ועשית קערתיו וכפתיו. קְעָרוֹתָיו זֶה דְּפוּס שֶׁהָיָה עָשׂוּי כִּדְפוּס הַלֶּחֶם, וְהַלֶּחֶם הָיָה עָשׂוּי כְּמִין תֵּבָה פְּרוּצָה מִשְׁתֵּי רוּחוֹתֶיהָ, שׁוּלַיִם לוֹ לְמַטָּה, וְקוֹפֵל מִכָּאן וּמִכָּאן כְּלַפֵּי מַעְלָה כְּמִין כְּתָלִים, וּלְכָךְ קָרוּי לֶחֶם הַפָּנִים, שֶׁיֵּשׁ לוֹ פָנִים רוֹאִין לְכָאן וּלְכָאן לְצִדֵּי הַבַּיִת מִזֶּה וּמִזֶּה, וְנוֹתֵן אָרְכּוֹ לְרָחְבּוֹ שֶׁל שֻׁלְחָן, וְכָתְלָיו זְקוּפִים כְּנֶגֶד שְׂפַת הַשֻּׁלְחָן; וְהָיָה עָשׂוּי לוֹ דְּפוּס זָהָב וּדְפוּס בַּרְזֶל, בְּשֶׁל בַּרְזֶל הוּא נֶאֱפֶה, וּכְשֶׁמּוֹצִיאוֹ מִן הַתַּנּוּר נוֹתְנוֹ בְשֶׁל זָהָב עַד לְמָחָר בְּשַׁבָּת שֶׁמְּסַדְּרוֹ עַל הַשֻּׁלְחָן, וְאוֹתוֹ דְּפוּס קָרוּי קְעָרָה: ועשית קערתיו וכפתיו AND THOU SHALT MAKE THE DISHES THEREOF AND THE SPOONS THEREOF — קערתיו are the forms (moulds) that were made to fit the shape of the bread (Menachot 97a). The bread was shaped like a case broken open as regards two of its sides (two opposite sides of which have been removed; these are what we would call the front and the back). It had a bottom underneath, but no top, and this bottom was turned up on both ends to form, as it were, walls. On this account it was called לחם הפנים, “bread with faces” — because it had faces (surfaces) looking in both directions towards the sides of the House (the Sanctuary). The bread was placed lengthwise across the breadth of the table with its sides standing up exactly in a line with the edge of the table. There were made for it a golden mould and an iron mould: in the iron one it was baked, and when it was taken out from the oven it was put on the golden one until the next day, the Sabbath, when it was arranged on the table (the mould then being removed). This golden mould is here called קערה (Menachot 94a; cf. also Berliner’s Rashi 2nd ed. p. 426).
וכפתיו. בָּזִיכִין שֶׁנּוֹתְנִין בָּהֶם לְבוֹנָה שְׁתַּיִם הָיוּ לִשְׁנֵי קֻמְצֵי לְבוֹנָה שֶׁנּוֹתְנִין עַל שְׁתֵּי הַמַּעֲרָכוֹת, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר וְנָתַתָּ עַל הַמַּעֲרֶכֶת לְבֹנָה זַכָּה (ויקרא כ"ד): וכפתיו AND ITS SPOONS — ladles (or rather, cups with flat bottoms) in which the incense was put. There were two such vessels for the two handfuls of incense which was put upon the piles in which the loaves were arranged, as it is said, (Leviticus 24:7) “And thou shalt put pure frankincense upon each pile”.
וקשותיו. הֵן כְּמִין חֲצָאֵי קָנִים חֲלוּלִים הַנִּסְדָּקִין לְאָרְכָּן (מנחות צ"ו), דֻּגְמָתָן עוֹשֶׂה שֶׁל זָהָב, וּמְסַדֵּר ג' עַל רֹאשׁ כָּל לֶחֶם, שֶׁיֵּשֵׁב לֶחֶם הָאַחֵר עַל גַּבֵּי אוֹתָן הַקָּנִים, וּמַבְדִּילִין בֵּין לֶחֶם לְלֶחֶם כְּדֵי שֶׁתִּכָּנֵס הָרוּחַ בֵּינֵיהֶם וְלֹא יִתְעַפְּשׁוּ; וּבִלְשׁוֹן עֲרָבִי כָּל דָּבָר חָלוּל קָרוּי קס"וא: וקשתיו — These had the form of halves of hollow canes which are split along their length (Menachot 96a). Articles similar to these were made of gold and three of them were set in a row above each loaf so that another loaf (that above it) should rest on top of the “canes”; thus they (these canes) separated one loaf from another so that air could enter between and they would not become mouldy (Menachot 97a). In the Arabic language anything hollow is called קסוא (and this corresponds to the root of this word, which therefore denotes something hollow).
ומנקיתיו. תַּרְגּוּמוֹ וּמְכִילָתֵיהּ, הֵן סְנִיפִים כְּמִין יִתְדוֹת זָהָב, עוֹמְדִין בָּאָרֶץ וּגְבוֹהִים עַד לְמַעְלָה מִן הַשֻּׁלְחָן הַרְבֵּה, כְּנֶגֶד גֹּבַהּ מַעֲרֶכֶת הַלֶּחֶם, וּמְפֻצָּלִים חֲמִשָּׁה פִצּוּלִים זֶה לְמַעְלָה מִזֶּה, וְרָאשֵׁי הַקָּנִים שֶׁבֵּין לֶחֶם לְלֶחֶם סְמוּכִין עַל אוֹתָן פִּצּוּלִין, כְּדֵי שֶׁלֹּא יִכְבַּד מַשָּׂא הַלֶּחֶם הָעֶלְיוֹנִים עַל הַתַּחְתּוֹנִים וְיִשָּׁבְרוּ; וּלְשׁוֹן מְכִילָתֵיהּ סֹבְלוֹתָיו, כְּמוֹ נִלְאֵיתִי הָכִיל (ירמיהו ו'). אֲבָל לְשׁוֹן מְנַקִּיּוֹת אֵינִי יוֹדֵעַ אֵיךְ נוֹפֵל עַל סְנִיפִין; וְיֵשׁ מֵחַכְמֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל אוֹמְרִים קְשֹׂתָיו אֵלּוּ סְנִיפִין, שֶׁמַּקְשִׁין אוֹתוֹ וּמַחֲזִיקִים אוֹתוֹ שֶׁלֹּא יִשָּׁבֵר, וּמְנַקִּיֹּתָיו אֵלּוּ הַקָּנִים שֶׁמְּנַקִּין אוֹתוֹ שֶׁלֹּא יִתְעַפֵּשׁ (מנחות צ"ז), אֲבָל אֻנְקְלוֹס שֶׁתִּרְגֵּם וּמְכִילָתֵיהּ, הָיָה שׁוֹנֶה כְדִבְרֵי הָאוֹמֵר מְנַקִּיּוֹת הֵן סְנִיפִין: מנקיותיו — It is translated in the Targum by ומכילתיה “and the trestles (supports) thereof” (cf. Menachot 96a). According to him these were attachments to the table like a kind of golden pegs (pillars) standing on the floor and reaching in height far above the table up to the height of the pile of bread. They were notched in five places, one above the other, and the ends of the canes which were between one loaf and another were supported on these notches so that the weight of the upper loaves should not press heavily upon the lower ones in which event these would be broken. The word מכילתיה used by Onkelos as a rendering of מנקיותיו denotes “bearers;” it is of the same root as the verb in (Jeremiah 6:11) “I am weary to bear (הכיל) it.” But as for the term מנקיות (which is a Piel of נקה and would denote “cleansers”) I do not know how it is applicable to these attachments the purpose of which was not to keep the bread clean but merely to serve as supports for the canes. But there are some of the Jewish Sages who hold that קשתיו (connected with קשה “hard”) are the pegs (or pillars) and they are so called because they served to keep it (the loaves) hard and firm, so that it should not break, whilst מנקיותיו are the “canes” which kept the bread clean so that it should not become mouldy. Onkelos, however, who translated מנקיותיו by מכילתיה understood it according to the opinion of him who holds that מנקיות were the supporting pillars (cf. Menachot 97a).
אשר יסך בהן. אֲשֶׁר יְכֻסֶּה בָהֵן, וְעַל קְשֹׂתָיו הוּא אוֹמֵר אֲשֶׁר יֻסַּךְ, שֶׁהָיוּ עָלָיו כְּמִין סְכָךְ וְכִסּוּי, וְכֵן בְּמָקוֹם אַחֵר הוּא אוֹמֵר וְאֵת קְשׂוֹת הַנָּסֶךְ (במדבר ד'), וְזֶה וָזֶה, יֻסַּךְ וְהַנָּסֶךְ, לְשׁוֹן סְכָךְ וְכִסּוּי הֵם: אשר יסך בהן means BY WHICH THEY SHALL BE COVERED. It is of the קשות, the “canes,” that the words אשר יסך are said, because these lay over it like a cover and a screen. Thus, too, in another passage (Numbers 4:7) it says, ואת קשות הנסך, “and the קשות for covering;” both words, יסך and הנסך, denote screening and covering.