King Solomon, of blessed memory, said: “Accept my discipline rather than silver” [Proverbs, 8:10]. The verse teaches us that the person should exert himself and endeavor to accept the discipline of the Torah and should not exert himself to accumulate money and silver, since with the Torah he buys this world and the next world for himself. However, with much money the person has much harm and much worry. Therefore, the verse says, “Accept my discipline.” Accept discipline with enthusiasm and not with laziness. The person who fulfills a commandment, who does not have positive thoughts and joy when he does it, then this commandment is considered as nothing. Similarly, when he gives charity, he should have good thoughts, since there are many people who do not give or one needs to force them. This charity is certainly not a good thought, since he does not do it for the sake of heaven. Therefore, the verse says here in the Torah portion, “take for Me gifts” [25:2].1Bahya, Terumah, Introduction.
That is to say, take the gifts for My name, not that you should be pressured, or that you should do it for fame. Therefore its says, “Take for Me.” That is to say, when you want to give charity, give it to Me, so that no person will know of it, only you and I. That is why it says, take and it does not say, give. It teaches us that you should cause other people to give, and should take charity from them for the poor. He has done a very meritorious deed with this, that he pressures other people that they should give charity more than he gives himself. Concerning this, our sages said, “he who causes others to do good is greater than the doer.”2B. Baba Bathra, 9a. Therefore, he also says, “take for Me.” That is to say, with the charity you also take Me to yourself. When the poor person is with you, then the Holy One is with you, as the verse says, “He stands at the right hand of the needy” [Psalms, 109:31]. Therefore, the Torah wrote the portion of Terumah near the giving of charity. That is why it is first written in this portion that the Holy One gave the Torah on Mount Sinai. This teaches us that the Holy One rests and is always where Torah is studied, and where charity is given.
Baal ha-Turim also writes. “Take for Me” [25:2]. This means, the Holy One said to Israel. You will take Me to yourself, when you study Torah I will be able to rest near you. The Torah showed this to us in this Torah portion that tells us that we should build a Tabernacle in which the Holy One will rest. The Torah showed us that when the Tabernacle and Temple will be destroyed, the Holy One rests where the Torah is studied and where charity is given. 3Baal ha-Turim, Exodus, 25:2.
Toldot Yizhak also writes. “Take for Me” [25:2]. This means, with the charity you betroth Me, just like the groom betroths the bride. That is why it does not say, and they will give, and that is why it does say, “take for Me a gift” [25:2]. That is to say, the person who gives charity takes from the Holy One a much greater reward than what he spent. Therefore, it also says, My gift. This means, the Holy One said: the gift and charity are Mine. The person should let himself think that he is the manager and should properly disburse to each poor person the money that the Holy One had given him, since the wealth is from the Holy One. “Whose heart so moved him” [25:2]. The person should give terumah with the good will of his heart. Toldot Yizhak writes here. This teaches us that just like the heart feeds the other organs of the body, but it does not take in any food, since there are many organs in the body. Some give food from themselves to other organs and do not take in food. Some accept food and do not give others food. So do not take and do not give. However, the heart gives but does not take. Therefore, he hangs giving charity on the heart. That is to say, he should be like the heart, which only gives and does not take. When he will give charity, he will be worthy that he will not need to take, like the heart. Therefore, it says, “Whose heart so moved him” [25:2], and does not say, whose heart so moved. This would mean that the heart moved. Therefore, it says, his heart. This means, move his heart. There are many people who give charity when they see others giving, but his heart has not yet been moved, but he must give out of embarrassment. Therefore, the verse says here that his heart should be moved to give charity.4Toldot Yizhak, Exodus, 25:2.
Midrash Tanhuma writes and Yalkut and Bahya cite the midrash on “Take for Me a gift” [25:2]. Because I have given a Torah that is called a good instruction, therefore we also bring a gift. The Torah is called a good purchase, more than all the merchandise, silver and gold. It is a parable. There were two merchants; one had pepper and the other had ginger. They exchanged with each other. One had ginger and he had no more pepper. Similarly, the other one had pepper and lost his ginger. However, the one who studies Torah is not like this. When there are two scholars, one of them can teach a chapter and the other one can teach another chapter, and they study together, then each one can know both chapters. Furthermore, the Torah is called a good gift; one cannot lose it. There was a story that happened to a scholar who was on a ship along with many merchants. They said to the scholar, where is your merchandise? He said: my merchandise is better than all of your merchandise. They searched the ship and did not find it, and mocked him. Robbers boarded the ship and stole all of the merchandise. They went to a city and had no bread to eat. The scholar went to the house of study and they honored him greatly because of his Torah. The merchants saw that they were honoring him. They asked him if he would speak with the communal leaders on their behalf. The scholar said: I had told you previously that my merchandise is better than your merchandise. Furthermore, the one who has merchandise, sometimes he loses the merchandise, but the Torah remains with the person in this world and in the next world.5Midrash Tanhuma, Terumah, 2; Yalkut Shimoni, Terumah, Remez, 363; Bahya, Exodus, 25:2.
The Yalkut quotes the Talmud in [tractate] Sanhedrin.6B. Sanhedrin, 39a. A gentile asked Rabbi Abin. Your God is a priest who asked that the terumah be taken, like a priest, and we find that the Holy One Himself buried Moses Our Teacher. With what did the Holy One immerse Himself when He buried Moses Our Teacher? All the waters are insufficient for Him to immerse Himself in them. Rabbi Abin responded that the Holy One immersed Himself with fire, as the verse says, “the Lord is coming with fire” [Isaiah, 66:15].7Yalkut Shimoni, Terumah, Remez, 363.
“And these are the gifts” [25:3]. Rashi writes that there were three types of gifts. The first was that each person gave a coin from which were made the sockets for the Tabernacle. The second gift was that each one would give a coin that was used to purchase the sacrifices for the altar. The third gift was that each person gave what they wanted from good will, silver or gold, blue and purple wool. Thirteen types of things were brought for the building of the Tabernacle.8Rashi, Exodus, 25:2. Silver, gold, and copper, blue and purple wool, crimson threads, linen threads, goat hair, tanned ram’s skins, hides of an animal called Tahash, which is called techsen.
The Talmud writes in [tractate Shabbat] chapter two. The Holy One sent the animal tahash in the wilderness to Moses, so that he should make a covering for the Tabernacle. This animal had many colors that shined beautifully. This animal disappeared and no animal like it was found afterwards. The animal had a horn in its forehead.9B. Shabbat, 28a-b.
There was no silk in the Tabernacle, since silk comes from a small worm, and the worm is impure. Therefore, there was no silk in the Tabernacle. Bahya writes here. The verse says, “crimson yarns” [25:4]. This is the red thread from a worm, and they dyed it with the worm’s blood, which is impure. The explanation is that they did not take the blood from the worms, but from the shells in which the worms grew. They took the shells and dyed the thread. Bahya also writes they mixed together wool and linen threads in the Tabernacle, even though the Torah had forbidden shatnez, but for the Tabernacle, shatnez was permitted.10Bahya, Exodus, 25:3.
“Acacia wood” [25:5]. The Midrash asks: how did Moses get acacia wood in the wilderness? The explanation is that Jacob had seen prophetically that Israel would build a Tabernacle in the wilderness. Thus, he planted acacia wood in Egypt and commanded his children that they should take these acacia trees into the wilderness. So write Rashi and Bahya.11Rashi, Exodus, 25:5; Bahya, Exodus, 25:5.
Bahya, Toldot Yizhak, and the Midrash write that Scripture first writes gold concerning the gifts. This teaches us that the building of the Tabernacle was an atonement for the Calf that the Israelites made out of gold. Therefore, also in the section on sacrifices it first mentions “an ox or a sheep or a goat” [Leviticus, 22:27]. This means, the ox, the sheep and goat. You should bring these as sacrifices. The ox is mentioned first and this shows that the sin of the Golden Calf was forgiven, since the Golden Calf was a calf, like the ox. Even though the sin of the Golden Calf was on the seventeenth of Tammuz and the Tabernacle was finished on Yom Kippur, yet the Torah writes about the building of the Tabernacle first. This teaches us that the Holy One first gives the atonement for the sin of the Golden Calf. The Holy One always sends the cure before the plague. The Midrash also says that gold refers to the kingdom of Babylon. It is written concerning it, “you are the head of gold” [Daniel, 2:38]. This interprets the dream and says, you are the golden head. Silver relates to the kingdom of the Medes. Haman said: I will give ten thousand pieces of silver for the Jews. Copper refers to the kingdom of the Greeks. He was a common king, like copper is common, compared to gold. “Tanned ram skins” [25:5]. Tanned hides of sheep that were in the Tabernacle refer to the exile of Edom, our exile. It is written concerning Edom, “the first one emerged red” [Genesis, 25:25]. Esau came out red from the womb. “Oil for lighting” [25:6] refers to the Messiah, who will illumine us like a good oil, to redeem us from the darkness of the exile. It is written concerning the Messiah, “I have prepared a lamp for My anointed one” [Psalms, 132:17]. I have prepared a light for the Messiah who will illumine you. This teaches us that everything was found in the terumah.12Bahya, Exodus, 25:8; Toldot Yizhak, Exodus, 25:3–8; Midrash Tanhuma, Terumah, 8.
When Israel are in exile, they should give terumah and charity. Thus, they will be redeemed from the exile, since when one does not give to Jacob, one gives it to Esau, silver and gold as bribes because of false accusations. So writes Rashi in the Torah portion, Ki Teizei. The Torah wrote that one should deal honestly with weights, that one should not give false weights, and nearby wrote the story of Amalek in which many Israelites were killed.13Rashi, Deuteronomy, 25:17. That is, when one does not do business properly with money and false weights, the enemy comes, heaven forbid, against Israel and kills them and takes their money. The Midrash teaches us that when the Tabernacle and Temple existed, this protected from the exile. However, when it was destroyed, charity will protect from the exile. Therefore, the Torah showed all the exiles by the gifts of the Tabernacle.
“Lapis lazuli and other stones for setting” [25:7]. Bahya writes. They took whole precious stones as they found them, since the virtue of each precious stone is when it is whole, as it was created. They did not need to touch any of them to chip them. One can ask a question. How did they write on these stones, if one could not throw away any part of them? When one wants to engrave something on a stone, then one must throw away the small bits that are dug out. The explanation is as the Talmud writes in [tractate] Sotah. They first drew the letters with ink and then they took a worm called shamir and laid it on the letters. The worm imprinted the letters on the precious stones. These precious stones were then set in gold. This teaches us that the Torah is over all the gold and silver, since the names were on the precious stones above them. The gold was under the precious stones, set in gold.14Bahya, Exodus, 25:7.
“Let them make for Me a Sanctuary” [25:8]. The Yalkut writes that it is written in Pesikta15Pesikta de Rav Kahana, 2.10. that Moses heard three things that frightened him. The Holy One said: make a sanctuary for Me in which to rest. Moses said: will all the wood and all the stone; the whole earth will be too small on which to build a house for You to live in? You are greater than the whole world and all the heavens. The Holy One responded: It is not as you, Moses, think. Make it only twenty boards for the north side, and twenty to the south, and make it in the west. I will dwell in it among you. The second time Moses was frightened was when the Holy One said to him: bring me sacrifices. Moses said: all the cattle and all the animals are not enough for one sacrifice for you. The Holy One responded: It is not as you, Moses, think. Every day only two sheep and not at one time, but one sheep early in the morning and another sheep at evening. The third time, the Holy One said to Moses. Let each person give his redemption for his body. Moses said: one cannot redeem the body with all the money in the world. The Holy One said: it is not as you think, but each one should give one small coin and his body will be redeemed. It is a parable. A person has a daughter and when she is small he speaks with her in the streets and the market, before the whole world. However, when he grows up, he is ashamed to talk with her and only speaks with her in the house, and not in front of the whole world. So too were Israel in Egypt. The Holy One showed everything, as the verse says, “I will go through the land of Egypt” [Exodus, 12:12]. Here the Holy One spoke with them publicly in the streets. Afterwards, again at the sea, the Holy One appeared publicly. When they came to Mount Sinai to accept the Torah, Israel became something important. The Holy One said: it is not just that I should speak with Israel publicly. Therefore, God commanded to make a sanctuary in order to speak with Israel in the sanctuary.16Yalkut Shimoni, Terumah, Remez, 365.
Bahya writes that the sanctuary had three parts. First is the innermost part, behind the curtain, there was the Ark, the Tablets, and the Cherubs. This referred to the world above in heaven where the angels live. Just as the angels are pure intellect and wisdom, so too the Ark and Tablets are also pure intellect and inner wisdom. In relation to the person, it is the head; it is the mind and within it is speech. That we can speak with the mouth that is in the head, and speaking is pure wisdom. One recognizes a person immediately, if he is a fool or is wise, through his speech. The primary wisdom is in the mind. The second part was in the tabernacle in front of the curtain. It was called the Tent of Meeting. The Table, Menorah, and the incense [altar] stood in it. They were all important vessels. However, they were not as important as the first vessels that were on the inside. That is, the Ark, Tablets, and the Cherubs. This section is related to the world of the spheres. This is the lower heaven in which are the sun, moon, and other stars, which are also somewhat important. In relation to this in the person is the heart. It is also inside and is essential to life. Just like the life of the world depends on the sun and moon and their movement along with their airs. The third part of the Tabernacle was the courtyard of the Tabernacle in which all the animals were slaughtered for sacrifices. This relates to the world in which we live. The world and everything that is in it will disappear and must die from the world. This relates to the person’s organs, below the heart and further down. They burn and digest all the food and drink that the person eats and drinks. So writes Bahya.17Bahya, Exodus, 25:9. This teaches us that when the person is pious, he is compared to the three worlds, of angels, spheres, and this world, and is compared to the Tabernacle. That is to say, the Shekhinah rests on the person when he is pious, just as the Holy One rests on the Tabernacle.
“They shall make an ark of acacia wood” [25:10]. Bahya asks a question. Why is it written concerning the Ark, “they shall make”? This means, they should make it together. Concerning the other vessels it is written, “you shall make.” The explanation is that concerning the Ark it is written, “they shall make,” they should make it together. That is to say, The Torah was in the Ark and the whole world has a share in it, for all of Israel to study, expecting that nobody in Israel should have an excuse that they have no share in the Torah. Therefore, it is written, “they shall make.” They should all together make a Holy Ark for the Torah.18Bahya, Exodus, 25:10. Imre Noam and Baal ha-Turim write the same.19Imre Noam, Exodus, 25:10; Baal ha-Turim, Exodus, 25:10. Therefore, it is written to make an ark before the other vessels. So too, the person should first study Torah for an hour or two, with regularity, every day. Afterwards, he should engage in business or his work.
Bahya writes another explanation. It is written, “they shall make” concerning the Ark. This teaches us that everyone in the world should support the study of Torah. If he himself does not study, then he should support scholars, so that the scholars should be able to remain at their studies. Thus, he will also have merit, just like a scholar.20Bahya, Exodus, 25:10.
“Overlay it with pure gold” [25:11]. This teaches us that the Holy One will make a canopy for the scholars along with those who helped them to study and gave him provisions, as the verse says, “to be in the shelter of wisdom is to be also in the shelter of money” [Ecclesiastes, 7:12]. That is to say, it was a canopy where the one who had studied Torah and the one who had helped him to study were together, as the verse says, “she is a tree of life to those who grasp her” [Proverbs, 3:18]. This means, the Torah is a long life for those who strengthen and help the study of Torah, even if he did not study himself. That is also why on the Ark all the measurements were half, as it is written, “two and a half cubits long” [25:10]. The Ark was two and one half cubits long and one and one half cubits wide, and one and one half cubits high. The verse only tells of measurements of halves. That is to say, the scholar should be humble and brokenhearted. He should not be arrogant because he knows how to study.21Bahya, Exodus, 25:10.
Toldot Yizhak writes. “Overlay it inside and out” [25:11]. You should cover the Ark with gold inside and outside. That is to say, the scholar’s heart should be the same inside as he speaks outside with his mouth. There are scholars who speak and preach as if they were very pious, but in their heart it is not so. Therefore, our sages said that the Torah is compared to a clear glass, like a mirror that one sees through, and through it inside and out, so should be the scholar.22Toldot Yizhak, Exodus, 25:11.
Imre Noam writes. The Ark was made of wood and covered with gold. That is to say, when you see a scholar who is poor, you should help him and cover him with gold.23Imre Noam, Exodus, 25:10.
Bahya and Toldot Yizhak write. It is written concerning the Ark, “make upon it a gold molding” [25:11], and concerning the Table and the Altar it is written, “make for it” [25:23]. This teaches us that the Table shows us, the Table points to the crown, the kingship to wealth. The Altar points to the priesthood. The priests performed their service there. There are two things, kingship and priesthood, that are inherited from one’s father. Concerning kingship it is written, “written for him” [Deuteronomy, 17:18], and concerning the priest it is written, “it shall be for him and his descendants” [Numbers, 25:13]. However, the Torah is not an inheritance for any person. Even though his father is a scholar, it is also possible that his son would be an ignoramus. However, a priest’s son will certainly be a priest. Similarly, a king who has a son, he will certainly be a king. Therefore, it is written concerning the Table and the Altar, make. That is to say, the crown of the priesthood is inherited from his father. However, the Torah is not inherited by the person. Therefore, it is written, make upon it. You should make a crown. The word upon it teaches us this. That is to say, the Torah must be upon him alone and not through inheritance. The Midrash writes, “make upon it” is written concerning the Ark of the Torah that contained the Tablets. This teaches us that the Torah is a crown over all the crowns. There are crowns of kingship and crowns of priesthood. When the king or the priest do not have Torah, then their crown is made meaningless.24Bahya, Exodus, 25:11; Toldot Yizhak, Exodus, 25:11.
“Make the Cherubim” [25:18]. You should make two birds out of gold on the Ark. Bahya writes. It is written two [shnayim] and not two [shnei] concerning the Cherubs. This teaches us that the birds were not similar. One bird was like a male and the other was like a female. That is to say, their appearance was not similar. However, concerning the Tablets it is written, “two tablets of the Pact” [Exodus, 31:18], because they were the same. One Tablet was the same as the other Tablet. Concerning the birds it is also written, “from between the two cherubim” [Exodus, 25:22]. This shows us that the birds showed us the love of the Holy One. He loves us like a man and a woman who love each other. So the Holy One loves us very much, as the Talmud writes in tractate Yoma.25B. Yoma, 54a. When Israel would come for the pilgrimage festivals in the Temple, the curtain was opened and they were shown the birds and they were told, God loves you very much, like a man loves a woman.26Bahya, Exodus, 25:18.
“You shall make a table” [25:23]. The Holy One commanded to make a Table in the Tabernacle on which to place the bread that the priests ate. There was enough for many priests. When a priest ate an amount the size of a pea, he was satiated. Therefore, the Table was called Shulhan, because the Holy One sent His blessing on it. It is written, “acacia wood” [25:23] concerning the Table. This teaches us that from the Table, Peace, Goodness, Salvation, Forgiveness, came to the world. This was from the word acacia.27In Hebrew, the word for acacia is “shittim.” Thus, shittim is seen as an acronym for these four words, which have as their initial letter the letters of the word shittim. It is written similarly concerning the Ark and Altar. This shows us that from these come the blessings in the world. This shows us that the Table was compared to the Altar, and forgives the sins of the person, just like the Altar. When one gives bread to a poor person to eat at his table, this is like a sacrifice. Therefore, it is the custom in the land of France that when one of the pietists dies, they make his casket for his burial from his table. That is to say, the person does not take with him from this world when he dies, except for the charity that he did with his bread at his table.28Bahya, Exodus, 25:23.
“Make its bowls” [25:29]. You shall make bowls. This was an iron form into which the bread was placed into the oven. When the bread was taken out of the form, it was placed into a golden form and placed on the Table until the Sabbath morning.29Rashi, Exodus, 25:29.
“You shall make a lampstand of pure gold” [25:31]. You should make a golden lampstand with seven branches. God had commanded this so that the person should be fearful when he will come into the Tabernacle and will see beautiful lights standing before him. He will consider the Sanctuary to be important. Therefore, the lampstand stood in front of the curtain, before the people. That is to say, the Holy One Himself does not need light, but it should illumine for the people. It is known that the soul has great pleasure when it sees much light. Each person’s soul was taken from heaven, which is purely a great light. Therefore, the soul has pleasure when it sees light, and therefore, King Solomon, of blessed memory, compared the soul to a light, as the verse says, “the lifebreath of man is the lamp of the Lord” [Proverbs, 20:27]. Therefore, the lampstand had seven branches for the seven great stars that rule the world. The lampstand stood on the south side, since wisdom and Torah is with the people who live on the south side. The lampstand was compared to the Torah, as the verse says, “for the commandment is a lamp, the Torah is a light” [Proverbs, 6:23].30Bahya, Exodus, 25:31.
The Table was in the north of the lampstand and the Table was about wealth, since the essence of gold comes from the north, as the verse says, “by the north the golden rays emerge” [Job, 37:22]. This teaches us that the person cannot study the Torah alone; he must have something with it. That is to say, he must also eat. Therefore, the Table stood near the lampstand, which is compared to the Torah.31Bahya, Exodus, 25:38.
Baal ha-Turim writes. It is written that the letter samech is not found in the section on the lampstand. This teaches us that where there is light, there is no Satan and no evil encounters. Therefore, each person is warned to go with a light at night whenever possible.32Baal ha-Turim, Exodus, 25:31.
The Midrash writes, as well as Bahya in the Torah portion Bereshit. It is known that on Friday the Satan is found, as the Talmud writes in [tractate Gittin] chapter five. The Satan incited two householders that they always had to argue with each other. Rabbi Meir came to them and made the Satan remain outside for three consecutive Fridays and Rabbi Meir made peace between the two householders and the Satan had to go away from there. The Satan was heard to say, Rabbi Meir has taken away my dwelling because the householders are at peace.33B. Gittin, 52a. Now I cannot live there. It was heard that Satan’s primary activity is on Friday. If one wants to ask why specifically on Friday, Midrash Rabbah writes that the Holy One created the demons late on Friday, just as the Sabbath was about to begin.34Genesis Rabbah, 7.5. Therefore, there are many demons on the eve of the Sabbath. This is also why we recite [the prayer] Magen Avot [shield of the Patriarchs] when the Sabbath begins to protect us from the demons. We should be warned to listen to this prayer when the cantor recites it and not to have conversations, as Rabbi Hertz writes in his prayer book.35This is a reference to the prayer book, Maleah ha-Aretz Deah, published by Rabbi Naphtali Hertz of Treves, with his commentary, Thuengen, 1560. I could not find this comment in the comments on the prayer Magen Avot (p. 194).
A story happened that a rabbi died. The rabbi appeared to his student in a dream. The student saw a sign a stain on that they put on the rabbi’s forehead in the other world. The student asked: what is the meaning of the stain on your forehead? The rabbis responded that he always used to have conversations when the cantor recited Magen Avot on Friday evening. He also chatted when the cantor recited the Kaddish. He also did not cut his fingernails for every Sabbath. Therefore, he was disgraced in the next world and he had to have a sign on his forehead. Sefer ha-Gan writes that one should not cut his nails on Thursday, as they will grow again on the Sabbath. We will now put this aside and explain again why the women must light and bless the lights. The explanation is because the Satan was created with her. Therefore, she lights the lights on the eve of the Sabbath in order to chase away the Satan. He was created on the eve of the Sabbath, at twilight, as is written in the chapters.
“Note well and follow the patterns” [25:40]. The Holy One said: make the Lampstand in the same form as you were shown. The Holy One had shown Moses Our Teacher a Lampstand of fire that he should copy in gold. Even though Moses could not copy a Lampstand, the Holy One said: throw the gold in the fire and a finished Lampstand will come out of it.36Tanhuma, Beha’alotekha, 3.
Bahya asks a question. Because it is written in the verse, with their pattern, with a bet, and it is not written, like their pattern, with a kaf, this teaches us that Moses could not copy as he had been shown. He was shown a heavenly fire and that fire is not like our fire, since our fire can be comprehended, but the fire from heaven is not so. It is pure spirituality.37Bahya, Exodus, 25:40.
Toldot Yizhak writes. The Ark alludes to a scholar, who should be with his heart as he is with his mouth. He should know that if he will have the proper faith in his heart, so that he can have this world and the next world. He can become like an angel, since the Cherubs refer to angels. They were on the Ark, even though the Ark was made of wood. So too, the person is flesh and blood, yet he can attain the level of an angel in the next world. The Table alludes to wealth of this world. The Lampstand alludes to the next world, which is pure light. The boards of the Tabernacle refer to the students who study with the rabbis and stand around him, like the boards around the Tabernacle. The sheets of the Tabernacle refer to the householders who bring students and protect them, like the sheets protected the Tabernacle, so that no wind or rain went into the Tabernacle.38Toldot Yizhak, Exodus, 25:31.
“Make for Me an altar of earth” [20:21]. Bahya writes. There was a miracle with the copper Altar. It was made of very thin copper, thin as a golden gulden. Underneath it was wood, and under the wood was earth. The fire was on the thin copper, day and night constantly, and it was not burned. Moses was very afraid that the copper would be burned. The Holy One said: you were on Mount Sinai where there was a great fire and I was there and you were not burned. With such pure fire, I can also protect the altar of copper so that the copper and the wood that is underneath it will never be burned.39Bahya, Exodus, 27:8.