(21) Place the cover on top of the Ark, after depositing inside the Ark the Pact that I will give you. (22) There I will meet with you, and I will impart to you—from above the cover, from between the two cherubim that are on top of the Ark of the Pact—all that I will command you concerning the Israelite people.
(20) The cherubim shall have their wings spread out above, shielding the cover with their wings. They shall confront each other, the faces of the cherubim being turned toward the cover.
(12) one wing of the other [cherub] 5 cubits long extending to the other wall of the House, and its other wing 5 cubits long touching the wing of the first cherub. (13) The wingspread of these cherubim was thus 20 cubits across, and they were standing up facing the House.
§ Continuing its focus on the cherubs, the Gemara asks: How were the cherubs standing? Rabbi Yoḥanan and Rabbi Elazar disagree about this. One says: Their faces were turned one toward the other. And one says: Their faces were turned toward the House, i.e., the Sanctuary. The Gemara asks: But according to the one who says that their faces were turned one toward the other, isn’t it written: “And their faces were toward the House” (II Chronicles 3:13)? How does he explain the meaning of this verse? The Gemara answers: This is not difficult, as their faces miraculously changed directions in reflection of the Jewish people’s relationship to God. Here, when it states that the cherubs faced each other, it was when the Jewish people do the will of God. There, the verse that describes that the cherubs faced the Sanctuary and not toward each other, was when the Jewish people do not do the will of God. The Gemara asks: And according to the one who says they stood as described in the verse: “And their faces were toward the House,” isn’t it written: “With their faces one toward the other” (Exodus 25:20). How does he explain the meaning of this verse? The Gemara answers: They were angled sideways so that they turned both to each other and toward the Sanctuary, as it is taught in a baraita: Onkelos the Convert said that the cherubs were of the form of children, as the verse states: “And in the Holy of Holies he made two cherubim of the form of children; and they overlaid them with gold” (II Chronicles 3:10), and their faces were angled sideways toward the Ark of the Covenant, like a student taking leave of his teacher.
(48) And Solomon made all the furnishings that were in the House of the LORD: the altar, of gold; the table for the bread of display, of gold; (49) the lampstands—five on the right side and five on the left—in front of the Shrine, of solid gold; and the petals, lamps, and tongs, of gold; (50) the basins, snuffers, sprinkling bowls, ladles, and fire pans, of solid gold; and the hinge sockets for the doors of the innermost part of the House, the Holy of Holies, and for the doors of the Great Hall of the House, of gold. (51) When all the work that King Solomon had done in the House of the LORD was completed, Solomon brought in the sacred donations of his father David—the silver, the gold, and the vessels—and deposited them in the treasury of the House of the LORD.
(8) He made ten tables and placed them in the Great Hall, five on the right and five on the left. He made one hundred gold basins.
(38) Then he made ten bronze lavers, one laver on each of the ten laver stands, each laver measuring 4 cubits and each laver containing forty baths.
משום דדריש שכיון שבמקדש שהי' רוחב עשר על שלושים אמה הי' מנורה אחת אם כן על כל החשבון הוא עשר פעמים שלושים הוא שלש מאה אמה וקומתו עשר אמה ולפי זה החשבון ההיכל שבנה שלמה היה ששים על רוחב עשרים א"כ עשרים פעמים ששים הוא אלף ושני מאות וקומתו שלשים א"כ הוא ג' פעמים ככה הוא שלשת אלפים ושש מאות א"כ היה מוכרח להיות אחד עשר מנורות ולבד משה עשרה מנורות חמש מימין של משה וחמש משמאל של משה א"כ לפי החשבון היה צריך להיות עוד אחת רק שלא היה יכול היות יותר על צד אחד מעל הצד השני ובפרט לפרש"י דהדביר היה גובה עשרים א"כ לא היה רק מאה אמה יותר ולכן עשה גם שולחנות עשרה כי השולחן צ"ל נוכח המנורה וכזו כן זה וזה רק במקדש שלמה שהיה גלוי שכינה אבל במקדש שני שאינו רק חוק סגי באחת ודו"ק היטב.
Solomon had ten Menorot because he posited that because the Mikdash, which was 10 amot wide and 30 amot long, had one menorah, the area of his Temple is ten times the area of the Mikdash and so it should have 10 Menorot. The area of the Mikdash was 30 x 10= 300 amot with a height of 10 amot for 3,000 amot.
The Temple that Solomon built was 60 amot by 20 amot, which is an area of 1,200 amot, and the height was 30 amot, so the total area is 36,000 amot. In theory there should have been 11 extra menorot in addition to the main one, but it doesn't make sense to have more on one side than the other so they ended up with 5 on each side.
We then need a table next to each menorah, because they function as a pair, so there were 10 tables to correspond with the ten extra menorot.
ויעש שלחנות עשרה כידי להרבות זרעים. ולמה עה משה אחד שלא היו במדבר צריכין לזרעים, וכיון שבא שלמה עשאן עשר כדי להרבות זרעים. ולכך נתן חמש מימין כנגד ימין העולם שהוא דרום שמשם טללי ברכה וגשמי נדברה יוצאים לעולם, אמר שלמה בזכות אלו השלחנות הנתינות בימין יהיו גשמי ברכה וטללי ברכה יוצאים לעולם מן ימין. ולכך נתן חמשה משמאל כנגד צפון שהוא השמאל שמשם הרעה יוצאה לעולם אמר שלמה בזכות השלחנות הנתונות משמאל יודחו הרעות מישראל. וכך קבע עשרה כיורות חמשה מימין כיור של משה וחמשה משמאל. ויעש את מנורת הזהב עשר כנגד עשרת הדברות, וכל מנורה היו בה שבעה נרות הרי שבעים כנגד שבעים אומות שכל זמן שהנרות דולקות היו מתכבשים ומיום שכבו חגרות נתגברו. ותורה נמשלה בנר שנאמר כי נר מצוה ותורה אור. ואף על פי שעשה שלמה עשר שלחנות לא היה מסדר לחם הפנים תחלה אלא על של משה שנאמר ואת השלחן אשר עליו לחם הפנים ואחר כך היה מסדר על כלן שנאמר ואת השלחנות ועליהם לחם הפנים, ואע"פ שעשה שלמה עשר מנורות לא היה מבעיר תחלה אלא על של משה שנאמר ומנורת הזהב ונרותיה, ואחר כך היה מבעיר כלם שנאמר ואת המנורות ונרותיהם לבערם כמשפט. ויעש בית קדש הקדשים כרובים שנים כנגד לוחות שנים.
He made ten tables so as to increase the produce. And why did Moshe only make one? Because in the desert they didn't need seeds and produce, but when Shlomo came he made ten so as to increase the number of seeds. Therefore he made five tables on the right side, which corresponds with the south, for from the south come rain and dew of blessing to the entire world, so from these tables Solomon said, "Through the merit of these tables which have been placed on the right side, rain of blessing and dew of blessing will spread forth to the entire world from the south.
Therefore he put five tables on the left side, corresponding to the north, from which evil comes forth to the world, and Solomon said, "Through the merit of these tables which have been placed on the left, evil will be removed from Israel.
He then established ten washbasins, five to the right of Moshe's washbasin and five on the left.
And he made ten menorot, corresponding to the Ten Commandments, and each menorah had seven candles, which makes seventy altogether, corresponding to the seventy nations of the world. For any time that all seventy candles were lit, these seventy nations were content, but from the day they were extinguished their spiritual shortcomings came back with a vengeance. For the Torah is compared with a candle, as it says, "The candle is a mitzvah, and the Torah the light".
Even though Shlomo made ten tables, he initially only arranged the showbread on Moshe's table, and then afterwards added the showbread to the rest of the tables.
Even though Shlomo made ten Menorot, he initially only lit Moshe's Menorah, and then afterwards lit the rest of them.
And he made two cherubs, corresponding to the two Tablets.
(1) Of David. A psalm. The earth is the LORD’s and all that it holds, the world and its inhabitants. (2) For He founded it upon the ocean, set it on the nether-streams. (3) Who may ascend the mountain of the LORD? Who may stand in His holy place?— (4) He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who has not taken a false oath by My life or sworn deceitfully. (5) He shall carry away a blessing from the LORD, a just reward from God, his deliverer. (6) Such is the circle of those who turn to Him, Jacob, who seek Your presence.Selah. (7) O gates, lift up your heads! Up high, you everlasting doors, so the King of glory may come in! (8) Who is the King of glory?— the LORD, mighty and valiant, the LORD, valiant in battle. (9) O gates, lift up your heads! Lift them up, you everlasting doors, so the King of glory may come in! (10) Who is the King of glory?— the LORD of hosts, He is the King of glory!Selah.
Shlomo built his [own] house in thirteen years. In work of the Most High he hurried,1Shlomo built the Beis Hamikdosh in seven years as stated in 6:38 above. but in his own [work] he was slow; the text tells this to praise him.
When Solomon built the Temple and sought to bring the Ark into the Holy of Holies, the gates clung together and could not be opened. Solomon uttered twenty-four songs of praise, as in his prayer there are twenty-four expressions of prayer, song, etc. (I Kings 8), and his prayer was not answered. He began and said: “Lift up your heads, O you gates, and be you lifted up, you everlasting doors; that the King of glory may come in” (Psalms 24:7). Immediately, the gates ran after him to swallow him, as they thought that in the words: “King of glory” he was referring to himself, and they said to him: “Who is the King of glory?” (Psalms 24:8). He said to them: “The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle” (Psalms 24:8). And he said again: “Lift up your heads, O you gates, yea, lift them up, you everlasting doors; that the King of glory may come in. Who then is the King of glory? The Lord of hosts; He is the King of glory. Selah” (Psalms 24:9–10), and he was not answered. When he said: “O Lord God, turn not away the face of Your anointed; remember the good deeds of David Your servant” (II Chronicles 6:42), he was immediately answered, and a fire descended from Heaven (II Chronicles 7:1). At that moment, the faces of all of David’s enemies turned dark like the charred bottom of a pot. And all of Israel knew that the Holy One, Blessed be He, forgave him for that sin. And if so, is it not appropriate what Solomon said: “And I praised the dead that are already dead,” David, more than the living, Solomon, to whose request to open the gates of the Temple God did not respond?
(1) The LORD spoke to Moses: (2) See, I have singled out by name Bezalel son of Uri son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah. (3) I have endowed him with a divine spirit of skill, ability, and knowledge in every kind of craft; (4) to make designs for work in gold, silver, and copper, (5) to cut stones for setting and to carve wood—to work in every kind of craft. (6) Moreover, I have assigned to him Oholiab son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan; and I have also granted skill to all who are skillful, that they may make everything that I have commanded you:
The pillars at the entrance to the house he named for good fortune. One was called Jachin, indicating that the house would last forever, and Boaz was indicative of strenth, made up of a composite word, bo-oz [strength in it]- that God should grant the Temple strength and standing, as it states: "God shall give vigor to his nation".
The wheels of the chariot: The holy chariot that was seen in the vision of Ezekiel, and this is how Targum Yonatan translated it...Solomon in his wisdom saw that which Ezekiel saw in his prophecy.