וַיְדַבֵּ֥ר יְהוָ֖ה אֶל־מֹשֶׁ֥ה לֵּאמֹֽר׃

The Lord spoke to Moses, saying:

דַּבֵּר֙ אֶל־בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל וְיִקְחוּ־לִ֖י תְּרוּמָ֑ה מֵאֵ֤ת כָּל־אִישׁ֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר יִדְּבֶ֣נּוּ לִבּ֔וֹ תִּקְח֖וּ אֶת־תְּרוּמָתִֽי׃

Speak to the children of Israel and command them that they shall collect for Me, on My behalf, a gift; from every man whose heart pledges you shall collect My gift. This is a donation, not a tax, and the specific amount that is donated depends on the generosity of the individual.

וְזֹאת֙ הַתְּרוּמָ֔ה אֲשֶׁ֥ר תִּקְח֖וּ מֵאִתָּ֑ם זָהָ֥ב וָכֶ֖סֶף וּנְחֹֽשֶׁת׃

This is the gift that you shall collect from them. Since the donations were to be used for the construction of the Tabernacle, only certain metals could be donated: gold, silver, and bronze. Other metals that the children of Israel possessed in the wilderness were not needed.

וּתְכֵ֧לֶת וְאַרְגָּמָ֛ן וְתוֹלַ֥עַת שָׁנִ֖י וְשֵׁ֥שׁ וְעִזִּֽים׃

And fabrics: sky-blue wool, olored a deep blue with dye extracted from the blood of a certain species of snail; and wool dyed purple or some reddish color. The dye used to make this color, which was also extracted from various snails, was very expensive, and in many places symbolized nobility. And scarlet wool, colored bright red with a dye extracted from certain insects. And in addition to threads of dyed sheep’s wool, the people should take fine, clean linen [ shesh ], a word derived from Egyptian, and thicker, woven goat hair.

וְעֹרֹ֨ת אֵילִ֧ם מְאָדָּמִ֛ים וְעֹרֹ֥ת תְּחָשִׁ֖ים וַעֲצֵ֥י שִׁטִּֽים׃

And materials for the roofs and the walls: rams’ hides from which the hair has been removed and dyed red, and tah · hides, and boards of acacia wood,

שֶׁ֖מֶן לַמָּאֹ֑ר בְּשָׂמִים֙ לְשֶׁ֣מֶן הַמִּשְׁחָ֔ה וְלִקְטֹ֖רֶת הַסַּמִּֽים׃

oil suitable for the lighting of the candelabrum, spices used for the anointing oil and for the incense of the spices.

אַבְנֵי־שֹׁ֕הַם וְאַבְנֵ֖י מִלֻּאִ֑ים לָאֵפֹ֖ד וְלַחֹֽשֶׁן׃

Precious stones: Onyx stones, usually yellowish-brown, and stones for setting . The onyx stones were used for the ephod, and the stones to be set were for affixing in the breast piece.

וְעָ֥שׂוּ לִ֖י מִקְדָּ֑שׁ וְשָׁכַנְתִּ֖י בְּתוֹכָֽם׃

They, the children of Israel, shall make for Me a sanctuary, and through it I will dwell among them.

כְּכֹ֗ל אֲשֶׁ֤ר אֲנִי֙ מַרְאֶ֣ה אוֹתְךָ֔ אֵ֚ת תַּבְנִ֣ית הַמִּשְׁכָּ֔ן וְאֵ֖ת תַּבְנִ֣ית כָּל־כֵּלָ֑יו וְכֵ֖ן תַּעֲשֽׂוּ׃ (ס)

In accordance with everything that I show you, Moses, the configuration of the Tabernacle and the configuration of all its vessels, as detailed below, so you shall later make it, in fulfillment of My command.

וְעָשׂ֥וּ אֲר֖וֹן עֲצֵ֣י שִׁטִּ֑ים אַמָּתַ֨יִם וָחֵ֜צִי אָרְכּ֗וֹ וְאַמָּ֤ה וָחֵ֙צִי֙ רָחְבּ֔וֹ וְאַמָּ֥ה וָחֵ֖צִי קֹמָתֽוֹ׃

They shall make an ark of acacia wood: Its length shall be two and a half cubits, its width one and a half cubits, and its height one and a half cubits. A cubit is the distance between a man’s elbow and the end of his fingers. The length of this rectangular box is greater than its height, indicating that it was placed lengthwise, not upright.

וְצִפִּיתָ֤ אֹתוֹ֙ זָהָ֣ב טָה֔וֹר מִבַּ֥יִת וּמִח֖וּץ תְּצַפֶּ֑נּוּ וְעָשִׂ֧יתָ עָלָ֛יו זֵ֥ר זָהָ֖ב סָבִֽיב׃

You shall plate it, the acacia wood, with pure gold, within and without you shall plate it. The verse does not state precisely how this should be done, nor does it specify the thickness or shape of the plating. The Sages explain that this was not a coating painted directly on the wood, but separate objects covering its inner and outer surfaces: A golden box inserted into the wooden one, which was in turn inserted into another, larger golden box. And you shall make a gold rim [ zer ] upon it all around. The size and exact appearance of this zer is not detailed. Due to the similarity between the word zer , a gold rim, and nezer , a crown, and since both words apparently denote objects that surround or encircle from above, one can conclude that the zer was a kind of crown for the ark, similar to the one on the table in the Sanctuary (see verse 24).

וְיָצַ֣קְתָּ לּ֗וֹ אַרְבַּע֙ טַבְּעֹ֣ת זָהָ֔ב וְנָ֣תַתָּ֔ה עַ֖ל אַרְבַּ֣ע פַּעֲמֹתָ֑יו וּשְׁתֵּ֣י טַבָּעֹ֗ת עַל־צַלְעוֹ֙ הָֽאֶחָ֔ת וּשְׁתֵּי֙ טַבָּעֹ֔ת עַל־צַלְע֖וֹ הַשֵּׁנִֽית׃

You shall cast four rings of gold for it, the ark, and place them on its four corners [ pa’amotav ] . Ibn Ezra interprets pa’amotav as referring to legs, even though the Torah never explicitly dictates that the ark should have legs. Two rings shall be on its one side, and two rings shall be on its second side.

וְעָשִׂ֥יתָ בַדֵּ֖י עֲצֵ֣י שִׁטִּ֑ים וְצִפִּיתָ֥ אֹתָ֖ם זָהָֽב׃

You shall make staves of acacia wood and you shall plate them too with gold.

וְהֵֽבֵאתָ֤ אֶת־הַבַּדִּים֙ בַּטַּבָּעֹ֔ת עַ֖ל צַלְעֹ֣ת הָאָרֹ֑ן לָשֵׂ֥את אֶת־הָאָרֹ֖ן בָּהֶֽם׃

You shall insert the staves into the rings on the sides of the ark, to carry the ark with them. The Tabernacle and its vessels must be portable. If the staves had been made of pure gold, a soft metal, they could not have borne such a heavy weight.

בְּטַבְּעֹת֙ הָאָרֹ֔ן יִהְי֖וּ הַבַּדִּ֑ים לֹ֥א יָסֻ֖רוּ מִמֶּֽנּוּ׃

In the rings of the ark the staves shall be; they shall not be removed from it. The staves of the ark are not merely a means for carrying it, they are an integral part of the ark. Consequently, they may not be removed from the rings even when they are not needed for transporting the ark.

וְנָתַתָּ֖ אֶל־הָאָרֹ֑ן אֵ֚ת הָעֵדֻ֔ת אֲשֶׁ֥ר אֶתֵּ֖ן אֵלֶֽיךָ׃

You shall place in the ark the Tablets of the Testimony, the two tablets of the covenant, that I will give you.