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 ...
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'...
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.)
...
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 ...
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 ...
7
votes
Accepted
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 ...
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 ...
6
votes
Accepted
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 ...
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 ...
6
votes
Accepted
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.
...
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 ...
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 ...
5
votes
Accepted
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... ...
5
votes
Accepted
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
4
votes
Accepted
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 ...
4
votes
Accepted
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
3
votes
Accepted
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-...
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 ...
3
votes
Accepted
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 ...
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