2022/5782
In the description of the Mishkan, a common trend arises. All of the vessels in the inside of the Mishkan (i.e. the Kodesh and the Kodesh HaKodashim) are made out of gold, and all of the vessels in the Chatzeir are made out of copper. However, there is one vessel that is peculiar. The מסך פתח האהל, the screen covering the entrance to the Mishkan, (Shemot 36:38) was covered with gold but had copper sockets. This is unlike the pillars for the Parochet, which were covered with gold and had silver sockets, and the pillars for the entrance to the Chatzeir, which were covered with copper and had copper sockets. What is the reason for this mixture of metals? Moreover, why do most of the Keilim in the Kodesh serve an earthly purpose? Does Hashem need the light of the Menorah, the smell of the Ketoret, or the bread of the Shulchan? Why did we need the bread of the Shulchan? We already had bread from the Heavens: the מן!
To answer these questions, we have to go backwards. What do copper and gold symbolize? Copper, often mentioned with iron, symbolizes things that are more physical. In Devarim, the Torah states, “ארץ אשר לא במסכנת תאכל־בה לחם לא־תחסר כל בה ארץ אשר אבניה ברזל ומהרריה תחצב נחשת,” “a land where you may eat food without stint, where you will lack nothing; a land whose rocks are iron and from whose hills you can mine copper” (Devarim 8:9). Here, copper is mentioned along with other worldly objects such as bread and iron (See Tehillim 107:16 and Yermiyahu 1:18, 6:28, and 15:20 for examples of other places where copper is mentioned along with iron). Gold, on the other hand, symbolizes holiness and sanctity (see Yishaiya 40:17 for an example of gold being the opposite of copper). In Eichah, it states, “איכה יועם זהב ישנא הכתם הטוב תשתפכנה אבני־קדש בראש כל־חוצות,” “Alas! The gold is dulled, Debased the finest gold! The sacred gems are spilled At every street corner” (Eichah 4:1). Gold is mentioned along with the holy stones (both of which refer to Bnei Yisrael according to Rashi). Additionally, the Gematria of נחשת (Im HaKolel where a Gematria can be off by one) is the same Gematria as גשמיות. For gold, we have to look a little bit deeper, look at its core. The אותיות במילוי Gematria of זהב (where the Gematria of the letters when they are spelled out is used as the gematria of the word, so ז=זי”ן=67 and not 7) is the same Gematria as סוד קדושה.
Now, we can finally solve our quandary. At first glance, it seems like the מסך פתח האֹהל is the quintessential separation between sanctity and profane. However, if this were true, why would the pillars include gold? It seems like some of the gold of the Kodesh is leaking out into the Chatzeir! Furthermore, if this were so, why would the מסך פתח האהל be מעשה רקם, which, according to Rashi, means that both sides had the same image on it. If it were truly a separation between the Chatzeir and Kodesh, it should be מעשה חשב, where both sides have two different images (a lion and an eagle according to Rashi, perhaps symbolizing earthliness and sanctity respectively). Because of this, I believe that the מסך פתח האהל served an entirely different purpose. It’s not a partition, it’s an entrance. We are “friends” so to speak of הקב”ה (Rashi to BeMidbar 23:21, מלבים ביאור המילות to Tehillim 89:16), but friendship is a two way street. Hashem literally gave us everything, and He also gave us a way to repay Him. This, I believe, is the purpose of the Mishkan, and this is the answer to our question. Does Hashem need our Karbanot, does He need the Ketoret, the Lechem HaPanim, or the Light of the Menorah? They are just a way for us to repay Hashem. The Mishkan is the opportunity given to us to be Makir Tov to the Borei Olam. With that in mind, does it matter what's more earthly or what's more holy as long as it's being used in service of the Creator? This is why the Mishkan is covered with the hair of goats which, according to Rashi, is the worst smell in the world (BeReishit 27:27), why the Kodesh is full of vessels with an earthly purpose, and why the pillars for the מסך פתח האֹהל have both copper and gold. In the service of Hashem, everything is equal.