Who Fashioned the Vessels of the Mishkan (I)

 

 

INTRODUCTION

 

            We have previously discussed the relationship between the structure of the Mishkan and its vessels. In this shiur, we will relate to the question of who fashioned the vessels of the Mishkan. In this framework, we will examine the relationship between the command and the execution (God's command to Moshe in Parashat Teruma, Moshe's command to the people of Israel in Parashat Vayakhel, and the actual execution), and we will try to understand the significance of this issue with respect to the essence of the vessels.

 

THE VARIOUS COMMANDS TO FASHION THE VESSELS

 

A. GOD’S COMMANDS TO MOSHE (SHEMOT 25:10 AND ON)

 

            In studying God’s command to Moshe in Parashat Teruma, it is interesting to consider to whom the command was addressed with respect to each of the vessels:

 

            The command regarding the ark, "And they shall make me an ark," is stated in the plural. In contrast, each of the specific actions connected to the fashioning of the ark ("and you shall overlay," "and you shall cast," "and you shall make," "and you shall put") is formulated in the singular.

 

            Regarding the kaporet, God commands, "And you shall make" (25:17) in the singular, and so too regarding the keruvim (25:18), the table (25:23), the candlestick (25:31), and the parts of the Mishkan structure: "And you [sing.] shall make the Mishkan" (26:1); "And you [sing.] shall make boards" (26:15), "and you [sing.] shall make a parokhet" (26:31), "and you [sing.] shall make an altar of shittim wood" (27:1), "and you [sing.] shall make the courtyard of the Mishkan" (27:9).

 

            With regard to the priestly garments described in Parashat Tetzaveh, the Torah states:

 

And you shall speak to all that are wise hearted, who I have filled with the spirit of wisdom, that they may make Aharon's garments to consecrate him, that he may minister to Me in the priest's office. And these are the garments which they shall make; a breastplate, and an efod, and a robe, and a quilted undercoat, a miter, and a girdle: and they shall make holy garments for Aharon your brother, and his sons, that he may minister to Me in the priest's office. And they shall take gold, and blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine linen. (Shemot 28:3-5)

 

            Afterwards, we read: "And they shall make the efod" (28:6), "And you [sing.] shall make fixtures of gold" (28:13), "And you [sing.] shall make the breastplate of judgment" (28:15), "And you [sing.] shall make the robe of the efod" (28:31), "And you [sing.] shall make a plate of pure gold" (28:36), "And you [sing.] shall make an altar for the burning of incense" (30:1), "And you [sing.] shall make a laver of brass" (30:18).

 

            The Torah then describes the selection of Betzalel, Aholiav, and all the wise-hearted, "And they shall make all that I have commanded you" (Shemot 31:6).

 

B.        MOSHE’S COMMANDS TO THE PEOPLE OF ISRAEL (SHEMOT 35:1 AND ON)

 

            When Moshe relays God’s command to the people, we read:

 

And every wise-hearted man among you shall come, and make all that the Lord has commanded. (Shemot 35:10)

 

            Afterwards, Moshe describes what everyone contributed to the Mishkan (35:21-29), and he then relays to the people of Israel about the selection of Betzalel and Aholiav and all the wise-hearted.

 

C.        THE EXECUTION OF THE BUILDING OF THE MISHKAN ) SHEMOT 36:8 AND ON)

 

            We then read about the execution of the work of construction: "And all wise-hearted men among them that carried out the work made the Mishkan" (Shemot 36:8); "and he made curtains of goats' hair" (36:14); "and he made boards" (36:20); "and Betzalel made the ark" (37:1); "and he made the kaporet of pure gold" (37:6); "and he made two keruvim of gold" (37:7); "and he made the table" (37:10); "and he made the candlestick" (37:17); "and he made the incense altar" (37:25); "and he made the altar of burnt-offering" (38:1); "and he made the laver" (38:8); "and he made the courtyard" (38:9).

 

            In its summary of this section, the Torah states:

And Betzalel the son of Uri, the son of Chur, of the tribe of Yehuda, made all that the Lord commanded Moshe. And with him was an artist, and an embroiderer in blue, and in purple, and in scarlet, and fine linen. (Shemot 38:22-23)

 

            In the continuation regarding the manufacture of the priestly garments, we read: "And he made the efod" (39:2); "and they arranged the shoham stones" (39:6); "and he made the breastplate" (39:8); "and they made upon the breastplate plaited chains of wreathen work" (39:15); "and they made the fixtures of gold" (39:16); "and they made two rings of gold" (39:19); "and he made the robe of the ephod" (39:22); "and they made upon the hems of the robe pomegranates of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and twined linen" (39:24); "and they made bells of pure gold" (39:25); "and they made coats of fine linen" (39:27); "and they made the plate of the holy crown of pure gold" (39:30).

 

            At the end of the work, the Torah summarizes:

 

Thus was all the work of the Mishkan of the Tent of Meeting finished; and the children of Israel did according to all that the Lord commanded Moshe, so they did. And they brought the Mishkan to Moshe, the Tent, and all its vessels… (39:32-33)

 

            After everything is brought, the Torah says:

 

According to all that the Lord commanded Moshe, so the children of Israel did all the work. And Moshe saw all the work, and, behold, they had done it as the Lord had commanded, even so had they done it: and Moshe blessed them. (39:42-43)

 

D. GOD’S COMMAND TO ERECT THE MISHKAN

 

            At the end of the book of Shemot, the Torah records God's command to Moshe to set up the Mishkan and its actual erection:

 

And the Lord spoke to Moshe, saying, “On the first day of the first month shall you [sing.] set up the Mishkan of the Tent of Meeting… and you [sing.] shall put… and you [sing.] shall bring… and you [sing.] shall set… and you [sing.] shall take… and you [sing.] shall anoint… and you [sing.] shall hallow… Thus did Moshe; according to all that the Lord commanded him, so he did. (40:1 and on)

 

E. THE ACTUAL ERECTION OF THE MISHKAN

 

And it came to pass in the first month in the second year, on the first day of the month, that the Mishkan was erected. And Moshe erected the Mishkan… and he fastened… and he spread… and he brought… and he put… So Moshe finished the work. (40:17 and on)

 

            Now that we have presented the details of the construction of the Mishkan – from God's command to Moshe, through Moshe's command to the people of Israel, and to the actual setting up of the Mishkan by Moshe – we will attempt to understand the differences and the special emphases, and from them draw a number of conclusions.

 

THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN MOSHE AND BETZALEL

 

            As we have seen, God's initial command in Parashat Teruma was to Moshe, and on the face of it, it would seem from there that it is Moshe who must fashion the vessels and the structure. In practice, however, at the stage of execution, the work seems to have been cast primarily upon Betzalel, Aholiav, and all the wise-hearted men.

 

            What is the meaning of this change? Is this change a consequence of the sin of the Golden Calf? Was the original intention indeed that the structure and the vessels should be fashioned by Moshe himself?[1] Alternatively, it may be suggested that while God assigned the overall responsibility for building the Mishkan to Moshe, the actual execution was done by Betzalel, Aholiav, and all the wise-hearted men.

 

            Another possibility is to follow in the footsteps of many of the midrashim, which offer different explanations of the relationship between the command to Moshe and the actual execution of the command by Betzalel:

 

"See, I have called by name Betzalel" – It does not say here: “I have called by name Betzalel,” but rather: “See, I have called.” You find that when Moshe went up on high, the Holy One, blessed be He, showed him all the vessels of the Mishkan, and said to him: Such and such you shall make, and you shall make the candlestick, and you shall make the table, and you shall make the altar, and so the entire fashioning of the Mishkan. Moshe was about to go down, thinking that he would make [these things]. The Holy One, blessed be He, called to him, and said to him: Moshe, I have made you the king. It is not the way of the king to do anything; rather he issues an order and others execute it. So, too, you are not permitted to do anything; rather speak to them, and they will do it. But He did not tell him to whom he should speak. Moshe said: To whom shall I speak? He said to him: I will show you. What did the Holy One, blessed be He, do? He brought him the book of Adam, and he showed him all the generations that would arise from [the time of] creation to [the time of] the resurrection, each generation with its kings, each generation with its leaders, each generation with its prophets. He said to him: I prepared each and every one from that time. And so too Betzalel, I prepared him from that time. This is the meaning of: “See, I have called by name Betzalel.” (Shemot Rabba 40:2)

 

            According to this midrash, Moshe indeed thought that he would build the vessels of the Mishkan himself, but when he went down from Sinai, God told him that it was not the way of a king to engage in such labor; a king issues an order and others execute it. As for the question of why specifically Betzalel was designated, the midrash states that God had chosen him from the beginning of creation.

 

            Another midrash dealing with the matter emphasizes a different point:

 

"And you shall make." What is written above? "And look and make." But did Moshe make the Mishkan? Surely it is written: "Then Betzalel and Aholiav, and every wise-hearted man." Rather, Moshe for the teaching, Betzalel for the execution. From here our Rabbis said: To reward one who causes a good deed like he who does it. For we find that Moshe caused Betzalel to do the work of the Mishkan, and the Holy One, blessed be He, regarded him as if he had done it. As it is stated: "And the Mishkan of the Lord, which Moshe made in the wilderness" (Divrei Ha-Yamim I 21:29).

 

            According to this midrash, the reward of one who brings another person to do a good deed is equal to that of the person who actually does it. Because Moshe brought Betzalel to build the Mishkan, he is credited with the building, and the Mishkan is attributed to him.

 

            The Tanchuma adds:

 

And similarly, you find regarding the Mishkan that everyone dedicated their souls and made the Mishkan: All of Israel donated, the woman spun the goat's [hair], and so too all the wise-hearted men made [the utensils], and so too Betzalel and Aholiav. Because Moshe dedicated his soul that he should do it in the manner that the Holy One, blessed be He, showed him on the mountain, as it is stated: "And look that you make them after their pattern," and Moshe dedicated his soul that they should not make a mistake – therefore, it is stated after each and every item: "As the Lord had commanded Moshe." (Nasa 20)

 

            According to this midrash, everyone did his part: the women spun the goat's hair, each wise-hearted person did his work, Betzalel and Aholiav did their part, and Moshe troubled himself and gave them precise guidance so that the Mishkan should be build exactly as God had shown Moshe on the mountain.

 

            The Ramban, in his comment on this midrash, explains the uniqueness of Betzalel's selection:

 

The reason is that in Egypt, Israel toiled in work of mortar and bricks. They never learned to work in silver, and gold, and precious stones, and never even saw them. Now it was a marvel that one person was found among them who was very wise in the work of silver, and gold, and in the cutting of stones, and in the carving of timber, and in the work of artistry, embroidery and weaving. For even among those who have studied with masters, you will not find one who is an expert in all these crafts. And those who are knowledgeable and familiar with them, when their hands constantly come into contact with plaster and mud, cannot perform with them delicate and intricate work. And furthermore, that he was very wise in wisdom, and in understanding, and in knowledge to understand the mystery of the Mishkan and all its vessels, why they were commanded and to what they allude. God therefore said to Moshe that he should see this marvel and know that He had filled him with the spirit of God to know all these things, so that he should make the Mishkan. For it was His desire that a Mishkan be built in the wilderness, and He created him for His glory, for He calls the generations from the beginning. (Ramban, Shemot 36:2)

 

            The Netziv makes an interesting comment on the very selection of Betzalel:

 

"See, I have called by name" – according to the plain sense, the meaning of "see" is: Reflect on the good that I am doing thereby, that you will not have to search for many different craftsman from all the different crafts. But now, "see, I have called by name" – one craftsman who will include it all, and he will supervise over all kinds of crafts. And Moshe said to Israel (Shemot 35:30): "See." And in the Mekhilta, Parashat Beshalach, on the verse: "'See, that the Lord has given you Shabbat' (ibid. 16:29) – take care." This seems to be the meaning of the word "see" here: Reflect upon the building of the Mishkan that it is not like the palace of a king, which is profane, and he who wishes to build it by first training for the work before he comes to do it may do so. But this is not the case with the Mishkan, which is holy. And just like the Torah was given through Moshe, and the priesthood through Aharon, so too the Mishkan could not have been made by the greatest artisan in the world, but only by Betzalel. And not because he was from the outset a great artist, but rather because the Holy One, blessed be He, "filled him" – now, with the knowledge that is needed for this, and for this reason it is fitting that you take care with him. This is the meaning of "see" which Moshe said to Israel below in Parashat Vayakhel. (Ha-Amek Davar, Shemot 31:2)

 

            Betzalel was unique in that he was a single craftsman who knew all the crafts and could supervise all the artisans. Thus, Moshe would not have to search for specialized craftsmen for each craft.

 

            On the other hand, the Netziv writes:

 

But we must consider the precise fashioning of the [priestly] garments. It turns out that there are changes and novelties that were not spelled out in the command. I might have thought that Betzalel introduced these on his own. Therefore, Scripture clarifies with respect to each item: "As the Lord commanded [Moshe]." That is to say, it came from Moshe by way of oral transmission. Thus it is explained in the Yerushalmi, Pe'a, chapter 1: "'And Betzalel… did all that the Lord commanded Moshe' (38:22) – even things that he had not heard from his master, his thinking turned out to be in agreement with what was said to Moshe at Sinai." Thus, we see that we are dealing with oral traditions, and that Moshe did not yet have a chance to explain everything. And so too we explained in the book of Vayikra, Parashat Tzav (chap. 8)… Now, the words, "as the Lord commanded Moshe," are well explained, as we explained above, and this is the meaning throughout the section. (Ibid., Shemot 39:5)

 

            According to this explanation, and based on the Yerushalmi, the expression "as the Lord commanded Moshe" means that the matter came from the mouth of Moshe by way of oral transmission.

 

            With respect to the fashioning of the candlestick, the midrash says as follows:

 

R. Levi said: A pure candlestick came down from heaven. Why? Because the Holy One, blessed be He, said to Moshe: "And you shall make a candlestick of pure gold" (Shemot 25:31). He said to Him: How shall I make it?" He said to him: "Of beaten work shall the candlestick be made" (ibid.). Nevertheless, Moshe had difficulty with the matter, and he went down and forgot how to make it. He went back up and said: Master of the Universe, I have forgotten. He said to him: "Look that you make them" (ibid. v. 40). He took a coin of fire and showed him how to make it. But Moshe still had difficulty. The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him: Go to Betzalel and he will make it. Moshe went down and spoke to Betzalel. He immediately made it. Moshe began to wonder, saying: The Holy One, blessed be He, showed it to me several times, but I had difficulty making it. And you who never saw it made it on your own. Betzalel, perhaps you were standing in the shadow of God (be-tzel El) when the Holy One, blessed be He, showed it to me? Therefore, when the Temple was destroyed, the candlestick was hidden away, this being one of the five things that were hidden away: the ark, the candlestick, the fire, the holy spirit, and the keruvim. And when the Holy One, blessed be He, in His mercy will return and rebuild His house and sanctuary, He will return them to their place and gladden Jerusalem, as it is stated: "The wilderness and the arid land shall be glad" (Yeshayahu 35:1). And it says: "It shall blossom abundantly, and rejoice even with joy and singing: the glory of the Lebanon shall be given to it, the excellency of the Carmel and the Sharon, they shall see the glory of the Lord, and the excellency of our God" (Ibid. 35:2). (Bamidbar Rabba 15:9)

 

            Besides Moshe and Betzalel, there were other people involved in the fashioning of the vessels: Aholiav ben Achisamakh, all the wise-hearted men, and the women who spun goats' hair (Shemot 35:25-27). Was there a clear division of labor between them?

 

            This question is directly related to another exegetical question. What is the relationship between the commands formulated in the singular and those formulated in the plural?

 

THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN ALL THE PEOPLE INVOLVED IN THE FASHIONING OF THE VESSELS

 

The Relationship between Singular and Plural

 

            The Or Ha-Chayyim relates to this point in his commentary:

 

"And all wise-hearted men made" (Shemot 36:8) – This means: Even though the ones carrying out the work were many, nevertheless, the work was executed as if it were done by one person. That is to say, when many people carry out work, it is inevitable that the appearance of the work of one person is different from that of another person. It is not like work that is carried out entirely by one person. But the verse teaches us that the work of the Mishkan was perfect from this perspective as well. For He who gave them wisdom gave them equal wisdom, and they are like one person. This explains the fact that all of the specific actions are formulated in the singular, though it does not say who it is. And it is obvious that it does not refer to Betzalel, for he did not do everything. And the proof is: "And Betzalel made the ark." Rather the reference is to those who carried out the work, and he used the singular for the reason given above. (Shemot 36:8)

 

            A different approach to this question is suggested by the Netziv in his commentary:

 

"And he made" (Shemot 39:2) – The sections dealing with the efod, the breastplate, and the robe begin in the singular, and afterwards pass into the plural, because all the work was begun by Betzalel, but completed by the rest of the craftsmen. In order not to withhold credit from the craftsmen who did most of the work, and also because every meritorious deed is attributed to he who completed it (Sota 13b), therefore it is written in the plural. (Shemot 39:2)

 

            According to the Netziv, the work was begun by Betzalel, but completed by the other craftsmen. In order not to withhold credit from the craftsmen, and because meritorious deeds are called after those who complete them, the verses are formulated in the plural. Thus, the account of the fashioning of each vessel begins in the singular, referring to Betzalel, but concludes in the plural, referring to the rest of the craftsmen.

 

            In his comment relating to the tzitz, the Netziv writes:

 

"And they made" (Shemot 39:30) – On the face of it, [the account of] the fashioning of the tzitz should have preceded that of the coats and the other things, as in the command. But just as it starts with the ark that is most holy, so it ends with the tzitz, because the last mentioned item is precious, as is stated in Megilla (21b). For this reason, it is formulated in the plural from beginning to end, because all of the craftsmen tried to have a part in it.

 

            According to the Netziv, the entire account of the making of the tzitz is formulated in the plural because the tzitz enjoys special sanctity. It is therefore mentioned last, as it is most precious, and for this reason, all the workers wished to be included among those who made it.

 

            Elsewhere (Shemot 35:33-35), the Netziv relates to the relationship between Betzalel's work and that of the others:

 

"To make all manner of artistic (machshevet) work" (Shemot 35:33) – For he himself did part of the work. It says "be-khol," which implies part of the work, but not all of it. Rather, he passed it on afterwards to others. The principle that "he who starts with a mitzva, we tell him to finish it" does not apply here, since from the outset it was his intention to pass it on to others.

Now here it says "machshevet" [from "machashava," design], as opposed to what it says in Parashat Ki Tisa. This is because weaving and embroidery are not mentioned in this verse, but in the next verse (v. 35), for Betzalel and Aholiav were equal in their regard. If so, there is a difficulty. Why is cutting and carving mentioned here? Surely the work of the engraver is mentioned also with respect to Aholiav! This is resolved by the fact that here it says "machshevet," for also in the next verse it is alluded that Aholiav was equal with respect to the actual carving, but not regarding "design" – with deciding what to do. It is therefore written here that Betzalel stood out with respect to "design."

"And he has put in his heart that he may teach" (35:34) – That he should want to accept the trouble of teaching the work to others, and also that if some question arose regarding the meaning of the text or the like, Betzalel would teach them the matter.

"He has filled them" – In these things the two were equal.

 

            According to the Netziv, Betzalel did part of the work and afterwards passed it on to the others. Betzalel's unique contribution was in figuring out what to do, but with respect to the work of weaving, embroidery, and carving, Betzalel and Aholiav were equals.

 

            The Netziv explains the ten curtains of the Mishkan that were made with keruvim of artistic work:

 

"An artistic work he made them" – This refers to Betzalel who headed the workers. As with all the work of the Mishkan, it is written in the singular. Here there is greater need to explain the singular, for we already explained in Parashat Teruma (Shemot 26:1) that the "artistic work" of the keruvim was not confined to one curtain, but rather it was joined to the second and the third. It would seem then that all of the workers were needed to make the image in such a way that they would understand how to join one to the other. But in fact, it was not like that, but rather Betzalel "made the artistic work" by himself, and he gave each worker a picture of his curtain, even though he didn't know of the second, and only Betzalel knew how to join them. (Ha-Amek Davar, Shemot 36:8)

 

            The Or Ha-Chayyim writes in his commentary:

 

"And you shall erect the Mishkan" (Shemot 26:30) – The Ibn Ezra explains that he should tell this to the wise-hearted men. He thinks that just as all the work of the Mishkan was stated in the second person, and the fact is that [Moshe] did not do the work, but rather the wise-hearted, the same applies to this mitzva. But this is never true, for whatever God commands Moshe in the second person, he must do it and nobody else, except for places where God repeats [the command] and states explicitly that others should do it. Then we say that the reason that he spoke to Moshe in second person was to tell him that since he issues the command, it is as if he does the work. Regarding the making of the Mishkan and the vessels, [God] once again commanded [Moshe] in Parashat Ki Tisa: "I have called by name Betzalel… and with him Aholiav… and in the hearts of all that are wise-hearted… that they make all that I have commanded you." Thus, He revealed that Moshe was not to do any of the work. But regarding the erection of the Mishkan, we do not find that God went back and clarified who was to erect it. This indicates that it is [Moshe] who must erect it. And [Moshe] erected it, as it is written: "And Moshe erected the Mishkan," he alone, and nobody else with him. (Or Ha-Chayyim, Shemot 26:30)

 

            Thus, there are several explanations regarding the use of the singular and the plural and regarding the division of the work among the various workers. According to the Or Ha-Chayyim, each worker did his work in his own way, but the work appeared as if it had been done by one person, and the singular is therefore used. According to the Netziv, Betzalel began each task, but the work was finished by the rest of the craftsmen, and therefore the account starts in the singular and ends in the plural. Betzalel was exclusively responsible for the design, and he instructed each of the workers what to do and how to do it. But regarding the actual work of weaving, embroidery and engraving, Betzalel and Aholiav were equals.

 

            In our next shiur, we will complete the discussion of this topic and deal primarily with manner in which the vessels were fashioned.

 

(Translated by David Strauss)

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