Why does the Torah use the double expression "Negbah Teimanah"?
Ramban: The real name for south is 'Teiman'. Negev is a nickname, given to it because of its dryness. 1 Sometimes, such as here, the Torah employs both names, as if to say "Negev, which is Teiman. 2
Which in turn, is based on the fact that the sun, after rising in the east, travels to the west via the south.
In fact, the Ramban points out, all the directions have names that are linked to the sun when man faces it). Hence, later in th Parshah, the Torah will refer to the east as "Keidmah Mizrachah" - 27:13 (See Rashi there), seeing as 'Kedem' means in front, and the west as "Yam" - in 26:22, because in Eretz Yisrael, the Mediterranean Sea is in the west. Whereas the north the Torah refers to as "Tzafon" - in 26:20), because the sun is hidden from it (since it never appears there). The Ramban adds that the Torah refers to the south as "Darom" (as if it had written ''Dar Ram" (dwells on high) because that is where the sun reaches its highest point. Moreover, it refers to the south as 'the right, and the north as 'the left', from the point of view of a man facing the sun.
Considering that, when discussing the Keilim of the Mishkan, the Torah always begins with those in the north - See for example, 25:23 & 31 and later in Pasuk 35, and this is repeated in Vayakhel and Pikudei - why does the Torah here and in Vayakhel, begin with the boards on the south?
Oznayim la'Torah: Because we always picture a person facing the east - which is why the east is called 'Panim', and the west, 'Achor'. Consequently, the south is on his right hand side, which is why that is where he will generally begin building a new edifice. Whereas someone who entered the Ohel Mo'ed faced the west, in which case it was the north that was on his right hand side. Therefore the Pasuk begins describing the Shulchan on the north before the Menorah on the south.
