Hashem's command
What did Hashem tell Moshe to tell the Jews about the Mishkan and how they would get supplies?
That each person should give whatever they could, and whatever they wanted to give, they should give for the Mishkan
Were the poles for the Aron along the length or width?
The width
What was the שלחן made out of?
Wood (עצי שטים), but it was covered with gold. It had a golden crown on its edge as well
What are the different parts of the Mishkan?
The חצר, the קודש, and the קדש הקדשים
What was the פרכת?
It was a curtain of beautiful design which separated between the קדש and קדש הקדשים
What does the word תרומה mean here?
A separation. It does not mean to “lift up”, as it may in other places
What were the dimensions of the ארון (height, length, width)?
It was 2 ½ אמות long, 1 ½ אמות wide, and 1 ½ אמות tall
How many branches were there on the Menorah?
7 - one main branch in the middle, and 3 on each side
How tall and wide were the planks of עצי שטים for the Mishkan?
10 amos tall, and 1 ½ amos wide
What was woven into the coverings of the Mishkan?
Rashi says there were כרובים woven into the coverings - they were woven in, and not threaded
Why does the Passuk say “And they should take FOR ME a terumah”?
They should separate it special for Hashem. Everything in the world is Hashem’s. All we can do is say we are donating something specifically to Him
How many ארונות were there?
3. There was an inner one of gold, the middle one was wood, and the outer one was gold. Each was closed on four sides and had a bottom, and was open on top.
what was the Menorah to be made of
gold
What was on the bottom of each wooden board of the Mishkan?
It was like a Tetris piece. There were two “hands” sticking out of the bottom which would go into the sockets, which are mentioned later
What was the second, outer covering made of?
Threads from the hairs of goat hide (it is a machlokes tanaim if there was just one covering or two)
What was unique about the donations for the Mishkan?
Anyone and everyone could give. It was not limited to only wealthy people. Additionally, no one went around to collect - people would bring of their own accord
How were the כרובים to be attached to the כפרת?
There was a big solid block of gold, and בצלאל would craft the כרובים out of it and the rest of the כפרת. They were not separate entities
What did the לחם הפנים look like?
It was like upside down חי”ת. There was a bottom, and then on the sides the dough was folded up and it looked like walls coming up. In other words, an upside down tunnel
What passed through the entirety of the Mishkan?
There were poles which connected the boards of each side. But there was a pole in the middle which passed through the boards itself - it was one solid pole, which meant it turned
Where were the כלים situated in the קודש?
The שולחן was on the north side, and the Menorah opposite it on the south side
The מזבח הזהב was also in the קודש, but its structure is not discussed until next week’s parsha
What was the תחש animal?
It was an animal whose skin had many colors - it appeared in the midbar, and that is it. There was another תחש in the times of יחזקאל, but that was a different type, as the שפתי חכמים points out
What was placed inside the Aron?
The Torah which Moshe would eventually write (there is a machlokes in Bava Basra where the Torah that Moshe wrote actually went - the one the Passuk is referring to could be something else). Both sets of Luchos were placed inside of it.
What did the Menorah do for the world?
It spread the אור of Torah around the entire world. Fire represents Torah. The Menorah was רוחניות, and Chazal say it was מאיר (enlightening) to the entire world.
Where did the Yidden get wood from?
Yaakov Avinu saw through רוח הקודש that the Yidden would need to build the Mishkan in the Midbar, and he planted wood in מצרים which the Jews took with them
How many individual threads of each type of material were twisted together to make one bigger thread (similar to your tzitzis if you look closely - just don't unravel your tzitzis!!)
6