13 votes
Accepted

Was the Mishkan Built on Shabbat?

This question is addressed by several Acharonim. R. Pinchas Horowitz says that during the 7 days of inauguration Moshe did not erect the Mishkan by himself. Since multiple people did the act together ...
Alex's user avatar
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10 votes

Jewish Minecraft instructions?

Here is a YouTube video of someone's actual Minecraft model of the (first) Beit Hamikdash. If building based on that isn't enough, they provide some links in the video description. Disclaimer: I don'...
Scimonster's user avatar
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7 votes

How did the Kerashim / Beams of the Mishkan remain upright?

The beams were made of a type of wood, which has a specific gravity of less than 1 relative to water (therefore wood floats.) see Wikipedia Table of specific gravity in article on Relative Gravity.) ...
R Yisroel Meir Vogel's user avatar
7 votes

Was the Mishkan Built on Shabbat?

Six additional answers: The Chasam Sofer (Toras Moshe, Vayakhel) explains that Moshe did not really construct the Mishkan by himself; it just looked like he was building it but in reality it was ...
wfb's user avatar
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7 votes

Why was Shaatnez used in making the Mishkan?

This really is not unexpected that something that is the choicest material and is used in the service of God is not allowed to be used by normal people for everyday use. For example the blood and fats ...
Mordechai's user avatar
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7 votes
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Who carried the kiyor?

There are multiple opinions Ramban שמות לח/כא and Sefer Chassidim offer an opinion that בני קהת carried it אבן עזרא(שמות לה/טז) & חזקוני (שמות ל/יח) say that it might have been either בני גרשון ...
Yoreinu's user avatar
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6 votes

Why use the fire pans to cover the copper altar and not the gold one?

The Torah is explicit about a rationale for [at least some part of] this command: וְיִֽהְי֥וּ לְא֖וֹת לִבְנֵ֥י יִשְׂרָאֵֽל let them serve as a symbol to the people of Israel and זִכָּר֞וֹן לִבְנֵ֣י ...
WAF's user avatar
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6 votes
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In building the mishkan, why does the torah sometimes call for זָהָב טָהוֹר and other times just זָהָב?

Rabbi Chaim Kanievski (in Taamah Dkrah) deduces from the Gemarah in Menachot 89a [top of the page] that pure gold is not required when only the term 'זָהָב' is used (without 'טָהוֹר') and points out ...
Jay's user avatar
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6 votes

“Gold was created only so that it should be used for the Mishkan.” – Source?

It's a Shemos Rabba 35:1 Text: .וְהֵיכָן גְּנָזוֹ בַּגַּן עֵדֶן, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (תהלים צז, יא): אוֹר זָרֻעַ לַצַּדִּיק, וְהַרְבֵּה בְּרִיּוֹת בָּרָא הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא בָּעוֹלָם, וְלֹא הָיָה ...
sam's user avatar
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6 votes
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Is it known how large (in miles) was the encampment of the Jews in the desert?

Yoma 75b: As it is written: “And they camped by the Jordan from Beth-Jeshimoth to Abel-shittim” (Numbers 33:49), and Rabba bar bar Ḥana said: I saw that site and it was three parasangs in length. ...
Joel K's user avatar
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5 votes

Did people who were not priests or Levites enter the Tabernacle for ritual purposes?

The Smag (Rav Moshe miCoucy 12th century) Mitzva Lo taaseh 309 (Also Sefer Hachinuch Mitzva 390) based on the Gemora in Yoma 24b says that there were 3 "rituals" that a Zor - non Cohen was allowed to ...
user15464's user avatar
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5 votes

How could there be so little gold in the Mishkan, when it’s clear there’s much more?

By way of prefatory remarks I will include this Ibn Ezra on the verse mentioned as a precursor to any information below, and by doing so we can then remain level-headed. ומי יוכל לשער כמה זהב צפוי ...
Dr. Shmuel's user avatar
5 votes
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How did Shlomo Hamelech figure out which way to build the Beit Hamikdash?

Yalkut Shimoni, Nach 1081, says: מגלת בית המקדש מסרה הקב"ה בעמידה.... משה מסרה ליהושע בעמידה... עמד יהושע ומסרה לזקנים בעמידה... עמדו זקנים ומסרוה לנביאים בעמידה, עמדו נביאים ומסרוה לדוד בעמידה... ...
Meir's user avatar
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5 votes
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How was the tabernacle kept cool?

From Chabad.org The clouds that surrounded the camp fulfilled a four-fold purpose: to protect the people from the searing desert sun; (Shulchan Aruch Harav, Orach Chaim, ch. 625, Isaiah 4:6. See ...
Chatzkel's user avatar
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4 votes

How did the Levites erect the mishkan at each stop if they couldn't the first time?

Rashi says that Hashem set this up in order to honor Moshe. Once he set it up then it became possible for the Leviim to continue setting it up and taking it down. My son said at his son's bris (Yom ...
sabbahillel's user avatar
  • 43.1k
4 votes

Were there Bigdei Leviim (and if not why not?), what did the Leviim wear in the Mishkan?

Here are some sources that come from two Otzar Hachochma forum pages (here and here). Yagid Davar points out 3 quick finds: Divrei Hayamim 2 5:12 says that they wore Butz (linen): וְהַלְוִיִּ֣ם ...
רבות מחשבות's user avatar
4 votes

How were the patterned curtains for the mishkan woven?

Not everybody agrees with Rashi. Abarbanel (as cited in the JPS Miqra'ot Gedolot English translation) says that the linen threads formed the warp and the colored yarns were used in the weft to make ...
Monica Cellio's user avatar
4 votes

Body Parallels to the Mishkan

Midrash Hagadol, (Terumah): אמר לו לא כשם שאתה סבור, אלא עשה אתה כשנברא העולם וכשנתחתם גופך כך עשה המשכן, וכך היה המשכן דומה לגופו של אדם ...And this is the reason why the mishkan resembles the world ...
Renato S. Grun's user avatar
4 votes

Did the כלי המקדש (menorah, shulchan, etc) need to be made לשמה?

Yes all keilim need to be made lishma. Rambam (courtsey of Chabad) Bais Habechira 1:20: אֵין עוֹשִׂין כָּל הַכֵּלִים מִתְּחִלָּתָן אֶלָּא לְשֵׁם הַקֹּדֶשׁ. וְאִם נַעֲשׂוּ מִתְּחִלָּתָן לְהֶדְיוֹט אֵין ...
sam's user avatar
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4 votes
Accepted

Only one high priest

A number of points: First of all, the Torah does not explicitly say that Nadav and Avihu entered the Holy of Holies. See what it does it say (Vayikra 10:1-2): "Now Aaron’s sons Nadab and Abihu ...
Harel13's user avatar
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4 votes
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Where was the Well of Miriam positioned within the camp of Israel, in the wilderness?

Midrash Tanhuma, Bamidbar 2: והבאר בזכות מרים, שנאמר: "ותמות שם מרים, ולא היה מים לעדה" (במדבר כ א ב). והיאך היתה הבאר עשויה? כמין סלע היתה מתגלגלת ובאה עמהן במסעות. כיון שהיו הדגלים חונים ...
Deuteronomy's user avatar
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4 votes
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What happened to the Mishkan?

Q1 Where is the Mishkan today? The Mishkan went from Shiloh to Nobh, then to Gibh'on and then was replaced by the Miqdash in Yerushalayim. H. Beth ha-Behirah 1:2-3: כיון שנכנסו לארץ, העמידו המשכן ...
Deuteronomy's user avatar
  • 8,082
3 votes

Shemot describes the construction of the tabernacle. I have a question about the engineering

My understanding has always been that “the middle bar in the midst of the boards, which shall pass through from end to end” was horizontal as you can see in the picture from here. . Boys are ...
Avrohom Yitzchok's user avatar
3 votes

Did people who were not priests or Levites enter the Tabernacle for ritual purposes?

As you've probably understood -- the Holy & Holy of Holies were only for the priests (kohanim). Commoners absolutely entered the courtyard, e.g. to bring an animal for sacrifice. Once the ...
Shalom's user avatar
  • 133k
3 votes

Was the Mishkan in Shiloh destroyed?

''ותנא כשמת עלי הכהן חרבה שילה ובאו לנוב' And a tanna taught: When Eli the priest died, Shiloh was destroyed and the Jews arrived at Nov, where they erected the Tabernacle.[zevachim 118b] it was ...
sholom cohen's user avatar
3 votes

Ritual locations during the times of the Mishkan

A partial answer, addressing only the question of the scapegoat on Yom Kippur: Firstly, your assumption that this ritual was performed during the time of the Mishkan in Shiloh (as well as earlier ...
Joel K's user avatar
  • 43.1k
3 votes

How did Shlomo Hamelech figure out which way to build the Beit Hamikdash?

Divrei HaYamim I 28:11-19: וַיִּתֵּן דָּוִיד לִשְׁלֹמֹה בְנוֹ אֶת־תַּבְנִית הָאוּלָם וְאֶת־בָּתָּיו וְגַנְזַכָּיו וַעֲלִיֹּתָיו וַחֲדָרָיו הַפְּנִימִים וּבֵית הַכַּפֹּרֶת׃ וְתַבְנִית כֹּל אֲשֶׁר ...
Joel K's user avatar
  • 43.1k
3 votes
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Pushing a buggy on grass on Shabbos

Rabbi David Ribiat in The 39 Melachos, Volume 2, in Choraish says as follows: "Pushing a carriage or stroller on bare soil (even soft earth) is similarly permissible even if a distinct wheel-...
Gershon Gold's user avatar
3 votes

Was serious consideration ever given to building another Tabernacle?

The traditional Jewish ruling on this subject is as summarized by Maimonides in his Mishneh Torah (Hilchot Beit HaBechirah 1:3): Once the Temple was built in Jerusalem, it became forbidden to build a ...
Joel K's user avatar
  • 43.1k
3 votes
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Where was the Torah that Moshe wrote kept?

Devarim 31:24-26 describes Moshe writing a Torah scroll near his death and telling the Levites to place it next to the Holy Ark. As @DoubleAA wrote in the comments, Rabbi Meir in Bava Batra 14 ...
Harel13's user avatar
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