Daily Chumash & Rashi Parshas Vayakhel Pikudei – Chamishi: The Eiphod and Choshen (Thursday, 23rd Adar)

Chamishi when connected to Vayakhel

1. The Eiphod:

• He made the Eiphod from gold, Turquoise-Ticheiles wool, Argamon-Purple wool, scarlet wool, and twisted linen. Gold strings were cut from thin sheets of gold and woven with the Turquoise-Ticheiles wool, Argamon-Purple wool, scarlet wool, and twisted linen. He made two shoulder straps, one by each end, and a belt which was likewise made of the same materials stated above.
• The Avnie Shoham: He placed the two Shoham stones into their gold settings and inscribed on them the name of the tribes of Israel. He placed the stones on the shoulder straps of the Eiphod, one per strap, as a remembrance.

2. The Choshen:

• He made the Choshen from gold, Turquoise-Ticheiles wool, Argamon-Purple wool, scarlet wool, and twisted linen. The Choshen was square, folded over, a Zeres in its length and width. It was filled with four rows of stones. The first row contained the following stones: Odem, Pitdah, and Barekes. The second row contained the following stones: Nofech, Sapir, and Yahalom. The third row contained the following stones: Leshem, Shevo, and Achlamah. The fourth row contained the following stones: Tarshish, Shoham, and Yashfeh. The stones were placed within gold settings. They had the names of the tribes inscribed on them, one tribe per stone for a total of 12 tribes and stones.
• The chains and rings that attach the Choshen to the Eiphod: They made two gold chains on the Choshen. They made two gold settings and two gold rings and placed the rings on the two [top] corners of the Choshen. They attached the chains to these two rings. The other end of the chains was attached to the gold settings and then attached to the shoulder straps of the Eiphod. They made another two gold rings for the bottom corners of the Choshen, and placed them in the interior of the Choshen. They made two rings on the bottom end of the shoulder straps of the Eiphod, symmetric to the bottom rings of the Choshen. They placed a Techeiles-Turquoise woolen string through the two sets of rings, and attached the Choshen to the Eiphod belt so that it not move.