שמות, פרק ל״ו, פסוק ט״ז

Constructing the tent of the Tabernacle required sewing individual curtains together to form the structure's covering. To achieve this, the artisans took five of the curtains and sewed them together to create one large, independent unit. They then took the remaining six curtains and joined them into a second, separate unit [ביאור שטיינזלץ].

When God originally commanded the creation of these panels, He included an instruction to fold over the sixth curtain. However, the account of the actual construction leaves out this specific detail. Commentators offer different explanations for this omission. One approach suggests that the narrative is simply using brief, concise language and does not need to repeat every step [אבן עזרא הקצר]. Another perspective explains that folding the curtain was not part of the initial manufacturing and sewing stage. Rather, it was an action performed much later, only when the Tabernacle was physically set up [העמק דבר].

A minority opinion presents a different way to view the division of the fabric. It suggests that there were actually five and a half curtains on each side, and the recorded numbers of five and six are merely rounded figures. This interpretation, however, is rejected. The accepted understanding remains the straightforward reading: the curtains were divided exactly into groups of five and six, and any missing details in the account are simply a result of the text's brief style [אבן עזרא הקצר].