PLANKS, CURTAINS, AND THE ALTAR

“You are to erect the tabernacle according to the design you have been shown on the mountain.”
Exodus 26:30

For this next portion writing, I want to take a few smaller portions of this week’s Parashah and lump them together. With that said, I am writing concerning Exodus 26:15 through Exodus 27:8. First we pick up where we left off concerning the tabernacle and its specifications. Adonai commanded Moshe to make upright planks for the tabernacle out of acacia-wood, each fifteen feet long and two-and-a-quarter feet wide, and have two projections on each plank. The alignment of the planks gave twenty for the south side facing southward. Forty silver sockets were to be under the projections. This same process was to be duplicated facing north. Toward the west was to be six planks and for the corners of the tabernacle in the rear, two planks were to be made, doubled from the bottom to the top. Finally a gold overlay was to decorate the planks and crossbars of acacia wood were to be place between the planks.
The next section we look at speaks of the curtain of blue, purple, and scarlet yarn and finely woven linen. Again, k’ruvim would be worked into the pattern by skilled artists. The curtain would hang by four gold hooks on four acacia-wood posts covered in gold and standing in four silver sockets. Hung with fasteners the curtain would hang. A screen of the colors of blue, purple and scarlet was to be made, hung on five posts of acacia wood overlaid with gold. Inside the curtain would be placed to ark for the testimony, dividing the Holy Place and the Especially Holy Place. Outside the curtain was to be placed the menorah and table.
Lastly we see the details for the altar. It too would be made of acacia-wood, seven-and-a-half feet long and seven-and-a-half feet wide. This square altar would be four-and-a-half feet tall. The four corners were to have horns overlaid with bronze. Additionally, all the utensils used were to be also made of or covered in bronze. As tedious as all these details sound, there was a significance to them and as stated by Adonai, the instruction had to be followed. Only in erecting the temple as Adonai had said would Moshe show his willingness to obey God completely.

Exodus 26:15-30
Exodus 26:31-37
Exodus 27:1-8