Daily Chumash & Rashi Parshas Vayakhel Pikudei – Revi’i: Making the Olah Altar, Kiyor, Chatzer, and the accounting (Wednesday, 22nd Adar)

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Revi’i when connected to Pekudei

  1. Making the Olah altar:
  • He made the Olah altar from shittim-acacia wood. It was made into a square, its length being five Amos, and its width also being five Amos. It was three Amos high. It was hollow. He made horns on each of its four corners, and he covered [the entire altar] with copper.
  • Its accessories: He made for it pots to remove its ashes, shovels, sprinkling basins, prongs, and fire-pans. It was all made of copper.
  • Its netting: He made a copper netting which encompasses the altar and welded four copper rings on each of its four corners. He made poles of acacia-shittim wood and covered them with copper. He inserted them into the rings for the altar to be carried.

 

  1. Making the Kiyor:
    • He made a copper Kiyor sink and pedestal using the mirrors of the women who congregated at the entrance of the Ohel Moed.

 

  1. Making the Chatzer/courtyard:
  • He made a courtyard for the Mishkan from twisted linen. The curtains of the northern and southern side of the Chatzer were 100 Amos long. The curtains of the western side were 50 Amos long. The curtains of the eastern side were 15 Amos for each end.
  • The pillars: There were twenty pillars and twenty sockets for the northern and southern side, and ten pillars and ten sockets for the western side. There were three pillars and sockets for each end of the eastern side, for a total of six. All the pillars were made with silver hooks and belts and their top was coated with silver. The sockets were made of copper.
  • The entrance to the Chatzer: The screen of the gate of the Chatzer was made of Turquoise Ticheiles wool, Argamon-Purple wool, scarlet wool, and twisted linen and was 20 Amos long and 5 Amos in height. It contained four pillars and four copper sockets and had silver hooks and belts, and the pillars were coated with silver.
  • Its accessories: The pegs of the Mishkan were all made of copper.

 

Item

Material

Dimensions

Features

Accessories

Olah altar

Shittim-acacia wood, copper

Square, 5 Amos length, 5 Amos width, 3 Amos high, hollow

Horns on four corners, covered with copper

Pots, shovels, sprinkling basins, prongs, fire-pans (all copper)

Netting for Olah altar

Copper

Encompasses altar

Four copper rings on corners

Poles of acacia-shittim wood covered with copper, inserted into rings

Kiyor sink and pedestal

Copper (from mirrors of women)

Not specified

Made using mirrors of women at entrance of Ohel Moed

None specified

Chatzer/courtyard curtains (north/south)

Twisted linen

100 Amos long

None specified

None specified

Chatzer/courtyard curtains (west)

Twisted linen

50 Amos long

None specified

None specified

Chatzer/courtyard curtains (east ends)

Twisted linen

15 Amos each end

None specified

None specified

Pillars (north/south)

Silver hooks/belts/top, copper sockets

20 pillars, 20 sockets each side

Top coated with silver

None specified

Pillars (west)

Silver hooks/belts/top, copper sockets

10 pillars, 10 sockets

Top coated with silver

None specified

Pillars (east ends)

Silver hooks/belts/top, copper sockets

3 pillars, 3 sockets each end (6 total)

Top coated with silver

None specified

Entrance screen to Chatzer

Turquoise Ticheiles wool, Argamon-Purple wool, scarlet wool, twisted linen

20 Amos long, 5 Amos high

Four pillars, four copper sockets, silver hooks/belts, pillars coated with silver

None specified

Pegs of Mishkan

Copper

Not specified

All made of copper

None specified

 

  1. The accounting of the donation materials and their use:
  • The following is the accounting of the Mishkan donations. It was counted by Isamar the son of Aaron, and the Levites, as Moshe commanded. Betzalel Ben Uri Ben Chur from Shevet Yehuda and Oholiav Ben Achisamach did all that they were commanded for building the Mishkan.
  • Gold: 29 Kikar and 730 Shekel of gold was donated.
  • Silver: 100 Kikar and 1775 Shekel of silver was donated. A Beka weight of silver was donated for every person 20 years and older during the half shekel donation. The total number of donors of the half shekel was 603,550. The 100 Kikar of silver was used to make the silver sockets for the pillars of the Kodesh and Paroches, one Kikar per socket. The remaining 1775 silver shekel were used to make the hooks and belts of the pillars.
  • Copper: 70 Kikar and 2400 Shekel of copper was donated. The copper was used to make the copper sockets for the pillars of the Ohel Moed, courtyard and entrance gate. It was also used to make the copper altar and its netting and all of its accessories. It was also used to make all the pegs of the courtyard.
  • Wool: The Techeiles-Turquoise wool, Argamon-Purple wool, and scarlet wool, were used to make the priestly garments.

 

Material

Amount Donated

Use

Gold

29 Kikar and 730 Shekel

–

Silver

100 Kikar and 1775 Shekel

100 Kikar: silver sockets for pillars of Kodesh and Paroches (one Kikar per socket); 1775 Shekel: hooks and belts of the pillars

Copper

70 Kikar and 2400 Shekel

Copper sockets for pillars of Ohel Moed, courtyard and entrance gate; copper altar and its netting and accessories; pegs of the courtyard

Wool (Techeiles, Argamon, Scarlet)

–

Priestly garments

Half Shekel Donation

603,550 donors (one Beka per person 20 years and older)

–

Accounted by

Isamar the son of Aaron, Levites

As Moshe commanded

Builders

Betzalel Ben Uri Ben Chur (Shevet Yehuda), Oholiav Ben Achisamach

Did all commanded for building the Mishkan

Q&A on Rashi

38:7 — The Altar’s Structure

Q1. What does “נְבוּב לֻחֹת” mean?

A: Hollow panels — planks of acacia wood on all sides with an empty interior.

 

Q2. How does Rashi support the meaning of “נְבוּב”?

A: From the usage meaning hollow, as in a structure that is not solid.

 

38:8 — The Copper Laver

Q3. What were the Laver and its base made from?

A: From the copper mirrors of the women who congregated at the Tent of Meeting.

Q4. Why did Moses initially reject these mirrors?

A: Because mirrors are used to arouse the evil inclination.

 

Q5. Why did God insist that Moses accept them?

A: Because they were more precious to Him than all other donations, since through them the women established many families in Egypt.

 

Q6. How did the women use the mirrors in Egypt?

A: They looked into the mirrors with their exhausted husbands, arousing desire, leading to marital relations and childbirth.

 

Q7. What verse supports this idea of arousal and birth?

A: “Under the apple tree I aroused you.”

 

Q8. Why was the Laver specifically made from these mirrors?

A: Because the Laver promotes peace between husband and wife, as used in the ritual of the suspected adulteress.

 

Q9. How do we know these were actual mirrors and not figurative?

A: The copper of the general wave‑offering does not include the Laver, proving it came from a separate donation.

 

Q10. How does Onkelos translate “מַרְאֹת”?

A: As מֶחְזְיָת — mirrors.

 

38:21 — “These Are the Appointments”

Q11. What does “אֵלֶּה פְקוּדֵי” mean?

A: A listing of the weights of gold, silver, and copper and the assignments of the Tabernacle’s service.

 

Q12. Why is “מִּשְׁכָּן” written twice?

A: As an allusion to the two Temples taken as a pledge (מַשְׁכּוֹן) because of Israel’s sins.

 

Q13. What does “מִשְׁכָּן הָעֵדֻת” signify?

A: The Tabernacle is testimony that God forgave Israel for the Golden Calf.

 

Q14. What was the role of the Levites?

A: To carry, dismantle, and erect the Tabernacle and its furnishings.

 

Q15. What does “בְּיַד אִיתָמָר” mean?

A: Under the supervision of Itamar, who assigned duties to each family group.

 

38:22 — Betzalel’s Wisdom

Q16. Why does the verse say Betzalel did “all that God commanded Moses”?

A: Because Betzalel’s own reasoning aligned exactly with what God told Moses, even beyond Moses’ instructions.

 

Q17. What example demonstrates Betzalel’s insight?

A: Moses told him to make the furnishings first, but Betzalel reasoned that a building comes before furnishings.

 

Q18. How did Moses respond to Betzalel’s reasoning?

A: He said Betzalel must have been “in the shadow of God” (בְּצֵל אֵל), for that was God’s command.

 

38:24 — The Gold Accounting

Q19. How much gold was used for the Tabernacle?

A: 29 talents and 730 shekels of sacred shekels.

 

Q20. How much is one sacred talent?

A: 3000 shekels (120 maneh; each maneh = 25 shekels).

 

Q21. Why are the leftover shekels counted separately?

A: Because only amounts under 3000 shekels do not make a full talent.

 

38:25–26 — The Silver Accounting

Q22. How much silver was collected from the census?

A: 100 talents and 1775 shekels.

 

Q23. What is a “בֶּקַע”?

A: The weight of a half‑shekel.

 

Q24. How many people were counted?

A: 603,550 men aged 20 and over.

 

Q25. How do 600,000 half‑shekels equal 100 talents?

A: 600,000 half‑shekels = 300,000 full shekels = 100 talents.

 

38:27–28 — Use of the Silver

Q26. What were the 100 talents of silver used for?

A: To cast the 100 bases of the planks and the Curtain.

 

Q27. What does “לָצֶקֶת” mean?

A: Casting, as translated by Onkelos.

 

Q28. What were the remaining 1775 shekels used for?

A: For the hooks, tops, and bands of the Courtyard pillars.

 

38:29–31 — The Copper Accounting

Q29. How much copper was donated?

A: 70 talents and 2400 shekels.

 

Q30. What items were made from this copper?

A:

  • Bases for the Screen
  • The Outer Altar and its Grate
  • All Altar utensils
  • Bases and stakes of the Courtyard

 

 

About The Author

Rabbi Yaakov Goldstein is a 6th generation descendent of the famous Chief Rabbi of Izhmir, Rav Yehoshua Avraham Krispin, who authored a number of Sefarim, and was a colleague of Rav Chaim Falagi, and father in-law of the Pesach Hadvir. He currently lives with his wife Shayna, and twelve children K”H, in Tzfas, Israel. Rabbi Goldstein received Semicha from Rabbi Schneur Zalman Labkowski of the Tomchei Temimim headquarters in 2005 and served as a chaplain in the Lotar/Kalatz and K9 unit of the IDF from years 2005-2008. He is also a certified Shochet, and has performed Hashgacha work in slaughterhouses. Rabbi Goldstein is the director of Shulchanaruchharav.com, the world’s leading web-based Halacha database, and is the director of the Home Study Semicha Program, a self-study web-based Semicha program. He is a prolific author of over 50 Sefarim studied by a wide range of readers throughout the world, which is used regularly in Semicha programs around the globe. He is a world renowned Posek, answering questions to a web-based market, and serves as a local Posek, Rav, and Lecturer, in the Tzemach Tzedek community Shul in Tzefas, Israel. His many classes can be heard both from his website, Vimeo and YouTube channel. Students can join live to classes given in the Tzemach Tzedek Shul, through the “בית חבד צפת Chabad Tsfat” YouTube channel.