במדבר, פרק ג׳, פסוק כ״ו

The mobile sanctuary required a dedicated group to manage its flexible, woven components. The family of Gershon was entrusted with the care and transport of the textiles, animal skins, and ropes of the Tabernacle complex, managing everything necessary for its assembly and dismantling. Their duties included carrying the courtyard hangings and the screen that enclosed the central structure. The hangings were positioned near and alongside the main structures, rather than physically draped over them [חזקוני, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. Spatially, the Tabernacle sat on the inside, while the altar stood outside it [אבן עזרא, חזקוני]. The courtyard hangings enclosed the Tabernacle from three sides, and on the eastern side, their primary function was to enclose the altar [מלבי״ם]. This enclosure was entirely complete and continuous, leaving no empty space or gap without a screen [אבן עזרא]. Beyond the physical layout, the close association between the Tabernacle and the altar points to a shared physical dimension. Just as the wooden boards of the Tabernacle were ten cubits high, the altar was also ten cubits high [תורה תמימה].

A key part of managing these textiles involved the ropes, though there are different views regarding exactly which ropes the Gershon family managed. The primary approach among commentators is that they were responsible for the ropes used to tie and stretch the sheets of the Tabernacle and the tent to the ground, rather than the ropes of the courtyard. This distinction is made because the ropes for the courtyard pillars were carried by the family of Merari. However, some expand this responsibility, explaining that the Gershon family also managed the ropes holding the courtyard screen and the courtyard hangings themselves, distinct from the pillar ropes [ביאור שטיינזלץ, מלבי״ם, ברכת אשר]. Taking a different perspective, another opinion suggests the focus is explicitly on the courtyard ropes. In this view, these ropes served two distinct purposes. During encampment, they tied the hangings to the pillars and pegs, and during travel, they were used to fold and bind the curtains together [העמק דבר]. Ultimately, the role of the Gershon family encompassed every action, accessory, and task required to assemble and dismantle the Tabernacle, specifically concerning its complex system of curtains and ropes [רש ר הירש, ביאור שטיינזלץ].