty-five men each, separately. And in (9:23) he combined the three hundred superior officers, who were in charge of these three thousand three hundred men, with the two hundred and fifty men who were in charge of the builders of the store-cities, and totaled together 550 officers. And, on the other hand, in 2Ch he counted all the proselyte officers, the major and minor ones, together, three thousand six hundred men, and they were all proselytes. And the officers in charge of the workers in the store-cities, who were Jews, totaling two hundred and fifty men, he counted separately.

Who had charge of the people who carried on the work—Who had charge of the people who did the work.

31 At the king’s command they quarried out great, costly stones in order to lay the foundation of the house with dressed stones.

Rashi’s Commentary

They quarried—The stones from the mountains. This is an expression of uprooting.

Great, costly stones—Heb. יקרות, costly.

Dressed stones—They were carved and chiseled precisely to the required measurement. And if you ask it has already been stated (6:7) “Neither hammer nor axe nor any tool of iron was heard in the house while it was being built.” How then were the stones cut to a specific size? The explanation is, that although no tool of iron was heard in the house, while it was being built, but he would chisel the stones while still on the outside, and then bring them in and build from the inside.

11 For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.

12 Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw— 1CO 3:11-12

6 For it stands in Scripture:

“Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone,

a cornerstone chosen and precious,

and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.”

7 So the honor is for you who believe, but for those who do not believe,

“The stone that the builders rejected

has become the cornerstone,” 1PE 2:6-7

32 So Solomon’s builders and Hiram’s builders and the men of Gebal did the cutting and prepared the timber and the stone to build the house.

Rashi’s Commentary

And the men of Gebal—A nation whose name was Gebal. And they were skilled in the art of chiseling stones and building. As it is stated in reference to the skilled men of Tyre (Eze 27:9) “The elders of Gebal and the skilled men thereof, were in you your calkers.”

And they did the cutting—In the mountains.

And prepared—An expression of designation.

1KI 6

3 The vestibule in front of the nave of the house, twenty cubits was the length thereof, equal to the width of the house, and ten cubits deep in front of the house.

Rashi’s Commentary

The vestibule in front of—In front of the nave, in it’s entranceway.

The length thereof, equal to the width of the house—The length of the vestibule was along the width of the nave and extended from the north to the south. All larger measurements are called the length, and the lesser measurements are called the width. Since in the nave proper the measurement from the east to the west was greater, that was called the length, and in the vestibule that the measurement from the north to the south was the larger, therein was called the length from the north to the south, and from the east to the west therein was called the width.

In front of the house—The vestibule was in front of the house of the nave, on the eastern side and was on the outside.

Then the devil took him to the holy city and set him on the pinnacle of the temple MAT 4:5

and Jesus was walking in the temple, in the colonnade of Solomon. JOH 10:23

10 and recognized him as the one who sat at the Beautiful Gate of the temple, asking for alms. And they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him.

Peter Speaks in Solomon’s Portico

11 While he clung to Peter and John, all the people, utterly astounded, ran together to them in the portico called Solomon’s. ACT 3:10-11

4 And he made for the house windows broad without, and narrow within.

Rashi’s Commentary

Broad without, and narrow within—Our Sages explained שְּׁקוּפִים as an expression of looking and an opening and an observation. These windows were constructed so that they were open on the outside and closed (אֲטוּמִים) on the inside. The opening was wider on the outside and narrow on the inside. This was not in the usual manner of all other windows which are made expressly for illumination.

6 The lowest chamber was five cubits broad, the middle one was six cubits broad, and the third was seven cubits broad. For around the outside of the house he made offsets on the wall in order that the supporting beams should not be inserted into the walls of the house.

Rashi’s Commentary

The lowest chamber—On each side of the temple the chambers were built in three tiers, one on the other. And the measurement of its length is not stated here, only its width. There were thirty-eight chambers in all, fifteen in the north, five on top of five, and five more on top of them, and the same number in the south. And eight more were in the west, three on top of three and two more on top of them. The lowest chamber was five cubits wide and the middle ones were six cubits, and the top ones seven. Why was this difference? For around the outside of the house he made offsets on the wall. The height of the chamber was five cubits, and as the height of the wall of the temple proper reached five cubits he reduced its thickness and recessed it one cubit inward on the outside, and on that recess he placed the ends of the supporting beams of the roof at the top of the chamber which served as the floor of the middle one. And as the wall reached ten cubits he again recessed it one cubit in order to place the ends of the supporting beams of the roof of the middle chamber which served as the floor of the upper chamber. We thus find the middle one is broader than the lower one by one cubit, and the upper one is broader than the middle one by one cubit.

That the supporting beams should not be inserted into the walls of the house—In order not to join the ends of the supporting beams to the walls through perforations into the walls of the house, since this causes the deterioration of the wall and is also not beautiful, architecturally.

7 When the house was built, it was with stone prepared at the quarry, so that neither hammer nor axe nor any tool of iron was heard in the house while it was being built.

Rashi’s Commentary

When the house was built, with stone prepared at the quarry—As it was removed from the mountain, through the worm שָּׁמִיר which cuts through stones. Exactly as it came from there, they set it into the wall of the structure, and they did not chisel it further with any metal tools. And the dressed stones which are mentioned above in 5:31, indicating that the stones were cut to some degree, is a controversy.

And hammers—Delutta, a chisel, in the Russian language.

So the church throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria had peace and was being built up. And walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it multiplied. ACT 9:31

in order to make known the riches of his glory for vessels of mercy, which he has prepared beforehand for glory— ROM 9:23

He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who has given us the Spirit as a guarantee. 2CO 5:5

giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. COL 1:12

for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God. JAS 1:20

17 But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere.

18 And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace. JAS 3:17-18

you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 1PE 2:5

9 So he built the house and finished it, and he made the ceiling of the house with panelling and planks of cedar.

Rashi’s Commentary

And he made the ceiling—An expression of covering of the ceiling.

With panelling and planks of cedar—There were two ceilings. The one made for beauty was below, and the one of planks of cedar was above. That of panelling was the lower one. And Jonathan rendered גֵּבִים as הַנְתּוּכִין, but I do not know what they are. And I did hear in the name of Rabbi Menachem . . . that they are boards woven beautifully in the form of a design, and it is called in our language (o.f.) celed and in German it is called gehimmelt and that is an expression of something heavenly in appearance or in height as the highest part of the beam. And I say they are hollowed bricks, and they are like half a round reed, which are used as coverings for houses in German, dekziegel.

Panelling—In Aramaic, vaulted canes.

Planks—Planks of cedar were laid over the panels, to provide a footing for when they would go to oversee the maintenance of the house temple. Similarly, Jonathan renders, “and above them the panels were rows of planks made of cedars beams.” The word רכפת in the Targum denotes adjacency as the planks were adjoining to each other. Elsewhere (2Sa 22:12) it says, “thick clouds of the sky” for which the Targum renders: “a cluster of light clouds” which gave the appearance of thick clouds.