Connections between the holy and the mundane

(29) The copper from the elevation offering came to 70 talents and 2,400 shekels. (30) Of it he made the sockets for the entrance of the Tent of Meeting; the copper altar and its copper grating and all the utensils of the altar; (31) the sockets of the enclosure round about and the sockets of the gate of the enclosure; and all the pegs of the Tabernacle and all the pegs of the enclosure round about.

(39) the copper altar with its copper grating, its poles and all its utensils, and the laver and its stand;

(17) The Eternal spoke to Moses, saying: (18) Make a laver of copper and a stand of copper for it, for washing; and place it between the Tent of Meeting and the altar. Put water in it, (19) and let Aaron and his sons wash their hands and feet [in water drawn] from it. (20) When they enter the Tent of Meeting they shall wash with water, that they may not die; or when they approach the altar to serve, to turn into smoke an offering by fire to the Eternal, (21) they shall wash their hands and feet, that they may not die. It shall be a law for all time for them—for him and his offspring—throughout the ages.

(8) He made the laver of copper and its stand of copper, from the mirrors of the women who performed tasks at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting.

(1) From the mirrors of the women who gathered. It was usual for women then as now to beautify themselves in front of a mirror in the morning. But there were some pious women who renounced worldly vanities and donated their copper mirrors for the making of the holy vessels. These women would gather every day near the entrance to the Tent of Meeting to pray and receive instruction in the commandments. The text says: "Who crowded at the door of the tent of meeting," because there were many of them.

And he made the laver of brass, and the base thereof of brass, with, the mirrors of the pious women who were devout at the gate of the tabernacle of appointment.

(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. 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 The Eternal One, 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 labour 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 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).

Men and women, all whose hearts moved them, all who would make an elevation offering of gold to יהוה, came bringing brooches, earrings, rings, and pendants —gold objects of all kinds.

And all the skilled women spun with their own hands, and brought what they had spun, in blue, purple, and crimson yarns, and in fine linen.

And all the women who excelled in that skill spun the goats’ hair.

Thus the Israelites, all the men and women whose hearts moved them to bring anything for the work that יהוה, through Moses, had commanded to be done, brought it as a freewill offering to יהוה.

And Moses said to the Israelites: See, יהוה has singled out by name Bezalel, son of Uri son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah,

במראות הצובאות, “with the mirrors of the serving women.” (Women chastely performing tasks near the entrance of the Tabernacle) Moses wished that the women could observe how their mirrors donated for the construction of the Tabernacle had been used as a polished cover for the altar situated in front of the entrance to the Tabernacle. This was next to the washbasin for the priests from which they washed their hands and feet, and from the waters contained therein that a woman suspected of infidelity, Sotah would be made to drink in order to prove that she was innocent of that sin.