“How was the tabernacle covered?” “There were provided ten curtains of blue, of purple, and scarlet, and fine-twined linen.” As is said, “Moreover, thou shalt make the tabernacle (with) ten curtains of fine-twined linen, and blue, and purple, and scarlet.”(601) “Their threads were doubled thirty-two times,” the words of Rabbi Nehemiah, when R. Nehemiah said, “thread,” _i.e._, one doubled in two, “twined,” _i.e._, to four, “fine-twined,” _i.e._, to eight. It follows that their threads were doubled thirty-two times. But the Sages say, “thread,” _i.e._, one doubled in two, “twined,” _i.e._, to three, “fine-twined,” _i.e._, to six. It follows that their threads were doubled twenty-four times. They were coupled in two vails, one of five, and one of five.(602) As is said, “the five curtains shall be coupled together one to another: and (other) five curtains (shall be) coupled one to another,” and they were coupled with loops of blue, as is said,(603) “And thou shalt make loops of blue upon the edge of the one curtain from the selvedge in the coupling; and likewise shalt thou make in the uttermost edge of (another) curtain, in the coupling of the second.” And they were coupled to fifty taches of gold, as is said,(604) “And thou shalt make fifty taches of gold, and couple the curtains together with the taches; and it shall be one tabernacle.” And the taches appeared in the tabernacle as stars in the firmament. The length of the curtains was twenty-eight cubits, as is said,(605) “the length of one curtain (shall be) eight and twenty cubits.” Take from them ten cubits for the breadth of the tabernacle, there will remain nine cubits from the one side, and nine cubits from the other side. They hung down and covered the boards till they reached the sockets. This teaches that the sockets were one cubit high. And the breadth of the curtains was forty cubits. As is said,(606) “and the breadth of one curtain four cubits.” Take from them thirty cubits from the east to the west, which were on the roof of the tabernacle, and ten cubits to the west behind the tabernacle, there are forty.
There were provided eleven curtains of goats’ hair, and the length of every one of them was thirty cubits, as is said, “And thou shalt make curtains of goats’ (hair) to be a covering upon the tabernacle: eleven curtains shalt thou make. The length of one curtain (shall be) thirty cubits.”(607) And they were coupled in two vails, one of five, and one of six, as is said, “And thou shalt couple five curtains by themselves, and six curtains by themselves,”(608) and they were coupled with fifty loops, as is said, “And he made fifty loops upon the outmost edge of the curtain in the coupling, and fifty loops made he upon the edge of the curtain which coupleth the second.”(609) And the loops were coupled to fifty taches of brass, as is said, “And thou shalt make fifty taches of brass, and put the taches into the loops, and couple the tent together that it may be one.”(610) The length of the curtains was thirty cubits. Take from them ten cubits for their breadth, there will remain ten cubits from one side, and ten cubits from the other side, as they hung down and covered the boards and the sockets. The breadth of the curtains was forty-four cubits, as is said, “And the breadth of one curtain four cubits; and the eleven curtains shall be all of one measure.”(611) Take from them thirty cubits for the length of the tabernacle, and ten cubits behind the tabernacle—these are forty. There was left there one curtain which was doubled in front of the tent, as is said, “And thou shalt double the sixth curtain in the fore-front of the tabernacle.”(612) Rabbi Judah said, “half of it was doubled in the fore-front of the tabernacle, and half of it was hanging behind the tabernacle,” as is said, “And the remnant that remaineth of the curtains of the tent, the half curtain that remaineth shall hang over the back-side of the tabernacle.”(613) There was also provided one great cover of rams’ skins dyed red, its length thirty cubits, and its breadth ten cubits; with it they clothed the tent upon the tabernacle from east to west, as is said, “And thou shalt make a covering for the tent of rams’ skins dyed red, and a covering above of badgers’ skins,”(614) and it was made “like patchwork,” the words of Rabbi Nehemiah. Rabbi Judah said, “there were two covers—the lower one of rams’ skins dyed red, and the upper one of badgers’ skins,” as is said, “his covering and the covering of the badgers’ skins that is above upon it.”(615)