אֵלֶּה פְקוּדֵי הַמִּשְׁכָּן. זֶה שֶׁאָמַר הַכָּתוּב: וַתְּפַלְּטֵנִי מֵרִיבֵי עַמִּי (ש״ב כב, מד). וְכָתוּב אֶחָד אוֹמֵר, תְּפַלְּטֵנִי מֵרִיבֵי עָם (תהלים יח, מד). מֵרִיבֵי עָם אֵלּוּ הָאֻמּוֹת, מֵרִיבֵי עַמִּי אֵלּוּ יִשְׂרָאֵל. אָמַר דָּוִד, רִבּוֹנוֹ שֶׁל עוֹלָם, יִשְׂרָאֵל רוֹגְנִים הֵם, אַתָּה מְבַקֵּשׁ שֶׁיָּשִׂיחוּ אַחֲרָי. תֵּדַע לְךָ, כְּשֶׁנַּעֲשָׂה בֵית הַמִּקְדָּשׁ, כָּל דָּבָר וְדָבָר נַעֲשָׂה בְּמִסְפָּר וּבְמִשְׁקָל, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: בְּמִסְפָּר בְּמִשְׁקָּל לַכֹּל וַיִּכָּתֵב כָּל הַמִּשְׁקָל (עזרא ח, לד). לָמָּה, שֶׁהֵם רוֹגְנִים, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: וַיְדַבֵּר הָעָם בֵּאלֹהִים וּבְמֹשֶׁה (במדבר כא, ה). הֱוֵי, תְּפַלְּטֵנִי מֵרִיבֵי עַמִּי. וּמְדַבֵּר בְּמֹשֶׁה כְּשֶׁעָשָׂה אֶת הַמִּשְׁכָּן. אָמַר מֹשֶׁה, יוֹדֵעַ אֲנִי שֶׁיִּשְׂרָאֵל אִכְפַּת לָהֶם, מְשִׂיחִין בַּאֲחֵיהֶם וּבְאִמּוֹתָם, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: תֵּשֵׁב בְּאָחִיךָ תְדַבֵּר, בְּבֶן אִמְּךָ תִּתֶּן דֹּפִי (תהלים נ, כ). מַהוּ תֵּשֵׁב בְּאָחִיךָ תְדַּבֵּר. אָמַר רַבִּי יוֹחָנָן, לֹא תֹאמַר שֶׁבְאָחִיו מֵאָבִיו יֶשׁ לוֹ רְשׁוּת לְדַבֵּר וְלֹא בְּאָחִיו מֵאִמּוֹ, אֶלָּא אִם דִּבַּרְתָּ בְּאָחִיךָ מֵאָבִיךָ, סוֹפְךָ לְדַבֵּר בְּאָחִיךָ מֵאִמְּךָ, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: תֵשֵׁב בְּאָחִיךָ תְדַבֵּר בְּבֶן אִמְּךָ תִּתֶּן דֹּפִי. These are the accounts of the tabernacle (Exod. 38:21). Scripture states elsewhere: Thou hast also delivered Me from the contentions of My people (II Sam. 22:44), and it is written elsewhere: Thou hast delivered me from the contentions of the people (Ps. 18:44). The contentions of the people refers to the nations of the world, and the contentions of My people alludes to Israel. David said: Master of the Universe, the Israelites are a contentious lot; do You wish them to murmur against me amongst themselves? A proof of this is that after the Tabernacle was erected, though everything was done according to numbers and weights, as it is written: The whole by number and by weight; and all the weight was written at that time (Ezra 8:34), they became contentious, as is said: And the people spoke against God, and against Moses (Num. 21:15). Hence, it says: Thou mayest deliver me from the contentions of My people (II Sam. 22:44). This verse alludes to Moses. At the time he erected the Tabernacle, Moses said: I know that the Israelites are a troublesome lot. They speak against their brothers and their mothers, as it is said: Thou sittest and speakest against thy brother; thou slanderest thine own mother’s sons (Ps. 50:20). What is meant by Thou sittest and speakest against thy brother? R. Johanan said: You must not believe that one is permitted to speak against a brother born of one’s father, but not against a brother born of one’s mother, for if you should speak against your brother born of your father, you will eventually speak against your brother born of your mother, as it is said: Thou sittest and speakest against thine own brother; thou slanderest thine own mother’s sons.
וְרַבִּי יְהוֹשֻׁעַ בֶּן לֵוִי אָמַר, אָמַר דָּוִד, אִם דִּבַרְתָּ בְּעֵשָׂו שֶׁהוּא אָחִיךָ, סוֹפְךָ לְדַבֵּר בְּבֶן אֻמָּתְךָ, זֶה מֹשֶׁה רַבָּן שֶׁל כָּל הַנְּבִיאִים, שֶׁדִּבְּרוּ בוֹ שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: וַיְדַבֵּר הָעָם בֵּאלֹהִים וּבְמֹשֶׁה. R. Joshua the son of Levi said: David has stated that if you should speak against Esau, who is your brother (by your father), you will ultimately speak against the son of your mother. This refers to Moses, the foremost of our prophets, against whom they spoke, as it is said: And the people spoke against God, and against Moses (Num. 21:15).
אָמַר מֹשֶׁה, יוֹדֵעַ אֲנִי שֶׁיִשְׂרָאֵל רוֹגְנִים הֵם, הֲרֵנִי עוֹשֶׂה לָהֶם חֶשְׁבּוֹן מִכָּל מְלֶאכֶת הַמִּשְׁכָּן. הִתְחִיל לַעֲשׂוֹת חֶשְׁבּוֹן עִמָּהֶם, אֵלֶּה פְקוּדֵי הַמִשְׁכָּן, וְהוּא נוֹתֵן לָהֶם חֶשְׁבּוֹן עַל כָּל דָּבָר וְדָבָר, לַזָּהָב וְלַכֶּסֶף וְלַנְּחֹשֶׁת, וְכֶסֶף פְּקוּדֵי הָעֵדָה מְאַת כִּכָּר, וְאֶלֶף וּשְׁבַע מֵאוֹת, וַיְהִי מְאַת כִּכַּר הַכֶּסֶף לָצֶקֶת, וּנְחֹשֶׁת הַתְּנוּפָה שִׁבְעִים כִּכָּר. עִם שֶׁהוּא עוֹשֶׂה חֶשְׁבּוֹן וְהוֹלֵךְ עַל כָּל דָּבָר וְדָבָר שֶׁעֲשׂוּיִין כַּסֵּדֶר בְּתוֹךְ הַמִּשְׁכָּן, שָׁכַח אֶלֶף וְשְׁבַע מֵאוֹת וַחֲמִשָּׁה וְשִׁבְעִים שֶׁקֶל שֶׁעָשָׂה מֵהֶן וָוִין לָעַמּוּדִין וְלֹא הָיוּ נִרְאִין. הִתְחִיל עוֹמֵד תָּמֵּהַּ וְאוֹמֵר: עַכְשָׁו יִמְצְאוּ יְדֵיהֶם שֶׁל יִשְׂרָאֵל עָלַי לוֹמַר, שֶׁאֲנִי נָטַלְתִּי אוֹתָם. וְהוּא חוֹזֵר לָבוֹא עַל כָּל מְלָאכָה וּמְלָאכָה. מִיָּד הֵאִיר הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא אֶת עֵינָיו, וְתָלָה עֵינָיו וְרָאָה שֶׁהָיוּ עֲשׂוּיִין וָוִין לָעַמּוּדִים. הִתְחִיל לְהָשִׁיב לָהֶם בְּקוֹל רָם, וְאֶת הָאֶלֶף וּשְׁבַע הַמֵּאוֹת וַחֲמִשָּׁה וְשִׁבְעִים עָשָׂה וָוִים לָעַמּוּדִים. בְּאוֹתָהּ שָׁעָה נִתְפַּיְּסוּ יִשְׂרָאֵל. מִי גָרַם לוֹ. עַל יְדֵי שֶׁיָּשַׁב וְעָשָׂה חֶשְׁבּוֹן, אֵלֶּה פְקוּדֵי הַמִּשְׁכָּן. Moses declared: I am aware that Israel is contentious; therefore, I shall give them an accounting of the construction of the Tabernacle. He began to make the accounting with them: These are the accounts of the Tabernacle. He accounted for everything, the gold, the silver, and the brass: And the silver of them that were numbered of the congregation was a hundred talents, and a thousand seven hundred … and the hundred talents of silver were for casting the sockets of the Sanctuary … and the brass of the offering was seventy talents (Exod. 38:25–29). While he was doing the accounting and going over everything that had been made for inside the Sanctuary, he forgot, because they were not visible, the one thousand seven hundred and seventy-five shekels with which he had fashioned the hooks for the columns. He became distressed and said to himself: “Now the Israelites will grasp the opportunity to say that I have taken them.” He began to review every aspect of the work. The Holy One, blessed be He, thereupon opened his eyes and caused him to lift them upward, and he saw the hooks of the columns. He told them loudly that the one thousand seven hundred and seventy-five shekels of gold had been used for the hooks for the columns. Then the Israelites were satisfied.
וְלָמָּה עָשָׂה חֶשְׁבּוֹן. הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא מַאֲמִינוֹ, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: בְּכָל בֵּיתִי נֶאֱמָן הוּא (במדבר יב, ז), וּמֹשֶׁה נָתַן חֶשְׁבּוֹן? אֶלָּא מִפְּנֵי שֶׁשָּׁמַע לֵיצָנֵי הַדּוֹר שֶׁהָיוּ מְשִׂיחִין אַחֲרָיו, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: וְהָיָה כְּצֵאת מֹשֶׁה וְגוֹ' וְהִבִּיטוּ אַחֲרֵי מֹשֶׁה (שמות לג, ח). וּמֶה הָיוּ אוֹמְרִים. רַבִּי יִצְחָק הָיָה דוֹרֵשׁ לְשֶׁבַח (וכו', כי תשא כז). וַחֲבֵרוֹ מְשִׁיבוֹ, רֵיקָה, אָדָם שֶׁנִּתְמַנָּה עַל מְלֶאכֶת הַמִּשְׁכָּן עַל כִּכְּרֵי כֶסֶף וְעַל כִּכְּרֵי זָהָב שֶׁאֵין לָהֶם חֵקֶר וְלֹא מִשְׁקָל וְלֹא מִנְיָן, מָה אַתָּה רוֹצֶה, שֶׁלֹּא יִהְיֶה עָשִׁיר? כְּשֶׁשָּׁמַע כֵּן, אָמַר חַיֵּיכֶם, מִשֶּׁנִּגְמְרָה מְלֶאכֶת הַמִּשְׁכָּן אֲנִי נוֹתֵן לָהֶם חֶשְׁבּוֹן. כֵּיוָן שֶׁנִּגְמְרָה, אָמַר לָהֶם: אֵלֶּה פְקוּדֵי הַמִּשְׁכָּן. What prompted him to sit down and give an accounting: These are the accounts of the Tabernacle? Why did he trouble to render an accounting, since the Holy One, blessed be He, trusted him, as it is said: He is trusted in all My house (Num. 12:7)? He gave them an accounting because he heard the scoffers of that generation whispering behind his back, as is said: And it came to pass, when Moses entered into the tent … and they looked after Moses (Exod. 33:8). What were they saying? R. Isaac explained: When one person would praise him, his companion would retort: “Fool, do you imagine that a man in charge of the work of building a Sanctuary, with weights of silver and gold that are not examined, nor weighed or accounted for, will not become wealthy!” When he heard that he said: “Be assured, when the work of the Tabernacle is completed, I will give them an accounting.” When it was completed he said to them: These are the accounts of the Tabernacle.