parsha bit: T'rumah

[cellio]

In this week's parsha God commands Israel to build the mishkan, a rather large sanctuary in which God will dwell. I've long wondered where the Israelites found all the needed wood (and other materials) in the desert. One midrash says that the trees used for this wood were planted by Yaakov, who foresaw that wood would be needed by his descendants later. He instructed his sons to plant the trees, and when Israel came out of Mitzrayim the full-grown trees waited, ready to be used. (Tanhuma, T'rumah 9)

Comments

[vonstrassburg.livejournal.com]

Historically, all of the land between southern Israel across north Africa to the Morroccan coast was not all desert in pre-CE times. Much of it was relatively fertile grasslands, there were lightly wooded areas as well. However it has since been over-farmed and is now mostly desert. Where the Israelites found all the needed wood? They cut down trees.

[cellio]

I knew that was true of north Africa and parts of what's now Israel, but I didn't know it was true of the Sinai peninsula and the Negev, which is where I think they spent most of their time.

Mind, more puzzling than trees is where they got forges, looms for tapestries, and some of the other tools they'd need. I haven't found anything that speaks to that.

[zevabe.livejournal.com]

The explaination I've heard is that in the "borrowing" from Egyptians, they got all sorts of Mishkan things. Forges still seem to be a neccesary tool, unless the Egyptians gave them fully made vessels for the Mishkan, which clearly didn't happen.

[cellio]

The obviously-valuable stuff (gold, silver, jewels, fine thread, etc) can be assumed to have come from the Egyptians. Acacia wood, dolphin skins, and tools are a little harder to buy, but it could happen, I suppose.

Even if the Egyptians had given them fully-made vessels, though, I would assume that they couldn't be used straight because of their idolatrous origins. Also, there's that bit about the workers being inspired in the crafting...

[zevabe.livejournal.com]

So I spoke with a rabbi over Shabbat about this question. He pointed out that a forge is an oven made of either clay bricks (hey, we got really good at making those in Egypt) or stones (presumably abundant everywhere). And a loom is made of wood & string. If we had wood, which we needed for other parts of the Mishkan, and string which would be logical if we needed a loom in the first place, then a loom is possible. Also, borrowing hand tools (hammer, saw, hatchet, etc) isn't so unlikely. So as they were "borrowing" gold & jewels that they found during the plague of darkness, they could also borrow hammers & axes.

[cellio]

Ah, that makes sense. Thanks! (I thought a forge required more specialized materials, including iron.)