שמות, פרק כ״ו, פסוק ט״ז

The structural foundation of the mobile sanctuary relies entirely on the precise measurements of its wooden boards. These individual pieces dictate the overall architectural dimensions of the entire building. When measuring these boards, their recorded length actually represents their standing height [קאסוטו, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. Because each board stood ten cubits tall, the total height of the Tabernacle reached exactly ten cubits. Similarly, the width of each board was a cubit and a half. By placing twenty of these boards along both the northern and southern walls, the total length of the Tabernacle stretched to thirty cubits [רש״י, מלבי״ם, ביאור ישר].

The exact ten-cubit height of the boards reveals an important detail about their foundation. The sockets that held the boards upright must have been completely hollow and open at the bottom. If these sockets had solid bases, they would have lifted the boards higher, pushing the total height of the structure past the required ten cubits [משכיל לדוד].

While the exact size of the cubit used remains somewhat unclear—whether it matched the standard measure later used in the First Temple or was larger [אבן עזרא]—the calculation of a half-cubit had to be exact. It needed to be derived precisely from a standard, whole measure [העמק דבר]. Special emphasis is placed on establishing a single prototype specifically for the width of the boards, rather than their height. The height of the boards was naturally controlled by the length of the fabric curtains draped over them, leaving no room for error. The width, however, required a strict prototype to guarantee that the combined width of all the assembled boards would perfectly align with the dimensions of those same curtains [העמק דבר].

Although the height and width of the boards are carefully detailed, their thickness is completely omitted [קאסוטו, ברכת אשר על התורה]. This missing detail led to different historical traditions. The primary approach among commentators is that the boards were uniformly one full cubit thick from top to bottom [רש״י]. This uniform thickness can even be mathematically proven by calculating how the boards fit together at the corners of the Tabernacle [רבנו פרחיה]. However, a contrasting viewpoint suggests that while the boards were a cubit thick at their base, they gradually tapered as they went up, ending at a thickness of just one finger at the top. According to this perspective, the tapering occurred only on the outside of the boards, ensuring that the interior walls of the Tabernacle remained perfectly smooth and straight [שיטה להר״ן].