(א) בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהֵֽינוּ מֶֽלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם אֲשֶׁר קִדְּ֒שָֽׁנוּ בְּמִצְוֹתָיו וְצִוָּנוּ לַעֲסֹק בְּדִבְרֵי תוֹרָה:
(1) Blessed are You, Adonai, Ruler of the Universe, Who sanctifies us with commandments and commands us to be engrossed in the words of Torah.
What do we know about the tabernacle and the materials used to build and adorn it?
What is its purpose?
(א) וַיְדַבֵּ֥ר יְהֹוָ֖ה אֶל־מֹשֶׁ֥ה לֵּאמֹֽר׃ (ב) דַּבֵּר֙ אֶל־בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל וְיִקְחוּ־לִ֖י תְּרוּמָ֑ה מֵאֵ֤ת כׇּל־אִישׁ֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר יִדְּבֶ֣נּוּ לִבּ֔וֹ תִּקְח֖וּ אֶת־תְּרוּמָתִֽי׃ (ג) וְזֹאת֙ הַתְּרוּמָ֔ה אֲשֶׁ֥ר תִּקְח֖וּ מֵאִתָּ֑ם זָהָ֥ב וָכֶ֖סֶף וּנְחֹֽשֶׁת׃ (ד) וּתְכֵ֧לֶת וְאַרְגָּמָ֛ן וְתוֹלַ֥עַת שָׁנִ֖י וְשֵׁ֥שׁ וְעִזִּֽים׃ (ה) וְעֹרֹ֨ת אֵילִ֧ם מְאׇדָּמִ֛ים וְעֹרֹ֥ת תְּחָשִׁ֖ים וַעֲצֵ֥י שִׁטִּֽים׃ (ו) שֶׁ֖מֶן לַמָּאֹ֑ר בְּשָׂמִים֙ לְשֶׁ֣מֶן הַמִּשְׁחָ֔ה וְלִקְטֹ֖רֶת הַסַּמִּֽים׃ (ז) אַבְנֵי־שֹׁ֕הַם וְאַבְנֵ֖י מִלֻּאִ֑ים לָאֵפֹ֖ד וְלַחֹֽשֶׁן׃ (ח) וְעָ֥שׂוּ לִ֖י מִקְדָּ֑שׁ וְשָׁכַנְתִּ֖י בְּתוֹכָֽם׃
(1) יהוה spoke to Moses, saying: (2) Tell the Israelite people to bring Me gifts; you shall accept gifts for Me from every person whose heart is so moved. (3) And these are the gifts that you shall accept from them: gold, silver, and copper; (4) blue, purple, and crimson yarns, fine linen, goats’ hair; (5) tanned ram skins, dolphin skins, and acacia wood; (6) oil for lighting, spices for the anointing oil and for the aromatic incense; (7) lapis lazuli and other stones for setting, for the ephod and for the breastpiece. (8) And let them make Me a sanctuary that I may dwell among them.
The word תְּחָשִׁ֖ים, appears 14 times throughout the TaNaKh, in every time that it appears, it is only used to relate to the skin that is used as a covering in discussions of the tabernacle and tent of meeting.
Jastrow Defintion:
תַּחַשׁ (n-m) heb
-
- a kind of leather, skin, or animal hide
- perhaps the animal yielding the skin
- perhaps the badger or dugong, dolphin, or sheep, or a now extinct animal
- perhaps the animal yielding the skin
- a kind of leather, skin, or animal hide
(יד) וְעָשִׂ֤יתָ מִכְסֶה֙ לָאֹ֔הֶל עֹרֹ֥ת אֵילִ֖ם מְאָדָּמִ֑ים וּמִכְסֵ֛ה עֹרֹ֥ת תְּחָשִׁ֖ים מִלְמָֽעְלָה׃ (פ)
(14) And make for the tent a covering of tanned ram skins, and a covering of dolphin skins above.
(יט) וַיַּ֤עַשׂ מִכְסֶה֙ לָאֹ֔הֶל עֹרֹ֥ת אֵלִ֖ים מְאָדָּמִ֑ים וּמִכְסֵ֛ה עֹרֹ֥ת תְּחָשִׁ֖ים מִלְמָֽעְלָה׃ (ס)
(19) And they made a covering of tanned ram skins for the tent, and a covering of dolphin skins above.
(ה) קְח֨וּ מֵֽאִתְּכֶ֤ם תְּרוּמָה֙ לַֽיהוָ֔ה כֹּ֚ל נְדִ֣יב לִבּ֔וֹ יְבִיאֶ֕הָ אֵ֖ת תְּרוּמַ֣ת יְהוָ֑ה זָהָ֥ב וָכֶ֖סֶף וּנְחֹֽשֶׁת׃ (ו) וּתְכֵ֧לֶת וְאַרְגָּמָ֛ן וְתוֹלַ֥עַת שָׁנִ֖י וְשֵׁ֥שׁ וְעִזִּֽים׃ (ז) וְעֹרֹ֨ת אֵילִ֧ם מְאָדָּמִ֛ים וְעֹרֹ֥ת תְּחָשִׁ֖ים וַעֲצֵ֥י שִׂטִּֽים׃
(5) Take from among you gifts to the LORD; everyone whose heart so moves him shall bring them—gifts for the LORD: gold, silver, and copper; (6) blue, purple, and crimson yarns, fine linen, and goats’ hair; (7) tanned ram skins, dolphin skins, and acacia wood;
(כג) וְכָל־אִ֞ישׁ אֲשֶׁר־נִמְצָ֣א אִתּ֗וֹ תְּכֵ֧לֶת וְאַרְגָּמָ֛ן וְתוֹלַ֥עַת שָׁנִ֖י וְשֵׁ֣שׁ וְעִזִּ֑ים וְעֹרֹ֨ת אֵילִ֧ם מְאָדָּמִ֛ים וְעֹרֹ֥ת תְּחָשִׁ֖ים הֵבִֽיאוּ׃
(23) And everyone who had in his possession blue, purple, and crimson yarns, fine linen, goats’ hair, tanned ram skins, and dolphin skins, brought them;
(ב) תחשים. מין חיה היתה ידועה בימים ההם. כי כן כתוב ואנעלך תחש. והנה כבר היה נודע
From a creature that was known in those days. As it is written, "and gave you sandals of tahash to wear (Ezek. 16:10)." Therefore, it was already known.
תחשים. מִין חַיָּה, וְלֹא הָיְתָה אֶלָּא לְשָׁעָה, וְהַרְבֵּה גְּוָנִים הָיוּ לָהּ, לְכָךְ מְתֻרְגָּם סַסְגּוֹנָא שֶׁשָּׂשׂ וּמִתְפָּאֵר בִּגְוָנִין שֶׁלּוֹ (שבת כ"ח):
תחשים TACHASH was a kind of wild beast. It existed only at that time (when Israel built the Tabernacle). It was multi-coloured and therefore it is translated in the Targum by ססגונה, and it is so translated because it delights (שָׂשׂ) and prides itself in its colours (גונא) (Shabbat 28; Midrash Tanchuma, Terumah 6).
תחשים. מין חיה היתה ידועה בימים ההם. כי כן כתוב ואנעלך תחש. והנה כבר היה נודע:
AND SEALSKINS. Techashim (seals) refers to a type of animal that was known then, as it is written, va-ena’alekh tachash (and shod thee with sealskin) (Ezek. 27:7). It is thus clear that it was already known.
ועורות תחשים. מין חיה, ודרשו רז"ל בפרק במה מדליקים תחש שהיה בימי משה בריה בפני עצמה היה וקרן אחת היה לו במצחו ולפי שעה נזדמן למשה ועשה ממנו משכן ונגנז. כלומר שהתחשים ההם שנזדמנו במדבר לא נזדמנו אלא לצורך המשכן בלבד ולכבודו של הקב"ה לקחת מהם עורותיהם שהיו מצויירים בציור נפלא ומעולה ואח"כ נתעלמו. ודקדקו רז"ל מדקאמרי קרן היה לו במצחו שמע מינה טהור הוא דהא אמרינן שור שהקריב אדם הראשון קרן אחת היה לו במצחו שנאמר (תהילים ס״ט:ל״ב) ותיטב לה' משור פר מקרן מפריס מקרין תרתי משמע מקרן כתיב. ועוד שלא הוכשר למלאכת שמים אלא בהמה טהורה בלבד שנאמר (שמות י״ג:ט׳) למען תהיה תורת ה' בפיך מן המותר בפיך. והרבה גוונים היו לו, ולכך תרגם אונקלוס ססגונא מתפאר בגוונים שלו.
ועורות תחשים, “and the skins of the tachash.” The tachash was some kind of free-roaming beast. Our sages in Shabbat 28 are of the opinion that the tachash was an animal which existed only during that generation and had a single horn on its forehead. Its whole function was to have its skin serve as one of the coverings of the Tabernacle. Apparently, the colour of their skin was so beautiful that it was not to be used again for secular purposes so that G’d allowed this animal to become extinct as soon as it had fulfilled its purpose. Our sages on that same folio explain that the fact that it had a horn on its forehead was proof that it was a ritually pure animal. According to our tradition the ox offered by Adam as a sacrifice also had only a single horn on its forehead. This is based on Psalms 69,32: “ותיטיב לה’ משור פר מקרן מפריס, “that will please the Lord more than oxen, than a bull with a horn and hooves.” The singular of the word קרן means that a particular bull had only one horn. Although the vowel pattern under the word מקרן suggests more than one, the absence of the letter י suggests that David speaks about a single-horned bull. At any rate, unless the tachash had been ritually pure, none of its parts would have qualified for use in the Tabernacle. We have a strong allusion to this in the words of Exodus 13,9 למען תהיה תורת ה’ בפיך, “so that what goes into your mouth should conform to the Torah of the Lord.” Seeing that the tachash had so many colours Onkelos translates ססגונה, “proud of its being multi-coloured.”
וְזֹאת הַתְּרוּמָה וְגוֹ'. וְעֹרֹת אֵילִם מְאָדָּמִים וְעֹרֹת תְּחָשִׁים. רַבִּי יְהוּדָה וְרַבִּי נֶחְמְיָה. רַבִּי יְהוּדָה אוֹמֵר: חַיָּה טְהוֹרָה גְּדוֹלָה הָיְתָה בַּמִּדְבָּר וְקֶרֶן אַחַת הָיָה לָהּ בְּמִצְחָהּ, וּבְעוֹרָהּ שִׁשָּׁה גְּוָנִים, וְנָטְלוּ אוֹתָהּ וְעָשׂוּ מִמֶּנָּה יְרִיעוֹת. וְרַבִּי נְחֶמְיָה אוֹמֵר: מַעֲשֵׂה נִסִּים הָיְתָה, וּלְשָׁעָה שֶׁנִּבְרֵאת, בָּהּ בַּשָּׁנָה נִגְנְזָה. וְעֹרֹת תְּחָשִׁים, לָמָּה? דִּכְתִיב: אֹרֶךְ הַיְרִיעָה הָאַחַת שְׁלֹשִים בָּאַמָּה. מִי מֵבִיא לְךָ יְרִיעָה שֶׁל שְׁלֹשִׁים אַמָּה. אֶלָּא מַעֲשֵׂה נֵס, לְשָׁעָה שֶׁנִּבְרֵאת נִגְנְזָה.
This is the offering … and rams’ skins dyed red, and sealskins (Exod. 25:3). R. Judah and R. Nehemiah discussed this verse. R. Judah said: It was a large pure animal, with a single horn in its forehead and a skin of six different colors that roamed the desert. They captured one of them and from its skin made a covering for the ark. R. Nehemiah contended that it was a miraculous creature He created for that precise moment, and that it disappeared immediately thereafter from earth. Why is it called orot tahashim (“sealskins,” lit. “skins of tahashim”)? Because the verse states: The length of each curtain shall be thirty cubits (Exod. 26:8). What known animal could supply enough skin for a curtain of thirty cubits? It must, indeed, have been a miraculous creation, which disappeared (immediately after it was created).
(במדבר ד, כה): וּמִכְסֵה הַתַּחַשׁ אֲשֶׁר עָלָיו מִלְמָעְלָה, כְּמַשְׁמָעוֹ. אָמַר רַבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן בֶּן לָקִישׁ אוֹמֵר הָיָה רַבִּי מֵאִיר תַּחַשׁ שֶׁהָיָה בִּימֵי משֶׁה בְּרִיָה בִּפְנֵי עַצְמָהּ הָיְתָה וְלֹא הִכִּירוּ בָּהּ חֲכָמִים שֶׁבְּאוֹתוֹ הַדּוֹר אִם מִין חַיָּה הוּא אוֹ מִין בְּהֵמָה הוּא, וְקֶרֶן אַחַת הָיְתָה לָהּ בְּמִצְחָהּ, וּלְפִי שָׁעָה נִזְדַּמֵּן לוֹ לְמשֶׁה, וְנַעֲשָׂה מִמֶּנָּהּ מִשְׁכָּן, וְנִגְנְזָה. מִדְּקָאָמַר קֶרֶן אַחַת הָיְתָה לָהּ בְּמִצְחָהּ, מִזֶּה לָמַדְנוּ שֶׁטְּהוֹרָה הָיְתָהּ.
"And the covering of tachash that is on top of it (Num. 4:25)."--This should be understood according to its plain sense. In the name of Rabbi Shimon, son of Lakish, Rabbi Meir says that the tachash that existed in the days of Moses was a creature unique to itself. The Sages could not ascertain whether it was, in that same generation, a kind of wild animal or a kind of herd animal. One horn was on its forehead, and for a time it was summoned for Moses. After the Mishkan has been made from it, it was concealed. From the statement that it had one horn on its forehead, we learn that it was ritually pure.
(א) עוֹרוֹת תְּחָשִׁים מָה הֵן, רַבִּי יְהוּדָה אוֹמֵר אַלְטִינוֹן. רַבִּי נְחֶמְיָה אוֹמֵר גַּלְטִינוֹן. רַבִּי יוֹחָנָן אוֹמֵר מִין חַיָּה גְדוֹלָה הֶרְאָה הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא לְמשֶׁה וְעָשָׂה הֵימֶנָּה צֹרֶךְ הַמִּשְׁכָּן וּגְנָזָהּ. רַבִּי אָבִין אָמַר קֶרֶשׁ הָיָה שְׁמָהּ. תָּנֵי רַבִּי הוֹשַׁעְיָה קֶרֶן אַחַת הָיְתָה לוֹ בְּמִצְחוֹ, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (תהלים סט, לב): וְתִיטַב לַה' מִשּׁוֹר פָּר מַקְרִן מַפְרִיס וגו', מַקְרִין תַּרְתֵּי שְׁמַע מִנָּהּ. אָמַר רַבִּי חֲנִינָא בַּר יִצְחָק מַקְרִן כְּתִיב.
Tachash Skins: What are these? Rabbi Judah said they were violet colored. Rabbi Nechemiah says they were ermine; Rabbi Yochanan says that, from the large animals that the Holy One of Blessing showed Moses, he used the skin for the requirements of the Mishkan then stored it away. Rabbi Avin says "keresh" was its name. Rabbi Hoshayah learned: It had one horn on its forehead. As it says (Psalm 69:32 "That will please the LORD more than oxen, than bulls with horns and hooves." But should we not infer from the word "makrin (with horns)" that it has two horns. Rabbi Chaninah son of Isacc says the word in written without the yud (therefore implying a lessoning of the number from two to one).
רבי אלעזר שאל מהו לעשות אוהל מעור בהמה טמאה. והכתיב ועורות תחשים. ר’ יהודא אומר טיינין לשם צובעו נקרא. ור’ נחמיה אמר גלקטינין. ורבנן אמרין מין חיה טהורה. וגדילה במדבר.
R. Eleazar asked: “May one make a tent out of the hide of an unclean animal?” (i.e., would it convey and be subject to impurity like a normal tent?), Is it not written (Exod. 36:19), “Skins of techashim?” R. Judah says: “[It was] ianthinon (violet), and named for its dye.” R. Nehemiah said: “[It was the fur of] the [ermine] weasel imported by the Axeinoi (γαλῆ Ἀξεινῶν).” The [other] Rabbis said: “It was a clean animal, and it lived in the wilderness.” https://thetorah.com/what-was-the-tachash-covering-the-tabernacle/
Rabbi Ismar Schorsch, "Creating Sacred Space"
The difference did not escape the attention of a medieval midrash. “The Tabernacle for which the people volunteered wholeheartedly never fell victim to the evil eye. The Temple, however, for which they did not, fell victim to the hand of the enemy” (Kasher, Torah Shlemah, v.20, p. 6). Thus, the fate of an institution is determined by the measures taken to create it. A polity cannot long survive without popular support. Solomon’s Temple rested on shaky ground.
The difference did not escape the attention of a medieval midrash. “The Tabernacle for which the people volunteered wholeheartedly never fell victim to the evil eye. The Temple, however, for which they did not, fell victim to the hand of the enemy” (Kasher, Torah Shlemah, v.20, p. 6). Thus, the fate of an institution is determined by the measures taken to create it. A polity cannot long survive without popular support. Solomon’s Temple rested on shaky ground.
Exodus 25:5
וְעֹרֹ֨ת אֵילִ֧ם מְאָדָּמִ֛ים וְעֹרֹ֥ת תְּחָשִׁ֖ים וַעֲצֵ֥י שִׁטִּֽים׃
King James Version
"And rams' skins dyed red, and badgers' skins, and shittim wood," (Exod. 25:5 KJV)
Jewish Publication Society 1917
"And rams' skins dyed red, and sealskins, and acacia-wood;" (Exod. 25:5 JPS)
New International Version
"And ram skins dyed red and another type of durable leather; acacia wood;" (Exod. 25:5 NIV)
LXE (Septuagent)
"And rams' skins dyed red, and blue skins, and incorruptible wood," (Exod. 25:5 LXE)
JPS Torah Commentary: Exodus, Nachum Sarna, at 157 (fn): "Hebrew tahashim (sing. tahash) , with one exception, always refers to the coverings of the Tabernacle. its exact meaning is uncertain. In rabbinic times the tahash was invested with mythical association and identified with the unicorn. Because of the similarity with Arabic tuhas, duhs, which denote both the dolphin and the dugong found in the Red Sea, modern scholars have variously identified the biblical creature with one or the other. A suggestion to equate the term with Akkadian dusu (=tahsia), the name of a precious stone of either yellow or orange color, seems more plausible since that word is also used to describe leather that is dyed and tanned the color of the stone. Significantly, only the hides of goats (and sheep) were so treated.
The Steinsaltz Humash, Rabbi Adin Even-Israel Steinsaltz, at 431-2: "Tahash is mentioned in the Book of Ezekiel as an expensive material used for making shoes: "I clothed you in embroidery and shod you with tahash,and I wrapped you with linen and covered you with silk" (Ezekiel 1:10). Some maintain that tahash is the name of a color; according to Rabbi Yehuda in the Jerusalem Talmud, it is purple (Shabbat 2:3). Onkelos and Targum Yonatan translate it simply as a colorful hide. In addition, researchers note the similarly between the word tahash and tah-si-a, which is mentioned in the Nuzi tablets (fourteenth century BCE) and denotes a yellow or pink hide. Others hold that the tahash is an animal, although there has never been a consensus as to which kind. The Talmud identifies the tahash as an extinct unicorn (Shabbat 28a). Yet others posit that the tahash is a dolphin or some other sea mammal. In light of the Arabic cognate, it may be the dugong, a type of aquatic mammal that can be found in the Red Sea and whose skin is sometimes used by Bedouin in shoemaking. Some have identified the tahash with the narwhal, a species of arctic whale that travels in small groups and can grow up to 6 feet in length. The narwhal is primarily light yellow in color, with dark spots, and is the only spotted cetacean. A twisted tooth, which can reach 3 m in length, grows out of one side of its mouth, and throughout history its horn has been mistaken for that of the unicorn."
What Was the Tachash Covering the Tabernacle? Dr. Rabbi Norman Solomon: "Our earliest source for interpretation of the word Tachash is the Septuagint, the ancient Greek translation of the Torah. (The Pentateuch translation dates back to the third century BCE.) Throughout Exodus and Numbers, and in Ezekiel, the Septuagint consistently translates Tachash by derivatives of hyacinth (huakinthos). עורות תחשים is rendered “hyacinth skins” (δέρματα ὑακίνθινα; dermata huakinthina) i.e., hides, presumably of goats or sheep, dyed the color of hyacinths. Tachash, then, is not an animal but a dye. Josephus, too, lists among the materials provided for the Tabernacle “goats’ hair and sheepskins, some dyed blue (huakinthos)” (Antiquities 3:102)." https://thetorah.com/what-was-the-tachash-covering-the-tabernacle/
גּוּפָא. בָּעֵי רַבִּי אֶלְעָזָר: עוֹר בְּהֵמָה טְמֵאָה מַהוּ שֶׁיִּטַּמֵּא טוּמְאַת אֹהָלִין. מַאי קָמִיבַּעְיָא לֵיהּ? אָמַר רַב אַדָּא בַּר אַהֲבָה: תַּחַשׁ שֶׁהָיָה בִּימֵי מֹשֶׁה קָמִיבַּעְיָא לֵיהּ — טָמֵא הָיָה אוֹ טָהוֹר הָיָה? אָמַר רַב יוֹסֵף: מַאי תִּיבְּעֵי לֵיהּ, תְּנֵינָא: לֹא הוּכְשְׁרוּ לִמְלֶאכֶת שָׁמַיִם אֶלָּא עוֹר בְּהֵמָה טְהוֹרָה בִּלְבַד! מֵתִיב רַבִּי אַבָּא, רַבִּי יְהוּדָה אוֹמֵר: שְׁנֵי מִכְסָאוֹת הָיוּ, אֶחָד שֶׁל עוֹרוֹת אֵילִים מְאָדָּמִים וְאֶחָד שֶׁל עוֹרוֹת תְּחָשִׁים. רַבִּי נְחֶמְיָה אוֹמֵר: מִכְסֶה אֶחָד הָיָה, וְדוֹמֶה כְּמִין תְּלָא אִילָן. וְהָא תְּלָא אִילָן טָמֵא הוּא! הָכִי קָאָמַר: כְּמִין תְּלָא אִילָן הוּא, שֶׁיֵּשׁ בּוֹ גְּווֹנִין הַרְבֵּה, וְלֹא תְּלָא אִילָן. דְּאִילּוּ הָתָם טָמֵא, וְהָכָא טָהוֹר. אָמַר רַב יוֹסֵף: אִי הָכִי הַיְינוּ דִּמְתַרְגְּמִינַן ״סָסְגּוֹנָא״, שֶׁשָּׂשׂ בִּגְווֹנִין הַרְבֵּה.
Rabbi Elazar’s dilemma was mentioned above, and now the Gemara discusses the matter itself. Rabbi Elazar raised a dilemma: With regard to the hide of a non-kosher animal over a corpse, what is the ruling? Can it become ritually impure as a tent over a corpse? The Gemara clarifies: What is the essence of his dilemma? Rav Adda bar Ahava said: The taḥash that existed in the time of Moses is at the crux of Rabbi Elazar’s dilemma. Was it non-kosher or was it kosher? Rav Yosef said: What is his dilemma? Didn’t we learn explicitly: Only the hide of a kosher animal was deemed suitable for heavenly service? Certainly, the taḥash was a kosher species. Rabbi Abba raised an objection. Rabbi Yehuda says: There were two coverings for the Tabernacle, one made of the reddened hides of rams and one of the hides of teḥashim. Rabbi Neḥemya says: There was only one covering for the Tabernacle, half of which was made of rams’ hides and half from the hides of teḥashim. And teḥashim were similar to the species of undomesticated animals called tela ilan. The Gemara asks: But isn’t a tela ilan a non-kosher creature? The Gemara emends this statement: This is what Rabbi Neḥemya intended to say: It was like a tela ilan in that it was multicolored; however, it was not an actual tela ilan. There, the tela ilan is non-kosher, and here, the covering of the tent was made from kosher animals. Rav Yosef said: If so, that is the reason that we translate the word taḥash as sasgona, which means that it rejoices [sas] in many colors [gevanim].