The Desert Tabernacle

The Consuming Fire

noreply@blogger.com (Aleksandr Sigalov) — Sun, 04 Mar 2012 17:00:00 +0000

The Glory of God that appeared to the Children of Israel over mountain Sinai (Exodus 24:17), as well as over The Tabernacle (Numbers 9:16) was that of the appearance of the so-called "consuming" fire. Like so:

I would like to provide an explanation to the meaning of this term ("consuming") as this is rather very interesting detail of the description of the Tabernacle. Fortunately, this subject is a rather easy matter and should be understandable to any person who knows basics of chemistry.

The following image and excerpt is from this and this Wikipedia article. Here is what is says:

"Different flame types of a Bunsen burner depend on oxygen supply. On the left a rich fuel with no premixed oxygen produces a yellow sooty diffusion flame; on the right a lean fully oxygen premixed flame produces no soot and the flame color is produced by molecular radicals, especially CH and C2 band emission. The purple color is an artifact of the photographic process"

Obviously, the fire our description is talking about is the one on the left (#1 on the diagram), as most materials (such as wood, charcoals, fat, e.t.c) would have a lower burning temperature and involve other factors that would be more consistent with the red-yellowish diffusion flame and appearance. Perhaps the most accurate representation of the fire we are talking about is this image:

As you can see, due to plethora of fuel (in this case wood) and yet a considerable but indirect supply of oxygen, the resulting flame has red-yellowish color and has this rather menacing appearance with respective tongues of flames and sound.

This is why I also show the Pillar of Fire over the Tabernacle (in my Tabernacle Explorer) in a similar manner, like so:

The only thing, perhaps, that I may need to correct is to remove this bluish spot at the bottom of the Pillar as this is not very accurate to the description (circled in red). I will correct it in my next release of Tabernacle Explorer.

Other than that, the my images above reflect a rather accurate representation of the so-called "consuming" fire (and the Pillar of Fire over the Tabernacle). And I hope now you also understand why the original text insists on using the term "consuming" to define this fire.

How to properly understand Exodus 25:8

noreply@blogger.com (Aleksandr Sigalov) — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 23:05:00 +0000

This time of year, according to the Jewish tradition, is the time to read about the Tabernacle (parashat Terumah). This is why I would like to dedicate this post to the review of the key verse of the Chapter 25 of the Book of Exodus and the subject of the importance of the Tabernacle. And even though I have outlined the most important concepts on this blog page, I believe a repetition is in order:

So, let's take a look at Exodus 25:8:

Masoretic Text	ועשו	לי	מקדש	ושכנתי	בתוכם
Transliteration	wĕʻá֥ş̂ẇ	li֖y	miqĕḋá֑ş̌	wĕş̌ákanĕţ̇i֖y	ḃĕţwòkáֽm
Strong's Concordance	6213	--	4720	7931	8432
Literal Translation	and_they-make	for_me	sanctuary	and_i-tabernacle	in_midst-of_them

As you can see from this nice table above, God commands the Children of Israel to make Him a Sanctuary so that He could tabernacle in their midst.

At this point, many people make an incorrect assumption that God wants to dwell in the midst of the Children of Israel and thus commanding them to make Him a Sanctuary. This is incorrect!

What this verse really states is that God gives Children of Israel a choice to make Him a Sanctuary so He could dwell in their midst. And precisely because of this the Tabernacle is so important!

Only by willingly and wholeheartedly (without any reservation or back-thought) creating a proper Sanctuary to God, the Children of Israel would be worthy of having His Presence to dwell in their midst.

In other words this verse describes a possibility that needs to be earned, instead of an unearned privilege.

And this is why it is very important to understand the text properly so as not to draw any mistaken conclusions. This is why the description of The Tabernacle takes so much space in the original text and this is why it is so important to study and try to understand it.

Volume of the Corner Boards of The Tabernacle

noreply@blogger.com (Aleksandr Sigalov) — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 00:29:00 +0000

It has occurred to me that I have never tried to calculate the volume of the round Corner Boards of the Tent's Frame. If you have not yet familiarized yourself with my article on the Corner Boards, please do so before reading this post any further.

As you know, the Corner Boards of the Tabernacle were essentially hollow tubes, 10 cubits tall, 0.5 cubit in outer radius and 1.5/pi of inner radius each.

The best and the most practical way to calculate the Volume of the Corner Board is to subtract the volume of its outer cylinder from the volume of its inner cylinder. This way its not only easier to calculate, but it is also consistent with the description provided by the original text.

Here is the table summarizing the diagram above:

	Outer Cylinder (#1, Blue)	Inner Cylinder (#2, Yellow)	Resulting Tube (#3, Blue-Yellow) The Corner Board
Height	10 Cubits	10 Cubits	10 Cubits
Inner Radius	--	(1.5 / pi )Cubits	(1.5 / pi) Cubits
Outer Radius	0.5 Cubits	--	0.5 Cubits
Thickness	--	--	(0.5 - [1.5 / pi]) Cubits

The standard formula for the volume of a cylinder is V = pi * r ^ 2 * h. By applying this formula to our table above, we would get the following results:

	Outer Cylinder (Blue)	Inner Cylinder (Yellow)	Resulting Tube (Blue-Yellow) The Corner Board
Height	10 Cubits	10 Cubits	10 Cubits
Inner Radius	--	(1.5 / pi )Cubits	(1.5 / pi) Cubits
Outer Radius	0.5 Cubits	--	0.5 Cubits
Thickness	--	--	(0.5 - [1.5 / pi]) Cubits
Volume	2.5 * pi	(22.5 / pi) Cubit^3	(2.5 * pi - [22.5 / pi]) Cubit^3

To even better see all characteristics of the Corner Boards let's also include the Area and the Circumference of the cross-section of each cylinder:

	Outer Cylinder (Blue)	Inner Cylinder (Yellow)	Resulting Tube (Blue-Yellow) The Corner Board
Height	10 Cubits	10 Cubits	10 Cubits
Inner Radius	--	(1.5 / pi )Cubits	(1.5 / pi) Cubits
Outer Radius	0.5 Cubits	--	0.5 Cubits
Thickness	--	--	(0.5 - [1.5 / pi]) Cubits
Volume	(2.5 * pi) Cubit^3	(22.5 / pi) Cubit^3	(2.5 * pi - [22.5 / pi]) Cubit^3
Cross-Section Circumference	pi Cubits	3 Cubits	(pi - 3) Cubit
Cross-Section Area	(0.25 * pi) Cubits^2	(2.25 / pi) Cubit^2	(0.25 * pi - [2.25 / pi]) Cubit^2

Or, with rounded numerical values (to the 4th decimal) as such:

	Outer Cylinder (Blue)	Inner Cylinder (Yellow)	Resulting Tube (Blue-Yellow) The Corner Board
Height	10 Cubits	10 Cubits	10 Cubits
Inner Radius	--	~0.4774 Cubits	~0.4774 Cubits
Outer Radius	0.5 Cubits	--	0.5 Cubits
Thickness	--	--	~0.0225 Cubits
Volume	~7.8539 Cubit^3	~7.1619 Cubit^3	~0.6920 Cubit^3
Cross-Section Circumference	~3.1415 Cubits	3 Cubits	~0.1415 Cubit
Cross-Section Area	~0.7853 Cubits^2	~0.7161 Cubit^2	~0.0692 Cubit^2

As you can see, all of the resulting numbers are very interesting. However, the most apparent is the ratio of the volume of an outer cylinder (2.5 * pi) to the Circumference of the inner cylinder (3 cubits or 1.5*2). Because if you remember, the Ark of The Covenant was 1.5 cubits * 1.5 cubits * 2.5 cubits in dimensions, as well as the each corner board was formed from two regular boards width of each was 1.5 cubit.

This clearly implies that there is a direct connection between the values of the dimensions of each part of the Tabernacle, as well as a certain connection between integrated values of each dimension of each part.

Again, at this point I would rather not draw any definitive conclusions, as this topic requires much more through investigation. However, I hope this post provides you with at least very basic information on the details and values relationship of this crucial part of the Tabernacle - The Corner Boards.

P.S. The volume of the actual tubular Corner Board is very close to quarter pi, which is also very interesting. But just like I pointed out above, more thorough investigation is needed.

Petach vs Masach vs Parochet

noreply@blogger.com (Aleksandr Sigalov) — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 01:35:00 +0000

One very important aspect of the terminology used in the description of the Tabernacle is the difference between three Hebrew terms: Petach (Door; Opening or Portal in some translations), Masach (Portiere; or Hanging in some translations) and the Parochet (Partitions; Curtains or Veils in some translations).

And even though I have covered details of the Parochet in this and this posts of mine, I think it would be beneficial to review this subject again and in more details (to include the Petach and the Masach) all at once.

To do this, I will begin by using the Parochet (Inner Curtain of the Tent of the Tabernacle) as an example, which as you know looked somewhat like this:

Now, take a look at this diagram:

As you can see, there were 5 Parochet (Veils) that constituted 1 so-called Masach (Portiere), which is essentially an Inner Curtain, less the Columns and other hardware.

On the other hand, the so-called Petach (Door) of the Holy of Holies room refers to the actual physical boundary where the Parochet(5 Partitions which constituted 1 Masach) were located (shown in green on the image below).

So that you do not get confused, here are a few extra diagrams that should clarify the matter:

This first one shows that there were total of 3 Doors in the Tabernacle. One inside the Tent, one on the eastern part of the Tent and one on the eastern part of the Courtyard.

These three Doors were comprised of 1 Masach (Curtain) each; total of 3 Masach.

And each Masach was comprised of several Parochet (Veils), namely 5 Partitions for the Inner Masach, 4 Partitions for the Outer Masach and 4 Partitions for the Court Gate Masach. Total of 13 Parochet (Veils).

So, as you can clearly see, the Parochet(Veils) was not a singular piece of fabric, but rather several pieces of fabric, and there were total of 3 sets of Parochet (Veils) in the Tabernacle.

This fact is not only very important to properly understand the original description(i.e Exodus 26:31, Exodus 26:36, Numbers 3:26), but it is also crucial to understanding the traditional Jewish and Christian interpretations of the Veil.

In both traditional interpretations the Veil is represented by a singular piece of fabric due to its origin from the Second Temple, which has nothing to do with the Tabernacle and possibly even with the First Temple.

In other words, traditional interpretations must be dismissed when studying the description of the Tabernacle, as they are not rooted in the original text, but rather in latter (and vastly different/modified) descriptions.

The Cherubim: The Inner Curtain (Veil)

noreply@blogger.com (Aleksandr Sigalov) — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 02:18:00 +0000

I covered the Swords (Cherubim) of the Inner Curtain of the Tent of the Tabernacle in my previous post, but then I realized that a bit more specific explanation may be necessary so here it is.

As you know, traditional interpretations usually show the Inner Curtain of the Tent of the Tabernacle (the one that separated the Tent into two rooms) as 4 Gold plated columns upon 4 Silver Sockets with 5 partitions with the "cherubim" as mystical creatures.

As you also know, my proposed explanation replaces these mystical creatures with the Sword-like shapes, resulting in the following:

Now, the Inner Curtain looks more consistent with the rest of the description of the Tabernacle, as now it sort of has these Swords on the fabric as if they were guarding the entrance into the Holy of Holies (the Ark room).

But this is not all. The most I love about making such minute inquiries into the meaning of a particular word of the description (the "cherubim" in this case) is the resulting consistency with other parts of the text (non-Tabernacle related portions).

In this case, I would like you to recall the verse of Genesis 3:24:

24 So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life.

‎24 ‏וַיְגָ֖רֶשׁ אֶת־הָֽאָדָ֑ם וַיַּשְׁכֵּן֩ מִקֶּ֨דֶם לְגַן־עֵ֜דֶן אֶת־הַכְּרֻבִ֗ים וְאֵ֨ת לַ֤הַט הַחֶ֙רֶב֙ הַמִּתְהַפֶּ֔כֶת לִשְׁמֹ֕ר אֶת־דֶּ֖רֶךְ עֵ֥ץ הַֽחַיִּֽים׃ ס

Notice the description of this "flaming sword" which "turned every way". Apparently, this is what we can see in the Tabernacle design - the 4 "flaming swords" that are represented by 2 blades each around each of the Inner Curtain Columns (as well as the 2 blades for each of the sides of the Tent).

In other words, the correct understanding of the description of the Tabernacle design helps us to understand what is described in Genesis 3:24, namely this:

This cropped image of the Inner Curtain of the Tabernacle shows us what the "cherubim" that guarded the garden of Eden looked like. I.e. a rotating column with "flaming" Swords upon it. Although perhaps it is possible that the column represented the "flame" (pillar of "flame") with the Swords rotating around such a pillar.

Either way, as you can clearly see, it is very important to properly understand the description of the design, as it would always lead to other pieces of the text to fall into place and form a more coherent and logical picture of the stories of the Pentateuch.

The Cherubim: On The Tabernacle - Part 2

noreply@blogger.com (Aleksandr Sigalov) — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 03:16:00 +0000

As I have mentioned in the first part of this post, the Swords (Cherubim) were also a part of the design of the Tabernacle Tent's First Covering and the Tent's Inner Curtain (the Veil). Let's take a look at what it might have looked like once implemented into the design.

As you recall, the First Covering of the Tent of the Tabernacle according to the traditional interpretation of the word "cherubim" looked like so:

As you can see from the image above, the First Covering was that of a color of a sunset/sunrise (mix of several colors) with many images of the "cherubim", which traditional interpretations translate as some mystical human-like creatures with several faces and wings.

Now, replacing these creatures with the sword-like shapes would yield the following layout:

And once over the Tent of the Tabernacle it would look like so:

I'm sorry if the rendering above looks rather ugly, but I'm not an artist and this is also just a preliminary model draft rendering. But here is another rendering of the First Covering with Swords from slightly different angle which I think should give you a better perspective on the proposed design:

As you can see, these Swords(Cherubim) would sort of cover the Tent's Frame, just like those of the Ark of The Covenant, mimicking in a way the Ark of the Covenant in its design. And the Swords would be so to speak covering and protecting the Tabernacle.

Now, let's move on to the other part of the Tent that featured the Swords(Cherubim). I'm referring to the Inner Curtain of the Tent or - the inner separating Vail. If you recall, it looked like this:

Now, with the Swords instead of the creatures, the layout of each partition of the Inner Curtain would look like this:

And once applied to the Tabernacle the resulting rendering would show this:

The image above and below show only half of the First Covering for convenience reasons; so that you could actually see the Inner Curtain and so that you could notice the matching pattern and overall consistency of the design.

As you can clearly see, the Swords on the Inner Curtain, combined with the Swords upon the First Covering, and of'course combined with the reflections off the Tent's Gold Plated walls, would create an impression that the entire Holy of Holies room was surrounded by these Shielding Swords (The Cherubim). Thus creating a quite explicit symbolic meaning of the importance and holiness of this part of the Tabernacle.

One last point that is rather important. I'm not sure yet if the description meant to assume the Swords to be white in color or if the reverse were true and the Swords were "sunset" color. This requires additional research that I have not done yet, so I'm showing it closer to traditional interpretation.

However, if the reverse design was true, namely Swords were of a "sunset" color and the Covering and Curtain was white, this would be the result:

Compare these two images below for better understanding of the concept.

This one is close to the traditional interpretation of the coloring pattern:

And this is the reverse coloring pattern:

Like I mentioned above, I'm not sure yet as which coloring pattern is the correct one, so I will leave it up to you to decide which one is more fitting to the original description provided by the text. Other than that, the Sword design of the Covering and the Curtains looks far more appealing and consistent than the traditional interpretation based on the mystical creatures.

The Cherubim: On The Tabernacle - Part 1

noreply@blogger.com (Aleksandr Sigalov) — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 21:32:00 +0000

The Swords (Cherubim) were also a part of the design of the Tabernacle Curtains and Coverings. In order to review the design, first we would need to review the description of each Tabernacle part that featured the Swords(Cherubim).

The table below summarizes all relevant verses that explicitly mention the Swords. There are some other verses that contain suspicious description that may imply the presence of the Swords in the design, but for now I will not be including them as I'm not sure yet.

Exodus 26:1	Moreover thou shalt make the tabernacle with ten curtains of fine twined linen, and blue, and purple, and scarlet: with cherubims of cunning work shalt thou make them.
Exodus 26:31	And thou shalt make a vail of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen of cunning work: with cherubims shall it be made:
Exodus 36:8	And every wise hearted man among them that wrought the work of the tabernacle made ten curtains of fine twined linen, and blue, and purple, and scarlet: with cherubims of cunning work made he them.
Exodus 36:35	And he made a vail of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen: with cherubims made he it of cunning work.

And here is the same table but with the word "Swords" instead of "Cherubim" so that you can compare the readings and the meaning of each verse:

Exodus 26:1	Moreover thou shalt make the tabernacle with ten curtains of fine twined linen, and blue, and purple, and scarlet: with swords of cunning work shalt thou make them.
Exodus 26:31	And thou shalt make a vail of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen of cunning work: with swords shall it be made:
Exodus 36:8	And every wise hearted man among them that wrought the work of the tabernacle made ten curtains of fine twined linen, and blue, and purple, and scarlet: with swords of cunning work made he them.
Exodus 36:35	And he made a vail of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen: with swords made he it of cunning work.

So, as you can see the 10 sheets that comprised the First Covering of the Tent of The Tabernacle, and the Inner Curtain (which was made out of partitions the description is talking about) had Swords as part of their design. As I have shown in my previous posts, these Swords looked somewhat like this:

According to the description, the Outer Curtain (Gate Curtain) of the Tent of The Tabernacle, as well as the Gate Curtains of the Courtyard of The Tabernacle did not have the Swords as part of their design. This is rather interesting point, especially in the context of the translation that I'm proposing, as it creates a completely different symbolic meaning of this element of the design.

In other words, the "Shielding Swords" were only concentrated around the holiest part of the Tabernacle - the Ark of The Covenant Room (Holy of Holies Room), and the Holy Place (the Altar of Incense, Lampstand, Table of Shewbread Room). Perhaps symbolically signifying the importance and status of these parts of the Tabernacle, as well as pointing out the care needed to approach these places; as well as the punishment for not exercising needed care.

This is very much consistent with the description of say Exodus 28:43, Leviticus 10:9-11, e.t.c. And as you can see, now there is a logical continuity between the elements of the design of the Tabernacle and the description of the priestly rituals.

The Cherubim: On The Ark of The Covenant

noreply@blogger.com (Aleksandr Sigalov) — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 20:04:00 +0000

Now that I have covered the basics of the Swords (Cherubim), let's move on to the interesting stuff, namely - how these Sword would look like once on top of the Mercy Seat of the Ark of The Covenant.

But before I do, I wanted to say that after reviewing my previous post, I think that the most accurate translation of the word "Cherubim" would be "The Guarding Swords" or "The Shielding Swords". Such translation, in my humble opinion, best reflects all usages of this word throughout the text of the Pentateuch.

As I have explained, the Swords(Cherubim) essentially looked like an Eagle Wings. Like so:

Of'course, the above image shows only the blade of the Sword, so to avoid any confusion, below is the rendering of a pair of Swords with Handles, even though it is most likely that handles were not part of the intended design and the description talks only about the blades; or perhaps that the Swords were not intended to have any. But if the handles were part of the design, may be their purpose was to help to move the Lid of the Ark. Anyway, here is the rendering of the Swords(Cherubim) with handles:

But what would these Swords would look like once they were hammered out of the Mercy Seat? Well, I think they would resemble Eagle Wings over its nest. Perhaps somewhat like so:

Image is from this web site.

In fact, maybe the handles that I have mentioned above, looked like the Eagle's head or tail. I'm not sure, but maybe in the future I will look into this question in more details. For now, let's follow the description of the Exodus 25:18-21 and see what we come up with with this new design:

As Exodus 25:18 states, these Swords were to of a hammered work and were to be one part with the Mercy Seat. The mercy seat itself was rather thin (see my Tabernacle Calculator for details), 2.5 cubits long by 1.5 cubits wide. Basically - a rectangular slab of Gold. Like this:

According to Ex 25:19, the Swords would be located at the Ends (do not confuse with Edges) of the Mercy Seat, most likely along its longer sides. This is because this is the most efficient and logical place to put these Swords to satisfy the description according my new proposed design. In my old design, which follows the traditional interpretation, Swords (Cherubim) are positioned along the short side, with their wings covering respective halves of the longer sides.

Now, as the most crucial part of the description states (Ex 25:20), and you will need this diagram to understand it properly, the Swords would have been spreading their Edges upward, covering IN their Edges the Mercy Seat. "In Edges" means that they were to point their sharpened edge one toward another in a reaching manner, creating an arc of sorts.

Then, the description proceeds to tell us that the Faces of the Swords were to point toward each other and also toward the Mercy Seat. This means that the Faces (one flat side of each Sword) was to point at an angle toward the Mercy seat. In such manner the description is satisfied, resulting in this:

For comparison purposes, examine the two images below of the entire Ark of The Covenant with its Mercy Seat on top of it:

This one is that of my old proposed design of the Swords(Cherubim) over the Mercy Seat:

And this one is that of this new design, rendered exactly from the same angle:

Here is a gray-scale rendering of this new design:

And here is a close-up view of the Mercy Seat upon the Ark of The Covenant with the Swords according to this new design:

As you can see (and in mu humble opinion) this design is not only looks better, but it also satisfies the description in a more complete and accurate manner. Such design also seem to be making more sense when applying the proposed translation of the word "Cherub" its all occurrences in the Pentateuch.

And even though this is going to be my last post for 2011, this is not all to it. One other very interesting detail that I have not discussed yet are the depictions of the Swords (Cherubim) on Curtains and Coverings of the Tabernacle.

In 2012, my first post will be dedicated specifically to that topic, so stay tuned and enjoy!

The Cherubim: An Etymology of The Sword - Part 2

noreply@blogger.com (Aleksandr Sigalov) — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 20:40:00 +0000

Now that we have figured out the meaning of the word "Cherubim", let's move on to the design of these "swords".

But first and foremost, let's examine the type of the "swords" that these "Cherubim" might have represented. This is important both for the design and also for understanding the purpose of such elements in the symbolic framework of the Tabernacle.

From the verses cited in the first part of this post, we will need verse of Gen 3:24, and a few extra verses from the Pentateuch:

Gen 3:24 So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life.

Gen 3:24 ‏וַיְגָ֖רֶשׁ אֶת־הָֽאָדָ֑ם וַיַּשְׁכֵּן֩ מִקֶּ֨דֶם לְגַן־עֵ֜דֶן אֶת־הַכְּרֻבִ֗ים וְאֵ֨ת לַ֤הַט הַחֶ֙רֶב֙ הַמִּתְהַפֶּ֔כֶת לִשְׁמֹ֕ר אֶת־דֶּ֖רֶךְ עֵ֥ץ הַֽחַיִּֽים׃

Ex 15:3 The LORD is a man of war: the LORD is his name.

Ex 15:3 ‏יְהוָ֖ה אִ֣ישׁ מִלְחָמָ֑ה יְהוָ֖ה שְׁמֽוֹ׃

Numb 31:6 And Moses sent them to the war, a thousand of every tribe, them and Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest, to the war, with the holy instruments, and the trumpets to blow in his hand.

Numb 31:6 ‏וַיִּשְׁלַ֨ח אֹתָ֥ם מֹשֶׁ֛ה אֶ֥לֶף לַמַּטֶּ֖ה לַצָּבָ֑א אֹ֠תָם וְאֶת־פִּ֨ינְחָ֜ס בֶּן־אֶלְעָזָ֤ר הַכֹּהֵן֙ לַצָּבָ֔א וּכְלֵ֥י הַקֹּ֛דֶשׁ וַחֲצֹצְר֥וֹת הַתְּרוּעָ֖ה בְּיָדֽוֹ׃

From these three verses, you can clearly see that these Swords (Cherubim) represented God's Justice. You should not consider the translation I'm proposing as an indication that God in any way needlessly violent or barbaric.

These Swords were used to keep Adam from the Tree of Lives after he had sinned (as punishment), not to KILL him. Ex. 15:3 tells us that God is at war with the unrighteous and unrighteousness. And the last verse also indicates that the Tabernacle vessels (i.e Ark, Altars e.t.c) were carried into battle to intimidate God's enemies with the light of the Divine Presence.

Lastly I want to say, is that we usually do not say the "Shield of Justice". This is illogical as the victim of a crime can be dead and may not need to be shielded.

On the other hand, we do say the "Sword of Justice", because Justice must AT LEAST punish the guilty party, instead of AT LEAST to protect the victim.

In other words the Justice must always be served and have some kind of result. And since the wicked are not exactly eager to be punished, the SWORD is needed to uphold Justice and Righteousness before the faces of God.

This is why the "Cherubim" are represented by a WEAPON of Justice, (NOT WEAPON of Violence), and NOT by some scary looking yet seemingly defenceless (weak) creatures.

And this is what the actual physical design of these Swords MUST reflect.

Thus, let's take a look at the description of the Lid of the Ark of The Covenant and see what we can come up with. Please note that for convenience an readability reasons, in the translation below the word "Cherub/Cherubim" was replaced with "Sword/Swords".

Ex 25:18 And thou shalt make two swords of gold, of beaten work shalt thou make them, from the two ends of the mercy seat.
Ex 25:18 ‏וְעָשִׂ֛יתָ שְׁנַ֥יִם כְּרֻבִ֖ים זָהָ֑ב מִקְשָׁה֙ תַּעֲשֶׂ֣ה אֹתָ֔ם מִשְּׁנֵ֖י קְצ֥וֹת הַכַּפֹּֽרֶת׃

Ex 25:19 ‏וַ֠עֲשֵׂה כְּר֨וּב אֶחָ֤ד מִקָּצָה֙ מִזֶּ֔ה וּכְרוּב־אֶחָ֥ד מִקָּצָ֖ה מִזֶּ֑ה מִן־הַכַּפֹּ֛רֶת תַּעֲשׂ֥וּ אֶת־הַכְּרֻבִ֖ים עַל־שְׁנֵ֥י קְצוֹתָֽיו׃
Ex 25:19 And make one sword on the one end, and the other sword on the other end: even of the mercy seat shall ye make the swords on the two ends thereof.‎

Ex 25:20 ‏וְהָי֣וּ הַכְּרֻבִים֩ פֹּרְשֵׂ֨י כְנָפַ֜יִם לְמַ֗עְלָה סֹכְכִ֤ים בְּכַנְפֵיהֶם֙ עַל־הַכַּפֹּ֔רֶת וּפְנֵיהֶ֖ם אִ֣ישׁ אֶל־אָחִ֑יו אֶל־הַכַּפֹּ֔רֶת יִהְי֖וּ פְּנֵ֥י הַכְּרֻבִֽים׃
Ex 25:20 And the swords shall stretch forth their edges on high, covering the mercy seat with their edges, and their faces shall look one to another; toward the mercy seat shall the faces of the swords be.

Ex 25:21 And thou shalt put the mercy seat above upon the ark; and in the ark thou shalt put the testimony that I shall give thee.
Ex 25:21 ‏וְנָתַתָּ֧ אֶת־הַכַּפֹּ֛רֶת עַל־הָאָרֹ֖ן מִלְמָ֑עְלָה וְאֶל־הָ֣אָרֹ֔ן תִּתֵּן֙ אֶת־הָ֣עֵדֻ֔ת אֲשֶׁ֥ר אֶתֵּ֖ן אֵלֶֽיךָ׃

Ex 25:22 ‏וְנוֹעַדְתִּ֣י לְךָ֮ שָׁם֒ וְדִבַּרְתִּ֨י אִתְּךָ֜ מֵעַ֣ל הַכַּפֹּ֗רֶת מִבֵּין֙ שְׁנֵ֣י הַכְּרֻבִ֔ים אֲשֶׁ֖ר עַל־אֲרֹ֣ן הָעֵדֻ֑ת אֵ֣ת כָּל־אֲשֶׁ֧ר אֲצַוֶּ֛ה אוֹתְךָ֖ אֶל־בְּנֵ֥י יִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃ פ
Ex 25:22 And there I will meet with thee, and I will commune with thee from above the mercy seat, from between the two swords which are upon the ark of the testimony, of all things which I will give thee in commandment unto the children of Israel.

Of utmost interest to us is the verse of Ex 25:20, as it provides the most crucial details to the understanding of the design of the Swords(Cherubim). This is because this verse talks about the position of the Swords and their orientation in relation to the Mercy Seat. Also, this verse provides us with the hints toward the design of the sword blade itself, which is also very important.

To describe the blade design, the word (כנפים)(edges) is used. In Pentateuch, this word is also used to describe the wings, particularly those of a scavenging bird. Most likely - an Eagle (see Ex 19:4). Here is a photo of an American Bold Eagle with its wings stretched out in a manner that I think description is talking about. This image is from this web site:

There are more pictures there, so follow the link.

As you can see, and frankly - most scavenging birds, feature similar wing design (this is so that they can circle in the air - to glide) and as you can clearly see from this image, their wings are composed of many feathers that form this sort-of a wavy edge. Exactly what the root of our word in question implies - the multitude/many e.t.c. This also suggests that the traditional design of the Cherubim with Wings is not that far from the truth, even though not accurate.

Now, the same verse of Ex 25:20 tells us that their Wings, or in our case - Edges, should point upward. This means that these Swords (Cherubim) were single-edged and not dual-edged. As you can understand, it is impossible to point edges of a dual-edged sword upward, as one edge will always be pointing in opposite direction - downward. So, there you have it, our Sword (Cherub) is of a single-edged design.

Thus, our Swords (Cherubim) have to be single-edged, with a wavy (flamed) blade edge.

Just as an interesting observation, every specific blade design is most suited for a particular task. Here is a very nice diagram, from this wikipedia article, that gives basic idea about different styles of blades:

The blade of our Sword would most likely be #2 or #4, or as article describes it - trailing-point (#2) or drop point(#4).

On the other hand, the diagram on the left does not show the Flamberge - a flame-bladed sword. So on the right you can see one nice #5 (spear-point) with its nice wavy blade.

But since our Sword was single-edged, what we are looking for is a hybrid of mentioned possible blade types and the wavy look of the flame-bladed sword (remember Gen 3:24).

Thus, after playing around with the possible combinations of designs, I have come up with this:

As you can see, the resulting Sword(Cherub) would have single wavy edge and a concave face. The Sword(Cherub) would be in a form of a stretched out and a bit flattened pair of Eagle Wings.

In my next post, I will show you the result of such Sword(Cherub) design, along with updated renderings of the Mercy Seat and the Ark of The Covenant, and even more reasons for the choice of such design that finds affirmation in other verses of the Pentateuch.

The Cherubim: An Etymology of The Sword - Part 1

noreply@blogger.com (Aleksandr Sigalov) — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 21:09:00 +0000

As you well aware, The Cherubim is one of the few parts of the Tabernacle description of which does not appear to be available in the original text of the Pentateuch. Based on the text of other books of Tanach, it also seems that these "creatures" were rather of intricate design, which makes the lack of detailed description even more appalling.

So, let's begin by examining what we do know about Cherubim from the relevant verses from the Pentateuch.

Genesis 3:24 So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life.

Genesis 3:‎24 ‏וַיְגָ֖רֶשׁ אֶת־הָֽאָדָ֑ם וַיַּשְׁכֵּן֩ מִקֶּ֨דֶם לְגַן־עֵ֜דֶן אֶת־הַכְּרֻבִ֗ים וְאֵ֨ת לַ֤הַט הַחֶ֙רֶב֙ הַמִּתְהַפֶּ֔כֶת לִשְׁמֹ֕ר אֶת־דֶּ֖רֶךְ עֵ֥ץ הַֽחַיִּֽים׃

Exodus 25:‎18 ‏וְעָשִׂ֛יתָ שְׁנַ֥יִם כְּרֻבִ֖ים זָהָ֑ב מִקְשָׁה֙ תַּעֲשֶׂ֣ה אֹתָ֔ם מִשְּׁנֵ֖י קְצ֥וֹת הַכַּפֹּֽרֶת׃

Exodus 25:18 And thou shalt make two cherubims of gold, of beaten work shalt thou make them, in the two ends of the mercy seat.

Exodus 25:‎19 ‏וַ֠עֲשֵׂה כְּר֨וּב אֶחָ֤ד מִקָּצָה֙ מִזֶּ֔ה וּכְרוּב־אֶחָ֥ד מִקָּצָ֖ה מִזֶּ֑ה מִן־הַכַּפֹּ֛רֶת תַּעֲשׂ֥וּ אֶת־הַכְּרֻבִ֖ים עַל־שְׁנֵ֥י קְצוֹתָֽיו׃

Exodus 25:19 And make one cherub on the one end, and the other cherub on the other end: even of the mercy seat shall ye make the cherubims on the two ends thereof.‎

Exodus 25:20 ‏וְהָי֣וּ הַכְּרֻבִים֩ פֹּרְשֵׂ֨י כְנָפַ֜יִם לְמַ֗עְלָה סֹכְכִ֤ים בְּכַנְפֵיהֶם֙ עַל־הַכַּפֹּ֔רֶת וּפְנֵיהֶ֖ם אִ֣ישׁ אֶל־אָחִ֑יו אֶל־הַכַּפֹּ֔רֶת יִהְי֖וּ פְּנֵ֥י הַכְּרֻבִֽים׃

Exodus 25:20 And the cherubims shall stretch forth their wings on high, covering the mercy seat with their wings, and their faces shall look one to another; toward the mercy seat shall the faces of the cherubims be.

Exodus 25:22 ‏וְנוֹעַדְתִּ֣י לְךָ֮ שָׁם֒ וְדִבַּרְתִּ֨י אִתְּךָ֜ מֵעַ֣ל הַכַּפֹּ֗רֶת מִבֵּין֙ שְׁנֵ֣י הַכְּרֻבִ֔ים אֲשֶׁ֖ר עַל־אֲרֹ֣ן הָעֵדֻ֑ת אֵ֣ת כָּל־אֲשֶׁ֧ר אֲצַוֶּ֛ה אוֹתְךָ֖ אֶל־בְּנֵ֥י יִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃ פ

Exodus 25:22 And there I will meet with thee, and I will commune with thee from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubims which are upon the ark of the testimony, of all things which I will give thee in commandment unto the children of Israel.

Exodus 26:‎1 ‏וְאֶת־הַמִּשְׁכָּ֥ן תַּעֲשֶׂ֖ה עֶ֣שֶׂר יְרִיעֹ֑ת שֵׁ֣שׁ מָשְׁזָ֗ר וּתְכֵ֤לֶת וְאַרְגָּמָן֙ וְתֹלַ֣עַת שָׁנִ֔י כְּרֻבִ֛ים מַעֲשֵׂ֥ה חֹשֵׁ֖ב תַּעֲשֶׂ֥ה אֹתָֽם׃

Exodus 26:1 Moreover thou shalt make the tabernacle with ten curtains of fine twined linen, and blue, and purple, and scarlet: with cherubims of cunning work shalt thou make them.

Exodus 26:31 ‏וְעָשִׂ֣יתָ פָרֹ֗כֶת תְּכֵ֧לֶת וְאַרְגָּמָ֛ן וְתוֹלַ֥עַת שָׁנִ֖י וְשֵׁ֣שׁ מָשְׁזָ֑ר מַעֲשֵׂ֥ה חֹשֵׁ֛ב יַעֲשֶׂ֥ה אֹתָ֖הּ כְּרֻבִֽים׃

Exodus 26:31 And thou shalt make a vail of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen of cunning work: with cherubims shall it be made:

‎Exodus 36:8 ‏וַיַּעֲשׂ֨וּ כָל־חֲכַם־לֵ֜ב בְּעֹשֵׂ֧י הַמְּלָאכָ֛ה אֶת־הַמִּשְׁכָּ֖ן עֶ֣שֶׂר יְרִיעֹ֑ת שֵׁ֣שׁ מָשְׁזָ֗ר וּתְכֵ֤לֶת וְאַרְגָּמָן֙ וְתוֹלַ֣עַת שָׁנִ֔י כְּרֻבִ֛ים מַעֲשֵׂ֥ה חֹשֵׁ֖ב עָשָׂ֥ה אֹתָֽם׃

Exodus 36:8 And every wise hearted man among them that wrought the work of the tabernacle made ten curtains of fine twined linen, and blue, and purple, and scarlet: with cherubims of cunning work made he them.

Exodus 36:‎35 ‏וַיַּ֙עַשׂ֙ אֶת־הַפָּרֹ֔כֶת תְּכֵ֧לֶת וְאַרְגָּמָ֛ן וְתוֹלַ֥עַת שָׁנִ֖י וְשֵׁ֣שׁ מָשְׁזָ֑ר מַעֲשֵׂ֥ה חֹשֵׁ֛ב עָשָׂ֥ה אֹתָ֖הּ כְּרֻבִֽים׃

Exodus 36:35 And he made a vail of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen: with cherubims made he it of cunning work.

‎Exodus 37:7 ‏וַיַּ֛עַשׂ שְׁנֵ֥י כְרֻבִ֖ים זָהָ֑ב מִקְשָׁה֙ עָשָׂ֣ה אֹתָ֔ם מִשְּׁנֵ֖י קְצ֥וֹת הַכַּפֹּֽרֶת

Exodus 37:7 And he made two cherubims of gold, beaten out of one piece made he them, on the two ends of the mercy seat;‎‎

Exodus 37:8 ‏כְּרוּב־אֶחָ֤ד מִקָּצָה֙ מִזֶּ֔ה וּכְרוּב־אֶחָ֥ד מִקָּצָ֖ה מִזֶּ֑ה מִן־הַכַּפֹּ֛רֶת עָשָׂ֥ה אֶת־הַכְּרֻבִ֖ים מִשְּׁנֵ֥י קצוותו

8 One cherub on the end on this side, and another cherub on the other end on that side: out of the mercy seat made he the cherubims on the two ends thereof.

Exodus 37:‎9 ‏וַיִּהְי֣וּ הַכְּרֻבִים֩ פֹּרְשֵׂ֨י כְנָפַ֜יִם לְמַ֗עְלָה סֹֽכְכִ֤ים בְּכַנְפֵיהֶם֙ עַל־הַכַּפֹּ֔רֶת וּפְנֵיהֶ֖ם אִ֣ישׁ אֶל־אָחִ֑יו אֶל־הַכַּפֹּ֔רֶת הָי֖וּ פְּנֵ֥י הַכְּרֻבִֽים׃ פ

Exodus 37:9 And the cherubims spread out their wings on high, and covered with their wings over the mercy seat, with their faces one to another; even to the mercy seatward were the faces of the cherubims.

Numbers 7:‎89 ‏וּבְבֹ֨א מֹשֶׁ֜ה אֶל־אֹ֣הֶל מוֹעֵד֮ לְדַבֵּ֣ר אִתּוֹ֒ וַיִּשְׁמַ֨ע אֶת־הַקּ֜וֹל מִדַּבֵּ֣ר אֵלָ֗יו מֵעַ֤ל הַכַּפֹּ֙רֶת֙ אֲשֶׁר֙ עַל־אֲרֹ֣ן הָעֵדֻ֔ת מִבֵּ֖ין שְׁנֵ֣י הַכְּרֻבִ֑ים וַיְדַבֵּ֖ר אֵלָֽיו׃

Numbers 7:89 And when Moses was gone into the tabernacle of the congregation to speak with him, then he heard the voice of one speaking unto him from off the mercy seat that was upon the ark of testimony, from between the two cherubims: and he spake unto him.

We will also need these auxiliary verses for comparison:

Exodus 23:‎2 ‏לֹֽא־תִהְיֶ֥ה אַחֲרֵֽי־רַבִּ֖ים לְרָעֹ֑ת וְלֹא־תַעֲנֶ֣ה עַל־רִ֗ב לִנְטֹ֛ת אַחֲרֵ֥י רַבִּ֖ים לְהַטֹּֽת׃

Exodus 23:2 Thou shalt not follow a multitude to do evil; neither shalt thou speak in a cause to decline after many to wrest judgment:

Psalms 64:‎3 ‏תַּ֭סְתִּירֵנִי מִסּ֣וֹד מְרֵעִ֑ים מֵ֝רִגְשַׁ֗ת פֹּ֣עֲלֵי אָֽוֶן׃

Psalms 64:3 Who whet their tongue like a sword, and bend their bows to shoot their arrows, even bitter words:

Now, as you can see, from the top part of the verses that I have provided, we can't draw any definitive conclusions about The Cherubim, except that maybe there were two of them on the ends of the Lid of the Ark of The Covenant and that they had "wings" and "faces". But this is not enough to really understand what they looked like. So? What we are to do ?

Well, the answer is rather simple really and right in front of us...

The Cherubim ARE The Swords !

For these three reasons:

If we read "Sword" instead of "Cherub" and "Swords" instead of "Cherubim" the text and the descriptions will suddenly start to make perfect sense, both linguistically and logically.
The crucial difference in spelling between "the Sword" (כחרב) and "the Cherub" (כרוב) can easily be accounted for by the fact that both words share 1 single 2-letter root ("רב" - many/multitude) and not two similar yet separate 3-letter roots, as usually suggested by most translations.
This can also be a simple matter of defective reading or masoretic misspelling or a variant, which would not be surprising considering that this is well in line of such occurrences and is not uncommon in the text.

Of'course, #1 is more than enough for me, but #2 and #3 should serve as an extra incentive for you to quail your skepticism. But let's go over each point in a bit more detailed manner:

1) I think for this point, it's better simply provide a comparison between original and modified verse, in stead of engaging into a long explanation. Judge for yourself what happens when we replace the word "Cherubim" with the word "Sword" and applying correct punctuation and numerals. Its in English, of'course, but I'm working directly with the Hebrew text. Differences are highlighted:

Original Verse:

Genesis 3:24 So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life.

Changed Verse:

Genesis 3:24 So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden swords; and a flame of the sword, which turned every way, keep the way to the tree of lives.

Original Verse:

Exodus 25:18 And thou shalt make two cherubims of gold, of beaten work shalt thou make them, in the two ends of the mercy seat.

Changed Verse:

Exodus 25:18 And thou shalt make two swords of gold, of beaten work shalt thou make them, in the two ends of the mercy seat.

Original Verse:

Exodus 26:1 Moreover thou shalt make the tabernacle with ten curtains of fine twined linen, and blue, and purple, and scarlet: with cherubims of cunning work shalt thou make them.

Changed Verse:

Exodus 26:1 Moreover thou shalt make the tabernacle: ten curtains of fine twined linen; and blue, and purple, and scarlet pair of swords of cunning work shalt thou make with them.

I hope that you can see an amazing clarity of the text once the correct translation (understanding) of the word is applied.

2) Now, let's take a look at the common root (רב) of both words. Here are a few examples of the concordant reading of this root word: much, many, vast, grand, numerous, abundant [Strong's], multitude, large, much, contend (as in a tool for dealing with an adversary)

Well, the way (רב) relates to the "Sword" is simple - it is the Biblical way of describing bevels of the blade of the Sword (or any other similar cutting instrument). Take a look at the images below. Its from the web site called sharpeningtechniques.blogspot.com by Clay Allison.

As you can clearly see from these magnificent (pun is intended) photos of razor-sharp blade of a knife, it is composed of many tiny blades (or more properly - bevels) that are essentially tiny blades. And this is what makes the knife (or in our case - the sword) work. As you can also see from the image above, both the edge of the blade and its sides have to be covered with such bevels (tiny blades) in order for the sword to cut well. I also encourage you to visit this web site for more amazing close-up shots of the blades.

Hence, the Hebrew root (רב)(many/multitude) as it would be the most proper way to describe a cutting weapon.

3) Well, this one is also rather clear. Masoretic text is not an absolutely perfect copy of the original text given to Moses by God. Therefore, it is not uncommon to see different spellings of the same exact words throughout the text. Particularly when it comes to guttural letters such as (and as in our case) "כ"(kaf) vs "ח"(het), e.t.c. This problem becomes particularly visible if you were to compare Samaritan and Masoretic Pentateuch's side by side.

I hope that now you have been enlightened and will be able to properly understand the original text and the original meaning of the expression "Cherubim".

In my next post, I will be discussing the design of these swords, so that we can get an idea of what they may actually looked like and also what it would look like once applied to the Tabernacle parts.

Exclusive Material: The Cherubim

noreply@blogger.com (Aleksandr Sigalov) — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 06:25:00 +0000

I feel very excited because over the next few days I would like to present to you my latest research related to the mystical creatures, the Cherubim ("כרבים"), that were on top of the Lid of the Ark of The Covenant. Since this is relevant to my upcoming Priestly Garments update, I feel that it is important to present this subject first and then move on to the garments.

I will be talking about this element of the Tabernacle:

So stay tuned, as you will get a chance to be the first to see this amazing material.

An Updated Tabernacle Layout

noreply@blogger.com (Aleksandr Sigalov) — Mon, 26 Dec 2011 01:45:00 +0000

Here is an updated (or rather - current) version of the Tabernacle Layout. It incorporates the minor changes that I have discussed in my previous posts, and it supposed to be more readable and consistent since I'm using new software to create it.

Most notable changes include the dimensions of the Tent Pillars (I changed them from 0.5 cubits to 1 cubit in outside diameter), location of the Golden Altar of Incense (exactly in the middle of the Tent Framework) and the dimensions of the Copper-plated Altar of Burnt Offering (changed height from 5 to 3 cubits and removed the ramp).

From The Desert Tabernacle - Continued 2

If you like, below is my old (from 2009) and now outdated layout for comparison:

Enjoy and feel free to download and use it.

First Disassembly and Decampment of The Tabernacle

noreply@blogger.com (Aleksandr Sigalov) — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 00:42:00 +0000

Many new, exciting and exclusive updates are to come to my blog, but for now I would like to answer this very interesting question: when exactly was the Tabernacle disassembled and decamped for the first time?

Now, as usual, all the information is right in the original text. But in this particular case it is buried deep within the chapters and not many people actually aware of it.

Let's take a look at Numbers 10:11-13:

11 And it came to pass on the twentieth day of the second month, in the second year, that the cloud was taken up from off the tabernacle of the testimony.

12 And the children of Israel took their journeys out of the wilderness of Sinai; and the cloud rested in the wilderness of Paran.

13 And they first took their journey according to the commandment of the LORD by the hand of Moses.

‎11 ‏וַיְהִ֞י בַּשָּׁנָ֧ה הַשֵּׁנִ֛ית בַּחֹ֥דֶשׁ הַשֵּׁנִ֖י בְּעֶשְׂרִ֣ים בַּחֹ֑דֶשׁ נַעֲלָה֙ הֶֽעָנָ֔ן מֵעַ֖ל מִשְׁכַּ֥ן הָעֵדֻֽת׃

‎12 ‏וַיִּסְע֧וּ בְנֵֽי־יִשְׂרָאֵ֛ל לְמַסְעֵיהֶ֖ם מִמִּדְבַּ֣ר סִינָ֑י וַיִּשְׁכֹּ֥ן הֶעָנָ֖ן בְּמִדְבַּ֥ר פָּארָֽן׃

‎13 ‏וַיִּסְע֖וּ בָּרִאשֹׁנָ֑ה עַל־פִּ֥י יְהוָ֖ה בְּיַד־מֹשֶֽׁה׃

As you can read from the description, on 20th of 2nd month, in year 2 from Exodus out of Egypt, the Pillar of Smoke (Cloud of Smoke, that represented God's presence) was taken up from off the Tabernacle. This cloud:

Please note the use of important word "the cloud" ("הענן"/"he'anan"), as I have discussed in this post, this particular word means that the Tabernacle was first moved during the day time, and not night time. And most likely in the morning, so that Levites have enough time to disassemble and prepare the Tabernacle for transportation, yet still have plenty of daylight left to get them started (it was their first time).

Also, in the morning the sun would shine from the east (obviously) and it would light up the Gate of the Courtyard FROM OUTSIDE (as shown above), perhaps signifying that it is time for Levites to enter the Tabernacle and begin working ( in this case - to disassemble it).

As you can see, everything in the Tabernacle (due to its very specific design) had an important and dedicated purpose.

Another point worth mentioning that right in the preceding verses of the same chapter (Numbers 10), it provides us with the description of the of the Silver Trumpets that would be used to announce the move and to direct it (Numbers 10:4-6).

This means that the Silver Trumpets were also used for the first time for this particular task of moving the Tabernacle.

I hope this gave you some fresh insights into the Tabernacle operation.

The Tabernacle Explorer 3D Update

noreply@blogger.com (Aleksandr Sigalov) — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 18:13:00 +0000

Here is a first update to my Tabernacle Explorer 3D software. The changes are as follows:

An Online Version
Stand-alone version is now less in size, in ZIP archive and should be more compatible with different versions of Windows OS.
New separate Web Site for the Software.
Troubleshooting tips for the software.
Minor code and model fixes.

Go here to check this all out.

Enjoy!

Status Update

noreply@blogger.com (Aleksandr Sigalov) — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 20:37:00 +0000

Unfortunately, my work on Priestly Garments 3D models going much slower than I have anticipated and for that I must apologize. I have run into several problems along the way, primarily the difficulties with making sense of the description of each garment (Exodus 28), as well as acquiring some textual source materials that I needed to support my choice of the design.

However, the good news is that some of the outlines of the models that I have completed so far are looking very good and I believe the end result will look even better. I'm also working to improve the presentation of the models, because I think my Tabernacle models did not look that great.

I hope that I will be able to show some of my work pretty soon, so even though I will not be posting, please do not think that I have abandoned my blog ;) I do plan, however, to post answers to a few interesting questions that have come up about the Tabernacle description, so there will be something for you to ponder upon while my models are in works.

Collection of the Tabernacle Illustrations

noreply@blogger.com (Aleksandr Sigalov) — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 00:16:00 +0000

I have found two web sites that contain various artistic illustrations of the Tabernacle. Covered are pretty much all parts and pieces, made by different artists or scanned from different books.

First web site is of the Portland Bible study group. There are many more illustrations if you will follow the link, but here are some notable ones:

Here is an overview of the Tabernacle camp:

Here is another overview of the Tabernacle and camp:

Here is a labeled diagram of the camp with tribes names and locations:

Here is one of the traditional Tabernacle Courtyard layouts. It is obviously incorrect for the many reasons I have stated in my previous posts and an article.

Here is also one of the traditional layouts of the western side of the Tabernacle Tent Frame. Also incorrect for the reasons that I have covered numerous times:

Another layout of the Tent of the Tabernacle. Also incorrect.

Here is the schematic diagram of many Tabernacle parts. Many of them incorrect as they are based on the traditional interpretations and opinions.

Here is the Breastplate of Judgement of the High Priest (Aaron). Schematic artistic rendering according to one of the traditional interpretations.

Here is an artistic rendering of the High Priest in his priestly garments.

Here is yet one more schematic diagram of the High Priest Garments, labeled according to the verses from the text.

And here is another artistic rendering of the High Priest in his garments, surrounded by regular Levites who also served at the Tabernacle.

The second web site is rather a commercial venture where different Bible illustrators post their images for sale. Since there are too many of them there and they are all copyrighted, I'm not going to post any pictures here, but I encourage you to follow this second link as well and browse around by using different search criteria. There are many beautiful, insightful and modern images there. Here is the link with an arbitrary search terms.

Festival of Huts (Sukkot)

noreply@blogger.com (Aleksandr Sigalov) — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 19:30:00 +0000

The last out of five major holidays, and the third of the mandatory holidays, is the Festival of Huts (aka Feast of Tabernacles, Festival of Booths, Sukkot, e.t.c).

The most interesting and important detail about this holiday is the type of dwelling that being celebrated. Let's take a look at the original text first, in Leviticus 23:39-43:

39 Also in the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when ye have gathered in the fruit of the land, ye shall keep a feast unto the LORD seven days: on the first day shall be a sabbath, and on the eighth day shall be a sabbath.

40 And ye shall take you on the first day the boughs of goodly trees, branches of palm trees, and the boughs of thick trees, and willows of the brook; and ye shall rejoice before the LORD your God seven days.

41 And ye shall keep it a feast unto the LORD seven days in the year. It shall be a statute for ever in your generations: ye shall celebrate it in the seventh month.

42 Ye shall dwell in booths seven days; all that are Israelites born shall dwell in booths:

43 That your generations may know that I made the children of Israel to dwell in booths, when I brought them out of the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God.

39 ‏אַ֡ךְ בַּחֲמִשָּׁה֩ עָשָׂ֨ר י֜וֹם לַחֹ֣דֶשׁ הַשְּׁבִיעִ֗י בְּאָסְפְּכֶם֙ אֶת־תְּבוּאַ֣ת הָאָ֔רֶץ תָּחֹ֥גּוּ אֶת־חַג־יְהוָ֖ה שִׁבְעַ֣ת יָמִ֑ים בַּיּ֤וֹם הָֽרִאשׁוֹן֙ שַׁבָּת֔וֹן וּבַיּ֥וֹם הַשְּׁמִינִ֖י שַׁבָּתֽוֹן׃

40 ‏וּלְקַחְתֶּ֨ם לָכֶ֜ם בַּיּ֣וֹם הָרִאשׁ֗וֹן פְּרִ֨י עֵ֤ץ הָדָר֙ כַּפֹּ֣ת תְּמָרִ֔ים וַעֲנַ֥ף עֵץ־עָבֹ֖ת וְעַרְבֵי־נָ֑חַל וּשְׂמַחְתֶּ֗ם לִפְנֵ֛י יְהוָ֥ה אֱלֹהֵיכֶ֖ם שִׁבְעַ֥ת יָמִֽים׃

‎41 ‏וְחַגֹּתֶ֤ם אֹתוֹ֙ חַ֣ג לַֽיהוָ֔ה שִׁבְעַ֥ת יָמִ֖ים בַּשָּׁנָ֑ה חֻקַּ֤ת עוֹלָם֙ לְדֹרֹ֣תֵיכֶ֔ם בַּחֹ֥דֶשׁ הַשְּׁבִיעִ֖י תָּחֹ֥גּוּ אֹתֽוֹ׃

‎42 ‏בַּסֻּכֹּ֥ת תֵּשְׁב֖וּ שִׁבְעַ֣ת יָמִ֑ים כָּל־הָֽאֶזְרָח֙ בְּיִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל יֵשְׁב֖וּ בַּסֻּכֹּֽת׃

‎43 ‏לְמַעַן֮ יֵדְע֣וּ דֹרֹֽתֵיכֶם֒ כִּ֣י בַסֻּכּ֗וֹת הוֹשַׁ֙בְתִּי֙ אֶת־בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל בְּהוֹצִיאִ֥י אוֹתָ֖ם מֵאֶ֣רֶץ מִצְרָ֑יִם אֲנִ֖י יְהוָ֥ה אֱלֹהֵיכֶֽם׃

As you can see, on this holiday, people are required to dwell in "huts" ("סכת" sukkot, plural). The reason why I'm using the word "hut" and not "booths" or "tabernacles" is not accidental.

In the original text the following major distinctions are made:

"סכה" (sukkah - hut) is a "Temporary Mobile SHELTER". See Lev. 23:40 above.
"אהל" (ohel - tent) is a "Permanent Mobile DWELLING" See Gen. 25:27
"בית" (beit - house) is a "Permanent Stationary STRUCTURE" See Gen. 33:17

For comparison and posterity here are the definitions provided by the Oxford Dictionary for all of these types of shelters:

Hut - "a small single-story building of simple or crude construction, serving as a poor, rough, or temporary house or shelter."
Booth - "a small temporary tent or structure at a market, fair, or exhibition, used for selling goods, providing information, or staging shows."
Tent - "a portable shelter made of cloth, supported by one or more poles and stretched tight by cords or loops attached to pegs driven into the ground."
Tabernacle - "(in biblical use) a fixed or movable habitation, typically of light construction. a tent used as a sanctuary for the Ark of the Covenant by the Israelites during the Exodus and until the building of the Temple."
Building (related - House) - "a structure with a roof and walls, such as a house, school, store, or factory"

Thus, we can't call this holiday a "Festival of Booths", as a "Booth" is not a shelter, it is more of a structure or a dwelling; and it may not be necessarily temporary as "booths" usually constructed out of processed materials.

We can't call this holiday a "Festival of Tabernacles/Tents" either, as the Tabernacle/Tent is also somewhat of a structure rather than a shelter.

The "huts", however, are usually more of a shelter, rather than a structure and is usually made out of the materials specified in the Lev. 23:40.

Thus, in my humble opinions, the "Festival of Huts" is the most appropriate translation of the original text, as well as the most notable detail as far as the comparison with the Tabernacle goes.

Also, as you can see from the description above, these "huts" were to be made out of fresh, UNPROCESSED wood and foliage, as opposed to (i.e.) Tabernacle that was made out of processed plant AND animal materials.

Therefore, the "hut" required for the holiday would look like a palm hut/fishing hut of sorts, somewhat like so (image from this web site):

Compare it with the traditional Jewish structure (from this web site):

And just for fun (only in the spirit of the holiday), here is a modern and rather abstract concept of a Sukkah as envisioned by some Jewish "architects" (image from this website - detailed drawing here):

The Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur)

noreply@blogger.com (Aleksandr Sigalov) — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 02:19:00 +0000

The fourth out of five major holidays is the Yom ha-Kippurim: lit. the Day of Shelters. Traditionally this holiday is known as the Day of Atonement or Yom Kippur (singular). The word "kippur" literally refers to the Lid of the Ark of the Covenant (i.e Ex. 25:17) and thus the name of the Holiday.

Let's take a look at the main description that can be found in Levtiticus 23:26-32:

26 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,

27 Also on the tenth day of this seventh month there shall be a day of atonement: it shall be an holy convocation unto you; and ye shall afflict your souls, and offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD.

28 And ye shall do no work in that same day: for it is a day of atonement, to make an atonement for you before the LORD your God.

29 For whatsoever soul it be that shall not be afflicted in that same day, he shall be cut off from among his people.

30 And whatsoever soul it be that doeth any work in that same day, the same soul will I destroy from among his people.

31 Ye shall do no manner of work: it shall be a statute for ever throughout your generations in all your dwellings.

32 It shall be unto you a sabbath of rest, and ye shall afflict your souls: in the ninth day of the month at even, from even unto even, shall ye celebrate your sabbath.

26 ‏וַיְדַבֵּ֥ר יְהוָ֖ה אֶל־מֹשֶׁ֥ה לֵּאמֹֽר׃

‎27 ‏אַ֡ךְ בֶּעָשׂ֣וֹר לַחֹדֶשׁ֩ הַשְּׁבִיעִ֨י הַזֶּ֜ה י֧וֹם הַכִּפֻּרִ֣ים ה֗וּא מִֽקְרָא־קֹ֙דֶשׁ֙ יִהְיֶ֣ה לָכֶ֔ם וְעִנִּיתֶ֖ם אֶת־נַפְשֹׁתֵיכֶ֑ם וְהִקְרַבְתֶּ֥ם אִשֶּׁ֖ה לַיהוָֽה׃

‎28 ‏וְכָל־מְלָאכָה֙ לֹ֣א תַעֲשׂ֔וּ בְּעֶ֖צֶם הַיּ֣וֹם הַזֶּ֑ה כִּ֣י י֤וֹם כִּפֻּרִים֙ ה֔וּא לְכַפֵּ֣ר עֲלֵיכֶ֔ם לִפְנֵ֖י יְהוָ֥ה אֱלֹהֵיכֶֽם׃

‎29 ‏כִּ֤י כָל־הַנֶּ֙פֶשׁ֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר לֹֽא־תְעֻנֶּ֔ה בְּעֶ֖צֶם הַיּ֣וֹם הַזֶּ֑ה וְנִכְרְתָ֖ה מֵֽעַמֶּֽיהָ׃

‎30 ‏וְכָל־הַנֶּ֗פֶשׁ אֲשֶׁ֤ר תַּעֲשֶׂה֙ כָּל־מְלָאכָ֔ה בְּעֶ֖צֶם הַיּ֣וֹם הַזֶּ֑ה וְהַֽאֲבַדְתִּ֛י אֶת־הַנֶּ֥פֶשׁ הַהִ֖וא מִקֶּ֥רֶב עַמָּֽהּ׃

‎31 ‏כָּל־מְלָאכָ֖ה לֹ֣א תַעֲשׂ֑וּ חֻקַּ֤ת עוֹלָם֙ לְדֹרֹ֣תֵיכֶ֔ם בְּכֹ֖ל מֹֽשְׁבֹֽתֵיכֶֽם׃

‎32 ‏שַׁבַּ֨ת שַׁבָּת֥וֹן הוּא֙ לָכֶ֔ם וְעִנִּיתֶ֖ם אֶת־נַפְשֹׁתֵיכֶ֑ם בְּתִשְׁעָ֤ה לַחֹ֙דֶשׁ֙ בָּעֶ֔רֶב מֵעֶ֣רֶב עַד־עֶ֔רֶב תִּשְׁבְּת֖וּ שַׁבַּתְּכֶֽם׃ פ

More detailed description can be found in ‎Leviticus 16:1-34, and since its relevant to the Tabernacle, I would like you to follow this brief summary of the holiday proceedings:

The ritual would be performed by the High Priest himself. No one else would be allowed to do it. The priest would have to follow a set of very specific and strict rules so as to avoid any problems such as in the the death of two sons of Aaron (which are mentioned in the first verses of the description on purpose and as a reminder for non-compliance).

I did not research the procedure in detail and maybe mistaken, but it appears that the ritual would begin at sundown (Lev. 23:32):

After initial preparations (Lev. 16:1-11), the High Priest would first fill the Tent of the Tabernacle with Incense fumes (Lev. 16:12-13):

Only then, when Incense smoke would fill and cover (kippur) the entire Tent, only then he would enter the Holy of Hollies section so do the ritualistic blood sprinkling upon the actual "kippur" - the Ark of the Covenants' Lid (Mercy Seat) [Lev. 16:14-15] Thus the name of the Holiday.

He then would sprinkle blood about the rest of the Tent (the Holy Place). He would be alone inside while doing this. (Lev. 16:16-17)

The High Priest would then exit the Tent of the Tabernacle and proceed to atone the Altar of Burnt Offering, sprinkling blood upon its four Horns. (Lev. 16:18-19).

Once he would be done with that, the High Priest would "curse" the so-called chosen "Goat of Departure", the Scapegoat, and assign one of the priests(?) to take it out to the wilderness and release it there. (Lev 16:20-22)

This would signify that the sins are now far away from the congregation. Lev(16:22) Like so:

Then the Priest would conclude the ritual by washing himself in water; the other person who took the Scapegoat out in the wilderness would also be required to wash himself in water. Other miscellaneous procedures would be performed as well and the "humbling of the soul" (fasting) would commence.(Lev. 16:23-34.

Last, but not least, the blow of the Silver Thrumphets would be used to announce the beginning of the holiday:

I hope that this gave you an idea of what the ritual of the Day of Atonement looked at the times of the Tabernacle. But I hope that once I will finish updating my models, I would be able to provide you with more comprehensive review of this interesting ritual.

Have a great Yom ha-Kippurim!

The Day of the Remembrance (Yom Terua)

noreply@blogger.com (Aleksandr Sigalov) — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 17:22:00 +0000

The third out of five high holidays is the Day of Remembrance [of the trumpet sound]. This holiday has direct connection to the Tabernacle, and since it is coming up soon, I figured I would do a brief introduction.

The description of the most interest can be found in Numbers 10:1-10. Let's take a look:

1 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,

2 Make thee two trumpets of silver; of a whole piece shalt thou make them: that thou mayest use them for the calling of the assembly, and for the journeying of the camps.

‎1 ‏וַיְדַבֵּ֥ר יְהוָ֖ה אֶל־מֹשֶׁ֥ה לֵּאמֹֽר׃

‎2 ‏עֲשֵׂ֣ה לְךָ֗ שְׁתֵּי֙ חֲצֽוֹצְרֹ֣ת כֶּ֔סֶף מִקְשָׁ֖ה תַּעֲשֶׂ֣ה אֹתָ֑ם וְהָי֤וּ לְךָ֙ לְמִקְרָ֣א הָֽעֵדָ֔ה וּלְמַסַּ֖ע אֶת־הַֽמַּחֲנֽוֹת׃

As you can see, two special silver bugles (perhaps, horns or trumpets) were required to be made for the ceremonial purposes, as well as for practical purposes.

8 And the sons of Aaron, the priests, shall blow with the trumpets; and they shall be to you for an ordinance for ever throughout your generations.

9 And if ye go to war in your land against the enemy that oppresseth you, then ye shall blow an alarm with the trumpets; and ye shall be remembered before the LORD your God, and ye shall be saved from your enemies.

10 Also in the day of your gladness, and in your solemn days, and in the beginnings of your months, ye shall blow with the trumpets over your burnt offerings, and over the sacrifices of your peace offerings; that they may be to you for a memorial before your God: I am the LORD your God.

‎8 ‏וּבְנֵ֤י אַהֲרֹן֙ הַכֹּ֣הֲנִ֔ים יִתְקְע֖וּ בַּֽחֲצֹצְר֑וֹת וְהָי֥וּ לָכֶ֛ם לְחֻקַּ֥ת עוֹלָ֖ם לְדֹרֹתֵיכֶֽם׃

‎9 ‏וְכִֽי־תָבֹ֨אוּ מִלְחָמָ֜ה בְּאַרְצְכֶ֗ם עַל־הַצַּר֙ הַצֹּרֵ֣ר אֶתְכֶ֔ם וַהֲרֵעֹתֶ֖ם בַּחֲצֹצְר֑וֹת וֲנִזְכַּרְתֶּ֗ם לִפְנֵי֙ יְהוָ֣ה אֱלֹֽהֵיכֶ֔ם וְנוֹשַׁעְתֶּ֖ם מֵאֹיְבֵיכֶֽם׃

‎10 ‏וּבְי֨וֹם שִׂמְחַתְכֶ֥ם וּֽבְמוֹעֲדֵיכֶם֮ וּבְרָאשֵׁ֣י חָדְשֵׁיכֶם֒ וּתְקַעְתֶּ֣ם בַּחֲצֹֽצְרֹ֗ת עַ֚ל עֹלֹ֣תֵיכֶ֔ם וְעַ֖ל זִבְחֵ֣י שַׁלְמֵיכֶ֑ם וְהָי֨וּ לָכֶ֤ם לְזִכָּרוֹן֙ לִפְנֵ֣י אֱלֹֽהֵיכֶ֔ם אֲנִ֖י יְהוָ֥ה אֱלֹהֵיכֶֽם׃ פ

As you can read from the last verses of this passage, the Sons of Aaron (Eleazar and Ithamar; the other two died) were assigned the task of these trumpets.

Since I have not researched this subject in details yet, I would have to leave my commentary on this as is for now. But I hope that in the future, I would be able to cover it more thoroughly.

One thing I would like to point out though:

In Jewish tradition this (holy)day is known as "Rosh HaShana" (aka Jewish New Year). This is incorrect, as in Leviticus 23:24-25 we are clearly told that the Day of Remembrance falls on the 1st day of the 7th month, and in Exodus 34:22 the seventh month is referred to as "the turning point" (autumn equinox) of the year (not "the end" of the year). Moreover, the term "Rosh HaShana" is explicitly used to indicate the 1st month (the month of Passover) in Exodus 12:2.

Here is a YouTube video that should give you an idea of the sound (but not necessarily shape) of these trumpets:

Dead Sea Scrolls Online

noreply@blogger.com (Aleksandr Sigalov) — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 17:02:00 +0000

The Israel Museum has finally come through and put up some of the Qumran Scrolls online for everyone to view. There are only a few scrolls available for now, and only one(!) includes the transcript and translation. But I think its better than nothing at all, so I suggest you visit the official project web site and enjoy the exibition.

There is also some information and transcripts available in wikipedia. This web site may also be of interest.

Artistic rendering of the Ark, Priestly Garments and the Tabernacle

noreply@blogger.com (Aleksandr Sigalov) — Thu, 22 Sep 2011 22:34:00 +0000

Here are a few artistic images to illustrate details of the Tabernacle service.

This one (from this web site - click "login as guest" to access images) is of the Ark of The Covenant being carried in its normal "mode", with its Blue Covering (Numb. 4:6) on top of it. This illustration is most likely to the verse of Joshua 3:17. The downside of this illustration, in my humble opinion, is the positioning of the Ark Staves (along the length and closer to the bottom).

This image (from the same web site) is of the Priestly Garments, Aaron Garments. Nice schematic image.

And here is one of a few images from this 3d model of the Tabernacle (from this web site), that is based on the traditional interpretation of the verses.

For example, compare the image above to my rendering of one of the corners of the Tabernacle Courtyard. I hope this will allow you to see the differences and downsides of the traditional interpretation(above), as opposed to more realistic direct interpretation of the Tabernacle description (below).

1657 Walton's London Polyglot (7th century Samaritan manuscript)

noreply@blogger.com (Aleksandr Sigalov) — Thu, 22 Sep 2011 19:42:00 +0000

Here is another manuscript of note that includes the Samaritan Pentateuch. In fact, this polyglot Bible uses 7th century Samaritan manuscript (not sure yet which one though), as well as presents the text of the Pentateuch in the original Samaritan script. Variations also included.

Here is an image of the first two pages of this book (once you click on the image, click on the small link below to open hi-res version. Please be advised that the image is very large so it may load slow.)

Also, in this edition, there are many interesting (and beautiful) illustrations. The most interesting one is that of the Tabernacle and Temple Sacred Vessels and Furniture:

You can read and download the entire work at this web site.

An Online Samaritan Pentateuch

noreply@blogger.com (Aleksandr Sigalov) — Mon, 19 Sep 2011 23:51:00 +0000

Contrary to one of my previous posts, I was able to compile this list of places where you can find the Samaritan Pentateuch online. These resources will allow you to read and/or download the manuscripts for free. I have also included non-free versions that may be useful to those who seriously study the Bible, as they are more precise and include the latest research.

Free resources:

1657 Walton's Polyglot (aka London Polyglot). Uses 7th century Samaritan Manuscript. Samaritan Text in the original Samaritan script.
Vetus Testamentum Hebraicum cum variis lectionibus, (Parallel Samaritan Pentateuch - Hebrew Samaritan), by Benjaminus Kennicott, 1780 [main page here]
Pentateuchus Hebreao-Samaritanus, Benjamin Blayney, 1790
Targum Shomroni 'al hatorah, by Adolf Brüll, 1873-76.
Bibliotheca Samaritana, Volumes 1-3, Moritz Heidenheim, Marqah, Otto Schulze, 1884
Torah Nevi'im u-Khetuvim. Biblia hebraica adjuvantibus professoribus G. Beer [et al.] Edidit Rud. Kittel, 1906 [for reference only - Samaritan Pentateuch variants in footnotes]
Der Hebraische Pentateuch der Samaritaner, (critical edition of the Samaritan Pentateuch) August Freiherrn von Gall,Verlag von Alfred Topelmann, Giessen, 1918

Limited resources:

The Torah: Jewish and Samaritan Versions Compared, by Mark Shoulson, 2008 [Limited preview in PDF from an older 2006 edition here]

For-Purchase Only resources:

Jewish and Samaritan Version of the Pentateuch with particular stress on the differences between both texts. Exodus (Hamishe Humshei Torah: Nusach Yehudi, Nusach Shomroni im me-duyakot shel ha-shinu'im bein shtei ha-nusachot. Sefer Shemot lefi ktav yad Shomroni atik min hameah ha 11)
The Israelite Samaritan Version of the Torah: First English Translation Compared with the Masoretic Version, Benyamim Tsedaka, 2011

A brief note on one of the above resources, namely - the von Gall critical edition of the Samaritan Pentateuch:

Even though up to this day it is still the only comprehensive and complete critical editions of the Samaritan Pentateuch available, some scholars believe it to be outdated and inaccurate. Even though I personally do not agree with such opinions, I would like to present one by Emanuel Tov, from his book "Textual Criticizm of the Hebrew Bible" (this is from p.84):

"The edition of von Gall reflects all then known; thus, it does not include the important Abisha' scroll which was published later. The Edition is detailed and accurate, but the main text is often adapted to M: i.e., from the variety of the readings of the Samaritan manuscripts the editor often chose that particular reading which was identical with M. The editor also declared that he preferred defective to plene readings. Thus in Gen 2:11 he chose the reading hsbb(=M) as against hswbb, the majority reading of the Samaritan manuscripts."

I hope you will find this information useful. I will try to updated this page with new (if any) resources of the Samaritan Pentateuch become available online.

Last, but not least, here is a nice image of the page from the Samaritan Torah (Samaritan MS dated 1211CE from Rylands Collection):

Three Spanish Pentateuchs (Full Digitized Manuscripts)

noreply@blogger.com (Aleksandr Sigalov) — Fri, 16 Sep 2011 19:18:00 +0000

National Library of Israel also has three digitized Pentateuchs from Spain:

Pentateuch with Vocalization, Accents, Masorah Magna and Masorah Parva. Manuscript. Eretz Israel, 10th century. Parchment. 270 folios. 432x385 mm. Three columns. Written in a fine, large bold, Oriental square script, fully vocalized and with accents. A very exact, beautiful manuscript, almost complete. One of a very small group of early manuscripts of the Pentateuch of very great importance for the research of the Masorah. Purchased in 1914 by David S. Sassoon from the notables of the Jewish community in Damascus and hence nicknamed as "the Damascus Keter" (the "crown" of Damascus). D.S. Sassoon, in his Ohel David catalogue, describes the manuscript as being written in a 9th century "Babylonian [i.e. Iraqi] hand"; scholars of the Hebrew University disagree with this assumption and consider it to be of Palestinian origin and written in the 10th century. The manuscript was purchased from the Sassoon collection in 1975.

"Damascus Keter". Bible with Vocalization, Accents, Masorah Magna and Masorah Parva. Manuscript. Burgos, Spain, 1260. Parchment. 428 folios. 305x270 mm. Sefardi square script. Three columns per page (Proverbs, Job and Psalms in two columns) Colophon (426v): "I, Menahem, son of Abraham ibn Malek ... wrote these twenty four [books] for ... Isaac, son of ... Abraham ... Haddad, and completed them on Monday, the 17th day of the month of Adar in the year 5020 in Burgos ... . The Masorah Magna is written on each page in delicate micrographic ornamentations. The text of the Masorah at the opening and closing sections of the volume, as well as at the pages between the three divisions of the Bible (Pentateuch, Prophets and Hagiographa) are also written in micrography in the form of colored "carpet" pages, the contours of which for a combination of floral motifs and geometric forms. The books of the Pentateuch and the Prophets are arranged in the conventional order which was adopted by later printed editions. The Hagiographa deviates from the conventional order, and from that given in the Tractate Bava Bathra (14b), and its arrangement is: Chronicles, Ruth, Psalms, Job, Proverbs, The Song of Songs, Ecclesiastes, Lamentations, Esther, Daniel, Ezra and Nehemiah.
The beginnings of sedaqrim [portions] and parashiyyot are ornamented in gold and other colors, some of them serving as illustrations of the text.
At an unknown date the manuscript reached Damascus, which explains its appellations "The Damascus Keter" (it was customary in the East to call an ornate codex of the Bible a "Keter" [Crown]". There it was kept in the synagogue of Hushbasha Al'anabi, where it was viewed by Alexander E. Harkavy in 1886 and by Avinoam Yellin in 1919. According to Yellin's report, the manuscript contained 429 leaves. And indeed, one 'carpet' leaf originally from the end of the manuscript was auctioned in 198t at Sotheby's in London, and is now in the Museo Sefaradi of Toledo.
The manuscript, without that single leaf, was auctioned at Sotheby's in 1962 and in that year was acquired for the Library through the generosity of the America-Israel Cultural Fund and Mr. N.Z. Williams of Jerusalem.

Bible with Vocalization and Accents, Spain, 1341 Manuscript on parchment. Saragossa, Spain, 1341. 3 volumes. 204, 206, 53 fols. 215x155 mm. Sefardi square script. 2 columns per page. In the margins, the place usually assigned to the Masorah, the scribe copied David Kimchi's Sefer ha-shorashim ('The Book of Roots') letters alef to mem, in micrography which forms the contours for ornamental geometric motifs. The continuation of this work was written on full pages at the end of the Bible, now bound as a separate third volume. (In the past, all three present volumes formed one volume). Colophon (vol. 2, 206v): "Completed ... in the month of Shevat, in the year 5101 ... in the city of Saragossa; I copied it for myself, Ezra ben Moses ... ben Eleazar... The manuscript is richly ornamented. Most of the initial words of the books are in gold and other colors on a background of ornamental filigree outlines in purple and red. There is an ornamental red frame at the end of each book, including the number of its verses. The colophon is written in red, blue and silver within a double arched gothic frame surmounted by rosettes. Order of the Latter Prophets: Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Isaiah, Minor Prophets. Order of the Hagiographa: Rith, Psalms, Job, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs, Lamentations, Daniel, Esther, Ezra, Nehemiah, Chronicles (as set down in Tracta Bava Bathra 14b). From the Estate of the late Dr. Yeshua Shami, donated by his daughters Miriam Kotev, Jerusalem and Susan Rosil, San Francisco, 1946.

A Dissertation upon the Sacred Cubit of the Jews

noreply@blogger.com (Aleksandr Sigalov) — Fri, 16 Sep 2011 01:51:00 +0000

Jewish National and University Library of Israel has an interesting document from the collection of works of Isaac Newton, called "De magnitudine cubiti sacri" (aka "A Dissertation upon the Sacred Cubit of the Jews").

The work itself is pretty much useless and outdated by today's standards, but it is still interesting to check it out, as well as to see the similarities in the conclusions to which Newton had arrived (which are similar to those of modern scholars).

Here are a few excerpts and an illustration:

"The Cubits of the Eastern Nations, with which the Jews were surrounded, being determined in this manner, we may from hence form a conjecture concerning the magnitude of the Jewish Cubit. The vulgar Jewish Cubit ought not to be greater than them all, nor the sacred Cubit less than them all. The opinion of Villalpandus and others therefore is to be rejected, who represent the vulgar Cubit as equal to two Roman Feet and an half; and I think them likewise mistaken, who make the sacred Cubit and Attic Cubit equal. That the sacred Cubit was very large, appears from the Jewish Calamus or Reed, which contained but six of these Cubits; and from the antiquity of this Cubit, since Noah measured the Ark with it. However, it is not to be magnified in such a manner, that the vulgar Cubit (which in the time of Moses was called the Cubit of a man, Deut. 3:11) should much exceed the Cubit of a tall man."

......

"Some compute the Cubit from Solomon's brazen sea. Lest any objection should be raised from thence, I shall briefly remark, that the bottom of that sea ought not to be represented spherical, as it generally is, but flat, in such a manner that all the water might run out for the use of the priests, and the vessel might stand commodiously upon the backs of the oxen, and the oxen not hinder the priests from coming to the cocks. However I would not represent it under a cylindrical figure. The following one will be more beautiful. Let the line AB, of ten Cubits, be bisected in C; and taking upon it AD, EB, of a Cubit each, erect the perpendiculars DF, CG, EH, each of them of five Cubits, and with the semiaxes AD, DF, and BE, EH, describe the quadrants of the ellipses AF, BH, and drawing the right line FH, the figure AFGHB convolved round the axis CG, will describe the external superficies of the vessel, whose cavity, if it be an hand-breadth thick, will contain about thousand baths, supposing that a bath was equal to twelve Roman Congii (as Agricola and others maintain) and that seven Congii and an half will fill a Cubic Roman Foot, as Mr. Greaves found by the Farnesian Congius. It is said likewise, that this sea contained three thousand baths; whence some affirm, that there were two kinds of baths. Others understand a dry measure, whose Cumulus equaled half the contents; others suspect a various reading; others imagine, that the sea contained two thousand baths for daily use, but, when full, could receive three thousand baths. I shall not attempt to determine the dispute."

"This is what I thought proper to lay down at present with regard to the magnitude of this Cubit. Hereafter perhaps those, who shall view the sacred mount, and the monuments of the Chaldeans, by taking accurately the various dimensions of the stones, bricks, foundations, and walls, and comparing them together, will discover something more certain and exact."

The JNUL main web site address for this manuscript located at this link.

The transcribed documents for the entire work located at this link.

And the full English transcription of the text of this part of Newton work is located here.

Enjoy.