Rashi on TanakhExodus 38

Hollow boards. נְבוּב means “hollow.” Similarly: “Its thickness was four fingers (נְבוּב) hollow.”

Hollow boards. The boards of acacia wood were on all sides [thereby creating] the hollow in the middle.

From the mirrors of the women who had gathered. The daughters of Israel possessed mirrors into which they would look when adorning themselves. Even those they did not withhold from bringing as a contribution for the mishkon. However, Moshe found them repulsive since their purpose is to incite the evil inclination. God said to him: Accept [them], for these are dearer to me than everything else because through them the women raised huge multitudes in Egypt. When their husbands were exhausted from their crushing labor they (the women) would go and bring them food and drink and feed them. They would then take the mirrors and each one would look at herself and her husband in the mirror, and entice him with words, saying, “See! I am more beautiful than you,” thereby awakening their husbands’ desire and they would cohabit with them. They conceived and gave birth there. As is stated: “Under the apple-tree did I arouse you.” That is the intent of what is said: “By the mirrors of the צֹבְאוֹת .” The wash-basin was made out of them for it serves to bring about peace between a man and his wife, by giving to drink from the waters inside it to anyone whose husband expressed jealousy and she, nevertheless, concealed herself [with another man]. You can know yourself that these were actual mirrors, for it is stated: “The total copper donation was seventy kikar, etc. and he made from it, etc.” whereas the wash-basin and its base are not mentioned there. Hence you have learned that the copper of the wash-basin was not from the donated copper. Thus did Rabbi Tanchuma explain it. Onkelos also translates it this way: בְמֶחְזְיַת of the women [בְּמֶחְזְיַת] being the Aramaic for “mirrors,” mireors in Old French. We find the like in Yeshaiyahu: “וְהַגִּלְיֹנִים — “and the mirrors” which is translated מֶחְזְיָתָא .

Who had gathered — to bring their contribution.

Corresponding to the curtains of the enclosure. [Meaning:] Like the measurement of the curtains of the courtyard.

These are the accounts. In this parsha there are enumerated all the weights of the contributions to the mishkon — of the silver, the gold and the copper. Also all its vessels are enumerated each with its function.

The mishkon, the mishkon. “מִשְׁכָּן” is mentioned twice. This is an allusion to the Beis Hamikdosh (שֶׁנִתְמַשְׁכֵּן) which was taken as “collateral” by being destroyed twice because of the iniquities of Yisrael.

The mishkon of Testimony. So-called because it bears witness for Yisrael that God was indulgent to them for the deed of the [Golden] Calf, for [through the mishkon] He rested His Shechinah among them.

The work of the Levites. Those things that were counted of the mishkon and its vessels was the work entrusted to the Levites in the desert — to carry, to disassemble, and to set it up, each person according to the burden assigned to him, as is related in parshas Naso.

Under the direction of Isamar. He was in charge over them, to entrust each paternal family the work for which it is responsible.

Betzalel, son of Uri, etc. made all that Adonoy commanded Moshe. “That which he (Moshe) commanded him (Betzalel) is not written here, but, rather, “all that God commanded Moshe,” [thereby implying that] even things which his teacher (Moshe) had not told him, his own opinion was in agreement with what was said to Moshe at Sinai. For Moshe had instructed Betzalel to first produce the vessels, and afterward the mishkon. Whereupon Betzalel said to him: “It is customary in the world to first construct a house and afterwards put furnishings in it.” [Moshe] responded to him: “[You are right] that is indeed what I heard from God.” Moshe [then also] said to him “You must have been (בְּצֵל אֵ־ל) in the shadow of God, for, certainly, so did God command me.” And so he (Betzalel) did it — first the mishkon and afterwards he made the vessels.

Kikar. A kikar is the equivalent of 60 maneh and the maneh associated with the Sanctuary was double [the weight of a common maneh] making the kikar equal to 120 [common] maneh, A maneh is equal to 25 selaim (shekalim), making the kikar of the Sanctuary 3,000 shekalim (25 x 120 = 3,000). It is for this reason that it counts as units all the shekalim that add up to less than 3,000, because they do not add up to a kikar.

Beka. This is the name of the weight of one half of a shekel.

For six hundred (and three) thousand, etc. This was the count of the Israelites and this, too, was what their number amounted to after the mishkon was erected [when they were counted again] in seifer Bamidbar. Now, too, at the time of the contributions to the mishkon they were that many. The amount of half-shekalim for 600,000 totalled 100 kikar, where each kikar is 3,000 shekalim. How is this calculated? 600,000 half-shekels, which equal 300,000 whole shekalim giving you 100 kikar (100 x 3,000 = 300,000). The remaining 3,550 half-shekalim total 1,775 whole shekalim.

To cast. [לָצֶקֶת is] as Onkelos translates it: “to cast.”

The sockets for the Sanctuary. — for the planks of the mishkon, which totalled 48 planks for which there were 96 sockets, plus the 4 sockets for the curtain giving you a total of 100 [gold sockets]. As for the remaining sockets the Torah records them as “copper.”

(He) overlaid their caps — of the pillars with them (the 1775 shekalim), for regarding all of them (the pillars) it is written: “And their caps and bands were overlaid with silver.”