שמות, פרק כ״ו, פסוק כ״ג

Building the Tabernacle required precise architectural planning to create a perfectly unified exterior, especially where the walls connected. At the rear, western end of the structure, special attention was given to the corners [קאסוטו, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. The primary approach among commentators is that two specific boards were designed for the northwest and southwest corners. The entire western wall was made of eight boards standing in a single row. While the six central boards formed the main inner wall, the thickness of the north and south walls left an empty space at the outer corners.

To fill this gap, the two corner boards were put in place. Only half a cubit of each corner board's width was visible from inside the Tabernacle. This precise addition brought the total inner width to exactly ten cubits, establishing a proportion that would later be used in the Temple, where the width was exactly one-third of the length [שפתי חכמים]. The remaining width of these two corner boards covered the exposed thickness of the side walls. As a result, the outside corners of the building looked completely even, smooth, and uniform [רש״י, מלבי״ם, ביאור יש״ר, ביאור שטיינזלץ].

Connecting these corners presented a unique engineering challenge. The boards of the Tabernacle were not perfectly straight; they gradually narrowed toward the top. If the corner boards had been left straight, their top sections would have stuck out. To prevent this, the corner boards were shaped and angled into a wedge, resembling a mountain that slopes on both sides. This allowed them to perfectly match the slanted line of the adjoining walls without protruding at all [תורה תמימה].

Beyond the physical construction, the design of the corners and the rear of the structure carries a deeper message. These architectural details hint at the ultimate end of times for the Israelites. They point toward a future era when the people will be redeemed and gathered from the far ends of the earth, finally leaving their exile [שפתי כהן].