Introduction
Chapter 7 of Melachim A continues the account of Shlomo HaMelech's construction work: after the description of the pillars Yachin and Boaz we move on to the great Sea that Shlomo made, to the ten stands and lavers, and to all the golden vessels of the Temple. At the end of the chapter comes the grand conclusion: "and all the work was completed," upon which Chazal in the Pesikta Rabbati expounded wondrous teachings about the purpose of the entire world. We will proceed according to the order of the pesukim, primarily following the commentary of the Malbim, together with the interpretations of Rashi, the Metzudot, and the Midrashim.
The Completion of the Work of the Pillars
(כב) וְעַל רֹאשׁ הָעַמּוּדִים מַעֲשֵׂה שׁוֹשָׁן וַתִּתֹּם מְלֶאכֶת הָעַמּוּדִים׃ - And upon the top of the pillars was lily-work; so the work of the pillars was completed.
Upon the tops of the pillars was lily-work, as was explained above, in the shape of a lily. "So the work of the pillars was completed" - with this the work of the pillars came to an end, and from here on the text begins to deal with the building of the Sea.
The Sea That Shlomo Made - What It Was and Its Purpose
The Sea that Shlomo made was an exceedingly large vessel, a kind of enormous basin, which rested upon oxen of copper (not living oxen). In the customary illustrations it is drawn as entirely round, but this is not accurate according to Chazal: according to the words of Chazal in the Gemara, the lower part of the Sea was square and only its upper part was round, and one should not dispute the words of the Gemara. As we will see shortly, without this the calculation of the amount of water the Sea was meant to hold does not work out at all.
The Sea was intended for the washing of the hands of the Kohanim and for their immersion. But seemingly, how is it possible to immerse within a vessel? Chazal explain that the Sea was connected through the legs of the oxen, which were hollow and descended down to the spring, and consequently the spring water would rise and flow into the Sea, so that one who immerses in it is in fact immersing in flowing spring water.
(כג) וַיַּעַשׂ אֶת הַיָּם מוּצָק עֶשֶׂר בָּאַמָּה מִשְּׂפָתוֹ עַד שְׂפָתוֹ עָגֹל סָבִיב וְחָמֵשׁ בָּאַמָּה קוֹמָתוֹ וְקָו שְׁלֹשִׁים בָּאַמָּה יָסֹב אֹתוֹ סָבִיב׃ - And he made the molten Sea, ten cubits from brim to brim, round all about, and its height was five cubits, and a line of thirty cubits encircled it round about.
"Molten" - the entire Sea was a single casting. "Ten cubits from brim to brim" - this is the diameter, ten cubits. And Chazal said: anything whose diameter is ten has a circumference of thirty. This is not entirely precise from a mathematical standpoint, but it is the calculation in approximation. Therefore the text says "and a line of thirty cubits encircled it round about" - a circumference of thirty cubits, about fifteen meters, while the inner diameter is about five meters. And its height was five cubits, about two and a half meters.
(כד) וּפְקָעִים מִתַּחַת לִשְׂפָתוֹ סָבִיב סֹבְבִים אֹתוֹ עֶשֶׂר בָּאַמָּה מַקִּפִים אֶת הַיָּם סָבִיב שְׁנֵי טוּרִים הַפְּקָעִים יְצֻקִים בִּיצֻקָתוֹ׃ - And knobs beneath its brim encircled it round about, ten to a cubit, surrounding the Sea round about; the knobs were in two rows, cast when it was cast.
The Sea was cast, and around it were knobs - protruding ornaments in the shape of eggs. In Divrei HaYamim it does not say "pekaim" but "bekarim," and from this they explain that these were egg-shaped protrusions whose form resembled the form of an ox, and therefore they were called on one hand pekaim and on the other bekarim. They were made in such a way that in every cubit there were ten knobs, and this is "ten to a cubit," and two rows one above the other, like an ornament surrounding the Sea.
(כה) עֹמֵד עַל שְׁנֵי עָשָׂר בָּקָר שְׁלֹשָׁה פֹנִים צָפוֹנָה וּשְׁלֹשָׁה פֹנִים יָמָּה וּשְׁלֹשָׁה פֹּנִים נֶגְבָּה וּשְׁלֹשָׁה פֹּנִים מִזְרָחָה וְהַיָּם עֲלֵיהֶם מִלְמָעְלָה וְכָל אֲחֹרֵיהֶם בָּיְתָה׃ - (25) It stood upon twelve oxen, three facing north and three facing west and three facing south and three facing east, and the Sea was above upon them, and all their hindquarters were turned inward.
The Sea rested upon twelve oxen of copper, upon which this enormous basin was set. The oxen faced the four directions of the world, three to each direction. "וְכָל אֲחֹרֵיהֶם בָּיְתָה" - their faces were turned outward and their hindquarters were turned inward, toward the side of the House.
A grammatical note: "פֹנִים" and "פֹּנִים"
Notice the change in the pasuk: "שְׁלֹשָׁה פֹנִים צָפוֹנָה" and "וּשְׁלֹשָׁה פֹנִים יָמָּה" - without a dagesh; whereas "וּשְׁלֹשָׁה פֹּנִים נֶגְבָּה" and "וּשְׁלֹשָׁה פֹּנִים מִזְרָחָה" - with a dagesh. This change has no bearing on the meaning of the matter; it is a purely grammatical change. The letter pei is one of the beged kefet letters, and a beged kefet letter at the beginning of a word always takes a dagesh, unless the preceding word ends with one of the letters aleph, heh, vav, yud and is joined to it. There are two conditions here: first, that the preceding word end with one of the letters aleph, heh, vav, yud; second, that it be joined, meaning that the te'amim indicate the two words are read together (like a shofar hafuch connecting them). But if there is a pause, even though the preceding word ends with aleph, heh, vav, yud, the dagesh returns.
According to this: "שְׁלֹשָׁה" ends with a heh, one of the letters aleph, heh, vav, yud, and since it is joined, the dagesh drops out, and therefore "פֹנִים." So too "וּשְׁלֹשָׁה פֹנִים יָמָּה." What changed in "וּשְׁלֹשָׁה פֹּנִים נֶגְבָּה"? That there is a pesik there, and therefore the dagesh returned. And what about the fourth time? There the te'am beneath "וּשְׁלֹשָׁה" is a zakef katan, which is a pausal te'am and not a connecting one, and consequently the words are not joined, and the following letter receives a dagesh: "וּשְׁלֹשָׁה פֹּנִים מִזְרָחָה."
This matters, so that one should not think that here the writer felt like writing one way and there another way in some arbitrary fashion. Everything is written with precision according to the rules of the holy tongue. This rule appears very often in the Torah in the word "Pharaoh": sometimes "פַרְעֹה" and sometimes "פַּרְעֹה." A ba'al keriah who does not know the rule tries to memorize all the variations and finds it difficult; whereas one who knows the rule need not memorize at all. He knows the te'amim, knows whether the preceding word is joined or pausal, and accordingly knows at once whether to read with a dagesh or without it.
(כו) וְעָבְיוֹ טֶפַח וּשְׂפָתוֹ כְּמַעֲשֵׂה שְׂפַת כּוֹס פֶּרַח שׁוֹשָׁן אַלְפַּיִם בַּת יָכִיל׃ - (26) And its thickness was a handbreadth, and its brim was like the workmanship of the brim of a cup, like a lily blossom; it held two thousand bat.
"וְעָבְיוֹ טֶפַח" - an astonishing thing. This is a vessel whose diameter was about five meters and whose circumference was about fifteen meters, and whose height was about two and a half meters, and all this copper was a handbreadth thick. Imagine what a tremendous weight.
"אַלְפַּיִם בַּת יָכִיל" - two thousand bat are six thousand se'ah, close to fifty thousand liters. An enormous quantity. And Rashi writes that it contained one hundred and fifty mikvaot of purification: the forty hundreds are one hundred mikvaot, and the twenty hundreds are fifty mikvaot, a total of one hundred and fifty. The measure of a mikveh is forty se'ah, that is, one cubit by one cubit and three cubits high, the amount into which a person enters and his entire body is covered. This is the minimum of a mikveh, and the reason larger mikvaot are made today is so that many people can enter, but by the law this measure suffices. This Sea served the kohanim alone, who would immerse in it when they came to serve in the Beit HaMikdash, and the water was flowing spring water, always entering and exiting.
"וּשְׂפָתוֹ כְּמַעֲשֵׂה שְׂפַת כּוֹס" - a cup, even if it is thick, has a thinner rim; so too the Sea, whose brim was thinner than its body. "פֶּרַח שׁוֹשָׁן" - that on its brim were decorations in the shape of lilies.
The stands - the bases of the lavers
(כז) וַיַּעַשׂ אֶת הַמְּכֹנוֹת עֶשֶׂר נְחֹשֶׁת אַרְבַּע בָּאַמָּה אֹרֶךְ הַמְּכוֹנָה הָאֶחָת וְאַרְבַּע בָּאַמָּה רָחְבָּהּ וְשָׁלֹשׁ בָּאַמָּה קוֹמָתָהּ׃ - (27) And he made the ten stands of copper; four cubits was the length of each stand, and four cubits its width, and three cubits its height.
Let there be no confusion: "machonot" here are not machines in the sense familiar to us today, but rather from the language of a stand or base - "and he made its base" - as is said regarding the laver, "the laver and its base." The lavers were set upon stands, and these are called machonot. The explanations of the details of the machonot are many, and there are numerous illustrations and interpretations, each explaining differently. We will explain according to one interpretation - that of Rashi and the Metzudot - while knowing that there are other interpretations; whoever wishes may consult the "Me'am Loez," which brings several illustrations and several interpretations (though the illustrations there are quite basic).
In brief: the laver was on top, beneath it the stand, and all this upon the machonah. The machonah had wheels, so the laver could move from place to place. The Sea that Shlomo made was intended mainly for immersion, while the lavers were intended for the priests to wash their hands. The machonot stood in the outer section, before the hall, in the courtyard of the priests, in the same area where the Sea stood and where the altar stood on which the sacrifices were offered - five on this side and five on that side.
There were ten machonot of this kind. The length of each was four amot (about two meters), its width four amot, and its height three amot (a meter and a half).
(כח) וְזֶה מַעֲשֵׂה הַמְּכוֹנָה מִסְגְּרֹת לָהֶם וּמִסְגְּרֹת בֵּין הַשְׁלַבִּים׃ - (28) And this was the construction of the machonah: they had borders, and there were borders between the rungs.
(כט) וְעַל הַמִּסְגְּרוֹת אֲשֶׁר בֵּין הַשְׁלַבִּים אֲרָיוֹת בָּקָר וּכְרוּבִים וְעַל הַשְׁלַבִּים כֵּן מִמָּעַל וּמִתַּחַת לַאֲרָיוֹת וְלַבָּקָר לֹיוֹת מַעֲשֵׂה מוֹרָד׃ - (29) And on the borders that were between the rungs were lions, oxen, and cherubim, and upon the rungs a base above; and beneath the lions and oxen were wreaths of hammered work.
There was a frame, and within it rungs, and the borders were between the rungs. On the borders that were between the rungs, and likewise upon the rungs above and below, were figures of lions, oxen, and cherubim. "Ma'aseh morad" - beaten, beaten out of copper. "Loyot" - from the language of accompaniment, and the Sages explain it like a man with his escort, meaning connection: these were figures joined to one another.
(ל) וְאַרְבָּעָה אוֹפַנֵּי נְחֹשֶׁת לַמְּכוֹנָה הָאַחַת וְסַרְנֵי נְחֹשֶׁת וְאַרְבָּעָה פַעֲמֹתָיו כְּתֵפֹת לָהֶם מִתַּחַת לַכִּיֹּר הַכְּתֵפוֹת יְצֻקוֹת מֵעֵבֶר אִישׁ לֹיוֹת׃ - (30) And each machonah had four copper wheels and axles of copper, and its four corners had shoulders; beneath the laver were the cast shoulders, each with wreaths to the side.
Each machonah had four copper wheels: two in front and two behind. "And copper axles" - the axle is what enters into the wheels. "And its four corners" - these are the corners, the four corners of the machonah, and at each corner a shoulder. The shoulders rose from the corners and reached up to the laver, "beneath the laver were the cast shoulders," from side to side, and the four of them were meant to hold the laver itself so that it would not fall inward.
(לא) וּפִיהוּ מִבֵּית לַכֹּתֶרֶת וָמַעְלָה בָּאַמָּה וּפִיהָ עָגֹל מַעֲשֵׂה כֵן אַמָּה וַחֲצִי הָאַמָּה וְגַם עַל פִּיהָ מִקְלָעוֹת וּמִסְגְּרֹתֵיהֶם מְרֻבָּעוֹת לֹא עֲגֻלּוֹת׃ - (31) And its opening within the capital and upward was one amah; its opening was round, the work of a base, an amah and a half; and also upon its opening were carvings, and their borders were square, not round.
On top was the capital, one amah in height, and the work of the base was an amah and a half. "And its opening was round" - the capital was set around in a round form. In contrast, the base itself, which was set above the capital, was square - "and their borders were square, not round." Thus the base sat in a square form, and the capital around it was round.
(לב) וְאַרְבַּעַת הָאוֹפַנִּים לְמִתַּחַת לַמִּסְגְּרוֹת וִידוֹת הָאוֹפַנִּים בַּמְּכוֹנָה וְקוֹמַת הָאוֹפַן הָאֶחָד אַמָּה וַחֲצִי הָאַמָּה׃ - (32) And the four wheels were beneath the borders, and the axle-holders of the wheels were in the machonah; and the height of each wheel was an amah and a half.
In the machonah there were places into which the holders were fitted, and those holders went down to the bottom, to the wheel, and connected to it. It turns out that on all four sides, the very same thing that held the laver above went down below and held the wheel. And the height of each wheel was an amah and a half.
(לג) וּמַעֲשֵׂה הָאוֹפַנִּים כְּמַעֲשֵׂה אוֹפַן הַמֶּרְכָּבָה יְדוֹתָם וְגַבֵּיהֶם וְחִשֻּׁקֵיהֶם וְחִשֻּׁרֵיהֶם הַכֹּל מוּצָק׃ - (33) And the workmanship of the wheels was like the workmanship of a chariot wheel: their axles, their rims, their hoops, and their spokes were all cast.
The workmanship of the wheels was like that of a chariot wheel. The axles are what enter into the wheel, like a handle. The hoops are the large rings surrounding the wheel. The spokes are the bars connecting the outer hoop with the inner one. "הַכֹּל מוּצָק" - the axles, the connecting spokes, and the outer hoops were all made in a single casting.
(לד) וְאַרְבַּע כְּתֵפוֹת אֶל אַרְבַּע פִּנּוֹת הַמְּכֹנָה הָאֶחָת מִן הַמְּכֹנָה כְּתֵפֶיהָ׃ - (34) And there were four supports at the four corners of each stand; the supports were of one piece with the stand.
(לה) וּבְרֹאשׁ הַמְּכוֹנָה חֲצִי הָאַמָּה קוֹמָה עָגֹל סָבִיב וְעַל רֹאשׁ הַמְּכֹנָה יְדֹתֶיהָ וּמִסְגְּרֹתֶיהָ מִמֶּנָּה׃ - (35) And at the top of the stand there was a round band half a cubit high all around; and on the top of the stand its handles and its borders were of one piece with it.
The supports were cast from the stand itself - "מִן הַמְּכֹנָה כְּתֵפֶיהָ" - all in one casting. "וּבְרֹאשׁ הַמְּכוֹנָה חֲצִי הָאַמָּה קוֹמָה עָגֹל סָבִיב" - this is the crown piece. "יְדֹתֶיהָ וּמִסְגְּרֹתֶיהָ מִמֶּנָּה" - the handles that were attached were part of it, from the same casting and the same joining, part of the body of the stand itself.
(לו) וַיְפַתַּח עַל הַלֻּחֹת יְדֹתֶיהָ וְעַל מִסְגְּרֹתֶיהָ כְּרוּבִים אֲרָיוֹת וְתִמֹרֹת כְּמַעַר אִישׁ וְלֹיוֹת סָבִיב׃ - (36) And on the plates of its handles and on its borders he engraved cherubim, lions, and palm trees, according to the space of each, with wreaths all around.
On the plates at the edges of the stand, and likewise on its handles and its borders, he engraved and carved figures: cherubim - in the likeness of angels; lions - literally; and palm trees - in the likeness of date palm trees. "כְּמַעַר אִישׁ וְלֹיוֹת סָבִיב" - like a man and his companion, joined and connected one to the other, one attached to the next, like a crown of ornamentation running continuously around the stand without interruption - at its bottom, its middle, and its upper part.
(לז) כָּזֹאת עָשָׂה אֵת עֶשֶׂר הַמְּכֹנוֹת מוּצָק אֶחָד מִדָּה אַחַת קֶצֶב אֶחָד לְכֻלָּהְנָה׃ - (37) In this manner he made the ten stands: all of them had one casting, one measure, and one form.
In this pattern he made all ten stands. "מוּצָק אֶחָד" - the same casting. "מִדָּה אַחַת" - the same size. "קֶצֶב אֶחָד" - from the language of measuring and cutting, like a portion (ketzev), and they all had the same cut of shape.
(לח) וַיַּעַשׂ עֲשָׂרָה כִיֹּרוֹת נְחֹשֶׁת אַרְבָּעִים בַּת יָכִיל הַכִּיּוֹר הָאֶחָד אַרְבַּע בָּאַמָּה הַכִּיּוֹר הָאֶחָד כִּיּוֹר אֶחָד עַל הַמְּכוֹנָה הָאַחַת לְעֶשֶׂר הַמְּכֹנוֹת׃ - (38) And he made ten basins of copper: each basin held forty baths, and each basin was four cubits; there was one basin upon each of the ten stands.
Now the verse speaks of the basin itself, which is the essential part of this whole system, and it was placed above upon the stand. Forty baths are one hundred and twenty se'ah, the measure of three mikvaot, and this is the amount that each basin held. "אַרְבַּע בָּאַמָּה" - this is the height, whereas the length and width were a cubit and a half plus a quarter, that is, a cubit and three quarters of a cubit, as the Malbim explains.
(לט) וַיִּתֵּן אֶת הַמְּכֹנוֹת חָמֵשׁ עַל כֶּתֶף הַבַּיִת מִיָּמִין וְחָמֵשׁ עַל כֶּתֶף הַבַּיִת מִשְּׂמֹאלוֹ וְאֶת הַיָּם נָתַן מִכֶּתֶף הַבַּיִת הַיְמָנִית קֵדְמָה מִמּוּל נֶגֶב׃ - (39) And he set the stands, five on the right side of the House and five on the left side of the House; and he placed the Sea on the right side of the House, eastward, toward the south.
Five bases stood to the right of the House and five to its left, while the Sea was placed "מִכֶּתֶף הַבַּיִת הַיְמָנִית קֵדְמָה מִמּוּל נֶגֶב", that is, in the southeastern corner: kedmah means east, and negev means south.
Chirom the Father and Chirom the Son
(מ) וַיַּעַשׂ חִירוֹם אֶת הַכִּיֹּרוֹת וְאֶת הַיָּעִים וְאֶת הַמִּזְרָקוֹת וַיְכַל חִירָם לַעֲשׂוֹת אֶת כָּל הַמְּלָאכָה אֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה לַמֶּלֶךְ שְׁלֹמֹה בֵּית ה'׃ - (40) And Chirom made the lavers, and the shovels, and the basins, and Chirom finished doing all the work that he did for King Shlomo in the House of Hashem.
As we recall, we saw according to the Malbim that two people performed the work here: the father began, and he was expert in every craft; and when the father died they brought in the son, who was expert in bronze but not in every craft. Therefore "וַיַּעַשׂ חִירוֹם אֶת הַכִּיֹּרוֹת וְאֶת הַיָּעִים וְאֶת הַמִּזְרָקוֹת" refers to the father who began; "וַיְכַל חִירָם לַעֲשׂוֹת אֶת כָּל הַמְּלָאכָה" refers to the son who finished. This also resolves the difference, that at first he is called "Chirom" and afterward "Chiram" (though in truth the father too is called Chiram in other places, only that here the verse wished to create a distinction between them). And in particular, the Malbim has a rule: if a person's name appears twice in the same passage, it is a sign that a different person is meant, for otherwise the verse would not repeat his name. And here, after it already said "Chirom," why does it repeat and say "Chiram"? To tell you that a different person is meant, and everything is beautifully understood according to what has been explained, that the son continued what the father began.
The Pots, the Shovels, and the Basins
What are these vessels? The pots and the shovels were vessels with which they removed the ashes from the altar, like the shovels we have today, with which they would remove all the ashes from atop the altar. This is "ledashno" - to remove from it its ashes for the sake of offering the day's sacrifices.
The basins were not a fountain like the one we know today, but from the language of zerikah (throwing): a vessel in which they would receive the blood at the time of slaughtering the animal and throw it upon the corner of the altar, and this is "one silver basin." The basin was made rounded at its bottom, and why? So that it could not be set down. For if the kohen were to set down the basin, the blood would congeal and no longer be fit for throwing, and therefore the kohen had to hold it constantly in his hand. And what good would it do to hold it in his hand, for the blood might still congeal? Therefore it is written that he would stir the blood, that is, he would mix it in the vessel without ceasing, so that it would not stand and congeal. For example, if another kohen was occupied at the altar with a different sacrifice, they would wait and stir the blood, and afterward he would go and throw his blood.
Summary of the Vessels
(מא) עַמֻּדִים שְׁנַיִם וְגֻלֹּת הַכֹּתָרֹת אֲשֶׁר עַל רֹאשׁ הָעַמּוּדִים שְׁתָּיִם וְהַשְּׂבָכוֹת שְׁתַּיִם לְכַסּוֹת אֶת שְׁתֵּי גֻּלּוֹת הַכֹּתָרֹת אֲשֶׁר עַל רֹאשׁ הָעַמּוּדִים׃ - (41) The two pillars, and the two bowls of the capitals that were on top of the pillars, and the two nets to cover the two bowls of the capitals that were on top of the pillars.
Here the verse gives a summary. Pillars: two, Yachin and Boaz. Bowls of the capitals: like a bowl atop the capital above, two of them. The nets: like a net-work that wraps around everything, two of them, to cover the two bowls of the capitals.
(מב) וְאֶת הָרִמֹּנִים אַרְבַּע מֵאוֹת לִשְׁתֵּי הַשְּׂבָכוֹת שְׁנֵי טוּרִים רִמֹּנִים לַשְּׂבָכָה הָאֶחָת לְכַסּוֹת אֶת שְׁתֵּי גֻּלּוֹת הַכֹּתָרֹת אֲשֶׁר עַל פְּנֵי הָעַמּוּדִים׃ - (42) And the four hundred pomegranates for the two nets, two rows of pomegranates for each net, to cover the two bowls of the capitals that were upon the face of the pillars.
There were two rows, and each row contained a hundred pomegranates. It turns out that on each pillar there were two hundred, and on the two pillars four hundred pomegranates adorning and hanging down from the nets.
(מג) וְאֶת הַמְּכֹנוֹת עָשֶׂר וְאֶת הַכִּיֹּרֹת עֲשָׂרָה עַל הַמְּכֹנוֹת׃ - (43) And the ten stands, and the ten lavers on the stands.
(מד) וְאֶת הַיָּם הָאֶחָד וְאֶת הַבָּקָר שְׁנֵים עָשָׂר תַּחַת הַיָּם׃ - (44) And the one sea, and the twelve oxen under the sea.
(מה) וְאֶת הַסִּירוֹת וְאֶת הַיָּעִים וְאֶת הַמִּזְרָקוֹת וְאֵת כָּל הַכֵּלִים הָאֵלֶּה אֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה חִירָם לַמֶּלֶךְ שְׁלֹמֹה בֵּית ה' נְחֹשֶׁת מְמֹרָט׃ - (45) And the pots, and the shovels, and the basins, and all these vessels which Chiram made for King Shlomo in the House of Hashem, of burnished bronze.
"וְאֶת הַיָּם הָאֶחָד" - this is the great sea that Shlomo made. As for the "sirot" (pots), some explain that these are the lavers, and others explain that they were a kind of musical instrument. "נְחֹשֶׁת מְמֹרָט" - clear and bright bronze, refined and purified, which they would polish until it shone.
(מו) בְּכִכַּר הַיַּרְדֵּן יְצָקָם הַמֶּלֶךְ בְּמַעֲבֵה הָאֲדָמָה בֵּין סֻכּוֹת וּבֵין צָרְתָן׃ - (46) In the plain of the Yarden the king cast them, in the thickness of the ground, between Sukot and Tzartan.
How did they cast them? They would shape the desired form within the ground, out of the mud, and this is a craft in itself, to shape the mold precisely and to have it harden properly. Once it hardened, they would pour the bronze into it and cast it, and when the bronze hardened they would break away the sand around it and obtain the exact form. This was the manner of production. Today too they cast in this way, except that the molds are of plastic or metal and not in the thickness of the ground; but here enormous molds were needed, for a pillar many meters long requires a vast mold, and therefore they did it there, in the thickness of the ground.
And let us take note: the Malbim writes that all this does not speak of the sea and the stands, which were made of simpler bronze. These were not made in the plain of the Yarden but in Yerushalayim itself, for it does not make sense that they transported such a mighty sea, a handbreadth thick and of such circumference, from place to place, from the plain of the Yarden to Yerushalayim; nor was it made of such precious bronze, burnished bronze.
(מז) וַיַּנַּח שְׁלֹמֹה אֶת כָּל הַכֵּלִים מֵרֹב מְאֹד מְאֹד לֹא נֶחְקַר מִשְׁקַל הַנְּחֹשֶׁת׃ - (47) And Shlomo left all the vessels unweighed, because they were exceedingly many; the weight of the bronze was not determined.
Shlomo set down all the vessels without weighing them, just as they were made. In the natural way, the craftsman or the one who commissioned the work weighs the vessels at the end, for at the outset he weighed how much bronze he gave, and through this he knows whether one of the craftsmen slipped something into his pocket, for in such a great undertaking it is very common that a person could take something home, and who would know. But here it was not so: first, no one was suspected of stealing from the Beit HaMikdash; and second, because of the great weight it was not possible to weigh it at all. And the Malbim further says that "וַיַּנַּח" comes to teach that not all the vessels were made for immediate use, but many of them were made for rest, that is, they placed them in the treasuries and storehouses of the Beit HaMikdash for future need, for the vessels would wear out and had to be replaced from time to time. "מֵרֹב מְאֹד מְאֹד" - he had many vessels ready in the treasuries for use.
The Gold Vessels of the House
(מח) וַיַּעַשׂ שְׁלֹמֹה אֵת כָּל הַכֵּלִים אֲשֶׁר בֵּית ה' אֵת מִזְבַּח הַזָּהָב וְאֶת הַשֻּׁלְחָן אֲשֶׁר עָלָיו לֶחֶם הַפָּנִים זָהָב׃ - (48) And Shlomo made all the vessels that were in the House of Hashem: the altar of gold, and the table upon which was the showbread, of gold.
The altar of gold and the table upon which was the showbread he made of gold. And how many tables did he make? In Divrei HaYamim it is stated explicitly that he made ten tables. And there is a dispute among Chazal in the Gemara in Menachot as to whether they placed the showbread on all the tables or only on the table that Moshe made, while the rest were made for honor and splendor. In any case it is certain that there were ten tables, besides the table of Moshe.
(מט) וְאֶת הַמְּנֹרוֹת חָמֵשׁ מִיָּמִין וְחָמֵשׁ מִשְּׂמֹאול לִפְנֵי הַדְּבִיר זָהָב סָגוּר וְהַפֶּרַח וְהַנֵּרֹת וְהַמֶּלְקַחַיִם זָהָב׃ - (49) And the menorahs, five on the right and five on the left, before the inner sanctuary, of pure gold, and the flowers and the lamps and the tongs of gold.
He placed the menorahs inside the Heichal. Everything was gold: the flower - the flowers upon the menorah; the tongs - with which they would remove the wicks and prepare the lamps; and the lamps - these are the cups and bases into which they would pour the oil.
And what is "pure gold" (zahav sagur)? Gold so precious that when a person would open shop to sell some of it, all the other shops could close their business for that day, since everyone would rush to buy from him. And another explanation: whoever had such gold would lock it away in a safe (soger), and a woman would not go out wearing such jewelry because of the danger - this is "closed gold" (zahav sagur).
In broad outline, this is how the Heichal appeared: two rows of menorahs, five on this side and five on that side, and in the center the menorah that Moshe made; and likewise two rows of tables and in the center the table that Moshe made. And we look forward to seeing it built and restored speedily in our days, Amen.
(נ) וְהַסִּפּוֹת וְהַמְזַמְּרוֹת וְהַמִּזְרָקוֹת וְהַכַּפּוֹת וְהַמַּחְתּוֹת זָהָב סָגוּר וְהַפֹּתוֹת לְדַלְתוֹת הַבַּיִת הַפְּנִימִי לְקֹדֶשׁ הַקֳּדָשִׁים לְדַלְתֵי הַבַּיִת לַהֵיכָל זָהָב׃ - (50) And the basins and the snuffers and the bowls and the spoons and the fire pans of pure gold, and the sockets for the doors of the inner house, for the Holy of Holies, for the doors of the house, for the Heichal, of gold.
The sippot - a kind of musical instrument. The mezamrot - likewise, as their name suggests, musical instruments. The kapot - spoons for the frankincense cups, for on the table there were cups in which they placed frankincense. "And the potot" - like the openers, the keys. The keys for the doors of the inner house, for the Holy of Holies, the doors of the house, and the Heichal - all were gold, and the keys themselves were gold as well.
"And all the work was completed"
(נא) וַתִּשְׁלַם כָּל הַמְּלָאכָה אֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה הַמֶּלֶךְ שְׁלֹמֹה בֵּית ה' וַיָּבֵא שְׁלֹמֹה אֶת קָדְשֵׁי דָּוִד אָבִיו אֶת הַכֶּסֶף וְאֶת הַזָּהָב וְאֶת הַכֵּלִים נָתַן בְּאֹצְרוֹת בֵּית ה'׃ - (51) And all the work that King Shlomo did for the House of Hashem was completed. And Shlomo brought in the holy things of David his father, the silver and the gold and the vessels, and placed them in the treasuries of the House of Hashem.
The Pesikta Rabbati expounds: "And all the work was completed" - it does not say here "the work" but rather "all the work." What does "all" come to include? The work of the six days of Creation. As it says, "of all His work that God created to do" - it does not say here "did" but rather "to do," meaning there is still another work. When Shlomo came and built the Beit HaMikdash, the Holy One, blessed be He, said: now the work of the heavens and the earth is completed. This is the work for whose sake the world was created, and it is the one about which it was said at Creation "that God created to do" - that there is still something to complete in the doing, and that is the building of the Beit HaMikdash. And therefore, says the Midrash, he was called Shlomo - because the Holy One, blessed be He, completed (hishlim) the work of the six days of Creation through the labor of his hands.
The Pesikta expounds another interpretation: "vatishlam" - and there was peace (shalom). All the craftsmen who were building, not one of them died and not one of them fell ill, and not a pickaxe broke nor an axe, and not one of them had pain in his eye, and neither his belt nor his shoe tore, and no work tool broke nor wore out nor shattered among them. Listen: there was no wear and tear, and the work proceeded just as it should. There was no "the worker didn't come today, he caught the flu, this one had a hammer fall on his foot" - there were no accidents at all. Therefore "and all the work was in peace," the work was in peace and no work accident befell it.
And if you wonder at this - Rabbi Elazar said: for the honor of flesh and blood such was done! All the Egyptians who went up with Yaakov for his burial, as it says "and Yosef went up," not one of them had his sandal tear. And if there, for the honor of flesh and blood, such was done - do you wonder that it was so done for a building of the Holy One, blessed be He?
Another interpretation: "And all the work was completed" - once the craftsmen completed the work, their souls were completed (i.e., they died). And the Midrash asks: but you just now expounded that not one of them fell ill nor had pain in his eyes, and now you say that once the work was completed they died? Rather, the Holy One, blessed be He, said: so that the nations of the world would not take them and build buildings with them, and say, these are the ones who built the building of God. And this is a wondrous thing: the nations of the world would come and build for themselves houses of idolatry and palaces, and who is the contractor? Who is the architect? Who are the builders? Those who built the Beit HaMikdash. It is no honor that those same people who built a house for our God should go and build other palaces, for in building other palaces they would, as it were, be building in the same design, and it would turn out that what was done for the honor of Hashem, may He be blessed, was done in another place as well. You know, when an architect creates a special design for an important person, a government, or a great magnate, they sign an agreement with him that he will not use this design again - "I bought the rights" - so that it will be unique. And that is with flesh and blood. With the Holy One, blessed be He, not only does the design not pass to another, but even the architect does not pass to another: an architect of the Beit HaMikdash alone.
And what is meant by "and all the work was completed"? The Holy One, blessed be He, said: It is upon Me to grant them their reward. So that a person should not say: Woe and alas, how unfortunate is this man who built the Temple and then passed away, receiving evil in return for his goodness. Scripture tells you: You have nothing to worry about, you are in the hands of the Creator of the world, and Hashem says it is upon Me to pay you your reward. If so, every person would have been willing to go at that very moment and receive such a promise from Hashem. It turns out that those people not only lost nothing, but gained a great gain.
The Consecrated Things of David His Father - for Praise and for Reproach
"וַיָּבֵא שְׁלֹמֹה אֶת קָדְשֵׁי דָּוִד אָבִיו אֶת הַכֶּסֶף וְאֶת הַזָּהָב וְאֶת הַכֵּלִים נָתַן בְּאֹצְרוֹת בֵּית ה' - And Shlomo brought in the consecrated things of David his father, the silver and the gold and the vessels he placed in the treasuries of the House of Hashem." This seems puzzling: what did he do with his father's silver and gold? He placed them in the treasuries and did not make vessels from them. "The silver and the gold" - these are the consecrated things of David his father, "and the vessels" - from what he himself made, and all of it he placed in the treasuries of the House of Hashem. And why indeed did he not use his father's silver and gold?
The Midrash says: Some interpret this to his praise and some interpret it to his reproach. Some interpret it to his praise - that David requested this thing. See what a line of thought David the king had: David said before the Holy One, blessed be He, Master of the worlds, I foresee through my prophecy that the Temple will ultimately be destroyed, and all that I set aside from the houses of idolatry that I destroyed - so that the nations should not say: What did David think, he destroyed the house of our god and made a house for his god? Now our gods have roused themselves and taken their revenge and destroyed the house of his god. I know that the House is destined to be destroyed, and then there will be an opening for the nations to say: Behold, our god has taken his revenge, you took from the house of our gods, and in the end he has destroyed your Temple. Therefore David prayed that Shlomo should not need them. It turns out that David himself already requested that Shlomo not require the silver and gold that he had gathered, so that the gentiles would have no opening. This is the interpretation for praise.
And there is one who interprets it to David's reproach: that when a famine came in David's days for three years, David had treasuries and stores of silver and gold that he had prepared for the needs of the Temple, and he should have brought them out and sustained lives with them, but he did not do so. The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him: My children are dying of hunger and you are hoarding money to build a building with it? All you had to do was sustain lives with it. Since you did not do so - by your life, Shlomo will not need to take anything from it. You could have kept the hungry alive with this, and you said "No, this is designated for the Temple" - by your life, in the end it will not be used for the Temple.
And some say that this is what was said to David, that he would not build the House "for you have shed much blood." And in its time, when we studied this, we explained several interpretations of it, one of them being that period of three years of famine in David's days, when he did not give from those treasuries he had prepared, and through this, as it were, the blood of those people who died of hunger was shed. Hashem said to him: Silver on account of which people died of hunger - the Temple will not be built by his hand. And we see from here how much Hashem demands the honor of Israel more than His own honor: Do not build Me a House, and give My children to eat - so asks the Creator of the world.
And what did David think? For this is an explicit halachah, that if there is money designated for a synagogue and on the other hand there are hungry people, one certainly brings out the money and gives it to the hungry. So how did David err in a matter of halachah? The commentators say that David reasoned: True, such is the law with a synagogue, which is a minor sanctuary; but here we are speaking of the House of God, "בָּנֹה בָנִיתִי בֵּית זְבֻל לָךְ - I have surely built You a lofty house" as we will see further on - the actual House of Hashem! Heaven forbid to divert it to secular use, and one who diverts it to secular use commits sacrilege against the sacred. David reasoned that here there was a different level and a different degree, and we see that he erred in this calculation.
Two Tribes as Partners
Another matter the Midrash says regarding "and all the work was completed": When the Tabernacle was made, two tribes were partners in its work, the tribe of Judah and the tribe of Dan - Betzalel from the tribe of Judah, and Oholiav son of Achisamach from the tribe of Dan. So too in the work of the Temple these two tribes were partners: "And King Shlomo sent and fetched Chiram," the son of a widowed woman "מִמַּטֵּה נַפְתָּלִי - from the tribe of Naftali" and he was from the tribe of Dan, and Shlomo son of David was from the tribe of Judah. Here before us are the tribe of Dan and the tribe of Judah building both the Tabernacle and the Temple. And as for the tribe of Benjamin: just as we do not see it being dominant in the Tabernacle, so too in the Temple we do not see it active as a tribe; but its portion is reserved for it, for the portion of the Temple that belongs to it - "He hovers over him all the day."
"וְהַבַּיִת בְּהִבָּנֹתוֹ" - It Was Built of Itself
And another idea: what is "all the work"? The Midrash says that it was built of itself, sprouting and rising up. It does not say here "and the House as it was being built," but rather "וְהַבַּיִת בְּהִבָּנֹתוֹ - and the House, in its being built" - of itself. And likewise "אֶבֶן שְׁלֵמָה מַסָּע נִבְנָה - it was built of whole stone brought from afar," what is "masa nivneh"? Rabbi Berechiah said: the stone carried itself and rose up and built itself by itself. We see mighty stones and wonder how they raised them - there were no cranes then. Rather the stone carried itself, and the person only pushed a little, as it were for the record, but in practice the stone carried itself. And this is what Shlomo said in his song "בָּנֹה בָנִיתִי בֵּית זְבֻל לָךְ - I have surely built You a lofty house" - a built building I was building; what I built was already built, and I only through the external action, as it were, built it, while the stones were sprouting and rising up of themselves.
And if you wonder at this, here too the Midrash says: Come and I will show you, that for one righteous man the Holy One, blessed be He, did likewise. As it is stated "וְהֵיתָיִת אֶבֶן חֲדָה וְשֻׂמַת עַל פֻּם גֻּבָּא - and a stone was brought and placed upon the mouth of the pit" - this was said regarding Daniel, that when they cast him into the lions' den Daryavesh feared that the ministers would harm him even before the lions would deal with him. He was not so worried about the lions, but he feared the ministers. For they had come and told him that Daniel was not observing the king's decree - there had been a decree that a person may not make any request except from the king - and Daniel was caught "red-handed" while he was kneeling and bowing and praying to Hashem his God in the upper chamber of his house, which had windows all around and everyone could see him. And that entire proposal to the king, that whoever prays to anyone other than the king would be punished, was made from the outset in order to trip up Daniel, for they saw that Daniel was the favored one before Daryavesh, who appointed him supervisor over all the ministers, and this did not find favor in their eyes. They slandered him, and the king, having no choice, after he tried to save him and did not succeed, was forced to cast him into the lions' den, and he said to him: The God whom you serve continuously, He will save you. And then he brought a stone and placed it on the mouth of the pit - in order to save Daniel from the ministers; for the lions were in Hashem's hands, but the ministers have free choice and could throw stones upon him into the pit. And from where did they have such a stone in Bavel? Our Sages said: from the Land of Israel it rolled and came for a brief moment. And if for flesh and blood the Omnipresent did this, that He brought him a special stone from the Land of Israel to protect him - do you wonder that it was done so for the building of the House of the Holy One, blessed be He? There the stone carried itself, here all the more so.
Another interpretation: "and the house, when it was in building" - Rabbi Huna said in the name of Rabbi Yosef: everyone assisted the king, even the spirits, even the demons. Not only the people whom he had requested, but everyone assisted in the making of the Beit HaMikdash and its building.
Summary:
In this chapter Shlomo completed the work of the house: from the finishing of the pillars, through the great cast Sea that stood upon twelve oxen and held two thousand bat - about a hundred and fifty mikvaot of flowing spring water for the immersion of the Kohanim, to the ten stands upon their wheels and their shoulders and the ten lavers upon them for washing the hands, and all the vessels of burnished copper that Chiram the father and his son cast in the thickness of the ground in the plain of the Jordan. And finally the golden vessels of the Heichal: the golden altar, the tables and the menorot, five on the right and five on the left, of pure gold, down to the hinges themselves. And when the work was completed, Chazal taught us that with it the work of the six days of Creation was completed, for the world was created only for this purpose; that the work was carried out in complete peace, without illness and without accident; that the stones rose and built themselves and everyone assisted in the building; and that the Holy One, blessed be He, demands the honor of Israel more than His own honor - and from here comes a great lesson in the order of priorities of one who serves Hashem. May it be His will that we merit to see its building and its restoration speedily in our days, amen.