Materials

Many of the materials for the Tabernacle could have been brought with the Israelites from Egypt. The Bible says the Egyptians gave gold and silver jewelry to the Israelites willingly before they fled (Exodus 11:2 & 12:35). Other materials, such as spices and oil, could have been bought from caravans in the Sinai Peninsula.

Acacia Trees
The shittim wood used for the boards and furniture of the Tabernacle came from the acacia trees that are so common in the Sinai and Israeli desserts. The trees, however, are quite small. Deriving such large, heavy boards from them (20 x 1½ cubits) would have been very difficult. Some people claim that the acacia tree grew much larger in ancient times, and especially in Egypt, where they could have been collected. Another theory is that slivers of wood were joined together with a kind of glue, or with metal bindings, to create the giant boards.

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Cherubim
The Cherubim, carvings of winged creatures placed above the ark, are another of the Tabernacle's mysteries. There is no consensus as to whether these creatures were human in form, or animal, or a combination of the two. Depictions of creatures part human and part animal were common among the cultures surrounding Israel. The Egyptians had the sphinx, with the head of a man and the body of a lion. The Mesopotamians had the karibu, a winged creature with the head of a man and the body of an ox. In Ezekiel we read of cherubim with four faces: human, lion, ox and eagle. Despite all this, however, many continue to think of the cherubim as fully human in form, with wings like an angel. They appear this way in classical rabbinic texts, and they are depicted in this way in the Glencairn model.

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The Three Colors of Dyed Wool
The wool in the Tabernacle was dyed three different colors and woven with white linen into artistic designs. The dyes, as well as the linen, were very precious materials, and would have been of much greater value than the outer curtains of the Tabernacle. The three dyes used on the wool were as follows:

Tekhelet: This sky-blue color was made by boiling a certain species of shellfish found in the Mediterranean Sea. It is not clear which shellfish this is, and there is debate among some Jews, even today, who are interested in replicating this color for use in ritual garments. The Bible commands the Jews to tie a thread of tekhelet to the fringe of a "four cornered garment" (Numbers 15:37-41).

Argaman: This red-purple dye comes from the same shellfish mentioned above. Simply adding certain ingredients to the boiled fish chemically alters the coloring.

Tola'at shani: Literally "worm of scarlet," this deep red dye was extracted from the body of the worm coccida.

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The Menorah
The menorah, after the Star of David, is the most common symbol of Judaism today, and a much more ancient symbol than the Star of David. It originated in the Tabernacle, and was built anew for the Temple in Jerusalem An image of it appears on the Arch of Titus in Rome, which depicts Titus' conquest of Judea and the triumphal procession with booty from the Temple at Jerusalem. The menorah was chosen as the official emblem for the state of Israel and has been used ever since to mark the Jewish identity. Many are confused, however, by the fact that the menorah used during the Jewish holiday Hanukah has eight branches, while the menorah of the Bible has only seven.

Hanukah is a non-biblical holiday, celebrating a miracle believed to have been given by God during the Maccabean Revolt in 165 B.C.E. The Greek ruler Antiochus of Tyre had desecrated the Temple by erecting idols of Greek gods and forbidding worship of the Hebrew God. When the Jews finally reclaimed their Temple they attempted to consecrate it by lighting the lampstand with pure oil. When they found that they only had enough oil to burn for one more day they despaired that the Temple would be left unclean. But miraculously the oil lasted for eight days, long enough to press the olives and make more of the holy anointing oil. Every year Jewish people light eight lamps over a period of eight days to remember and praise God for this miracle. So a menorah with seven branches is depicting the lampstand of the Tabernacle/Temple, while a menorah with eight branches is the lampstand used for Hanukah.

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Gold, Silver and Bronze
In the ancient Near East various metals gained and lost value over time. There was a period when silver was the most valuable metal, and at this time sacred objects would be made from silver. However, during the period when the Tabernacle was built, gold was the most precious, silver was less valuable and bronze still less valuable. Iron was in use at this time, but not widely, and would not have been used for religious purposes.

Articles could have been plated with gold and bronze any number of ways. Most likely, sheets of metal were hammered out and attached to the wooden structures with small nails.

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The Outer Curtain
What was the outer curtain - the only part of the Tabernacle visible to the majority of Israelites - made out of? The meaning of the Hebrew word tehasim is debated. No one knows for certain what animal this skin was made from. From the earliest records of rabbinic commentary there is ambiguity. The Talmud records one opinion that God created a special creature for this purpose. A one horned beast appeared to Moses just as the Tabernacle was being built, and disappeared forever afterwards. Many scholars today think it was some sort of a sea animal, such as a dolphin or a sea-cow, similar to a manatee. These animals are common in the Red Sea, and the skins of the sea-cow were used by Bedouins for centuries to make sandals. Others think the animal was a sheep, ferret or badger. Yet another theory is that the outer covering was made from a very tough felt, similar to that commonly used by Bedouins to cover their tent dwellings. We may never know for certain.

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