“You shall craft the boards for the Tabernacle of acacia wood, standing upright” (Exodus 26:15). “You shall craft the boards for the Tabernacle” (Exodus 26:15). That is what is written: “The trees of the Lord sate themselves, the cedars of Lebanon that He planted” (Psalms 104:16). There were many creations that the Holy One blessed be He created in His world, that the world was not fit to utilize, so the Holy One blessed be He concealed them from the world.
What is [an example of] this? The light that was created on the first day, as Rabbi Yehuda bar Simon said: By the light that the Holy One blessed be He created on the first day, a person could gaze and see from one end of the world to the other. When the Holy One blessed be He saw that the actions of the generation of Enosh, the generation of the Flood, and the generation of the Dispersion would be corrupt, He rose and concealed it from them, as it is stated: “He prevented light from the wicked” (Job 38:15).
For whom did He conceal it? For the righteous in the future, as it is stated: “God saw the light, that it was good” (Genesis 1:4). What is “that it was good”? That its light was suitable for the world, and was not harmful like this sun.1The light created on the first day would never shine too brightly or create heat too great for a person to bear.
Where did He conceal it? In the Garden of Eden, as it is stated: “Light is sown for the righteous” (Psalms 97:11).2Since sowing is done in a garden, this alludes to the fact that God concealed the light in the Garden of Eden (Maharzu; Rabbi David Luria). There were many creations that the Holy One blessed be He created in the world that the world was not fit to utilize and were fit to be concealed, but they were not concealed, in deference to the Holy One blessed be He.
What is [an example of] this? Gold. Rabbi Abahu said: The Holy One blessed be He imparted great goodness to the world through gold. A person changes one gold piece and thereby covers several expenditures, as it is stated: “The gold of that land is good” (Genesis 2:12).
Its goodness is when it is in his house and its goodness is when it accompanies him on the way.3Gold is convenient to store at home because of its value and the fact that it lasts for a long time without decay. It is also convenient to carry on one’s travels because one can take along a significant sum without having to carry a large, heavy quantity. Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish said: The world was not fit to utilize gold.
Why was it created? For the Tabernacle and for the Temple, as it is stated: “The gold of that land is good,” just as it says: “That good mountain and the Lebanon” (Deuteronomy 3:25).4“The good mountain” is understood as a reference to Jerusalem, and “the Lebanon” is understood as a reference to the Temple (see Sifrei VaEtḥanan 25). There were seven types of gold in the Temple: Good gold, pure gold, Shaḥut gold, Sagur gold, refined gold, Parvayim gold, and Mufaz gold.
Good gold, in its plain sense. Pure, in that they would place it in a crucible and none of it would be missing. Shaḥut gold, as it was stretched like a thread [ḥut], and they would smear it like wax that is placed on a ledger. Sagur gold, as it would close [soger] all the gold merchants who were there.5When this type of gold was being sold, gold merchants who were selling other types of gold would have to close up shop because they could not compete with its brilliance.
Refined gold, they would overlay the walls [of the Temple] with it. But isn’t it written: “Seven thousand talents of refined silver, to overlay the walls of the houses”? (I Chronicles 29:4). Why do they call it silver [kesef]? Because it would shame [makhsif] all the gold that was there.
Mufaz gold, Rabbi Patriki, brother of Rabbi Derosai, says: It is because it resembled sulfur that is ignited with fire.6The fire is very bright gold [paz]. Parvayim gold, Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish said: Because it resembles the blood of bulls. Some say, because it would produce fruits [perot].7When Solomon built the Temple he fashioned golden trees that would produce fruits which were used to fund Temple maintenance (see Yoma 21b; Shir HaShirim Rabba 3:8:3).
The cedars, too, were fit to be concealed, but were not concealed. Rabbi Ḥanina said: The world was not fit to utilize cedars. They were created only for the Tabernacle and for the Temple, as it is stated: “The trees of the Lord sate themselves, the cedars of Lebanon that He planted” (Psalms 104:16). Lebanon is nothing other than the Temple, as it is stated: “That good mountain and the Lebanon” (Deuteronomy 3:25).
Rabbi Shmuel bar Naḥman said in the name of Rabbi Yonatan: They are twenty-four species of cedars, but there are only seven that are more outstanding than all of them, as it is stated: “I will put cedar, acacia, myrtle and pine trees [in the wilderness; I will place juniper, ash and boxwood together in the desert]” (Isaiah 41:19). Why were they not concealed? Because the Holy One blessed be He foresaw that [Israel] was destined to perform with them the labor of the Tabernacle, in the place where the Divine Presence was destined to dwell, as it is stated: “That birds will nest there” (Psalms 104:17).
Does it enter your mind that birds would nest there? It is, rather, the birds that the priest would slaughter and sacrifice in the Temple. What is, “the stork has its home in the junipers”? (Psalms 104:17). Is the home of a stork in cedars?
What is a stork [ḥasida]? This is the High Priest, as it is stated: “Your Tumin and Your Urim for Your pious one [ḥasidekha]” (Deuteronomy 33:8).