[Siman 6]
And Bezalel made the ark of acacia wood (Exod. 37:1). Scripture states elsewhere:
The opening of Thy words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple (Ps. 119:130). When the Holy One, blessed be He, created His world, the entire world was composed of water, as it is said:
And darkness was upon the face of the deep (Gen. 1:2). R. Judah and R. Nehemiah discussed this verse. R. Judah said: The Holy One, blessed be He, created the darkness first, and then He created the world. R. Nehemiah contended that the Holy One, blessed be He, created the world first and then the darkness. R. Simeon the son of Yehozadak inquired of R. Samuel about this. He said to him: You are an authority on aggadic traditions, so tell me, how did the Holy One, blessed be He, create His world? When He created the world, did He create the light first? R. Samuel the son of Nahman answered: When He decided to create His world, He surrounded Himself with light, and then He created the world, as is said:
Who coverest Thyself with light as a garment, and that is followed by:
Who stretchest out the heavens like a curtain (Ps. 104:2). Therefore Scripture states:
The opening of Thy word giveth light; it giveth understanding to the simple (ibid. 119:130).
R. Judah the son of Ilai said: This may be likened to a king who wished to build a palace in a dark place. First he lit candles, and then he built (the palace). The Holy One, blessed be He, did likewise. The world was dark, as it is said:
And darkness was on the face of the deep (Gen. 1:2), and so He wrapped himself with light and created the world. Hence,
the opening of Thy words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple (Ps. 119:130). The righteous learn from the Holy One, blessed be He, that they should begin with light. How do we know this? At the time that Moses told Bezalel that the Holy One, blessed be He, had said
Build Me a Sanctuary, Moses told him: Go build the Tabernacle. What did he begin with? Bezalel began with the ark.
Scripture states elsewhere:
Give to a wise man, and he will be yet wiser; teach a righteous man, and he will increase in learning (Prov. 9:9). Moses told him to begin by building the Tabernacle, but he began instead with the ark. Why? Because the ark is the place where the Torah, which is the light of the world and the world-to-come, is kept.
Teach a righteous man, and he will increase in learning. This verse alludes to Noah. How is that?
Of every clean beast thou shall take to thee seven and seven, and of beasts that are unclean two and two (Gen. 7:2), but when the time comes to depart from the ark, it is written:
He took of every clean beast, and of every clean fowl, and offered burnt offerings on the altar (ibid. 8:20), even though he had not been commanded to do so. Noah said to himself: The Holy One, blessed be He, told me to take a greater number of clean beasts than of unclean ones. He must have done this so that I might offer them as burnt offerings and sacrifices. Therefore he took of every clean beast, and every clean fowl, and offered burnt offerings on the altar. Hence,
Teach a righteous man, and he will increase in learning (Prov. 9:9).
Give to a wise man, and he will yet be wiser refers to Bezalel. At the time the Holy One, blessed be He, told Moses to erect the Sanctuary, Bezalel asked him: “What is the purpose of this Sanctuary?” Moses replied: “So that He might dwell therein and teach the law to Israel.” Then Bezalel said: “But where will the Torah be placed?” Moses answered: “After we have made the Sanctuary we will make the ark.” Bezalel replied: “That is not the way. Let us make the ark first and then we will build the Sanctuary.”
[Siman 7]
And Bezalel made the ark (Exod. 37:1). You do not find Bezalel’s name associated with any vessel made for the Sanctuary other than the ark. All the other work and all the other implements were made at his suggestion and upon his advice. Why did he make an exception in the work of the ark by doing it himself? Because it was to be a shade for the Holy One, blessed be He, in which He would compress His Shekhinah. That is why He called Bezalel to make a shade for the Holy One, blessed He, between the cherubim, as it is said:
And there I will meet with thee, and I will speak with thee from between the two cherubim (Exod. 25:22).
Has it not already been stated:
Do I not fill heaven and the earth (Jer. 23:24)? R. Joshua of Sikhnin said in the name of R. Levi: This may be compared to a cave situated at the edge of the sea. Though the sea rushes forth and fills the cave, the sea lacks nothing. Similarly with the Holy One, blessed be He, may His name be blessed, for though it is written:
And the glory of the Lord filled the Tabernacle (Exod. 40:34), nevertheless
His glory is above the heaven and the earth (Ps. 148:13). You should not say that the Holy One, blessed be He, compressed His Shekhinah only into the Tabernacle. He likewise compressed His Shekhinah into the ark that Bezalel had made, as it is written:
Behold, the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth (Josh. 3:11). This indicates that the Holy One, blessed be He, was within it. Who other than Bezalel could have made it, since it says:
And Bezalel made the ark?
R. Hanina of Sepphoris said that Bezalel made three chests for the ark, two of gold and one of wood. He inserted the wooden chest into one golden one, and then the other golden one into the wooden one. After that he covered the edges with gold in order to fulfill what is written:
And he overlaid it with gold within and without (Exod. 37:2), and it is written elsewhere;
And shalt make upon it a crown of gold roundabout (ibid. 25:11). From here we learn that a scholar’s “inside” should be as his exterior (i.e., he should not be a hypocrite), since it is said:
Thou shalt overlay it with pure gold, within and without shalt thou overlay it (ibid.).
What is meant by
Thou shalt overlay it with gold, within and without? He said to him: Even though the wooden casket is to be inserted between them, handle it with the utmost care. Why? Because the Torah, the tablets, and even the broken tablets will be placed within it. Hence treat it with honor, since it is said:
Thou shalt put them in the ark (Deut. 10:2); that is, both the (second) tablets and the broken tablets shall be placed inside it.
And thou shalt put them in the ark. That is to say, even if you should see students of the Torah who are poor and unfortunate, treat them with respect, for the law is stored within them.
And make a crown of gold (Exod. 37:2). Why? Because the Torah rests therein. There are three crowns, the crown of the Torah, the crown of priesthood, (and) the crown of kingship, but there is an additional crown, the crown of a good name, that excels them all. How do we know abut the crown of the Torah? It is said:
That wisdom preserveth the life of him who has it (Exod. 7:12) both in this world and the world-to-come. Hence it is written:
And made a crown of gold.
You may be assured that the ark is beloved (by God), for just as the Throne of Glory is beloved, so too is the ark beloved, for the Torah was placed within it. Because the Torah was located at the right hand of the Holy One, blessed be He, as it is said:
At His right hand was a fiery law unto them (Deut. 33:2), therefore the ark was precious because the Torah was placed within it. As it is said:
The tables were the work of God (Exod. 32:16).
Why was the acacia-wood placed in between? Because the Torah is called the tree of life, as it is said:
She is a tree of life to them that lay hold upon her (Prov. 3:18).
(1-2) [Siman 8]
And Bezalel made the ark of acacia-wood (Exod. 37:1). Because it was known to Him-who-spoke-and-the-world-came into-being that Israel will sin at Shittim, the Holy One, blessed be He, prepared
shittim (acacia-wood) so that they might atone for what happened at Shittim.
1 And he overlaid it with pure gold (ibid., v. 2). This alludes to the students of the Torah, for just as the wood was greatly adorned by the gold that overlaid it, so the students of the Torah are adorned by the Torah within their hearts. Just as men speak of pure gold, so the Torah purifies the heart and the kidneys of the scholar, as it is written:
More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold (Ps. 19:11).
And Bezalel made the ark. We find that when the Holy One, blessed be he, told Moses to construct the Tabernacle, He described every detail to him, saying:
Thou shalt do, but with reference to the ark, He said simply:
Make Me. Why? The Holy One, blessed be He, commanded all the Israelites to make it, so that not one of them would be able to humiliate his fellow Israelite by saying: “I contributed more for the building of the ark than you, therefore I am more learned and have a greater right to it than you do. And since you contributed little to the ark, you will have no portion in the Torah.” That is why the Torah is likened to water, as it is said:
Ho, everyone that thirsteth, come you for water (Isa. 55:1). Just as no one should be ashamed to say to his companion: “Give me a drink of water,” no one should be ashamed to say to a person younger than himself: “Teach me the law, instruct me in this matter.” And just as one who desires to drink should be able to drink without cost, so all who desire to learn the law should be able to learn without cost and without price, as it is said:
Yea, come without money and without price (ibid.).
Why was the law given in the desert? To teach us that just as the desert is free to all men, so the words of the law are free to all who desire to learn them. Also, lest a man should say: “I am a student of the law that was given to me and my ancestors, while you and your ancestors are not students of the law; your ancestors were strangers”; hence it is written:
An inheritance of the congregation of Jacob (Deut. 33:4). This tells us that the law was an inheritance for all who associate themselves with Jacob. Even outsiders who devote themselves to the law are equal to the high priest, as it is said:
Which if a man do, he shall live by them: I am the Lord (Lev. 18:5). It does not refer to priest or Levite or Israelite but merely to
man. Thus,
One law and one ordinance shall be both for you and for the stranger that sojourneth with you (Num. 15:16). Observe what is written concerning the sons of Jethro:
And the families of the scribes that dwelt at Jabez: the Tirathites, the Shimeathites, the Succathites (I Chron. 2:55). The name
Tirathites (understood as derived from Aramaic
tar’a, “gate”) indicates that they sat at the gate to the inner chamber of the Temple;
Shimeathites (which includes the letters of the word
shema, “hear”) implies that all the Israelites heard the law from their lips; and
Succathites (which includes the word
sukkah, “covered by”) suggests that they were enveloped by the Holy Spirit. Who were these? They were Kenites who came from
The father of the house of Rechab (ibid.). The father-in-law of Moses was a Kenite, and Shemaiah and Abtalion and the descendants of Sisera were also Kenites. They studied the law in public like the men of the Great Synagogue. Why was that? Because the law was given to all Israel. Therefore it is written:
These words that the Lord spoke unto all your assembly (Deut. 5:19).
It is written:
And they shall make an ark of acacia-wood (Exod. 25:10). R. Simeon the son of Yohai said: There are three crowns, the crown of Torah, of priesthood, and of kingship. How do we know about the crown of Torah? It is written concerning the ark:
And thou shalt overlay it with pure gold (ibid., v. 11); we know about the crown of priesthood because it is written concerning the altar:
A crown of gold (Exod. 37:26); and we know about the crown of kingship from the fact that it is written concerning the table:
And made thereto a crown of gold (ibid., v. 11). Why is the word (in the preceding verse) written as
zar (“stranger”) but read as
zer (“crown”)? To teach us that if a man is worthy, it is his crown of gold, but if he is unworthy, he is to be considered a stranger among you.
Why was it written about everything:
And thou shalt make, except in the case of the ark, where it says:
Thou shalt make upon it? It is to teach us that if a man is worthy of the Torah, he is worthy of everything. And it states also:
And their charge the ark, and the table, and the candlesticks, and the altar (Num. 3:31) to teach you that no-one is more important for you than one who devotes himself to the law.
[Siman 10]
And Bezalel made the ark (Exod. 37:1). You find that everything constructed for the Tabernacle was made in its proper order. First he made the boards and joined them together. After that he made the curtain of goats’ hair to spread over them, as it is said:
And thou shalt make a curtain of goats’ hair for a tent over the Tabernacle (Exod. 26:7). When he completed the ark, he made the cover that was to be hung before the ark:
After he made the ark, he made the ark cover of pure gold (ibid. 37:6).
R. Eliezer the son of R. Yosé said: I saw the ark covering in Rome2 and noticed drops of blood upon it. I asked them why this blood was upon the ark cover. They told me: This was some of the blood the high priest sprinkled on the Day of Atonement. Therefore this ark cover must have been on the ark made by Bezalel.
Why was the ark cover called a kapporet? Because it effected atonement (mekapper) for Israel. After he made the ark cover, he fashioned the table upon which the show-bread rested, which was placed before the ark. When he completed the table, he constructed the menorah that illuminated the table. Hence he made everything according to the usual practice of kings. Therefore it is written: And Bezalel made the ark of acacia-wood. Did Bezalel do all the work by himself, that Scripture should repeat each time And Bezalel made? Indeed not. But since he devoted himself so zealously to the work of the Tabernacle, the Holy One, blessed be He, would not deprive him of his reward, and so He mentioned him each time, as is written: And Bezalel made.
Another illustration of this is in the verse
Only Jonathan the son of Asahel and Jahzeiah the son of Tikvah stood up against this matter (supporting Ezra’s decree that the Israelites were to send away their foreign wives);
and Meshullam and Shabbethai the Levite helped them (Ezek. 10:15).
3 Because Jonathan devoted himself zealously to this matter while the other only helped him, his name is mentioned first. Similarly in the case of Bezalel. All the wise men assisted him, but because he devoted himself most zealously to the erection of the Tabernacle, it is written:
And Bezalel made the ark.
The Holy One, blessed be He, said: Be assured that because of the importance of the Tabernacle, I shall be a light unto you, and because of everything you did in constructing the Tabernacle, I will reward you. But do not imagine that it is for the Sanctuary alone that you will be rewarded. I will reward you, as well, for the garments worn by the high priest. Each one obtained forgiveness for the people.
The Holy One, blessed be He, said: Because you have made a curtain of goats’ hair to serve as a tent over the Tabernacle in order to cover Me, I will cover you with a cloud on high, and I will consider it as if you had repaid Me. Because, at the time you went forth from Egypt, I brought a cloud that was a kind of tent to protect you, and I will reward you (in the same fashion) in the time-to-come, as it is said:
And the Lord will create over the whole habitation of Mount Zion, and over her assemblies, a cloud and smoke by day, and the shining of a flaming fire by night, for over all the glory shall be a canopy (Isa. 4:5). You made an ark cover for Me, so be assured, because of the ark cover I will forgive all your sins, as it is said:
When I have forgiven thee all that thou hast done (Ezek. 16:63). Because you made an ark for Me from which light will go forth to the world, be assured I will illumine for you the world-to-come, as it is said:
Moreover, the light of the moon shall be as the light of the sun (Isa. 30:26), and it is written elsewhere:
Arise, shine, for thy light is come (Isa. 60:1).
The Holy One, blessed be He, declared; Because of all the things you did and the commandments you performed, I will repay you in the world-to-come. Because of the ark you made, in which the law is placed, I will be a light unto you and will bestow upon you the good that is stored up for the righteous, as it is said:
Oh how abundant is Thy goodness, which Thou has laid up for them that fear Thee; which Thou hast wrought for them that take refuge in Thee, in the sight of the sons of men (Ps. 31:20). And it is also written:
Light is sown for the righteous, and gladness for the upright in heart (Ps. 97:11).
ויעש בצלאל – לפי שנתן עצמוא במלאכה יותר משאר החכמים, נקראת על שמו.