The Multicolored Cover

And rams’ skin dyed red, taḥash skins and acacia wood.

                                                                   Exodus 25:5

The upper cover of the Tabernacle was made of the skins of an animal called “taḥash” (generally translated as “seal skins,” though some translations, such as ours, merely transliterate the word).

Rashi, quoting our Sages, comments that taḥash was an animal which existed only for the time the Tabernacle was built, and whose skin was multicolored.

Maharal of Prague comments that the coverings of the Tabernacle were its essence, since the Torah calls the Tabernacle a tent.

My father commented that building the place of sanctity requires a range of colors, Israelites of different viewpoints and opinions must all contribute and participate in constructing the Temple/Mishkan, and all will be united by its sanctity. However, without sanctity, the divergent approaches and opinions can cause disunity and be destructive, rather than constructive.

Our Sages [Babylonian Talmud, Shabbat 28 a-b] teach that the taḥash was a kosher animal. My father explained that the lesson is that sanctity can be attained only through fit (the literal translation of “kasher”) means.