Shabbat 99A

ונראין קרסין בלולאות ככוכבים ברקיע.

Additionally, the clasps in the loops, which connected the curtains to one another, looked like stars in the sky.

תנו רבנן: יריעות התחתונות של תכלת ושל ארגמן ושל תולעת שני ושל שש, ועליונות של מעשה עזים. וגדולה חכמה שנאמרה בעליונות יותר ממה שנאמרה בתחתונות, דאילו בתחתונות כתיב: ״וכל אשה חכמת לב בידיה טוו״, ואילו בעליונות כתיב: ״וכל הנשים אשר נשא לבן אתנה בחכמה טוו את העזים״. ותניא משום רבי נחמיה: שטוף בעזים וטווי מן העזים.

Our rabbis taught: The bottom curtains in the Tabernacle were made of tekhelet wool, and of purple wool, and of scarlet wool, and of fine linen; and the top curtains were made of goat hair, even though that material is considered to be inferior and common. However, the wisdom that was stated with regard to the top curtains was greater than that which was stated with regard to the bottom ones. This is because, with regard to the bottom curtains, it is written: “And every wise-hearted woman spun with her hands, and they brought that which they had spun, the blue, and the purple, the scarlet, and the linen” (Exodus 35:25); while with regard to the top curtains, it is written: “And all of the women whose hearts inspired them with wisdom spun the goats” (Exodus 35:26). The phrase “whose hearts inspired them” suggests a greater degree of wisdom. Apparently, spinning the goat’s hair curtains required greater skill than spinning the various kinds of wool. And on a similar note, it was taught in a baraita in the name of R' Neḥemya: The hair was rinsed on the goats, and it was even spun from the goats, which required a great deal of skill.

שתי גזוזטראות כו׳. אמר רב משום רבי חייא: עגלות ⁠— תחתיהן וביניהן וצידיהן רשות הרבים. אמר אביי: בין עגלה לעגלה כמלא ארך עגלה. וכמה ארך עגלה ⁠— חמש אמות. למה לי? בארבע ופלגא סגי! כי היכי דלא לידחקו קרשים.

We learned in the Mishnah with regard to two balconies. Rav said in the name of R' Ḥiyya: With regard to the wagons on which the beams of the Tabernacle were transported, the areas beneath them, and between them, and to their sides are considered to be the public domain. Abaye said: The space between one wagon and the wagon alongside it equaled the full length of a wagon. And how much was the length of a wagon? It was 5 cubits. The Talmud asks: Why do I need the wagon to be 5 cubits long? 4½ cubits would suffice whether the beams were arranged in 3 stacks, each 1½ cubits wide, or 4 stacks, each 1 cubit wide. The Talmud answers: You need the wagon to be 5 cubits long so that space remains between the beams and they will not be pressed against each other.