Parashat T'rumah

(Exodus 25:1 - 27:19)

CHAPTER 25

1. Then YHWH spoke to Moshe, saying,

2. "Speak to the descendants of Israel, and let them take a contribution [t'rumah] for Me; from every man whose heart motivates him, you must take up My contribution.

  When Moshe ascended Mt. Sinai, he disappeared into a cloud that represented the weightiness of YHWH’s authority, which appeared to the people below a consuming fire.  They must have gasped in horror.  But the cloud distorted their vision; he had a different vantage point.  The people see YHWH’s weightiness as something that will leave one with nothing, as many also do today, but Moshe knows otherwise. This was not the first time he was on this mountain, and at this very place he had seen a burning bush that was not consumed, so he knew that if he was there to seek YHWH’s will, this fire would not burn him up either.  When Moshe went into the cloud to meet YHWH, this contribution is what was first and foremost on YHWH’s heart.  The other two times he had come up, YHWH had done grandiose things: sent him to liberate Israel and given him the ten commandments.  He might have expected something very different from this.  But t’rumah ("contribution” here) is from the root word meaning “to lift up", "skim [the best] portion [off the top]", or "lifted off" a higher purpose, and extended upward as a present. The things turned over for YHWH’s purposes acquire a new level of holiness and are to be treated with a higher level of respect.  The gift also elevates the giver to a higher level.  No one gives the whole thing; each gives his portion, the part he is designated to bring.  It is not just giving anything we want to give, but for this specific purpose: as part of a larger raising up of a place for YHWH to “dwell”.  And note that the t’rumah is taken twice: first the people take up the collection, then Moshe receives it.  It says "take" rather than "bring", because in giving (to His plans) we receive something in return, if we gave from willing hearts. He promises to open the windows of heaven for merely obeying the minimum requirement in this regard. (Mal. 3:10ff)  Yahshua spoke of laying up treasures in heaven rather than on earth, where it can be corrupted or stolen (Matt. 6:19), and the Talmud echoes the thought almost verbatim.  Because he hoarded his surplus for himself rather than giving it to the needy, the "rich fool" was judged to not be "rich toward YHWH". (Luke 12:20-21)  From this we can gather that what we give away on earth is recorded in heaven for our later use, like a loan that bears interest and cannot be stolen.  In contrast, those who did their righteous acts of charity for the sake of gaining a reputation were judged to have already received their reward. (Matt. 6:2, 5, 16)  One’s riches weigh one down like the sandbags, so by being willing to receive as well, we allow them to become lighter so that they can rise up too.  (Mat. 19:21-22)  This allows them to be freed from what takes up space in His vessel so he can put in them what He wants.  Giving of self is how more of Israel can ascend into the cloud with Moshe.  Mere gold and bronze can become things that belong to the Kingdom.  Whose heart motivates him: impels him from within; from a root word meaning to be generous (nadav), giving voluntarily almost to the point of foolishness. It has the sense of being spontaneous—before our minds can rationalize it away with our concerns for continued security.  I.e., a heart that immediately accepts what we see is needed.   Before He told us what to bring, YHWH set this as a prerequisite for anyone’s gifts to be accepted.  The heart is a nebulous concept, but we can chase it down, because this command is all about the heart, so we need to know just what it is.. We use it of everything from an anatomical organ to emotions that can be cold or easy to break. Which kind of heart has to be generous?   In Scripture it rarely means the organ that pumps blood, but rather the innermost part of our being, our mind, our very essence, or that which is alive at the very center of our being.  The very first time the term “heart” (lev) is used in Scripture, it is being condemned: “Every inclination of the thoughts of their hearts was only evil all day.” (Gen. 6:5)  But clearly the human heart is not always that way.  We have seen total strangers help people they do not need to help.  This is referring to the antediluvian (pre-flood) generation; the heart can act positively.  There it was the source of everything bad that humanity could invent.  But that inclination can be trained in the right direction; it is not born incurably predisposed to only evil.  The term for “inclination” means something that can be formed or fashioned, as a potter does with clay. (Gen. 2:17; 2:19; Ex. 32:4; Psalm 2:9 et al)  This inclination of the heart is whatever we have prepared within ourselves that shapes the thoughts that take shape in our actions and words—whatever we imagine before we make it into a physical reality.  We form a concept in our minds of what we want something to look like.  It is envisioning what shape something will need to take in order to serve a certain purpose.  The way we imagine things to be will shape the way we look at things.  Before the deluge, people were only seeing from their own individual perspectives and were constantly making the selfish choice—what would benefit them personally, to the point that YHWH was sorry He had created us.  The story is not really about the Flood but about the results of such selfishness.  Whatever the facts about the Flood may be, the point is that if we can only see from our own perspective, the world is doomed.  If we learn how to do something about the root problem, we need not fear another such judgment.  So what defines the “heart”?  Whatever we can envision.  Therefore, YHWH gives us something more positive to envision.  He wants a house built by those who are inclined to give, not those who have to be talked into contributing. "YHWH loves a cheerful giver." (2 Corinthians 9:7)   Those who do not give spontaneously might end up being permitted to use the sanctuary to be built with these gifts, but only those whose heart is eager to give even before he is asked to are permitted to have a part in building it. What an honor!  They knew that the gold they gave would be made into something of eternal value.  In English, “generous” actually means “of noble parentage”.  Noble, in turn, means “possessing outstanding qualities”.  It is our birthright to reflect the noble qualities of our ancestors Avraham (hospitality and faithfulness), Yitzhaq (being willing to lay down his life and always searching for water, a picture of the Torah), and Yaaqov (concerned that the birthright not be profaned, and concerned with becoming a people, not just a person). We are the descendants of the most generous people in history; to carry on the covenant they accepted, we, too, must reflect this trait.  Generosity is our greatest tool against our greatest enemy—self.  He does not say anyone has to give, but Mal’akhi 3:6ff says essentially that if we do not give both the tithes and the tr’umah (which is above and beyond them), we are robbing YHWH. The numeric value of nadav is the same as L’YHWH (“belonging to YHWH”); we should not have a problem giving up what we see as belonging to Him. 

3. "Now this is the contribution that you shall take from them: gold, silver, and bronze;

   Though He wanted gifts from spontaneous hearts, He specified how they were to be generous. He tells us how to give Him what He really wants. YHWH would not just create the materials magically; it was up to the people to give them. In an ideal Israel, speaking should be all it took to make the riches pour forth, but Moshe had to in some sense take them. The people could no longer have a say in how their contributions were to be used; Moshe alone had the knowledge of what the end result should look like. The rabbis say this passage indicates that with every piece that we offer up, we snatch some of the Kingdom in return--not the "give so you can receive" philosophy so common in the Church, for if all YHWH gave us back was money, it would prove He did not think very much of us, because it usually only weighs us down further. Though Moshe would be inclined to do all the work himself, he was not allowed to. It is more humbling to be in such a position, so the poor man performs a greater service by being willing to make his need known so that others may have the privilege of sharing in the blessing of giving. Both are blessed, because the poor man blesses the rich for what he did.

4. "[sky] blue, [royal] purple, crimson, and scarlet [dye], and fine [bleached white] linen, and goats' hair,

   The blue dye [t'kheleth] is the same color commanded to be included in the tzitziyoth [fringes] on the garments (Num. 15:38) which was meant to remind the wearer of heaven and thus remind him to Whom he belonged and in turn to remind him to keep the commandments. The dye was taken either from a squid or a sea-snail. Crimson [tola'] came from the crushed body of an insect that attaches itself to a tree, lays eggs on it, puts a sac of red juice around the eggs to protect them, then dies, having emptied itself out for them--a wonderful picture of Yahshua. Scarlet [shani] came from a worm, and has recently been identified as having more of a flame-orange color. White linen in Scripture is always a picture of righteousness.

5. "rams' skin dyed red, and tahash skins, and acacia wood,

   Tahash: Some believe it was a badger, others a porpoise or sea elephant. The latter two do inhabit the section of the Reed Sea that the Israelites would have crossed. Or it could be something that they brought with them from Egypt. But it probably is not the name of a particular animal at all; the word is related to nahash, the serpent, which really means "shining one". Tahash skin is now thought to have been a skin embedded with a variety of precious stones. The word "cloth" here actually means "cloak" or "garment", which is fitting because it is covering many parts of something that depicts a Body with many members. The bride of Messiah is described as a city adorned with "every precious stone" (Rev. 21:9-21)--and YHWH's estranged former bride ("anointed kh'ruv that covered" the throne of YHWH, but later became nahash) is described in the same way. (Y'hezq'El/Ezek. 28:12-15) The takhash skin was also a weatherproofing. Acacia: a tree found mainly in semi-arid areas. The Greek LXX says "incorruptible wood". The Hebrew name means "sticks" or "piercers", because its thorny branches do indeed look like a hodgepodge of twigs. Very few of the branches are thick enough to make boards out of, so articles were made from them by connecting the sticks together to make beams that could support great weight. This ties in wonderfully to the concept of the "two sticks" of Ephraim and Y'hudah being made into "one tree" (Ezekiel 37:17), and to Paul's explanation of Genesis 18:18 in Romans 11 about branches from other trees being grafted into Avraham's root.

6. "oil for the luminary, aromatic spices for the oil of anointing and for the sweet incense;

   The anointing was not plain olive oil, but served as somewhat of a perfume as well, so that the high priest himself would also be a sweet aroma to YHWH. Olive oil brought from a heart of generosity would be accepted, while gold and precious stones brought grudgingly would not.

7. "onyx stones, and stones to be set in the efod, and for the pouch.

   Efod: a costly outer garment worn by the high priest, woven of gold, blue, purple, scarlet, and white linen threads, with shoulder-pieces and a breast piece of like material, ornamented with gems and gold; pouch: a pocket in the breastplate used to hold the Urim and Thummim ("lights and perfections") or to hold up the breastplate itself, on which were fastened twelve gems, each inscribed with the name of one of the sons of Yaaqov. With the addition of a caption phrase below them, all the letters of the Hebrew alphabet were present. It is believed that when men wished to inquire of YHWH's will, the letters would miraculously illuminate and spell out the answer using these letters. This event may itself be what "Urim and Thummim" refers to. Onyx stones: This corresponded with the tribe of Yosef on the breastplate, but the two from which the whole efod hung were also onyx. Yosef kept all the sons of Yosef alive during a famine through his diminishment to slavery. But where did these refugees living in tents get all these things? They asked their Egyptian neighbors, and they gave them. Many of the precious metals and stones were probably in the form of idols when they received them, and would therefore have to be melted down to be useful to Israel. They did not receive large bolts of cloth. The colored threads had to be unraveled one by one from beautiful garments plundered from the Egyptians. Once loose they could be sorted, tested, and sewn into new garments or turned into YHWH's tent. We get most of our possessions from "Egypt" now as well, but when we give them to YHWH, they can become a picture of the things that are in His presence. Our past experiences do not change when we become holier, but they can be re-used in a different way for His Kingdom.

8. "And let them make a sanctuary for Me, in order that I may dwell in their midst,

   The purpose of having a giving heart (v. 2) --what is created when all do our part and give generously--is a dwelling place set apart unto YHWH, separate from everything else, and like nothing else in the world.  We are each to contribute whatever we can to create a situation pleasing to Him.  He likes certain things in His house--not a physical structure, ultimately; that is only a picture of what He really wants us to be.  The next chapters detail how much of this and how many of that He wants in His "designer house".  This is what Moshe’s longest encounter with YHWH on the mountain is about.  Not about conquering Kanaan.  He wants a tent to move into and live in!  It is to be a place of life, not of death, like those who still had a slave mentality expected, and therefore wanted to keep Him at a distance.  But the conversation begins with and is only for those with generous hearts.  If we hesitate, we will never understand these words.  So we must train our hearts not to hesitate in things having to do with the Kingdom.  Those who bring blessings are blessed as well, because a little bit of YHWH moves in when they raise themselves up in this way.  The donors were giving up earthly treasures for heavenly.  The sanctuary was in not just in their company but in the center of the camp, with all the tribal camps surrounding it—“at their very core”.  But how does one build a tent out of olive oil?  YHWH wants spices and goats’ hair as well as gold.  This has been a very unusual list.  Many of the things do not seem to go together.  But "in their midst" can also mean "among them".  So on another level, this is a reference to the sanctuary not made with hands, built together of "living stones".  He was interested in dwelling not in the tent as such, but with His people.  We need enough generous hearts lifting up our parts to get to the point where He can say, “I could live here; it’s just what I want.”  It is not about closet space, but about how His people treat one another: Are they equitable and just?  How do they treat My name?  What are they putting their energy into?  The goal is a heart set on doing its part to establish a place of unity that YHWH can appreciate.  He even recognized the builders of the tower of Bavel because of their unity, though they were trying to prevent Him from bringing the proper rulings detailed in the previous Torah portion.  We need a “right-handed” version of that unity—not a building that He wants to tear down, but one He wants to move into.  This “house” has to house what is eternal in every “direction”—He whose very name means “the one who was, is, and will always exist.”  As we get close to what was, we can get a better idea of what He is like and what He enjoys, and build His house accordingly.  We don’t each have to build the whole thing; it is a joint venture.  It is not a physical house, but an energy--something alive that can contain what will always be alive.  The builders themselves form the real sanctuary.  The building tests us in regard to our generosity and conditions us to become His dwelling place.  If we give of ourselves, He can dwell in us—not you or me as individuals, but in Israel as a corporate community.  Only when we are all joined together with the other components can YHWH finally dwell in us as His sanctuary.  So this is what we must envision with the “imaginations of our hearts”.  See your part in building it, or we can get nowhere.  This is why there are two takings of the t’rumah.  First, we must see what our part is and say, “Whatever I can contribute, I’m going to give.”  Then YHWH’s representative will take it up and join all the parts together.  That is Moshe’s job.  Yahshua used “Moshe” as shorthand for the Torah he wrote.  One man may look at a mountain and see it as in the way, so he cannot get where he needs to go.  Anotehr man will see a way to cross over it.  A third will say, “I can move it out of the way”, whether because he has big construction equipment or because he has great faith!  Your point of view shapes your heart and the world that you build.  If you can see yourself doing it, your heart has something to connect to.  The goats’ hair and oil can go together.  So the picture is now simple: what builds YHWH’s dwelling place on this earth is provided by those who are generous and can see themselves doing something about it.  Seeing everyone’s job as the same is what creates doctrines and shuts down our imagination.  We each look at Torah in a different way, and they may not seem to fit with one another, but if we are all about building YHWH’s dwelling place and having Him at our core, these widely-varying people can indeed become one community.  “It is more blessed to give than to receive” because when we give as individuals, we all receive the end product.  But there are limits on this creativity: there are specific things YHWH wants to go into His dwelling place.  The following chapters detail this, and they all show us YHWH’s heart.  He does not ask for kerosene, though we might think it would burn better than olive oil.  There are thiongs that profit and things that fit—and things He does not want there.  The Torah will teach us what to contribute, and as we turn it over to the Torah, it will be used when it is in season.  The prophets tell us over and over what He wants.  Can we envision a restored and reunited people of Israel?  If we cannot, how can we ever build it? Envision these words as “do-able”.  See in them not just something that was, but something that still exists, and which we are a part of.  This is how we take up our t’rumah.  Moshe cannot take it up until we offer it up; it will not occur by magic.  Some can give gold, others only wood, but everyone has something to bring.  So bring it!  Envision a people who love one another; experience a foretaste of it in community.  And every day as you ask for your daily bread, ask how you can use it to make this vision a reality.  Visualize it not for personal gain, but for the benefit to the entire world that will come when it is accomplished.  Do not wait for someone else to act.  Let the word be made flesh again.  That is the Torah.    It might seem scary to give all of these things to one man to collect all these riches, but no one else had seen the building plan.  Others were later given special giftings (31:2) to build the individual pieces and oversee the work, but no one else had been given the “big picture”.  They had to trust Moshe to be telling them what YHWH really had said.  For Me: not the way we think it should be, not what suits us, not what comes most easily or works best for us, but what He wants:

9. "according to all that I am going to reveal to you--the building-plan of the tabernacle and the image of all its vessels--and you shall do [it] just like this.

   Building-plan: Picture, model, diagram, pattern, blueprint, even hologram; Heb., tavneet. Moshe saw some depiction of the pattern, whether a hologram or a vision, but he had to be taking notes, or how would he remember all the details? The man YHWH would later choose to head the actual construction was given a spirit of understanding so he could interpret Moshe's words and David made one for Shlomoh based on a similar vision that he saw. Rabbi Micha'el Washer explains how what he built was also such a model: "[YHWH] says that He would SHOW Moshe the tavneet of all the things to build. The same is repeated in [verse] 40 concerning the Menorah or lampstand. Most people miss just how deep and amazing this is. [YHWH] did not give Moshe laws to obey; [YHWH] SHOWED the pictures to Moshe and carefully instructed him. And so it is today. Judaism as [YHWH] gave it, is not a set of Laws to obey, but rather a set of Pictures to look at and learn about what they are models of... Hebrews 8:1-2 says, '...We have such a high priest, Who has taken His seat next to the throne of the King in Heaven, a minister in the sanctuary, and the true Tabernacle that [YHWH] erected, not man.' That is the purpose of the Tabernacle, the furniture, the Priests and their clothing... A Tabernacle below, a Tabernacle above, Priests below, Priests above, an altar and menorah and table of showbread below and one above. [Heb. 8:5] If you would know what heaven and [YHWH] and the Kingdom are like you MUST see it in the models, the Pictures that [YHWH] gave us …, or else you are left with...laws, dead words on a dead page to be observed by dead-hearted robots trying to obey without understanding... Hebrews 9:23-24 says, 'It was necessary for the copies of the things in Heaven to be cleansed...for Messiah did not enter a holy place made with hands, a copy of the true one, but into Heaven itself...' Many translators arrogantly interpose the word 'mere', writing, 'a mere copy of the true one'. But this does not appear in Greek. It is added to make less of the model, the Picture; to denigrate and lessen the importance of Judaism. But the Tabernacle is a Model of Heaven." This pattern also holds a very specific key for the return of the northern kingdom. It is meant to make us ashamed. (Yehezq'El/Ezek. 43:10ff) And who could not be ashamed when it speaks of spontaneous generosity? None of us meets the ideal standard. But it shows us what we are lacking, so we can learn to live that way. We empower our counterparts in the heavenlies when we obey the physical commands--with understanding. Just like this: literally "yes" to every detail the "General" gives us, because without doing so we will have no context to learn what He wants to teach us from it. And we cannot follow His directions exactly if we are not paying attention.

10. "And they shall make an chest of acacia wood, two and a half cubits long, a cubit and a half wide, and a cubit and a half high,

   This is the "Ark of the Covenant". It parallels the Sabbath in that it is a sign of the covenant between YHWH and Israel. The word "chest" (aron) itself, in Hebrew, comes from a root word meaning "to pluck or gather". They would not have had large planks with them in the wilderness. And acacia trees themselves are mostly made up of many small twigs; there is little ready-made "lumber" in them. Many tiny pieces have to be joined together to make it work as such, paralleling Yehezq'El 37's picture of the two houses of Israel being regathered like two "sticks" that become one. Sticks are not to be gathered on the Sabbath (a picture of the millennial kingdom), but beforehand. (Num. 15:32ff) A cubit is approximately 18 to 21 inches long (the standardized measure of the length from a man's elbow to fingertips). Note that none of these measures is in whole numbers, and the Hasidic rabbis explain this to mean that no matter how well we learn the Torah, there is always another piece to learn; only when we become what this ark represents will it truly be complete.

11. "and you shall overlay it with pure gold. You shall overlay it [both] inside and outside, and you shall make on it a border-molding of gold all around.

   Inside and out: Though very few people would ever see inside this box, it must still be the same as the outside. If the outside tells you it is pure, the inside must agree, or it is nothing but "whitewashed tombs" or cups that are only cleaned on the outside. (Matt. 23:25-28) A pig is deceptive because on the outside it appears kosher (it has a split hoof) but inwardly it does not chew the cud, which is a picture of "meditating day and night" on YHWH's words (Psalm 1), sifting them, refining the nutrition that is gotten from them. The pig, instead, eats anything indiscriminately and cannot filter any of it--a bad example which we do not want to make a part of ourselves. But purity goes beyond the Torah's direct physical commands (as important as they are) to the heart of the matter, as Yahshua said--loving YHWH and neighbor. So it is up to us to understand the deeper meanings so we can make the inside and outside truly match. If we are selfless inside the house, we will lay the necessary groundwork for Yahshua's Kingdom to come, and then the outside world will line up with it; they will have no choice. (Psalm 2:9) The true Kingdom cannot be faked; that would be an unworthy vessel for His testimony. If we find that we are pretending to be pure when we really are not, be thankful for the revelation so we can deal with it and go back and actually make the inside right, however much rebuilding it may take.

12. "And you shall cast four gold rings for it, then set them on it [at] four [even] intervals: two rings on its one side, and two rings on its other side.

   Intervals: Aramaic, "on its four joints", but the word is the same as for "rhythmic beats". They may correspond with Yaaqov's four firstborn sons, since the firstborn is counted as the first of a woman ("who opens the womb"), not a man. Two "sticks" (cf. Y'chezq'El/Ezek. 37) were needed to keep its balance; neither Yehudah nor Efrayim can carry the covenant alone.

13. "Then make poles of acacia wood, and overlay them with gold,

14. "and put the poles into the rings on the sides of the Ark, in order to carry the Ark with them.

15. "The poles shall remain [fixed] in the rings of the Ark; they are not to be removed from it.

   The poles poked against the curtain dividing the two sanctuaries, providing evidence that the Ark was still inside. (1 Kings 8:8) They were not simply to transport it; they protected the ones carrying it from death. Thus they are a picture of Yahshua--human (of wood) yet pure (overlaid with gold)--who saves us from YHWH's wrath; they are also a picture of our "abiding in him" so that we can continue to bear fruit. If the ark had always been carried on poles as YHWH said, there would never have been an occasion where it nearly fell off a cart, leading to the death of the one who illegally touched it with the best intentions of steadying it. (2 Shmuel 6:6)

16. "You shall put into the Ark the Testimony which I shall entrust to you.

   Testimony: or witness. The box was not decorated for its own sake. It is to hold and to highlight the Testimony. Testimony to what? The real covenant that could not be put into the box, for the writing only bears witness to what we have agreed to do. Our actions are what constitute the covenant. If we are not obeying, we have no covenant, even if it is "written on our hearts" or tattooed on our arms! Later would be added Aharon's almond rod that budded (symbolizing authority and Yahshua, the firstfruits of the resurrection) and an omer of manna (symbolizing Israel's life as a whole community). These are YHWH's treasures, so this ark is His treasure-chest. If it does not have these three things, the box is a useless, empty shell, (1 Cor. 13).

17. "And you shall make a cover of pure gold, its length two and a half cubits, and its width a cubit and a half,

   Cover: place of atonement; LXX, "propitiatory". Sometimes called the "mercy-seat", it was the place where the blood from the chosen goat on the Day of Atonement was brought by the High Priest--the only time he could enter the direct manifest presence of YHWH and survive, because he was doing so for the whole community. Even though the commandments were inside, and it was overlaid with gold to symbolize purity, still this picture of a salvaged human being (see v. 30 below) had to be atoned for in order for full fellowship with YHWH to be restored.

18. "and you shall make two kh'ruvim of gold. You shall make them of hammered work [extending] from the two ends of the cover:

   Kh'ruvim: or cherubim, a special class of "angels" (spiritual beings) that have a special connection with guarding something that is holy. (They are not mentioned until after Adam and Chavvah's sin made it necessary for the Tree of Life to be guarded from them and their progeny.) The popular image of "cherubs" as pudgy babies with wings is a gross diminishing of the terror they must have aroused with their flaming swords, but there is some truth to it: rabbinic writings say they had childlike faces to symbolize innocence. There is great depth to this picture. The Talmud says they were meant to symbolize YHWH in face-to-face fellowship with His bride. This covenant is indeed meant to be like a marriage, and the depiction is of one piece with the "atoning cover", emphasizing that the covering is inextricably connected to the covenant and to the relationship between YHWH and Israel, the other party to the covenant, which is indeed meant to bear His fruit in the earth. Heylel (Lucifer) was once called "the anointed kh'ruv that covers". (Yehezq'El 28:14) But as Ruth's nearer kinsman was unwilling to jeopardize his inheritance by redeeming those who represented both faithful Yehudah as well as the wayward northern kingdom, haSatan's fall was in being unwilling to humble himself. Yahshua, "instead of the joy set before him endured the cross, despising the shame" and was in turn exalted more highly than ever before and made "Head over all things". We can only imagine how jealous Satan is to see another "bride" replacing "him". (Compare his description in Y'hezqel/Ezekiel 28:12-16 with the city-bride portrayed in Rev. 21:9-20; Yeshayahu/Isa. 61:10.) This explains why ""he" was so eager to trip up humanity which was made in YHWH's image. That image was indeed shattered; mystical Judaism speaks of it in terms of molten gold bursting its mold and being scattered all over creation. But YHWH initiated its repair when He created the people of Israel, through which the "second Adam" could be born. Yahshua is the Head of this "one new man" which is being gathered from the seed of Avraham scattered all over the world and any who adhere to them. It rests upon the covenant which includes Torah, the rod, and manna--all pictures of Yahshua. These kh'ruvim were connected together and formed one piece. Ephesians 4:25 says the many parts of the Body--also called the "Tree of Life" in mystical Judaism--are "members of one another". The tree of life is what the first-mentioned kh'ruvim (Gen. 3) guarded. This is a reminder that while we are not innocent anymore, when we become holy enough to be one of the guardians of this reunited Adam, we will be allowed in again; in Messiah's kingdom we will again have access to the Tree of Life, as per Rev. 22. So the "place of atonement" between these kh'ruvim (v. 22) is a prophetic picture of the restoration of Adam and Chavvah, the rejoining of YHWH and His bride, and a return to the Garden. He sets them here as a reminder of what kind of people He wants us to become--the kind of people He can dwell among, for His deepest desire is simply to be able to walk with Adam again in the Garden. But He must make us fit to be able to stand His presence, and that is what the box's contents are about. As in the mystical tree, the Kingdom is the way back in--the "place" at which the mirror image of Eden (culminating at Y'rushalayim) connects to the real Eden above. Hammered: LXX, "graven", yet even if that is the case, these graven images were specifically commissioned by YHWH as a picture by which He wanted to show something about Himself, not a figment of men's imagination. Like the kh'ruvim woven into the curtains that hid it, this image was seen by only those who should know enough to not carry it in the wrong direction.

19. "Fashion one kh'ruv from this end, and one kh'ruv from that end. You shall make the kh'ruvim from the cover, on its two ends.

20. "And the kh'ruvim shall be spreading forth [their] wings upward, sheltering the place of atonement with their wings, and the face of each [shall look] toward the other; the faces of the kh'ruvim shall be toward the place of atonement.

   Wings: symbols of concealment, covering, and deliverance from danger. Sheltering: Aramaic, "overshadowing". Each look toward the other: literally, "man toward its brother". The atonement is directly tied to looking into one another's faces and becoming a community. "If one cannot love his brother, whom he has seen, how can he love YHWH, whom he has not seen?" (1 Yochanan 4:20; see verse 22 below.) Wings: not necessarily like those of a bird (though Yeshayahu 6 seems to imply this when we see kh'ruvim in action there); the term really means anything that is "projected laterally" or the extremity (as used of garments in many passages, such as Numbers 15:38 or Deut. 22:12). It is also the same term as the "skirt" Ruth asked Boaz to spread over her to symbolize his taking her in marriage as part of being kinsman-redeemeer for her husband who had died childless. (Ruth 3:9) So, in context of the note on verse 18, this may simply mean they are spreading out a garment to serve as a wedding canopy over themselves.

21. "And you shall place the cover upon the ark from above, while inside the ark you shall place the testimony which I shall give you.

22. "And I will meet you there and, above the place of atonement, from between the two kh'ruvim which are on the ark of the testimony, speak with you all that I shall command you concerning the descendants of Israel.

   Meet: the term can mean to summon, but can also mean to betroth! (21:8, 9) Two cannot walk together unless they are agreed (Amos 3:3, in which the term "agreed' is the same one used here). The ideal Israel represented by this intertwining of YHWH with His bride (as described in the Talmud) is a reparation for what haSatan did, just as Esther replaced Queen Vashti. The ark is to be set behind curtains as if in a bridal chamber. It defines how close He wants Israel to come to Him. We are even told that one day we will no longer look for the Ark of the Covenant (Yirmeyahu/Jer. 3:16ff); this is because we will by then BE what it represents!

23. "Then make a table of acacia wood, its length two cubits, a cubit in width, and a cubit and a half in height.

   Wood in Scripture is often a metaphor for perishable humanity. This table had twelve trays with bread stacked in an orderly arrangement, representing the twelve tribes of Israel--the whole community. The Hebrew word for table comes from the word for "send", so right in the sanctuary there was a picture of those "sent" as representatives (apostles) who were commanded to go into all the world and regather the Lost Sheep of the House of Israel so that the Temple could be complete. Yaaqov (James) even overtly addresses his epistle to the twelve tribes who are in exile.

24. "And you shall overlay it with pure gold, and make a border-molding of gold all around.

   This is a picture of perishing men made pure and "this corruptible putting on incorruptibility" (1 Corinthians 15). Border-molding: LXX, "twisted wreath". The new table made for the third Temple interprets this as a sort of lip or ledge.

25. "And make for it a rim a hand's-breadth [in height] all around, and make a border-molding of gold all around for its rim.

26. "Then make for it four rings of gold, and set the rings on the four corners that are at its four feet.

   Corners: or sides, edges, extremities. Note how the table is in many ways designed identically with the ark of the covenant.

27. "And even with the rim there shall be housings for the poles to carry the table.

   Even with: or "up against". To carry: Wherever YHWH told Israel to move, these implements of teaching were to go along.

28. "And you shall fashion the poles from acacia wood, and overlay them with gold, so that the table may be carried by them.

   It had to be carried with something at least plated with gold, for nothing less was worthy of its holiness. But it is not pure gold like the ark and the table itself, possibly because this gold is meant to be touched, and YHWH would spare us from the guilt of handling something of the highest degree of holiness. Having some of heaven and some of earth in it, symbolically, it would be a safe place allowing some degree of contact at the human level; it would not kill anyone to touch this. Pure gold is also very soft and the hands of the carriers would leave imprints; it was deliberately mixed with other metals to strengthen it so the gold would hold its shape. Acacia wood is strong, and its thorns grow in clusters of 3, reminding us of the strength of a three-fold cord.

29. "Then make its trays, its spoons, its pillars, and its ventilation-tubes, with which a libation is to be poured out; of pure gold you shall make them.

   Trays: platters or forms in which to keep the bread in its prescribed shape until it was time to arrange them on the table. (Menachoth 97a) Pillars: supports on which to place each loaf, as they were stacked six high in two stacks. The ventilation tubes were "gulleys" or "gutters" that ran between the loaves to allow air to circulate between them to prevent their becoming moldy and to distribute their weight. (Hirsch) As the Holy of Holies is the bedroom, this constitutes YHWH's kitchen table and its settings! He is furnishing an entire house for His bride. The Hasidic rabbis write that the table stood very close to the ark, because where there is no bread [a picture of community], there is no Torah, and where there is no Torah, there is no bread."

30. "And you shall put the Bread of the Faces on the table before Me continually.

   Bread of the Faces: Alternately called "showbread" or "bread of the presence", this was actually another depiction of the two kh'ruvim as they faced each other, for the two ends of the loaves were folded upward then back inward toward each other. Continually: it was baked once a week, on the Sabbath (as any work which serves the community rather than one's own interests is legitimate on the Sabbath and indeed foreshadows the Messianic Kingdom, which the Sabbath foreshadows). The fresh loaves were exchanged within the Holy Place for the old loaves, which in the days of the Temple were then placed on a table in the portico just outside the Holy Place, where the priests could come and eat of them as needed. Anyone who came to offer his sacrifices would be able to see this picture of the communion between those reconciled through atonement. The twelve loaves are "one bread, though many". (1 Cor. 10:17)

31. "And you shall make a pure gold lampstand; the lampstand shall be made of hammered workmanship. Its shaft, it branches, its calyxes, its knobs, and its blossoms shall be of the same.

   Lampstand: Heb., menorah. Of the same: all one piece. Calyxes: or bowls, but its design was based on a horticultural theme, being like one plant, which corresponds to the olive tree motif of Israel. This reminds us that our purpose is to bear fruit. There is a plant that grows in Israel that resembles this menorah fairly closely.

32. "Now six branches shall emerge from its sides--three branches of the menorah from its one side, and three branches of the menorah from its other,

33. "With three almond-shaped calyxes on one branch, along with one knob and one blossom; likewise for the six branches that come out from the menorah,

   Calyxes: or buds. Knob: possibly finial or capital. Altogether there were 22 calyxes (possibly to correspond with the 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet), 11 knobs, and 9 flowers. (Hirsch)

34. "while on the [central] candlestick [itself there shall be] four almond-shaped calyxes, [each with] its knobs and blossoms,

   The central shaft is the true "menorah". It is nicknamed the "servant". Yahshua (called YHWH's Servant by Yeshayahu) said he is the vine and we are the branches, as he said he was the light of the world, and so are we. (Yoch. 15:5; 8:12; Matt. 5:14) Psalm 119 also says YHWH's Word is a lamp. The oil that fuels it represents the Holy Spirit, and the light is our righteous works (Matt. 5:16). Thus the branches are believers holding out the light of the Torah (which is also Yahshua).

35. "with a knob under [one] pair of its branches, a knob under [another] pair of its branches, and a knob under its [last] pair of branches, for [all] six branches that come out from the menorah.

36. "Their knobs and branches shall be [part] of itself, the whole [thing] being one piece of hammered workmanship of pure gold.

   Researchers at the Temple Institute have found no one alive today who knows how to hammer a single piece of pure gold into something so intricate. It is a lost art that will have to be revived soon. The Institute has made a cast-molded menorah for the third Temple, saying that when the Messiah comes, He will show them how to recast it the proper way. This is an example worth emulating: we should carry a command as far as we can, even when we are not sure how to. Part of the difficulty is that pure gold is so soft that it will not hold its shape. The hammering may have made it dense enough. Scimitar swords are folded over and hammered, with this process repeated many times, to the point that they can cut a railroad tie in half. This method may hold the key to how the menorah can be made according to specification.

37. "And you shall fashion its seven lamps, and cause its lamps to ascend so that it may give light across from its face.

   Now here is the lamp for YHWH's "living room" in many senses of the term! Give light across from its face: or "make them give light in its direction". (Hirsch). It was probably more V-shaped than the U-shape that is more common today, and V-shaped when viewed from above as well, its branches extending forward as well as upward, so that there would be a whole area illuminated in front of it, into which the priest lighting the lights would "climb up" so he was "surrounded" by the menorah. Directly across form it sat the table of showbread, which represents the whole community of Israel --12 loaves for 12 tribes (26:35), so this is what the menorah is meant to illuminate. The lamps must be tended, or as Hirsch puts it, "nurtured" so their intended purpose--giving light--can be optimized.

38. "Its snuffers and firepans shall also be [made] from pure gold.

39. "One shall make it from a talent of pure gold, along with all these vessels.

40. "And be sure they are made according to the construction-plan that was shown you on the mountain.

   Construction-plan: pattern, design, or figure, diagram. Sometimes it could mean "mold", and this is the idea behind all the actions and imagery in the Torah: all its commands are meant to teach us about something even more real but intangible. Teaching that there will never again be a Temple or sacrificial system places a curse on this pattern that was given by YHWH to show us how to line up with His image. The things in these chapters are not just facts; they are instructions meant to set us back in order. It is the blueprint or map showing how we can get back home. It is therefore crucial that we not change any detail to suit our own preferences. We cannot make our own patterns; He has written down the only legitimate master plan already. For thousands of years we have had training in regard to YHWH's mercy and grace, but lacked training in other areas that only the Temple was able to bring. Knowing the pattern is the key to accomplishing covenant relationship, and particularly for the returning northern kingdom of Israel. (Y'hezq'el/Ezek. 43:10) While someone may have lifted weights and developed "beach muscles", this does not mean he can necessarily move other items in ways that would be more practical. We need to be balanced in our training. The tabernacle has a special significance for us right now because we have been "brought out of Egypt" but are not yet in the Promised Land. It is the way YHWH chose to dwell among Israel in the exact same circumstance once before. So we must pay it special attention in our specific day and age. On the mountain: or, in the mountain. The rabbis say Moshe saw the plans in 3-dimensional images projected somehow from a large sapphire stone set right into the mountain itself.

CHAPTER 26

1. "Then you shall fashion the Dwelling-place: ten curtains of finely-twisted [white] linen, blue, purple, and crimson-scarlet--with a thoughtfully-crafted design of kh'ruvim you shall make them.

   Or, "kh'ruvim of of thoughtfully-devised

craftsmanship", or "worked into them by a

skilled craftsman". This interwoven tapestry

concealed the "secret place of the most high"

where He could be known intimately. Josephus

tells us that the kh'ruvim were not flat, but

three-dimensional, with four faces, one pointing

each direction, like the creatures Daniel would

later see. Weaving just these curtains would

probably take months to complete. Hebrews 8:5

and 9:23-24 say these were copies of the things

in the heavenlies--a picture of the Kingdom--

which will help us become part of that Kingdom

if we understand it. The people probably had to

unravel the threads from the garments given

them by the Egyptians--undoing what the raw

materials, pure in themselves, had been used

for, so they could be recast as something holy. Curtains: from a term meaning "broken up", i.e., pieces that are designed to connect together. Ten: YHWH could have asked for any number; He asked for ten, so there must be a significance. Since ten was the lowest number which could have spared S'dom, Israel has long taken ten as the quorum needed for group prayer, and hence the symbol of a whole congregation. This is the smallest number by which Israel is represented. It is how the nation is counted. Individuals are never counted; only the men of war, and usually they were heads of households. Rulers of tens are the lowest number we have a head for. It is the tens that will become YHWH's dwelling place; individuals are represented only as part of a ten--a household, congregation, community. YHWH does not deal with individuals outside this framework except to bring the solitary into families. Linen: tradition says each thread consisted of six strands, hence its name, which is the same as the Hebrew word for "six". The six days of creation "built" the Sabbath--YHWH's dwelling-place in time. Likewise, the six millennia of history build the Kingdom that comes in the Seventh, by which time all must be ready and nothing new can be introduced; we will then dwell in the "houses" we are building now.

2. "The length of one curtain is twenty-eight cubits, and the width of one curtain four cubits; all the curtains [will have] one [and the same] measure.

   A cubit at this time was about 18 inches, or nearly half a meter. (Later it changed, at times being up to 20 inches, being the measure from the elbow to the fingertips, and standardized according to who was the emperor over the most powerful nation at the time.) So each curtain is 42 feet long and six feet wide. 28 is the numerical value of "y'did", the Hebrew word for "beloved friend". The Hebrew word for curtain means "trembler", and that is how we enter the presence of YHWH, who is a consuming fire. But if we fear Him, we need not fear anything else. (20:20) One measure: All of Israel is to have equal weights and measures. (Lev. 19:35-37) In that passage how we measure things is linked to guarding YHWH's statutes and judgments and doing them. That is how we measure unity. If one was a little wider or shorter, it would destroy the picture YHWH wanted to give us of the Kingdom. Each curtain may have a different thread count and show a different part of the design, and likewise each community and congregation is different, but the unifying factor is that the Torah is the standard for us all. We are not united with those who do not keep the Torah; we cannot mix in something measured in feet or meters with these things measured in cubits.

3. "Five curtains shall be coupled together closely, each to its corresponding piece; five curtains shall be coupled together, each to its corresponding piece.

   Five curtains therefore become one curtain, then these two sets become one again. Thus ten curtains form one unit as well. The ten are highlighted as two fives, suggesting the fingers on two hands. What we put our hands to is what brings unity. If we are not doing the Torah as well as hearing it, we cannot be unified. The number five also makes us think of the five books of Torah. Thus there are two groups of people under Torah who are to become one. Thus it must refer to Yehudah and Efrayim. (Yehezq'El 37:22) The parts of either of the two houses who do not place themselves under Torah will not be part of the tabernacle. Without Torah, we cannot form a place worthy of YHWH's indwelling. (But see note on v. 6.) Each to its corresponding piece: literally, "woman to its sister". One might say this is just an idiom, but it is dangerous to say anything in YHWH's word is "just" anything. So there are two sets of five women, possibly the basis for Yahshua's parable of the five wise and five foolish virgins. (Mat. 25) The job of each is to keep her lamp trimmed--reminiscent of the menorah in the tabernacle itself. (25:31-37) In any case, this puts our focus on Israel YHWH's bride again. Prov. 31:22, speaking of the "capable woman", describes her in the same terms as in v. 1 here. Therefore, that woman is really the Bride of Messiah! Her husband is known in the gates, because He IS the door! (Yochanan 10:7, 9) Proverbs 7:1-4 ties both pictures together: "Keep my commandments…Bind them on your fingers... Say to wisdom, 'You are my sister'...[to] keep you from the strange (or foreign) woman..." Our wisdom as seen by other nations depends on keeping YHWH's statutes, and He asks, "What great nation is there that has elohim so near to it as YHWH...is to us?" (Deut. 4:5-8) The fingers enclose a place of intimacy. YHWH does not want mere placation like the recipients of pagan worship. He wants a much deeper relationship with His people. There are no cheap substitutes and no shortcuts. He custom-ordered this structure for His dwelling place. If we build it another way, He will not want to live there.

4. "You shall make attaching-loops of blue [wool] on the edge of one curtain, from the side where the joining [will be], and do the same at the outermost edge of the second curtain at the joining-place.

   Blue wool: the thread of blue in the tzitzith (Num. 15:38ff) is to remind us of this as it reminds us to keep YHWH's commandments.

5. "You shall make fifty loops on the one curtain, and make fifty loops on the side of the curtain that corresponds to the joining-place of the second.

   There are therefore "10 rings on each finger" On the side…: LXX: "Opposite each other, corresponding to each other at each point." We could read this as, "so that each woman receives her sister".

6. "Then make fifty golden hooks, and couple the curtains together with the hooks, each to its corresponding piece, and it shall become one Dwelling-place.

   Hooks: or "clasps". It shall become one Dwelling-place: literally, the Dwelling-place shall become one (united). So the tabernacle is about being unified. A principle of biblical interpretation states that the first usage of a term defines how it is to be understood throughout Scripture. The first mention of the number fifty is in reference to there being enough righteous men to spare a city from destruction (Gen. 18:24). Thus the number fifty here should be understood as symbolic of righteous men who preserve the rest. Righteous people hold the mishkan together; the job of the righteous is to join the tribes of Israel back together; a divided house cannot stand. The Hebrew phrase "the Man" has the numeric value of 50. Interestingly enough, we thus see fifty women (see note on v. 3) and fifty righteous men joining to become one man! (Compare Num. 14:15; Ezra 3:1; Neh. 8:1; Eph. 2:15.) The phrase "his blood" also has the numeric value of 50 in Hebrew.

7. "Then make curtains of goats' [hair] to be a tent over the Dwelling-place; you shall make eleven [such] curtains.

   Notice that the dwelling place is something different from the tent. The tapestries are not part of the tent, but are inside it; the unity of the community is YHWH's dwelling place. The Dwelling place is something to be concealed and entered by invitation only. It is a picture of what is in the heavenly realm (not the sky as such, but the dimensions that will not be fully revealed to us until YHWH's "Kingdom comes on earth as it is in heaven". (Heb. 8:5) Curtains of goats' hair: the Hebrew text does not have the word "hair", but the LXX interprets it, "skins with the hair on". It was probably wool from goats like Angoras, whose wool is thick like sheep's. It would lay over the tapestries to protect them from the leaching of the leathery skin or to buffer it from the weight of the upper layers. Goats are clean animals, but they are individualists, each wandering off to investigate whatever attracts their attention. In order to break away from all from which we were called out, we have to act as individuals and be separate from the crowd, but once we are in the right flock, the time for individualism is over, for we are meant to form one Dwelling-place together. The bride's hair is also described as being "like a flock of goats". (Song of Songs 4:1) Why eleven curtains here, when there are only ten on the Dwelling-place itself? A physical reason for why an extra piece was needed is given in v. 9, but there are many deeper mysteries depicted in every aspect of the tabernacle. Though the Dwelling place itself sits on earth, there is something above it--a higher level: the heavenly (eternal or spiritual) realm of which it is a shadow. The two are linked together where the tent touches the Dwelling place. Psalm 122:3 says Yerushalayim is a city "joined together to itself". This term "joined", in Hebrew, is the same term as that used of the couplings together of all these pieces of the Dwelling-place. Therefore, the tabernacle was a "mobile Yerushalayim" before Israel even possessed that city. It was never taken to that city, but stood for 420 years--the same length of time the Temple at Yerushalayim stood. One level is the Garden of Eden; the other is the earthly Yerushalayim that is meant to symbolically reflect it. And since we are meant to be YHWH's Dwelling-place on earth, we are to reflect His heavenly reality. There are by tradition ten chief aspects of YHWH's nature that make up the ancient Adam that was made in His image. But there is one hidden aspect at the convergence of several others, meaning there are truly eleven. The Zohar, in which this imagery is described at length, says in reference to this verse, "The upper tent is the dwelling place of the young man Metatron." (Vol. 2, p. 143) Metatron is common way of referring to YHWH's Living Word (i.e., Yahshua). He, as the Head of the Body, is the only one who has achieved that extra characteristic, called the crown (keter). He alone made possible the re-connecting of the earthly stage with the heavenly reality it is meant to line up with.

8. "The length of one curtain shall be thirty cubits, and the breadth of one curtain four cubits, and the eleven curtains shall have the same measurement.

   Thus this curtain would be 45 feet long.

9. "And you shall join the five curtains by themselves, and the six curtains by themselves, and you shall fold the sixth curtain double towards the front face of the Dwelling-place.

   This folded curtain, says Rashi, gave the Dwelling-place the appearance of a veiled bride.

10. "Then you shall make fifty attaching-loops on the edge of the one curtain that is outermost at the place of joining, and fifty loops on the edge of the second curtain that joins [it].

11. "Then you shall make fifty bronze hooks, and insert the hooks into the loops, and connect the tent together so it becomes one.

   The tabernacle's design was actually ordained by YHWH, unlike the Temple, and it is a better picture of YHWH's intent for our spirituality. These hooks and loops represent the fifty days beginning with the day after the Sabbath following Passover up until Shavuoth (Pentecost, which means "fifty"). At this time, called the "counting of the measure", waiting for the firstfruits of the wheat crop, we concentrate on the characteristics that make up the restored Adam. The gifts listed in Ephesians 4 by which we attain to the unity of the faith, the knowledge of the one new man, which is the measure of maturity of the fullness of Messiah, which is called both "one bread" and "one body". He wants one Dwelling-place, and when we act in unity we form "joints and ligaments" that connect each other to the Head and to one another (Colossians 2:19) and bring about growth, or "increase" just like the wheat crops.

12. "And the overlap that is left over from the curtains of the tent--the half [of a] curtain that remains as surplus--shall hang over the back side of the Dwelling-place.

   Overlap: or excess. Hang: literally, "be unrestrained". This would be the western side.

13. "And the cubit from this [side] and the cubit from that [side] that is a surplus in the length of the curtains of the tent shall be hung over the sides of the Dwelling place on this [side] and that, to conceal it.

   To conceal it: what is holy is not for just anyone and everyone to see. The more we join together with one another, the more separate we become from anything on the outside--especially the counterfeit unification the whole world is attempting to build at the same time.

14. "And make a covering for the tent from rams' hides dyed a reddish [color], and a covering of tahash skins to go over it.

   It came further back than the tapestries, but not all the way to the ground. Dyed red: a reminder of the blood of the ram that took Yitzhaq's place as a burnt offering. From the root meanings of the words in this phrase, it could read "a concealment of the clear shining, skins of strong men (pillars, doorposts, trees) from the plural Adam" . The skin with which YHWH clothed Adam concealed his former glory, and Yahshua's flesh was a similar veil. (Heb. 10:20) We are not given the size of these last two layers. Yeshayahu (Isa.) 4:4-6 speaks of YHWH burning away the blood[guilt] of Yerushalayim, then of there being a shelter to provide both shade from the heat and protection from storms.

15. "Then, from acacia wood, make wall-boards for the Dwelling-place standing upright.

   Wall-boards: from the word for "driving away"--i.e., keeping the people not specifically designated to come into the Dwelling-place outside, thus keeping the inner sanctum "reserved" for purity. The term is qeresh, a rearrangement of the word sheqer, which means "falsehood"--a picture of the fact that the false teachings within Israel must be straightened out before any of us can be useful to YHWH and raised up as His dwelling place. Upright: like trees, a symbol of the righteous people who build a spiritual Dwelling-place for YHWH. They dare not sit down in the King YHWH's presence!

16. "Ten cubits shall be the length of one board, and a cubit and a half the width of each board.

   That is, 15 feet long (tall) and 27 inches wide.

17. "Two tenons for each board set in equal intervals, each across from its corresponding part; you shall do the same for all the boards of the Dwelling-place.

   Tenons: hinges, pins, or projections; literally, "hands", but not in the dual form by which a pair of human hands is described. There are two, but not a pair. Thus it is like two different people holding hands. LXX: "two joints shall you make in one post, answering the one to the other." Set in equal intervals...across: or "mortised one against the other".

18. "And you shall produce the planks for the Dwelling-place [like so]:

twenty planks on the south side on the right,

   Plank: or "split-off". Thus the tent would be 30 cubits (45 feet or 15

meters) long.

19. "and make forty socket-pedestals of silver [to go] under the twenty

boards--two socket-bases under one board for its two tenons, then [again]

two socket-bases under one board for its two tenons.

   To stand up solidly, one base would have to have two grooves in it,

one to fit the tenon (or "foot") from one board, and the other for the

"foot" from the other board. So joining the two together added stability.

A direct relationship with YHWH is important, but as with the kh'ruvim,

YHWH's presence is only there in its fullness when at least two are

joined together (Mat. 18:20).

20. "Then for the other frame-wall of the Dwelling-place on the northern side, twenty boards

   Frame-wall: supporting structure, keeping the two sides balanced and supporting all the curtains.

21. "and their forty socket-pedestals of silver, two socket-bases under the one board, then two socket-bases under the [next] board.

   Pedestals of silver: Silver symbolizes blood, and blood is the basis or foundation of all atonement, most notably Yahshua's blood.

22. "Then for the recessed flanks of the Dwelling-place, westward, you shall make six boards,

   This is the "back" of the tabernacle.

23. "and you shall make two boards to be inner corner-buttresses for the Dwelling-place on both sides.

   On both sides: that is, of the back wall, since Y'hezq'el 41:1 says the entire tent was 6 cubits wide. Thus, altogether, there are 48 boards standing up to form the walls. 48 is the numeric value of the word for "you may live" or "your life", which, in the plural form, is the description of what the Torah is to Israel. (Deut. 32:47) It is also the value of the word Luzah, meaning "at Luz", which is the earlier name for the place that Yaaqov named "the house of El" (Gen. 28:19) and which became the site of the Temple. The "standing men" later came representing all twelve tribes of Israel to be witnesses in the Temple's court of priests, watching every ceremony and every offering. Thus there was someone from every part of Israel who heard each confession of why a sin offering was being brought; no one in Israel could hide their sin. But 48 is also the value of the phrase l'ahavah (for love)--because that is why YHWH made this whole means of atonement available to Israel. (Yoch. 3:16)

24. "And they shall be doubled from underneath, and they shall be joined together to the one ring at its top. It shall be the same for both of them; they shall serve as two corner-buttresses.

   Doubled: LXX, equal; Aramaic: "They are to be directed towards each other below and into a unity and directed towards each other at their top into one ring...[to] form the two corners." Hirsch: "They shall fit exactly one to the other at the bottom, and at the top they shall taper together into a ring." The corner-pieces would close the 1/2-cubit gap on each side between the 9-cubit-long rear "wall" and the two side "walls".

25. "So there shall be eight boards with their socket-bases of silver--sixteen socket-pedestals, two socket-bases under the one board, [then] two socket-bases under the [next] board.

26. "Then you shall make runners of acacia wood, five for the boards on the one frame-wall of the Dwelling-place,

   Runners: LXX "bars", or poles. They ran along the outside of the whole length of the "wall" made of boards, making it very stable, but since it was easily disassembled, it was portable as well. The five pieces that make firm each supporting "rib" of the Body that now forms YHWH's dwelling are the five books of Torah.

27. "and five runners for the boards on the other frame-wall of the Dwelling-place, and five runners for the frame of the Dwelling-place on the westward flank,

28. "with the central runner passing through the boards, reaching from end to end.

   This additional board (or perhaps one of the previously-mentioned five) ran all the way through the whole row of boards via a hole drilled through the narrow side of each board widthwise that held them all together and stabilized them.

29. "And you shall gold-plate the boards and their rings you shall fashion of gold [as] housings for the poles, and you shall overlay the poles with gold.

30. "Thus you shall set up the Dwelling-place according to its plan, which you were shown on the mountain.

     Plan: literally, judgment--with which Tzion will

be redeemed (Yeshayahu/Isa. 1:27) and which

would be the basis for the restored throne in

David's tent (Yesh. 16:5; cf. Amos 9:11). The

dwelling place must be raised up according to

this pattern. YHWH has a way He wants it done,

and it has nothing to do with what we think is

fair. It may not be amended by anyone, be he

pope, pastor, apostle, or evangelist. The basic

pattern of creation--count to six then stop, then

repeat--is the first step. We also need to watch

the moon to know when to celebrate the feasts

He lays out, and thereby get in synchronization

with creation again. This is the only additional information we are told that Moshe received on the mountain besides the words, of which he is said to have written down all. (24:4) There is no mention of oral tradition, though of course the particular style in which certain commands were first understood was carried on, but not with the same degree of authority. The specific applications were meant to be flexible, while the principles are rigid--much like the structure of the tabernacle, with its resilient curtains overlaying the "skeleton" of boards made stiff by the bars that ran through them. The later Temple, more rigid, was seriously damaged one time during an earthquake; the Tabernacle, YHWH’s original design, would have withstood it much more readily.

31. "Now you shall make a curtain of blue, purple, crimson-scarlet, and fine twisted [white] linen with carefully crafted workmanship. It must be made [with] kh'ruvim.

   Curtain: or "dividing-veil" or "separator" (Hirsch).

32. "Then you shall extend it over four pillars of acacia wood overlaid with gold (their pins being of gold), upon four socket-pedestals of silver.

33. "Hang the curtain below the hooks, and bring the Ark of the Testimony there within the veil. And the veil shall mark for you the division between the Set-apart [place] and the Set-apart [among] set-aparts.

   Within the veil: literally, from the house for the curtain. This separator was there because we asked for it. (20:19) This is His mercy since He knows we do not yet live at a level where we can stand the full force of His presence constantly. But this does not mean we should stop trying to live at that level.

34. "Then you shall set the Atoning Covering on top of the Ark of the Testimony within the Set-apart [among] set-aparts.

   LXX: "You shall screen the Ark with the veil."

35. "And you shall put the table outside the veil, along with the menorah directly across from the table on the southward side, the table having been set on the northward side.

   Having the menorah on the south and the table on the north was significant. Israeli botanist Nogah Hareuveni highlighted a rabbinic teaching that both the north and south wind are crucial to ideal crop growth in Israel. If the north is too strong, the olive crop suffers, while the wheat (symbolized by the showbread) thrives; if the south wind takes precedence, the olives (symbolized by the lamps fueled by olive oil) thrive, but the wheat crop suffers. The juxtaposition of the two symbolizes prayer for the right balance between both.  Wind and spirit are the same term in Hebrew. Thus we can see that too much of one aspect of spirit can bring ruin. One prophet will not interrupt another. (1 Cor. 14:27-40) Otherwise, too much revelation would destroy unity.

36. "Then make a screen for the opening of the tent, of multicolored embroidery--blue, purple, crimson-scarlet, and fine twisted [white] linen.

   Screen: LXX, "veil", i.e., an opaque offset directly in front of but parallel to the opening to hide what was inside, but allow people to pass through. These four are the theme colors of the Tabernacle and later the Temple, including the priestly garments. The same blue dye was to be used in the fringes that all Israelites (at least men) are commanded to hang from our garments. (Num. 15:38) When the veil in the Temple was torn at Yahshua's death (Mat. 27:2), it was the equivalent of this screen, not the veil mentioned in verse 33. It was symbolic of YHWH tearing His garment, a common mourning ritual in ancient Israel. A way was opened into the (outer or first) Set-apart Place where we can serve YHWH through becoming twelve unified tribes and being the light of the world if we indeed enter in. Through Yahshua, we are free to look behind the veil at the treasures YHWH hid for kings to search out. We have been made kings and priests (Rev. 1:6), but most choose not to do so, because they do not wish to pull back one layer after another of the covering and look into the depths of the Hebrew Scriptures or the Temple, both of which give us multitudes of details about who He is (Luk. 24:44) and who we can now be through Him--one new man, for only one man (the high priest) may enter the second veil into the holiest place. That veil remains closed until we are so unified that we are ready for that full intimacy with YHWH. Thus the veil can be a bridal veil if we walk in His ways, or a veil of blindness that separates us from YHWH and His people. One day, when Yahshua is king over all the earth, that veil will be removed. (Yeshayahu 25:6-9)

37. "And for the screen you shall fashion five pillars of acacia wood and overlay them with gold, their pins also [being] of gold. And you shall cast five socket-pedestals of bronze for them.

CHAPTER 27

1. "Then make an altar of acacia sticks, five cubits in length and five cubits wide. The altar shall be a square, and its height three cubits.

   There are no half-measures in the altar as there were for the ark and the table. This indicates that there is no longer anything lacking once it is in use. In the stationary temples that later stood, the altar was always what was built first. Thus the altar represents the firstfruits of YHWH's Dwelling-place. Pagan altars were made of hewn stone, which represent human alterations to what YHWH intended. He did not allow His altars to be made this way, but of uncut stones. Though we have been chiseled at by human theology, if we get back into the river of YHWH's true word, He can smoothe us back out again so we can be acceptable as His firstfruits. This altar was much smaller than later ones, and this was the first of several used in YHWH's sanctuary. King Shlomo's in the first Temple was 20 cubits square, and still it was not large enough to handle all the offerings brought to the dedication. (2 Chron. 4:1; 7:7ff) The altar in the second Temple was large enough to drive an 18-wheel tractor trailer up and turn it around on top. But this altar was only 7.5 feet by 7.5 feet and 4.5 feet tall. Why, when there were millions of people camped around it? King Akhaz replaced Shlomo's also-brazen altar with a copy of one he had seen in Damaseq, the capital of the nation that had made him vassal. (2 Kings 16:10ff) He continued to offer all the proper offerings on it, though he also made slaughterings to the elohim of his conquerors since it had apparently been strong enough to beat Israel's Elohim in war. (2 Chron. 28:22ff) He marginalized the altar YHWH had prescribed, keeping it there but only "as a place to enquire of YHWH". This is common today, as people set aside the things YHWH has actually prescribed and replace them with something else, while still paying lipservice to the ten commandments and leaving a place where one can ask YHWH for things rather than giving to Him. But this brought great judgment to Akhaz and all of Israel, because YHWH has ways He wants to be approached, and he had his own ideas. YHWH did not ask for a magnificent altar, but a small one, for He wants Israel to approach Him as one man. It is more about corporate worship than individual. Only if Israel's sins against YHWH and one another were to become many (as they did) would larger altars be needed. It is shameful that they did. Everyone had their own ideas, and was in constant need of reconnection with YHWH. In the wilderness, He wanted a simple approach, which should interest us, because that is where we are again--on our way out of Egypt. He wants us to draw near to Him in the smallest things, which is one reason the dining table is a picture of the altar; even what we eat there or who we eat with must profit the Kingdom. The altar was not meant to be about burning much animal flesh, but about coming close to YHWH. Everything we do will either accomplish that or take us further from Him--or simply keep us standing still. Most of us would not deliberately move away from Him, but we have to know His word well so we can avoid doing so by mistake. We might then think it is better to just stand still so we stay out of trouble, but YHWH does not want us lukewarm; if we do not take risks, we cannot move closer to Him either.

2. "Then fashion its projections on its four corners (its projections shall be part of itself), and overlay it with bronze.

   Projections: the term is always used for an animal's horn, but these were not shaped that way. They were more like cubes on the corners, looking like horns only from a distance, but making the altar itself appear to "strive upward" (Hirsch). Horns are symbolic of power. An animal can use its horns to defend itself or to gore its owner. The word also refers to the sun's rays, which also can warm us or blister us with cancerous sores. They were also a place where people came at times to seek refuge (1 Kings 1:50), representing the ultimate place of mercy. But to sinners they still meant certain death. (21:14; 1 Kings 2:28) Yahshua is also where we go for mercy. Some earlier altars had been given names (Gen. 33:20; Judges 6:24) The Messiah was also given many names. (Yeshayahu 7:14) Some were not used for sacrifice at all, but as witnesses regarding promises made or deeds YHWH had done. (Y'hoshua 22) Yahshua also acted as YHWH's witness. (Yochanan 3:11-13) So every aspect of the altar represents him. Four corners: a term used for all the world, into every part of which Israel was later scattered. It also reminds us of the ancient four-cornered Israelite garment, on which are hung the tassels that remind us to whom we belong. (Num. 15:38) Thus it represents Israel. Part of itself: of one contiguous piece, not something attached later. Overlay: the term indicates that it would be with sheets of metal rather than molten metals poured over it. Bronze is a picture of judgment. Like the horns or rays, judgment seems like a negative thing to the individual who is guilty, but a cause for rejoicing for those who are not, because it brings things back into the proper order. When we have the corporate benefit in view, it is a very positive thing; it is avoiding judgment that kills us. (Prov. 13:3, 14, etc.) YHWH gave us the Torah so we would judge ourselves and not need such a large altar. Wood is a picture of ourselves, and the bronze--judgment--is what keeps the fire from destroying us, though it may get very hot. Judging according to His word protects us. Our ancestors refused to cover themselves with judgment, and replaced the altar with the pagan altar of self, so YHWH took away our Land until we would learn to see judgment as a place of safety, not harm.

3. "Then make for it caldrons [with which] to take away its ashes; its shovels, its tossing-pitchers, its meat-forks, and its firepans--all its implements--you must make of bronze.

   The term actually means "place of slaughter" in Hebrew, though it was only in pagan contexts that animals were actually killed on the altar; in Israel the animals were killed away from it, then divided up into which parts were acceptable to offer to YHWH, and which were not. Fathers taught their sons to "rightly divide" them. (Compare 2 Tim. 2:15, where we are told to "rightly divide the word of truth--that is, know where each part applies.) Otherwise they would not be acceptable, and all they would have done is murder an animal. The altar of Israel was more like a large barbecue grill, as only a few offerings were completely consumed. Most were, in part, cooked for the priests and/or those who offered them to share with those willing to listen to the reason they brought thank offerings to YHWH. The centerpiece of ancient homes was often the hearth. Archaeologists can define who lived in a given area at a certain time by the style of their hearths. The altar was, in a sense, the hearth of the entire people of Israel. Tossing-pitchers: the vessels used to catch the animals' blood and toss it against the altar. They were pointed on the bottom so they could not be set down while the blood was in them, lest it coagulate before it could be tossed. When a priest encountered anyone on his way to do so, he would say, "Do not touch me" if he had not arrived. Yahshua said the same to Miryam after his resurrection, because he had not yet ascended to his Father. (Yochanan 20:17) Bronze is better suited to handle fire, because it holds its form better than gold or silver, but is still malleable.

4. "And make a grating-meshwork of bronze, and on the meshwork make four bronze rings for its corners.

   Meshwork: or sieve, to prevent the bones and whatever was not burned up from falling to the ground below (compare Amos 9:9), making it easier to clean. Rings: to hold it in place.

5. "Then set it under the rim of the altar from beneath, so the network may reach to the mid-point of the altar.

   This way there was also a wall above the grate to keep anything from

being pushed off the altar when being moved around. Mid-point: or

dividing-point. The rim was really formed by the fact that the lower

piece of the altar was wider than the one above it. Thus the altar was

really built of at least two square pieces on top of each other. (There

may have been a third square, wider still, at the base to walk around it

on, or a walkway may have been built of earth near enough for the

priests to reach the altar to arrange the wood and offerings on it. The

grating-meshwork described in v. 4 would have been 3 cubits tall just

like the altar itself (v. 1), making the top of the grate this "mid-point" spoken of here. The lower piece would have had grates on every side to allow air to circulate beneath the altar; it would have acted as a built-in bellows. The blood of sacrifices offered for sins against Elohim were tossed against the side of the top piece. The top piece was called "har'el", which means the "mountain of Elohim"--a place of special closeness to Him (Hirsch). Yaaqov and David had both built altars at the final site of the Temple prior to its being built there.

6. "Then make poles for the altar--poles of acacia timbers--and overlay them with bronze.

   Poles: the term really refers to something that can be withdrawn from the altar and separated from it. They are a picture of carrying one another's burdens.

7. "And the poles shall be inserted into the rings, and the poles shall be on two sides of the altar in order to carry it.

8. "You shall make it hollow with sheet-boards; it shall be made just as you were shown on the mountain.

   Just as you were shown: as opposed to what seems logical to us. Sheet-boards: the same word as used for chalkboards, and the tablets of stone on which the ten commandments were built--i.e., planks formed into one large sheet of wood on each side.

9. "Next, prepare the enclosure for the Dwelling-place. For the south side, to the right, there shall be drapes for the enclosure of finely-twisted linen one hundred cubits in length for the one side.

   Enclosure: or courtyard. 100 cubits: about 150 feet or 50 meters. The purpose of this curtain was to form an added fence to mark off an area of secondary holiness. The men of the Great Assembly (Sanhedrin) had three chief ground rules: "Be deliberate in judgment, raise up many disciples, and make a fence around the Torah." This was designed to keep people an added step away from sin so they would not stray too close. Yet this was a soft fence (made of the same materials as the inner of the three layers covering the tabernacle itself). Yahshua was angered by those who took this idea too far and built so many fences that the commandment itself was obscured--fences of stone, so to speak--but His own "sermon on the mount" is full of fences that He added, raising the standard for those who followed Him so we would not simply be as holy as we were minimally required to be, but would come as close as possible to YHWH's intent. He wants us to go beyond merely being a unified people to being a people of purity among whom He can dwell. But the fence He prescribed could not actually physically prevent anyone from entering. It was not even completely closed. (v. 16) Yet to those who respected what it meant, it was firm. YHWH will let you out if you do not wish to be in His presence. He does not demand that you be part of His community, though many blessings are found nowhere else. The curtains were to surround, yet divide. The term for enclosure is the root word for that used for metal trumpets (e.g., Numbers 10:2), which are to get Israel's attention and direct its movement by its different types of blast patterns. These dual functions seem opposite--to separate yet draw attention, but for those who have ears to hear, our very being separate is what catches their attention. If they want to see what is behind the curtain because it is holy, they are the right ones to hear; if they do not, it is a blessing that we are separated from them. Finely-twisted linen: Egyptian linen still has the finest thread count, and they undoubtedly got the linen from unraveling Egyptian garments.

10. "And its twenty upright posts and their socket-pedestals [shall be] of bronze; their pins and connecting rods, of silver.

   Thus there is a post every 5 cubits (7.5 feet/2.5 meters).

11. "In length, the north side shall be the same--drapes a hundred long, and its twenty upright posts and their socket-pedestals [shall be] of bronze; their pins and connecting rods, of silver.

12. "And for the breadth of the enclosure on the west side, there shall be drapes of fifty cubits, their upright posts [shall total] ten, and their socket-pedestals, ten.

   Drapes: or "hangings". Fifty cubits: 75 feet or 25 meters.

13. "And the breadth of the court on the east side toward the rising sun, fifty cubits.

   East side toward the rising sun: possibly neither a tautology nor redundant. Egyptian historians speak of the sunrise and sunset being reversed several times, and Ipuwer, a contemporary of Moshe and eyewitness of the plagues, tells of the earth turning upside down. They had a term for a second, western sun, which was considered a different deity from Ra. It was necessary at that time to clarify in hieroglyphics that the west meant the direction of the sunset; star charts are reversed from what they are today. Plato (in Politicus) wrote of a time when the sun "used to set in the quarter where [it] now rises, and used to rise where [it] now sets...The god at the time of the quarrel changed all that to the present system." So there was a time when the heavenly powers were seen to be fighting--just like the Exodus account. The Chinese zodiac also progresses in reverse order from that of the sun. Ugaritic documents speak of a planet-god that massacred the population of the Levant (Kanaan) and "exchanged the two dawns and the position of the stars". Ancient Mexican documents also speak of a reversal of the northern and southern hemispheres. The Talmud says the same sort of reversal took place just before Noach's deluge. (Tractate Sanhedrin 108b) It also speaks of great disturbances in the sun's motion at the time of the Exodus. (Bavli, Tr. Taanit 20; Avoda Zara 25a) The pillar of cloud went from being in front of the Israelites to behind them. "As morning approached" (14:27) literally reads "at the turning of the morning", which, when used of time, refers to "going down", i.e., setting! The Midrash says that on the day when Israel crossed the Red Sea, the sun did not move; Psalm 76 says "the earth feared and was still". Amos 8 speaks of the sun going down at noon at that time. Psalm 82 speaks of the world's foundations being off course. Velikovsky explains this as the bypass of a comet which was captured by the sun and became Venus; this near flyby would have major gravitational effects that would cause such "wobbling" of the earth's poles. Patten believes it was a flyby of Mars when its orbit crossed that of earth's, as it did prior to 701 B.C.E. In any case, it had to be a large celestial body of such a type affecting the earth so radically. The sunrise in the east was therefore a new phenomenon for this generation, and east (which also means "toward the ancient" in Hebrew) was now in the same direction it originally was. YHWH's rescuing Israel and making her a nation symbolizes a major step in the restoration of the most ancient ways.

14. "The drapes on one 'shoulder' shall be fifteen cubits, their uprights three, and their pedestals three.

   Shoulder: the curtained "fence" was divided into two halves by the entryway (v. 16), a gap in the enclosure on the eastern side, forming two segments connected to the northern and southern "wall", but not contiguous.

15. "And the drapes for the other 'shoulder', fifteen, their uprights three, and their pedestals three.

16. "For the gateway of the enclosure, a twenty-cubit screen of blue, purple, crimson-scarlet, and finely-twisted [white] linen, of multicolored embroidery; their uprights shall be four, and their pedestals four.

   Set back slightly from the outer "wall" but parallel to it so one could walk in around either end of it, the screen also kept those outside from seeing what was inside the doorway, preserving the sanctity of what went on there. It was only the business of the one coming with his sacrifice and the priests who officiated over it. It was not one's place to be inside if he was not there to meet with YHWH or to serve Israel. It was made of the same colors the High Priest wore. Yahshua is called our Great High Priest (Heb. 4:14), and He called Himself the Door. (Yochanan 10:7, 9) The rest of the "fence" was made of the same material the ordinary priests wore.

17. "The uprights all around the enclosure shall be attached together with silver, their pins of silver, and their socket-pedestals of bronze.

   It is never stated overtly, but wherever the Tabernacle was to sit, the site had to be leveled and prepared in order for these components to remain upright. Stones had to be cleared away since the priests went barefoot, and they would probably be used to build a supporting base for the altar. Socket-pedestals of bronze: Right judgment holds everything in place.

18. "The length of the enclosure shall be a hundred cubits, its breadth consistently fifty, and their height five cubits of finely-twisted [white] linen, and their socket-pedestals [shall be] of bronze.

   Their height: that of the curtains that formed the "fence". The enclosure is set apart from the outside world by white linen, the same thing the priests wore. It would not make them sweat, thereby symbolizing the inactivation of the flesh's defilement. White linen garments also symbolize the righteousness of those set apart. (Rev. 19:8)

19. "All the implements of the Dwelling-place, in all its service, all its tent-stakes, and all the stakes of the enclosure shall be of bronze."