FROM THE BEREITHA.

The Talmud, by Joseph Barclay, [1878], at sacred-texts.com

p. 334

Heave-Offerings—Dimensions of the Tabernacle—Boards—Bars—Rings of Gold—Overlaying with Gold—Pipes of Gold—Curtains—Threads—Coupling—Taches—Sockets—Vail—Holy of Holies—Holy Place—Sacred Vessels—Cunning work—Court—Bars—Pins—Hangings—The Ark—The Tables of the Law both Whole and Broken—The Staves—The Table of Shew-bread—The Candlestick—Indefinite Expressions—The Altar of Incense—The Altar of Burnt-Offerings—The line for the Sprinkling of Blood—The Laver—Guards—Encampment—Standards—Preparations—Blowing the Trumpet—The March—Signs for Encamping—The Pillar of Cloud—The Shechinah.

CHAPTER I.

Rabbi Judah the Holy, said, there were ten heave-offerings, the heave-offering of the Lord, and the heave-offering of the tithes, of the dough, and of the first-fruits; and the heave-offering of the Nazarite, and the heave-offering of thanksgiving, and the heave-offering of the land, and the heave-offering of Israelites dwelling in Midian, and the heave-offering of the shekels, and the heave-offering of the tabernacle. The heave-offering of the Lord, and the heave-offering of the tithes, and of the dough, and of the first-fruits, and the heave-offering of the Nazarite, and the heave-offering of thanksgiving, were for the priests. The heave-offering of the land was for the priests, the levites, and the Nethinim, ¹ and the Sanctuary and Jerusalem. The heave-offering of Midian was for Eleazar the priest, the heave-offering of shekels was for the sockets of the tabernacle, the heave-offering

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of the tabernacle furnished the material of the tabernacle, and the oil for lighting, and the sweet incense, and the garments of the priests, and the garments of the high priest. The length of the tabernacle was thirty cubits, and its breadth was ten cubits, and its height was ten cubits. Rabbi José said, "its length was thirty-one cubits." "How was the tabernacle set up?" "Forty sockets of silver were placed on the north, and forty sockets of silver on the south, and sixteen on the west, and four on the east. These are one hundred sockets. As is said, ¹ 'An hundred sockets of the hundred talents, a talent for a socket.'" "How were the boards set up?" "Twenty boards were placed on the north, and twenty boards on the south, and eight on the west. On the east there was no board, but there were four pillars of shittim-wood. Upon them the vail was hung. As is said, ² 'thou shalt make a vail,' etc., 'and thou shalt hang it upon four pillars of shittim-wood, overlaid with gold,' etc., and 'thou shalt hang up the vail under the taches.'" And the sockets were made with holes, and these were cut out in the boards below, a quarter from one side and a quarter from the other side, and there was cut out half of it in the middle, and it made two pins like two supports, and they entered into two sockets, as is said, "two sockets under one board for its two tenons." ³ The pins extended from the boards two and two, to every one which was inserted, the positive into the negative, as it is said, ⁴ "Set in order one against the other." The words of Rabbi Nehemiah, when Rabbi Nehemiah said, "there is no meaning in saying, 'set in order.'" "And what is meant by set in order?" "It is meant that there should be made for them rungs like an Egyptian ladder." There was cut out from the board above a finger breadth from one side, and a finger breadth from the other side, and they were put into the golden ring, that they should not separate one from the other, as is said, "And they shall be coupled together beneath, and they shall be coupled together above the head of it unto one ring." ⁵ There is no meaning

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in saying, "unto one ring," and what is meant by saying, "unto one ring?" "The place where the bar was put in, and every board had in it two rings of gold, one above, and one below; in them were put in the bars." And there were two upper bars, and two lower (bars) on the south side; the length of each of them was fifteen cubits. It follows that two were in length thirty cubits against twenty boards, and the middle (bar) was in length thirty cubits against twenty boards, which was inserted in the middle of the boards from east to west, as is said, "And the middle bar in the midst of the boards shall reach from end to end." ¹ As the boards were made in the south, so the boards were made in the north, but in the west they were not so; but the length of the upper bar and the lower one was six cubits against four boards, and the middle (bar), twelve cubits against eight boards. And the boards, and the bars, and the pillars, and the sockets, the place of the thickness of the boards were overlaid with gold, as is said, "And the boards thou shalt overlay with gold." ² "The places for the bars," there is no meaning in saying, "places for the bars;" and what is the meaning of saying, "places for the bars?" "The place where the bar entered the boards." "And the bars themselves shall be overlaid with gold." ³ "How was it done?" "Two pipes of gold were introduced—the length of each of them was a cubit and a half; and they were put into the hole of the board, the place where the bars were put in."

Footnotes

334:1 The Nethinim or the "given ones" were added, it is supposed, from amongst the Gibeonites to fill up the deficiencies in the number of Levites who returned from the captivity in Babylon. They were held in low estimation, and were forbidden to intermarry with Israelites.

335:1 Exod. xxxviii. 27.

335:2 xxvi. 31-33.

335:3 xxvi. 19.

335:4 xxvi. 17.

335:5 xxvi. 24.

336:1 Exod. xxvi. 28.

336:2 xxvi. 29.

336:3 xxvi. 29.