An allusion can be derived from the proximity of the final word of Parashat Terumah – which ends by saying "and all the pegs of the courtyard, of nechoshet ('bronze')" – to the beginning of Parashat Tetzaveh, which starts by saying "And you shall command..."
It appears that the word "nechoshet" alludes to the three things our Sages said Moshe had difficulty understanding until HaKadosh Baruch Hu, had to show them to him. The word "nechoshet" is an acronym for:
- Ner (נר: 'lamp,' alluding to the Menorah).
- Hodesh (חודש: 'month,' alluding to the Sanctification of the Month).
- Shekalim (שקלים: alluding to the Machatzit Hashekel – the half-shekel coin).
- Tir-eh (תראה: 'look/see,' for Moshe Rabbeinu struggled to understand their form until Hashem showed them to him).
From this, you will understand why the verse says here "Ve'ata tetzaveh" ('And you shall command...') and not "Vaydaber Hashem el Moshe..." ('And Hashem spoke to Moshe...') as in other places. Thus, in the entire Parashah, Moshe's name is not mentioned. Moshe knew and understood that these three matters he found difficult alluded to the fact that he would die outside the Land of Israel, no living being would know his burial place, and he would not enter the Land with the Children of Israel.
Indeed, we must understand how it is possible that the understanding of how to make these things was hidden from Moshe. Moshe Rabbeinu had understood far more difficult things instantly! It seems that the difficulty he had was not because he could not understand the practical way to make them, but because these things alluded to his burial outside the Land of Israel, a fact Moshe did not yet know. Therefore, it was difficult for him to understand why they were made that way, as clarified below:
Moshe did not understand why the Moon would not always be at its fullness
Hodesh ('month'): The Moon is an allusion to the Kingdom of Israel, and Israel counts the days of the month according to the Moon. The waxing and waning of the Moon is similar to the Land of Israel, which is compared to the skin of a deer (extremely flexible): when Israel dwells in it, it is spacious, but when they do not, it is narrow (Gittin 57a). Furthermore, the Moon's phases allude to Israel, who are sometimes in greatness and sometimes in humiliation during times of exile.
The ancient Sages wrote that if Moshe Rabbeinu himself had brought the Children of Israel into the Land, he would have established them there forever; the government would have remained with Israel always, the Temple would never have been destroyed, and Israel would not have needed to go into exile. Therefore, the Moon would have always been at its fullness without defect. Thus, when HaKadosh Baruch Hu, said to Moshe, "This month shall be for you..." – implying that the Moon would not always be full but would wane and wax – Moshe found it very difficult to understand how such a thing could be. Under the assumption that he would lead Israel into the Land, there should be no reduction in Israel's sovereignty. Then, HaKadosh Baruch Hu, showed him that he would not lead them in, and for that reason, they were destined to suffer exiles.
Moshe did not understand why he was not commanded to make ten Menorot of seven branches
Menorah ('candelabra'): HaKadosh Baruch Hu told Moshe to make one Menorah with seven branches to weaken the power of the seven nations of the land of Canaan. Moshe struggled to understand why he was commanded to make only one Menorah; were there not seventy nations in the entire world? If they were to enter the land and conquer the 7 nations of that region, they should eventually subjugate all seventy nations. If so, it would have been appropriate to make ten Menorot, just as King Solomon later did.
As explained in the book Siftei Kohen, the reason why in Solomon's days all nations were subjugated under him is that Solomon reigned over both the upper and lower realms. Therefore, he made ten Menorot of 7 branches to weaken the power of all seventy nations. Moshe struggled to understand why Hashem did not command him to make ten Menorot from the start. But Hashem showed him that he was to make only one, for he did not have the merit to lead them into the Land and subjugate all nations. Only Solomon, who merited this rectification, was commanded to make ten Menorot (totaling seventy branches) against the seventy nations of the world.
