שמות, פרק כ״ה, פסוק ד׳

Following the collection of metals, the focus shifts to the fine textiles required for building the Tabernacle and crafting the priestly garments. These materials include three types of luxurious dyed wool, high-quality white linen, and a coarser animal hair. The primary approach among commentators is that the first three materials listed are not distinct types of fabric, but rather sheep's wool dyed in specific shades. Because the priestly garments must be made exclusively from wool and linen, and the fourth material is explicitly linen, the preceding three must naturally be wool [מזרחי, תורה תמימה, שפתי חכמים, גור אריה].

The first dyed wool is a shade of blue that mirrors the appearance of the sky and the sea [רלב״ג, אבן עזרא הקצר, משכיל לדוד, שטיינזלץ]. This dye was extracted from the blood of a rare marine snail found along the coasts of the Mediterranean and the Sea of Galilee [רש״י, מזרחי, ביאור יש״ר, פרדס יוסף, קאסוטו]. The second is a dark red leaning toward purple, widely recognized as a luxurious and royal color, which was also produced from a specific type of snail [אבן עזרא, רלב״ג, ביאור יש״ר, שטיינזלץ, קאסוטו]. The third is a bright, glowing red [רלב״ג, שטיינזלץ, קאסוטו]. This brilliant color was extracted from special berries that housed a worm or louse. The name of this material points either to its radiant appearance or to a process where the thread was dyed twice to achieve its striking hue [תורה תמימה, ביאור יש״ר, קאסוטו].

The use of these specific dyes sparks a legal discussion among commentators. A well-known rule dictates that only pure materials may be used for sacred work, yet the snails and worms used for these dyes are impure creatures. To resolve this, commentators explain that the extracted color is considered a mere visual appearance rather than a physical substance, or that the red dye was derived from the berries themselves rather than the body of the worm. This requirement for purity is also why silk was entirely excluded from the Tabernacle materials, as it is produced directly from the body of the silkworm [תורה תמימה, נחל קדומים, פרדס יוסף].

Contrasting with the vibrantly dyed wool is an exceptionally fine, high-quality linen, famously imported from Egypt [רשב״ם, רש״י, אבן עזרא, קאסוטו]. Unlike the wool, this linen was left in its natural white state. Each piece of yarn was intricately spun from six individual fine threads [אבן עזרא, רלב״ג, ביאור יש״ר, קאסוטו]. Finally, the materials include a much coarser textile made from spun goat hair or fleece [רש״י, רשב״ם, שטיינזלץ, קאסוטו]. Although the term used simply names the animal, it refers to the spun product. Highlighting the extraordinary skill involved, some commentators note that expert women would spin this hair directly from the fleece while it was still attached to the living goats [רש״י, שפתי חכמים, בכור שור, משכיל לדוד].