Outside the veil was a second room, the holy place. Three articles of furniture were placed in the holy place: a table for blessing the bread (shulhan), an elaborate lampstand (menorah), and an altar (mizbeah) for offering incense.

The table was made of acacia wood and overlaid with gold (see Exodus 25:23-30 & 37:10-16). The "bread of presence" was placed on the table, made holy by its nearness to God, and eaten by the priests every Sabbath. Four kinds of dishes and wine vessels were placed on the table, all made of pure gold. It was common practice in ancient Near Eastern shrines to present an idol with meat and wine offerings. Scholars debate the purpose of the dishes in the Tabernacle, but it is clear that they were not used for meat and wine offerings to God, as in those other shrines. The invisible God of Israel had no need for physical nourishment. The only food brought into the tent and placed on the table was the bread, which was eaten by the priests. God's meat and wine offerings were consumed, not by an idol, but by fire on the altar placed outside the tent. The vessels may have been purely symbolic, they may have been used for incense (see Leviticus 24:7), or they may have been used in some way to contain the bread (a rabbinic theory).

The lampstand was the only piece of furniture in the Tabernacle that was made of solid gold (see Exodus 25:31-40 & 37:17-24). Its function was to be the sole source of light in the tent, which was sealed from sunlight by thick boards of wood and four layers of curtains. The lampstand is described in great detail in the Bible. It was to be a sort of tree of light, its seven branches extending from the base elaborately decorated with a design of almond blossoms. It is given no dimensions in size, only its weight in gold: one talent exactly. Atop each branch, resting in the almond blossom, was a simple, removable, oil lamp, most likely made from terracotta or copper. The wicks faced the interior of the room, casting light over the priests as they tended to their duties.

A small altar was placed between the lampstand and the table, directly in front of the veil of cherubim (see Exodus 30: 1-10 & 37:25-29). It was the place from which the priests offered incense as an act of worship. Just as incense is used today in many different kinds of religious services, it was used in ancient times, filling the holy space with rare and precious scents.

Holy of Holies | The Court | The Boards and Curtains
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