929/Exodus 26-30: Liminal Women

(12) As for the overlapping excess of the cloths of the tent, the extra half-cloth shall overlap the back of the tabernacle, (13) while the extra cubit at either end of each length of tent cloth shall hang down to the bottom of the two sides of the tabernacle and cover it.

That was also taught: “And the cubit on the one side, and the cubit on the other side of what remains” (Exodus 26:13) to cover the cubit of the sockets; this is the statement of Rabbi Yehuda. Rabbi Neḥemya says: It is to cover the cubit of the beams. Place their width across the length of the Tabernacle. How much was their width? forty-four cubits. Subtract thirty for the roof, and fourteen remain. Subtract two for the doubling of the sixth curtain, as it is written: “And you shall double the sixth curtain over the front of the tent” (Exodus 26:9), and twelve remain. According to Rabbi Yehuda, it is written: “the half curtain that remained shall hang” (Exodus 26:12). However, according to Rabbi Neḥemya, what shall hang? it will hang more than the others. The school of Rabbi Yishmael taught: To what is the Tabernacle similar? to a woman walking in the marketplace with her skirts following after her.

(31) You shall make a curtain of blue, purple, and crimson yarns, and fine twisted linen; it shall have a design of cherubim worked into it. (32) Hang it upon four posts of acacia wood overlaid with gold and having hooks of gold, [set] in four sockets of silver. (33) Hang the curtain under the clasps, and carry the Ark of the Pact there, behind the curtain, so that the curtain shall serve you as a partition between the Holy and the Holy of Holies. (34) Place the cover upon the Ark of the Pact in the Holy of Holies. (35) Place the table outside the curtain, and the lampstand by the south wall of the Tabernacle opposite the table, which is to be placed by the north wall.

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

(25) 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. (26) And all the women who excelled in that skill spun the goats’ hair.

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

(6) Moses thereupon had this proclamation made throughout the camp: “Let no man or woman make further effort toward gifts for the sanctuary!” So the people stopped bringing:

(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.

He made the basin out of copper and its base out of copper, from the mirrors of the women who had gathered [come to pray] at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting.

(5) Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel says in the name of Rabbi Shimon the son of the deputy High Priest: The curtain has the thickness of a handbreadth, and it is woven from 72 strands of yarn. And each and every strand from those 72 is made from 24 threads. Its length was forty cubits; and its width was twenty cubits; and it was made from eighty-two [Ribo] [ten-thousands, i.e., 820,000 golden dinar]. And they used to make two new curtains every year. And three hundred priests carried it to immerse it.

Rav Naḥman said that Rav said: The women who weave the curtains would take their wages from the collection of the chamber. Rav Naḥman added: But I say from the funds consecrated for Temple maintenance. Why? Since the curtains served in place of the building. The Gemara raises an objection to this: The women who weave the curtains, and the house of Garmu, who were in charge of the preparation of the shewbread, and the house of Avtinas, who were in charge of the preparation of the incense, all would take their wages from the collection of the chamber.

What did Titus do? He took a prostitute with his hand, and entered the Holy of Holies with her. He then spread out a Torah scroll underneath him and committed a sin, on it. Afterward he took a sword and cut into the curtain. And a miracle was performed and blood spurted forth. Seeing the blood, he mistakenly thought that he had killed himself [Hashem?]. As it is stated: “Your enemies roar in the midst of Your meeting place; they have set up their own signs for signs” (Psalms 74:4).

Himself: An epithet for the One above.