Exo 28:5-30:9

EXO 28

5 They shall receive gold, blue and purple and scarlet yarns, and fine twined linen.

Rashi’s Commentary

They shall receive—Those wise-hearted people, who are to make the garments, shall receive from the donors gold and blue yarns from which to make the garments.

12 And you shall set the two stones on the shoulder pieces of the ephod, as stones of remembrance for the sons of Israel. And Aaron shall bear their names before the Lord on his two shoulders for remembrance.

Rashi’s Commentary

For remembrance—So that the Holy One, blessed is he, will see the progenitors of the tribes written before him, and he will remember their righteousness.

54 He has helped his servant Israel,

in remembrance of his mercy,

72 to show the mercy promised to our fathers

and to remember his holy covenant, LUK 1:54, 72

And he stared at him in terror and said, “What is it, Lord?” And he said to him, “Your prayers and your alms have ascended as a memorial before God.” ACT 10:4

20 and the fourth row a beryl, an onyx, and a jasper. They shall be set in gold filigree.

Rashi’s Commentary

Set in gold—The rows shall be set in gold filigree, encircled by settings of gold in the depth. According to the measure of the fullness of the thickness of the stone shall be the depth of the settings, no less and no more.

And he who sat there had the appearance of jasper and carnelian, and around the throne was a rainbow that had the appearance of an emerald. REV 4:3

28 And they shall fasten the breastpiece by its rings to the rings of the ephod with a lace of blue, so that it may lie on the skillfully woven band of the ephod, so that the breastpiece shall not come loose from the ephod.

Rashi’s Commentary

And they shall fasten—Heb. וְיִרְכְּסוּ, a word of joining. Similarly, “from the plots of (מֵרֻכְסֵי) men” (Psa 31:21), meaning plots of wicked men joined together. Similarly, “and the close mountains (וְהָרְכָסִים), a valley” (Isa 40:4). הַרְכָסִים refers to mountains that are close to one another, so that it is impossible to descend into the valley except with great difficulty. Because of their proximity, the valley is steep and deep. These mountains will become a straight valley, where it will be easy to walk.

So that it may lie on the skillfully woven band of the ephod—So that the breastpiece would be fastened to the skillfully woven band of the ephod.

Shall not come loose—Meaning severance. It is an Arabic expression.

31 You shall make the robe of the ephod all of blue.

Rashi’s Commentary

The robe of the ephod—Upon which the ephod is placed as a belt.

All of blue—All of it the robe was blue, without any other kind of color or material combined with it.

34 a golden bell and a pomegranate, a golden bell and a pomegranate, around the hem of the robe.

Rashi’s Commentary

A golden bell and a pomegranate—A golden bell and a pomegranate beside it.

5 because of the hope laid up for you in heaven. Of this you have heard before in the word of the truth, the gospel,

6 which has come to you, as indeed in the whole world it is bearing fruit and increasing—as it also does among you, since the day you heard it and understood the grace of God in truth,

10 so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; COL 1:5-6; 10

36 You shall make a plate of pure gold and engrave on it, like the engraving of a signet, “Holy to the Lord.”

Rashi’s Commentary

A plate—It was like a sort of golden plate, two fingerbreadths wide, encircling the forehead from ear to ear.

Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord. HEB 12:14

15 but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct,

16 since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.” 1PE 1:15-16

But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. 1PE 2:9

But nothing unclean will ever enter it, nor anyone who does what is detestable or false, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s book of life. REV 21:27

39 You shall weave the tunic in checker work of fine linen, and you shall make a turban of fine linen, and you shall make a sash embroidered with needlework.

Rashi’s Commentary

You shall weave . . . in checker work—Weave them the tunics of boxes, and all of them shall be made of fine linen.

EXO 29

Consecration of the Priests

1 Now this is what you shall do to them to consecrate them, that they may serve me as priests. Take one bull of the herd and two rams without blemish,

Rashi’s Commentary

Take—Heb. לְקַח, like קַח, and these are two roots, one of קִיחָה and one of לְקִיחָה, but they have the same meaning i.e., take.

One bull—This was to atone for the incident of the golden calf, which was a bull.

Pray then like this:

“Our Father in heaven,

hallowed be your name.” MAT 6:9

For it was indeed fitting that we should have such a high priest, holy, innocent, unstained, separated from sinners, and exalted above the heavens. HEB 7:26

but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot. 1PE 1:19

5 Then you shall take the garments, and put on Aaron the coat and the robe of the ephod, and the ephod, and the breastpiece, and gird him with the skillfully woven band of the ephod.

Rashi’s Commentary

And gird—Gird and affix the belt and the apron around him.

9 and you shall gird Aaron and his sons with sashes and bind caps on them. And the priesthood shall be a perpetual statute for them, and you shall invest Aaron and his sons with full authority.

Rashi’s Commentary

Aaron and his sons—With the fulfillment (בְּמִלְוּי) and the appointment to the priesthood.

Shall be . . . for them—This investiture, for eternal priesthood.

And you shall invest—Through these things.

4 And no one takes this honor for himself, but only when called by God, just as Aaron was.

5 So also Christ did not exalt himself to be made a high priest, but was appointed by him who said to him,

“You are my Son,

today I have begotten you”;

10 being designated by God a high priest after the order of Melchizedek. HEB 5:4-5, 10

18 and burn the whole ram on the altar. It is a burnt offering to the Lord. It is a spirit of satisfaction, a fire offering to the Lord.

Rashi’s Commentary

It is a spirit of satisfaction—It is satisfaction to me that I commanded and my will was performed.

A fire offering—Heb. אִשֶׁה, a word related to fire אֵשׁ, and it means burning the limbs that are on the fire.

And to love him with all the heart and with all the understanding and with all the strength, and to love one’s neighbor as oneself, is much more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices. MAR 12:33

26 You shall take the breast of the ram of Aaron’s ordination and wave it for a wave offering before the Lord, and it shall be your portion.

Rashi’s Commentary

Wave offering—Heb. תְּנוּפָה, an expression of moving to and fro, vantiler or ventiller in Old French, to make horizontal movements to and fro.

32 And Aaron and his sons shall eat the flesh of the ram and the bread that is in the basket in the entrance of the tent of meeting.

Rashi’s Commentary

In the entrance of the tent of meeting—The entire courtyard is called thus.

how he entered the house of God and ate the bread of the Presence, which it was not lawful for him to eat nor for those who were with him, but only for the priests? MAT 12:4

41 The other lamb you shall offer at twilight, and shall offer with it a grain offering and its drink offering, as in the morning, for a pleasing aroma, a food offering to the Lord.

Rashi’s Commentary

For a pleasing aroma—This is stated regarding the grain offering, for the grain offering of drink offerings is entirely burned, and the order of their sacrifice is: first the limbs of the burnt offering and afterwards the grain offering, as it is said: “burnt offerings and grain offerings” (Lev 23:37).

46 And they shall know that I am the Lord their God, who brought them out of the land of Egypt that I might dwell among them. I am the Lord their God.

Rashi’s Commentary

That I might dwell among them—With the intention that I dwell among them.

EXO 30

The Altar of Incense

1 You shall make an altar for bringing incense up in smoke; you shall make it of acacia wood.

Rashi’s Commentary

For bringing incense up in smoke—To raise smoke up on it, namely the smoke of incense.

And another angel came and stood at the altar with a golden censer, and he was given much incense to offer with the prayers of all the saints on the golden altar before the throne, REV 8:3

4 And you shall make two golden rings for it. Under its molding on its two corners, you shall make them on its two opposite sides, and it shall be holders for poles with which to carry it.

Rashi’s Commentary

Its . . . corners—Heb. צַלְעֹתָיו. Here it is a term meaning corners, unlike in Exo 25:12; 26:20, 26-27, where צֶלַע means a side, because it says further in the verse: “on its two opposite sides,” meaning on its two corners that are on its opposite sides.

It shall be—Heb. וְהָיָה, lit., and it shall be in the singular, referring to the making of these rings.

Holders for the poles—The ring itself shall be a holder for a pole.

8 and when Aaron kindles the lamps at twilight, he shall burn it, a regular incense offering before the Lord throughout your generations.

Rashi’s Commentary

And when . . . kindles—Heb. וּבְהַעִלֹת, lit., and when . . . causes to ascend. When he will kindle them to cause their flame to ascend.

He shall burn it—Every day, one pras in the morning and one pras in the afternoon.

Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. ROM 8:34

pray without ceasing, 1TH 5:17

Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them. HEB 7:25

For Christ has entered, not into holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true things, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf. HEB 9:24

9 You shall offer up on it no unauthorized incense, burnt offering, or grain offering, and you shall pour no drink offering upon it.

Rashi’s Commentary

You shall offer up on it—On this golden altar.

Unauthorized incense—Any donated incense; they are all unauthorized except for this one.

Burnt offering, or grain offering—Neither burnt offerings nor grain offerings. A burnt offering is one of an animal or fowl. A grain offering is one of bread.