Answers to Last Week’s Riddles
1) Rashi writes (25:5) that the tachash was a beautiful, multi-colored animal that Hashem created at the time of the construction of the Mishkan and then became extinct. How can this be reconciled with the pasuk in Koheles (1:9) which teaches that: אין כל חדש תחת השמש – “There is nothing new beneath the sun” – which the Gemara in Sanhedrin (110a) understands to mean that Hashem does not make new creations after the original six days of Creation?
Rav Aharon Leib Shteinman (Ayeles HaShachar) initially explains that the tachash was created during Creation, just that its location and existence was unknown to mankind until it was needed for the Mishkan, at which time it either entered the Jewish camp on its own or was successfully trapped by them. However, in light of the Medrash Tanchuma (9) which implies that the tachash was only created at this time, Rav Shteinman suggests that Hashem stipulated at the time of Creation that the tachash would be created at this time, just as He did regarding the splitting of the Yam Suf, which does not violate the principle in Koheles.
2) Who got a tattoo in this week’s parsha?
The Medrash Tanchuma (Shemini 8) teaches that when Hashem commanded Moshe to make the menorah (25:31), He showed him a fiery representation of its appearance, but Moshe still had difficulty grasping it. Hashem then engraved a picture of the menorah on Moshe’s palm and told him to use that as his blueprint, but even then, Moshe continued to struggle, until ultimately Hashem told him to throw a lump of gold into the fire, and the menorah emerged fully formed. The Ichud B’Chidud (5777) cites Rav Chaim Kanievsky, who posits that this engraving on Moshe’s palm did not violate the Torah’s prohibition (Vayikra 19:28) against tattoos, as it was not an external image superimposed on his skin. Rather, Hashem created it as an innate part of Moshe’s body, analogous to the creases and folds that are naturally found on a person’s hands. (R’ Ozer Alport, see also the Sefer Otzar Pelo’as HaTorah who goes into the above.)
3) The Shulchan Aruch (Orach Chaim 180:5) writes, the minhag is that we cover over the knife during birchas hamazon, however, on Shabbos and Yom Tov we don’t. The Magen Avraham explains that the reason we don’t need to cover the knife on Shabbos, is because the reason for covering the knife is because a table is likened to the mizbayach, and by the mizbayach it says: לא תניף עליהם ברזל – “You shall not place on it iron” (when building it). On Shabbos, however, it’s forbidden to build a mizbayach, therefore, there is no need to cover the knife.
According to the Magen Avraham that since we don’t build a mizbayach on Shabbos there is no need to cover a knife, the same thing should be by night. When eating at night, one shouldn’t need to cover the knife, as the mizbayach isn’t built at night. The Revid HaZahav in fact says that since we don’t build the mizbayach at night one doesn’t need to cover the knife at night. However, the minhag is not like this, how come?
The Madanay Asher brings down the above question from the Shu”t Beis Dovid Litar (145) and he answers that although the Beis HaMikdosh can’t be built at night the mizbayach can, since it may be built at night, we cover over the knife at night.
The Aruch LaNer (Succah 41a) also writes that the mizbayach may be built at night. The issur to build the Beis HaMikdosh at night is learnt from the pasuk: וביום הקים משה את המשכן – “In the day, Moshe build the Mishkan”. It’s obvious that the keilim [vessels] of the Mishkan are not included in the word Mishkan, as many times the Torah writes, “the Mishkan and its keilim”. Similarly, the Haga’os Maharsham (Succah 41) writes that he heard from R’ Akiva Eiger, that the mizbayach is considered a keli [vessel], and it may be built at night.
4) From the pasukim in this week parsha (26:16) it’s clear that the height of the keroshim [beams] used to build the Mishkan were ten amos. Rashi writes, that we see from here that the height of the Mishkan was ten amos. If so, how was Aharon HaKohen able to enter into the Miskhan to light the menorah, offer up ketores etc. The Gemara in Shabbos (92a) says that the height of the Leviyim was ten amos. Additionally, Aharon wore a hat. If the Mishkan was ten amos high and Aharon was ten amos high, plus a hat, how did he fit into the Mishkan?
Don’t answer that he bent down, as if one who is standing in front of a regular king wouldn’t stand in such a way, certainly in front of the Ribbono Shel Olam it would be a lack of kavod to stand in such a way?
I saw the above question in Madanay Asher and he cites five answers:
The Tiferes Yonasan answers that it was a miracle. With this we can understand how Moshe was able to serve in the Mishkan during the Shivah Yemei Miluim, even though the Gemara in Nedorim (38a) says he was ten amos tall. Just like a miracle happened for Aharon, so too it happened for Moshe.
The L’Horos Nossan (al haTorah) answers that the reason the Leviyim were ten amos tall was so that they could spread covers over the Mishkan. Therefore, only the Leviyim that had this job had to be ten amos tall, the other Leviyim didn’t. Since Aharon didn’t have the job of spreading covers over the Mishkan he wasn’t ten amos tall.
The Meiri writes that the amos used to measure the Leviyim were amos of five tefochim, whereas amos used to measure Mishkan were of six tefochim. (Hago’as on the sefer Tosfos HaShalom)
R’ Gamliel Rabinovitch brings an answer he saw in the sefer Imrei Yehoshua (Vol. 4, pg. 3). The Mizrachi writes that the nature of the shemen hamishcha [anointing oil] was that it makes the things that were anointed with it bigger. The Klei Chemda writes, that just like the shemen hamishcha changed the king and kohen gadol that were anointed with it, so to it effected the utensils anointed with it. Therefore, perhaps we can say, that just like the shemen hamishcha made the kohen gadol taller, similarly it made the Mishkan which was also anointed with sheman hamishcha higher, therefore, both Aharon and Moshe were able to fit inside.
Rashi on the Gemara in Shabbos says, that it’s only in the hava minah [initial stage] of the Gemara that all Leviyim were as tall as Moshe, however, in the conclusion they weren’t. Therefore, there is no difficulty in how Aharon was able to fit in the Mishkan, however, how Moshe managed to fit is still difficult.
5) Which two items in the Mishkan have only one unique letter in their names?
One of the materials Hashem told Moshe to collect from the people (Shemos 25:4) was שש – linen. The linen curtains comprising the Courtyard of the Mishkan hung from rods attached to boards that were suspended from pillars via a וו – hook (27:10). Both items contain one unique letter in their names. (Torah Teasers)
In Parshas Mishpotim we asked, that the pasuk: ששת ימים תעשה מעשיך וביום השביעי תשבת למען ינוח שורך וחמורך – “Six days you shall work, and on the seventh day you shall rest, in order that your oxen and donkeys rest” (23:12), seems to imply the purpose of Shabbos is in order that oxen and donkeys get a rest, how does this make any sense?
R’ Meir Eliezer Bergman sent me the following answer:
NB. the pasuk actually carries on to mention a ger.
I heard that this could be a remez to the famous story of the man who sold his cow to a non-Jew, and the cow would not work on Shabbos, until he came and told the cow she is allowed to work on Shabbos. This man's shmiras Shabbos was so strong that it affected his animals! The story continues that the non-Jew was so impressed that he was megayer! This is what the pasuk says: we should keep Shabbos so well that our animals will rest, and that goyim will be megayer!]