עוד ירצה לומר שאינה חשובה ליקראות תרומתי אלא המובא מנדבת לב האדם, והוא אומרו מאת אשר וגו' תקחו את תרומתי, אבל המעושה לא קראה תרומתי אלא תרומה דכתיב ויקחו לי תרומה.
Ohr HaChaim (R' Hayyim ibn Attar d.1743), Exodus 25:2
The Torah also may wish to teach that the term "my gift," cannot be used except when the donor has donated it willingly, generously, with all his heart. This is why the Torah wrote: מאת אשר. If the donor had to be coerced into giving such a gift it does not qualify for the description תרומתי, [a gift truly meant for G'd. Ed.] but is merely referred to as תרומה, "a gift." The Torah alludes to this by writing ויקחו לי תרומה, "they will take a gift for Me."
דָּבָר אַחֵר, וְעָשִׂיתָ אֶת הַקְּרָשִׁים לַמִּשְׁכָּן, אָמַר רַבִּי אָבִין מָשָׁל לְמֶלֶךְ שֶׁהָיָה לוֹ אִיקוֹנִין נָאֶה, אָמַר לְבֶן בֵּיתוֹ עֲשֵׂה לִי כְּמוֹתָהּ. אָמַר לוֹ אֲדוֹנִי הַמֶּלֶךְ אֵיךְ יָכוֹל אֲנִי לַעֲשׂוֹת כְּמוֹתָהּ, אָמַר לוֹ אַתָּה בְּסַמְּמָנֶיךָ וַאֲנִי בִּכְבוֹדִי. כָּךְ אָמַר הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא לְמשֶׁה, (שמות כה, מ): וּרְאֵה וַעֲשֵׂה, אָמַר לְפָנָיו רִבּוֹן הָעוֹלָם אֱלוֹקַּ אֲנִי שֶׁאֲנִי יָכוֹל לַעֲשׂוֹת כָּאֵלּוּ, אָמַר לוֹ (שמות כה, מ): כְּתַבְנִיתָם, בִּתְכֵלֶת וּבְאַרְגָּמָן וְתוֹלַעַת שָׁנִי, וּכְשֵׁם שֶׁאַתָּה רוֹאֶה לְמַעְלָה כָּךְ עֲשֵׂה לְמַטָּה, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (שמות כו, טו): עֲצֵי שִׁטִּים עֹמְדִים, כַּנָּתוּן בָּאִיסְטְרַטְיָא שֶׁל מַעְלָה, וְאִם תַּעֲשֶׂה כְּאוֹתָהּ שֶׁל מַעְלָה לְמַטָּה, אֲנִי מֵנִיחַ סַנְקְלִיטִין שֶׁל מַעְלָה וּמַשְׁרֶה שְׁכִינָתִי בֵּינֵיכֶם לְמַטָּה, מַה לְּמַעְלָן (ישעיה ו, ב): שְׂרָפִים עֹמְדִים, אַף לְמַטָּה עֲצֵי שִׁטִּים עֹמְדִים, מַה לְּמַעְלָה כּוֹכָבִים, אַף לְמַטָּן כֵּן. אָמַר רַבִּי חִיָּיא בַּר אַבָּא, מְלַמֵּד שֶׁהָיוּ קַרְסֵי זָהָב נִרְאִין בַּמִּשְׁכָּן כְּכוֹכָבִים הַנִּרְאִים בָּרָקִיעַ.
Shemot Rabbah 35:6
Another explanation of "And you shall make the planks for the Tabernacle." (Exodus 26:15): R. Abin said: [This may be illustrated with] a parable about a king who had a beautiful appearance, and gave instructions to a member of his household to make a bust exactly like him. He said, "My Lord King, how am I to make one exactly like you?" He [the king] said, "You [will paint] with your paints (dyes) and I [will appear] with my glory." Thus said the Holy One, blessed be He, to Moses, "See and make" (Exodus 25:40). [Moses] said to him, "Sovereign of the world, am I God that I can make these?" He said, "according to their pattern" (Exodus 25:40), with blue and purple and crimson. Just as you see above, so make below, as it is said, "[You shall make the planks for the Tabernacle of] acacia wood, standing" (Exodus 26:15), as set in the forces above. If you will make a copy of what is above below, I will leave the Council above and cause My Shekhina to dwell among you below. Just as above "Seraphs stood." (Isaiah 6:2), so below "acacia wood, standing"(Ex. 26:15). Just as above, stars, so below. R. Hiyya bar Abba said: this teaches that the golden clasps visible in the Tabernacle looked like the glittering stars in heaven.
(א) במראת הצבאת. בְּנוֹת יִשְׂרָאֵל הָיוּ בְיָדָן מַרְאוֹת שֶׁרוֹאוֹת בָּהֶן כְּשֶׁהֵן מִתְקַשְּׁטוֹת, וְאַף אוֹתָן לֹא עִכְּבוּ מִלְּהָבִיא לְנִדְבַת הַמִּשְׁכָּן, וְהָיָה מוֹאֵס מֹשֶׁה בָּהֶן מִפְּנֵי שֶׁעֲשׂוּיִם לְיֵצֶר הָרָע, אָמַר לוֹ הַקָּבָּ"ה קַבֵּל, כִּי אֵלּוּ חֲבִיבִין עָלַי מִן הַכֹּל, שֶׁעַל יְדֵיהֶם הֶעֱמִידוּ הַנָּשִׁים צְבָאוֹת רַבּוֹת בְּמִצְרַיִם; כְּשֶׁהָיוּ בַעְלֵיהֶם יְגֵעִים בַּעֲבוֹדַת פֶּרֶךְ, הָיוּ הוֹלְכוֹת וּמוֹלִיכוֹת לָהֶם מַאֲכָל וּמִשְׁתֶּה, וּמַאֲכִילוֹת אוֹתָם וְנוֹטְלוֹת הַמַּרְאוֹת, וְכָל אַחַת רוֹאָה עַצְמָהּ עִם בַּעְלָהּ בַּמַּרְאָה, וּמְשַׁדַּלְתּוֹ בִדְבָרִים, לוֹמַר אֲנִי נָאָה מִמְּךָ, וּמִתּוֹךְ כָּךְ מְבִיאוֹת לְבַעְלֵיהֶן לִידֵי תַאֲוָה וְנִזְקָקוֹת לָהֶם וּמִתְעַבְּרוֹת וְיוֹלְדוֹת שָׁם, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר תַּחַת הַתַּפּוּחַ עוֹרַרְתִּיךָ (שיר השירים ח'), וְזֶה שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר בְּמַרְאֹת הַצּוֹבְאוֹת. וְנַעֲשָׂה הַכִּיּוֹר מֵהֶם, שֶׁהוּא לָשׂוּם שָׁלוֹם בֵּין אִישׁ לְאִשְׁתּוֹ – לְהַשְׁקוֹת מִמַּיִם שֶׁבְּתוֹכוֹ לְמִי שֶׁקִּנֵּא לָהּ בַּעְלָהּ וְנִסְתְּרָה; וְתֵדַע לְךָ שֶׁהֵן מַרְאוֹת מַמָּשׁ, שֶׁהֲרֵי נֶאֱמַר וּנְחֹשֶׁת הַתְּנוּפָה שִׁבְעִים כִּכָּר וְגוֹ', וַיַּעַשׂ בָּהּ וְגוֹמֵר, וְכִיּוֹר וְכַנּוֹ לֹא הֻזְכְּרוּ שָׁם, לָמַדְתָּ שֶׁלֹּא הָיָה נְחֹשֶׁת שֶׁל כִּיּוֹר מִנְּחֹשֶׁת הַתְּנוּפָה, כָּךְ דָּרַשׁ רַבִּי תַּנְחוּמָא, וְכֵן תִּרְגֵּם אֻנְקְלוֹס בְּמֶחְזְיָת נְשַׁיָא וְהוּא תַרְגּוּם שֶׁל מַרְאוֹת, מירוריי"ש בְּלַעַז. וְכֵן מָצִינוּ וְהַגִּלְיוֹנִים (ישעיה ג') – מְתַרְגְּמִינָן מֶחְזְיָתָא: (ב) אשר צבאו. לְהָבִיא נִדְבָתָן:
(1) במראת הצבאת OF THE MIRRORS OF THE WOMEN CROWDING — The Israelite women possessed mirrors of copper into which they used to look when they adorned themselves [in Egypt]. Even these did they not hesitate to bring as a contribution towards the Tabernacle. Now Moses was about to reject them since they were made to pander to their vanity, but the Holy One, blessed be He, said to him, “Accept them; these are dearer to Me than all the other contributions, because through them the women reared those huge hosts in Egypt!” For when their husbands were tired through the crushing labor they used to bring them food and drink and induced them to eat. Then they would take the mirrors, and each gazed at herself in her mirror together with her husband, saying endearingly to him, “See, I am handsomer than you!” Thus they awakened their husbands’ affection and subsequently became the mothers of many children, at it is said, (Song of Songs 8:5) “I awakened thy love under the apple-tree”, (referring to the fields where the men worked). This is what it refers to when it states, מראות הצבאת “the mirrors of the women who reared the hosts (צבאות)” (Midrash Tanchuma, Pekudei 9).
The Particulars of Rapture: Reflections on Exodus (2001), Avivah Gottlieb Zornberg
"What follows is an intimate scene of erotic 'boasting,' shockingly unconventional in sentimental terms. Instead of praising each other, each praises her/his own beauty, by comparison with the other. This 'mirror work' produces desire and procreation; through processes that are complex and willful, they are 'fruitful and multiply,' fulfilling the original blessing/command to humankind (Gen 1:28; 9:7)" (p. 59)
"The basic assumption is that this activity belongs to the realm of the yetzer hara, the evil inclination, as Rashi points out...And yet, in our midrash, God vindicates the mirror and its costuming function against Moses' predictable indignation. For the mirror is used against the gezera [lit. Egyptian "decree," to kill first born Israelites]; when a couple gazes into it, it generates redemption" (p. 62)
"Strangely, there is a chaste, impersonal quality to the narrative: it tells, essentially, the story of redemption: 'In reward for the righteous women of that generation, Israel were redeemed from Egypt' (B. Sotah 11b). In this way a nation of six hundred thousand men was formed: this is the demographic, public product of the story. But, at the same time, each individual woman is described as having given birth to six hundred thousand. The very thought concentrates the mind wonderfully!" (p. 60)
"[The mirrors] offer, in a sense, a counter world to the world of the gezera, of the 'way it has to be.' The natural limitations of vision are challenged and deflected by this instrument that distorts reality...in order to extend perception." (p. 62)