What are the implications of "Eileh Pekudei ha'Mishkan"?
Rashi, Rashbam and Targum Yonasan: This Parshah discusses the amounts of gold, silver and copper that the people donated (and enumerates all the Keilim of the Mishkan - Rashi).
Ramban #1 (citing many commentaries): The Pasuk is telling us that the entire Mishkan and all its Keilim, 1 discussed in Ki Sisa, were placed in the charge of the Levi'im, under the jurisdiction of Isamar. 2
Ramban #2: It refers to the Parshah that follows - to the amounts of gold, silver and copper that the people donated and what they were all used for. 3
Seforno: It refers to all the items discussed in Vayakhel, 4 about which the Torah writes in Bamidbar, 4:32-33 "u've'Sheimos 5 Tifk'du es K'lei Mishmeres Masa'am ... be'Yad Isamar".
Bach, Y.D. Siman 257: It teaches us that, although one does not keep check of reliable Gaba'ei Tzedakah, it is nevertheless correct on their part to to give an account of what they collected. 6
Not including the K'lei Kodesh (the Aron, the Shulchan ...) which were under the jurisdiction of Elazar (Ramban).
See Ramban's objection to this explanation.
See Sifsei Chachamim.
Indicating that each item, and certainly the holy Keilim was worthy of its name, and, unlike the Beis-ha'Mikdash of Shlomo and its Keilim, was never destroyed - as the Gemara points out in Yoma, 12a (Seforno). Refer also to 38:21:6:1.
See Torah Temimah, note 2.
Why does the Torah repeat the word "Mishkan"?
Rashi: Bearing in mind the shared root of the words 'Mishkan' and 'Mashkon' (collateral), the Pasuk is hinting at the two times that the Beis-ha'Mikdash 1 was taken as collateral 2 due to Yisrael's sins. 3
Which is also called 'Mishkan'.
To be redeemed - rebuilt if Yisrael do Teshuvah. See Oznayim la'Torah, DH 'ha'Mishkan Mishkan ha'Eidus" #2 who elaborates at great length.
R. Bachye: The Gematriya of "ha'Mishkan" (plus the five letters) equals four hundred and twenty - the years that the second Beis-ha'Mikdash stood; "Mishkan", four hundred and ten, - the years of the first Beis-ha'Mikdash, and "ha'Eidus" - four hundred and seventy-nine, - the era of the Mishkan (which was never destroyed. See also Ba'al ha'Turim.
Why is the Mishkan called "Mishkan ha'Eidus"?
Rashi: Because it served as testimony that Hashem had forgiven Yisrael for the sin of the Golden Calf.
Ramban and Seforno: Because it contained the Luchos ha'Eidus. 1
Sh'mos Rabah (51:6): Because it was testimony on behalf of Moshe. Scoffers were saying that Moshe kept some of the donations for the Mishkan. Moshe gave a calculation for the silver collected for the Mishkan, Initially he forgot about the one thousand seven hundred and seventy-five Shekalim above what was needed for the sockets; And when he set-up the Mishkan, he remembered that they were for the clasps. 2
"Mishkan" S'tam refers to the bottom set of curtains, as we learned in Terumah (Ramban).
Hadar Zekenim: Moshe's calculation fell fifteen (Rosh - thousand) Shekalim short. Moshe wanted the Mishkan to be testimony for him; so they calculated again and found the extra fifteen Shekalim (the Gematriya of the first letters of "veha'Melachah Haysah Dayam" - 36:7). Moshe then recited the fifteen praises of Hashem in Yishtabach - "Shir u'Shevachah Oz u'Memshalah ...", which, in turn correspond to the fifteen 'Vavim' in 'Emes ve'Yatziv ... ' following the Sh'ma (Da'as Zekenim).
Seeing as it was the Kohanim who served in the Mishkan, why does the Torah write "Avodas ha'Levi''im"?
Rashi: Because it was the Levi'im who were charged to carry, take down and erect the Mishkan during the years that they spent in the desert. 1
As the Torah will explain at the beginning of Naso (Rashi).
What was Isamar's official position?
Rashi, Targum Onkelos and Targum Yonasan: He was in charge of instructing each Beis Av of their respective tasks for the day. 1
Ayeles ha'Shachar: Because, the Levi'im, like the Kohanim, were divided into six Batei Avos, each of which served one day in the week.
Why does the Torah make a point of listing all the details regarding the Mishkan?
Seforno: It is listing the four merits of the Mishkan, on account of which the Shechinah rested in it and on account of which, not only was it never destroyed or captured, but it never even required repairs: 1. It housed the Luchos; 1 2. It was commanded by Moshe; 3. The Levi'im, led by Isamar, served in it; 4. It was built by Betzalel and his team of Tzadikim. 2
As opposed to the first Beis-ha'Mikdash, in which the Shechinah rested, but which initially required repairs and which was ultimately destroyed - because the workers were from Tzor; whereas the second Beis-ha'Mikdash did not even enjoy the resting of the Shechinah, since it did not contain the Luchos, was initiated by Koresh, the B'nei Levi did not serve in it (as testified by Ezra in his Seifer, Ezra 8:15), and whose builders included workers from Tzidon and Tzor, as the Pasuk writes there, Ezra 3:7 (Sefono).
Why does the Torah not discuss the charge of Elazar?
Ramban: Because Elazar was in charge of the traveling arrangements (regarding taking down the Mishkan, transporting it and erecting it when they encamped), and the Torah is not concerned with that aspect of the Avodas ha'Levi'im here. 1 Hadar Zekenim: Elazar was appointed over the B'nei K'has 2 , and Itamar, over the B'nei Gershon and the B'nei Merari (Bamidbar 4:28,33); Most of the Avodah was through B'nei Gershon and B'nei Merari.
Oznayim la'Torah: Refer to 38:24:1:4.
Bamidbar 3:32 implies (and Rashi there says explicitly) that Elazar was appointed over all the Nesi'im of Levi. This is written after the census of B'nei K'has, but the Torah does not state that he was appointed specifically over them (PF).
If Moshe was in charge of everything, why did he appoint Itamar?
Da'as Zekenim, Rosh and Hadar Zekenim (citing a Midrash): Because authority over the Tzibur requires at least two people.
