CHAMISHOH MI YODEI'A - FIVE QUESTIONS ON THE WEEKLY SEDRAH - PARSHAS T'TZA'VEH 5766 - BS"D

2) Ch. 28, v. 2: "V'ossiso vigdei kodesh l'Aharon ochicho l'chovode ul'sif'o'res" - And you shall make the garments for your brother Aharon for honour and grandeur - Compare this with the next verse, which gives a different reason for making the garments, "V'atoh t'da'beir el kol chachmei leiv .. V'ossu es bigdei Aharon l'kadsho l'chahano li." The earlier verse says that the garments are to be made for the honour and grandeur of Aharon, while the next verse says that it is for his sanctification and to allow him to serve as a priest. Which is the correct reason?

3) Ch. 28, v. 5: "V'heim yikchu" - And they shall take - Since these words obviously refer back to their antecedent the "chachmei leiv" of verse 3, why doesn't the verse simply say "v'yikchu"?

4) Ch. 28, v. 20: "B'milu'osom" - The gemara Sotoh 48b derives from this word that the stones must be complete. This was done by having a worm called "shamir" pass over writing on the stones. As the worm moved along it caused the stones to split open, creating letters to be formed while not removing any of the actual stones. We do not find the word "b'milu'osom" by the 2 stones on the "eifode" straps. Upon them we also have the names of the twelve tribes. Was the "shamir" as well, or was it permitted to etch into them, leaving them incomplete?

5) Ch. 28, v. 28: "V'lo yizach hachoshen mei'al ho'eifode" - This is one of the 613 mitzvos of the Torah, to not have the choshen breastplate separate from the eifode garment (gemara Yoma 72a). What lessons can be learned from this prohibition?

Answer to questions on parshas Trumoh:

1) Ch. 25, v. 9: "K'chole asher ani ma'reh os'cho ...... v'chein taasu" - Rashi says that "v'chein taasu" tells us that for all generations the form of the Sanctuary and the form of its vessels should remain the same. We find that King Shlomo made an altar of different dimensions and that there were numerous other changes such as the altar of King Shlomo was not covered with copper plating. How will Rashi answer this?

This question on Rashi is asked by the Ramban.

1) Rabbi Eliyohu Mizrachi answers Rashi by saying that "doing the same" means to keep similar proportions and similar forms, which indeed was the case in the permanent Sanctuary, the Beis Hamikdosh.

2) The Gur Aryeh answers Rashi by saying that "v'chein taasu" refers only to movable items. The altar was affixed to the ground.

2) Ch. 25, v. 10: "V'OSSU oron" - Why by the command to create all other vessels does it say "v'ossoh" and here "v'ossu?"

The Moshav Z'keinim gives three answers:

1) The oron represents the Torah. Everyone is responsible to personally take part in studying it.

2) Shlomo Hamelech made replicas of all other Mishkon vessels, hence the singular form. However the Holy Ark was not duplicated by Shlomo Hamelech, hence the plural form. (See comments on 25:21 which might explain why Shlomo Hamelech could not create another Holy Ark.)

3) The oron, shulchon, and mizbayach had ornamental crowns. The crown of the shulchon was taken by Dovid Hamelech, the crown of the mizbayach by Aharon the Kohein, but the crown of Torah is open for all, hence the plural term "v'ossu."

3) Ch. 25, v. 20: "Ish el ochiv el hakaporres" - Are they to face each other or the lid of the Holy Ark? 1) The Rashbam says that by facing each other, they are facing the open space above the kaporres, fulfilling "el hakaporres." 2) The Maharil Diskin answers that Hashem told Moshe that the kruvim would face each other when Hashem is pleased with the bnei Yisroel as per gemara B.B. 99a. However, they are to be originally formed to face the kaporres.

4) Ch. 25, v. 29: "M'nakiosov" - Rashi, in his first translation of this word, says that these are two pairs of vertical panels which are attached to the shulchon. They have thin pipes attached to them which support the "lechem haponim." This serves a double purpose; to support each bread so that an upper one does not crush the one below it, and to allow for air to circulate around each bread, so that they do not get mouldy. The way the pipes stay in place is by their lying in notches cut into the panels.

The text of Rabbi Eliyohu Mizrochi of our Rashi says that there were FIVE sets of notches, "pitzulim," in each pair of panels. This seems very logical. The two bottom "lechem haponim" sit on the table itself and need no support. To allow for air to circulate it is sufficient to place thin pipes below them, but there is no need for supporting notches, as the pipes sit on the shulchon. However, the original text in Rashi is SIX sets of notches. How is this to be understood?

Regarding the "lechem haponim" the Torah says in Vayikra 24:7, "V'nosato AL hamaa'reches l'vonah zakoh." There is a requirement to place two cups of pure frankincense "AL" hamaa'reches. The gemara M'nochos 98a brings two opinions of how to translate "AL." One is NEXT TO the row of breads, upon the table-top. Another opinion is that it means to literally place the cups of "l'vonoh" ONTO the top bread of each row. The Rivo says that according to the opinion that the cups of "l'vonoh" were placed ONTO the breads,the cups had two handles like pipes coming out of them. These fit into the notches on the panels. This alleviated the problem of the weight of the cups and their contents crushing the bread below them. Thus there is a need for a sixth set of notches in the panels.

5) Ch. 27, v. 10: "Vachashukei'hem" - Rashi explains that these were silver threads that were attached to the pillars that held the cloth walls of the courtyard in place. Rashi adds that he does not know if the threads wound around the pillars from top to bottom, or only on top, or only in the middle. This is most puzzling, as the verse clearly states "vachashukei'hem kesef v'tzipuy roshei'hem kosef v'heim m'chushokim kesef," (Shmos 38:17).

The Tur Ho'oruch writes that certain details of the courtyard pillars and their threads are not clarified here, but are at the time of construction in 38:17. The Chizkuni on 36:38 quotes Rashi on 38:22 who says that B'tzal'eil did things when building the Mishkon which were not even told to him by Moshe. He says that this points out the greatness of B'tzal'eil, who through his knowledge of the Heavenly spheres knew of even these details.

It is understood that if the Torah would have given all the details in the parshios of the command to build the Mishkon we would not know the greatness of B'tzal'eil. We can thus understand Rashi as follows: "I do not know from this verse, which is a command to build the Mishkon, this particular detail." However, Rashi never meant to say that we could not derive it from the verses discussing the actual construction later on. (Otzar Yad Hachaim)

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