1:1 records that G-d spoke to Moshe in the ohel moed, and according to our understanding this could have been anywhere in the entire complex.
1:50 refers to the mishkan three times, that the Levites would be in charge of the mishkan edut, that they will carry the mishkan, and that they will serve or guard the mishkan (Milgrom, 1990, p. 10). 1:51 continues with this theme, that the Levites would take down and put up the mishkan. 1:53 concludes this short section with another two references to the mishkan (altogether seven from 1:50-53) that the Levites would camp around the mishkan ha-edut and that the Levites would be in charge of watching/ protecting the mishkan ha-edut. (This term mishkan ha-edut appears three times in the section of 1:50-53.) 1:50 twice refers to the vessels, i.e., the ritual furniture that is situated in the mishkan, and hence we see that the mishkan is the walls but not the items within the walls. Possibly the Torah uses the word mishkan here and not ohel moed because of the second term ha-edut. The term edut is never use in the Torah in conjunction with ohel moed, only ohel edut or the mishkan edut, maybe because ohel moed refers to the entire complex and one should not think that that entire complex is considered edut, testimony. On the other hand, ohel ha-edut refers to the inner room of the mishkan, which housed the aron, which contained the tablets, which are the edut.
2:2 records that the Jewish people were to camp around the ohel moed, and this would mean around the entire complex.
2:17 records that the ohel moed would travel with the people. Again, this is referring to the entire complex, which would be carried with the people travelled, and not just the special building within the complex.
3:7,8 refer to both the ohel moed and the mishkan. Following Milgrom (1990, p. 16, and Levine, 1993, pp. 141,142) the first half of 3:7 records that the Levites are to guard the ohel moed, the entire complex from the Jewish people approaching it inappropriately. In addition, the first half of 3:8 means that the Levites were to guard the items in the ohel moed, the complex, when they were being transported. The end of both 3:7,8 refer to the Levites work in the mishkan, and I would understand that these verses refer first to the taking down of the walls and ceiling of the special building when the people travelled, and then afterwards to the re-assembling of these walls and ceiling when the people reached their next camp.
3:23 records that the Gershonite clan within the Levites, camped on the side of the back of the mishkan, which continues the designation from 1:53, which also used the word mishkan, see our discussion above on the verse.
3:25 records the work of the Levite family, Gershon, in moving parts of the ohel moed when the people travelled in the desert. 3:25 refers to the ohel moed, then the mishkan, then the ohel, and then its cover. The verse indicates that the ohel moed is distinct from the mishkan since if they are synonyms, why would both terms be mentioned twice, one after each other in the verse? 3:25 should be understood to mean that first the verse refers to the entire complex, the ohel moed, and then it specifies the mishkan, the walls and the first or second ceiling of the special building, see 4:25 and Levine, 1993, p. 159.
The next term in 3:25 is ohel, tent, which tent? Rashi (on 3:25 and on 4:25, and followed by Milgrom, 1990, p. 20), explains that the word ohel, tent, in 3:25 refers to the second layer of covering on top of the mishkan. This accords with Shemot 26:7, that the second covering on top of the mishkan, was considered as the tent of the mishkan, and was not part of the mishkan. It could also refer to the third covering, if the second ceiling was also considered part of the mishkan.
The following word in 3:25 is its cover, and this probably refer to the cover of the second covering, namely the third and/ or the fourth covering to the area of the mishkan, as recorded in Shemot 26:14, 36:19, and 40:19.
The last phrase in 3:25 is the curtains of the opening, petach, to the ohel moed, and this is the opening to the courtyard coming from the mishkan since the following verse, 3:26, refers to the opening of the courtyard. However, as we discuss in Shemot 25:8,9; 27:21, “The terms mikdash, mishkan and ohel moed in the book of Shemot,” and on Vayikra 1:1, “The terms mikdash, mishkan and ohel moed in the book of Vayikra,” I think that the term petach ohel moed can sometimes also refer to the opening to complex from outside the complex.
3:26 refers to the curtains “on the mishkan” and this refers to the curtain that cordoned off a courtyard that was around the walls of the special cultic building (and the outer altar). Accordingly, the term “on the mishkan” means surrounding the mishkan.
3:29 records that the Kehat clan amongst the Levites camped on the south side of the mishkan, which follows method of designating their camping spot from 3:23 and 1:53. Similarly, 3:35 records that the Merari clan amongst the Levites camped on the north side of the mishkan.
3:36 records that men of Merari were to carry the beams that made up the mishkan, that is to say the walls of the special building.
3:38 refers to Moshe and Aharon camped before the mishkan on the east and before the ohel moed on the east. Again, we see that the ohel moed is distinct from the mishkan since if they are synonyms, why would both terms be mentioned twice, one after each other in the verse? The verse first mentions the camping of Moshe and Aharon in reference to the mishkan, as occurred by the three clans of the Levites, 3:23, 29, 35. Why then does the Torah add that Moshe and Aharon were also before the ohel moed, lifnei ohel moed? The answer is that if the Torah had only written that they were to camp before the mishkan, then one might have thought that they were to camp in the courtyard of the complex. To reject this possibility, the Torah records that they were to camp before the ohel moed, as this is the entire complex, and being before the entire complex means to be outside the complex. The phrase before the mishkan would then mean to camp in the direction of the opening of the special building but not next to the special building. Note, Milgrom (1991, p. 209) argues that from Bemidbar 8:9,10, we see that the phrase lifnei ohel moed means outside of the complex, and see also our discussion on Vayikra 3:8,13 in our discussion on Vayikra 1:1, “The terms mikdash, mishkan and ohel moed in the book of Vayikra.”
3:38 also refers to the mikdash, and this means the collection of special ritual furniture that was within the mishkan/ ohel moed since Aharon and his sons were responsible for these items being packed when the people travelled, 4:5,15,19.
4:3,4,15 record that the work of the Levite family of Kehat was in the ohel moed, referring to the work of carrying the special ritual furniture that was in the entire special complex when the people travelled in the desert. The verse did not use the term mishkan since the family of Kehat carried the special ritual items within the ohel moed, but not the walls and the ceiling of the special building, which constituted the mishkan.
The first half of 4:16 records that Elazar was to be charge of various items associated with the sacrifices that were not ritual furniture. The second half of 4:16 records that Elazar was in charge of the mishkan, meaning the walls and ceiling of the special building, and all items, the special ritual furniture and supplementary vessels, within the mishkan, ostensibly when the mishkan/ ohel moed was being dismantled. Again, the fact that 4:16 records “within” indicates that the mishkan is just the exterior of the special cultic building. Yet, why does 4:16 refer to the mishkan in 4:16 since Elazar’s brother Itamar was in charge of the Levites families of Gershon and Merari and they carried the walls and the ceiling of the mishkan? Milgrom (1990, p. 28) suggests that based on 3:32, Elazar was in charge of his brother, and then overall in charge of the transporting of the mishkan. Thus, his father Aharon was only in charge of covering the special ritual furniture, 4:4,15,19, but not of overseeing the transport of the items. The second half of 4:16 is then a summary sentence not just in reference to the work of the family of Kehat, the preceding verses, and possibly this summary is mentioned at this point due to the first half of 4:16 recording that Elazar was directly in charge of the transport of the various items that were not ritual furniture. (Note it is not obvious that the family of Kehat had to carry the items mentioned in the first half of 4:16.)
4:23 records that the family of Gershon was to work in the ohel moed, which refers to these Levites carrying different parts of the entire complex. If the term ohel moed just means the mishkan, the special building, then this description of their work is difficult since 4:26 records that they were to carry various items from the courtyard. Yet, if the term ohel moed refers to the entire complex, then 4:23 refers both their work carrying items from the special building and from the courtyard, as recorded in 4:25,26.
4:25 is similar to 3:25 and refers to the work of family of Gershon of carrying the curtains (ceilings) of the mishkan and the curtains of the ohel moed. Again, if these terms are synonyms, then it is odd that both are mentioned in the verse. Instead, the first item are the curtains of the mishkan, and this was the first cover on top of the area that had the special cultic furniture, excluding the outer altar.
The second phrase in 4:25 is “and ohel moed” referring to some curtains mentioned in the beginning of the verse, yet what are the curtains of the ohel moed? As noted by Rashi (on 4:25) the reference is probably to the second (third?) covering above the enclosed area of the mishkan, which was made from goat’s hair. Shemot 26:7 refers to this covering as a tent to the mishkan, which could imply that this second (third?) covering was not part of the mishkan, but it would be part of the ohel moed. With this idea, only the first (second?) covering is part of the mishkan, but not the additional coverings. The additional coverings (third and fourth) of the area enclosed by the mishkan are referred to in the following words of the verse. Accordingly, if the second covering is also considered part of the mishkan, then the phrase “and ohel moed” is a general statement, which is explained by the following words, “its cover,” the cover to the mishkan, and the skin of the tachash, the fourth covering, while if the second covering is not considered part of the mishkan, the phrase “and ohel moed” is referring to the second covering of the mishkan.
The end of 4:25 refers to the curtain by the opening of the ohel moed, see our discussion above of this phrase in 3:25.
4:26 has the phrase “on the mishkan” and this has the same meaning as in 3:36.
4:28 concludes the section on the work of the Levite family Gershon, and refers to them working in the ohel moed like in 4:23, the beginning of the section. This term ohel moed is more general than the term mishkan, and some of the items carried by the family of Gershon were part of the ohel moed and not the mishkan.
4:30 records that the work of the family of Merari was also in the ohel moed, just like by the family of Gershon, 4:23.
4:31,32 specify the work in the ohel moed of the family of Merari. They were to carry the walls, bolts and sockets of the mishkan, and the columns that formed the wall of the courtyard, which were not part of the mishkan but are subsumed under the term ohel moed.
4:33 is the concluding verse to the description of the work of the family of Merari, and refers to the ohel moed, as in the beginning of the section, 4:30, and this pattern is similar to the section on the work of the family of Gershon.
4:35,37,39,41,43,47 all refer to the three different Levite families working in the ohel moed, the entire complex, in reference to a count of how many men in each family between the years thirty and fifty. This reference to working in the ohel moed accords with the mention of the ohel moed by the opening and closing verses of the description of the work of each family in chapter four.
5:17 records that the priest was to take some dirt from the mishkan to create some type of drink for the suspected adulteress. This means that the priest was to take some dirt that was between the walls of the special building since there was no floor to this building.
6:10,13 records that the nazir who accidently became tamei needs to bring two birds to the petach ohel moed to offer as sacrifices. As mentioned in our discussion above on 3:25, this place is probably the entrance to the courtyard leaving the special building, though it could be the entrance to the courtyard coming from outside the complex.
6:18 records that the nazir was also to cut/ shave the hair on his head at the petach ohel moed, and again as 6:10,13, this could be referring either to the entrance to the courtyard leaving the special building, though it could be the entrance to the courtyard coming from outside the complex. In this case, my inclination is that the location is the entrance from the outside the complex, as would a person or many people be cutting their head by the opening to the special cultic building?
7:1 records that when Moshe finished putting up the mishkan, meaning the wall and ceiling of the special building, then he anointed it, the vessels that were inside the special building, the outer altar, which was not in the mishkan, and the other vessels in the courtyard.
7:3 then records that the tribal leaders offered sacrifices before the mishkan, which means that they offered sacrifices on the altar in the courtyard. The altar was situated before or in front of the special building, which was the mishkan.
7:5 then records that the tribal leaders gave wagons to Moshe to help the Levites in their work in the ohel moed, which accords with the description of the work of the three Levite families mentioned in chapter four.
7:89 then record that after the sacrifices of the tribal leaders, Moshe went into the ohel moed, and he heard a sound coming from inside the special building, which was G-d speaking to Moshe. While it could be that Moshe went into the special building, it could also be that he was in the courtyard when he heard G-d speaking to him.
8:9 records that as part of the ceremony to induct the Levites, the Levites were to be brought before, lifnei, the ohel moed, and all the people were to gather around. 8:10 then records that the Levites were to be brought closer before G-d, and the people were to place their hands upon them. Milgrom (1991, p. 209) points out that 8:9 should be understood to mean that the Levites were first brought outside the complex, and this where the people gathered. Afterwards, as recorded in 8:10, they entered the courtyard of the mishkan, passing by the people. This explanation accords with the idea that the ohel moed is more encompassing than the mishkan.
(If one wants to claim that the terms mishkan and ohel moed are synonyms, that both terms refer to the enclosed area with the two rooms, then one would understand that 8:9 means that initially the Levites were in the courtyard of the mishkan with the people, and then in 8:10 they either went into the special building with the two rooms or they scrunched up within the courtyard. Both options seem logistically unreasonable.)
8:15, 19, 22, 24, 26 record that after the Levites were inducted, then they were to work in the ohel moed, which again follows the description of their work in chapter four, see our discussion on 4:23.
9:15, records that on the day when the mishkan was constructed (see 7:1) then the cloud of G-d covered the mishkan (2), and specifically the ohel edut (also mentioned in 9:17). As discussed above on 1:50-53, the ohel edut is the inner room of the special building, and the cloud of G-d was then partially above the special building. 9:18, 19, 20, 22 all continue to discuss the cloud of G-d being above the special building. The Torah did not use the term ohel moed in these verses, since the cloud of G-d did not cover the courtyard.
10:3 records that trumpets would be blown to call the people to come to the petach ohel moed. As discussed above on 3:25, 6:10-18, this phrase could be referring either to the entrance to the courtyard leaving the special building, or the entrance to the courtyard coming from outside the complex. In this case, my inclination is that the location is the entrance from the outside to the complex since very few people could fit inside the courtyard of the ohel moed.
10:11 again refers to the cloud of G-d on top of the mishkan, like in 9:15-22.
10:17 refers to the taking down of the mishkan, the opposite of 9:15, and the transporting of the mishkan by the families of Gershon and Merari. While one might have expected 10:17 to use the term ohel moed instead of the mishkan, maybe since the main work in transporting the special complex, was the taking down of the walls and the ceiling of the mishkan, so then the Torah refers to the mishkan in 10:17.
10:21 records that the family of Kehat transported the mikdash, which means the collection of special ritual furniture. 10:21 ends by recording that the mishkan was to be re-built when the people got to the new camp, and again putting back up the walls and ceiling of the special building was the most difficult part of the re-constructing the special complex, which could be why the Torah uses the term mishkan and not ohel moed in 10:17. Also, the mishkan needed to be re-assembled in order to house the special cultic items being carried by the family of Kehat.
11:16 refers to ohel moed, but this was a tent that Moshe had outside the camp, and is unrelated to the special building and courtyard that was within the camp, see Benno Jacob, 1992, pp. 960-966.
12:4 records that Moshe, Aharon and Miryam were to meet at the ohel moed, and it is not clear if this was referring to Moshe’s tent outside the camp, or to the entrance to the courtyard of the special building within the camp.
14:10 records that the glory of G-d appeared in the ohel moed. Most likely this vision of the glory of G-d was within the cloud that was on top of the mishkan, and the cloud moved to be over the courtyard. This was a frightening vision to stop the people from stoning Moshe, Aharon, Yehoshua and Calev.
16:9 records that Moshe asked the Levites within Korah’s rebellion that was it not enough that they worked in the mishkan? I think the reference is to the Levites carrying the mishkan when the people travelled in the desert since they did not work in the mishkan. Maybe, Moshe mentioned the mishkan and not ohel moed since the work carrying the mishkan was more special than transporting parts of the courtyard.
16:18 records that Aharon and the 250 men were to stand by the petach ohel moed, and 16:19 records that they were joined by Korah and other people at the petach ohel moed. As we discuss above on 3:25, 6:10-18, 10:3, this phrase could be referring either to the entrance to the courtyard leaving the special building, or the entrance to the courtyard coming from outside the complex.
16:24,27 refers to the mishkan of Datan, Aviram and Korah, but this means a regular tent as indicated by 16:25, without any cultic functions.
17:7,8 record that the glory of G-d appeared over the ohel moed, and then Moshe and Aharon could only go up to the ohel moed, but not into the ohel moed since they could not approach the glory of G-d. The ohel moed here refers to the entire complex, and the it seems that just like in 14:10, the glory of G-d was within the cloud of G-d and the cloud moved over the courtyard towards the people.
17:9,10 then record that G-d spoke to Moshe, and 17:11 records that Moshe told Aharon to take coals from the outer, apparently from the outer altar. Yet, if the cloud of G-d was over the ohel moed, which encompassed the courtyard of the mishkan, and the outer altar was in the courtyard, how could Aharon go to the outer altar? It must be that the glory of G-d and maybe the cloud of G-d has left the courtyard by the time that Moshe spoke to Aharon.
17:15 records that after going around the people with a pan of incense, Aharon returned to Moshe who was petach ohel moed. Initially Moshe and Aharon had approached the ohel moed in 17:8, and then apparently the cloud of G-d departed from the ohel moed. Moshe was then able to go into the ohel moed and he went to the entrance of the ohel moed, which as we discuss above on 3:25, 6:10-18, 10:3, 16:18,19, this phrase could be referring either to the entrance to the courtyard leaving the special building, or the entrance to the courtyard coming from outside the complex.
17:19 refers to the ohel moed that the staffs of the tribal leaders and Aharon were to be placed in the ohel moed before the edut, the aron which had the luchot. This might refer to inner room of the mishkan, which has the aron, but could these tribal leaders enter that room or even the outer room of the special building? More likely, 17:19 means that the tribal leaders put their staffs in the courtyard near the special building, and then 17:22 records that Moshe took the staffs into the ohel edut, the inner room of the mishkan. Maybe, the phrase “before the edut” in 17:19 was to specify that the ohel moed being discussed was of the special building and not Moshe’s private ohel moed.
17:28 records that the people said that they realized that they would die if they entered the mishkan, and this refers to entering the area enclosed by the walls and the ceiling of the special building. This did not include the courtyard surrounding the special building since at certain times or in certain areas, people could enter the courtyard, and hence 17:28 does not use the term ohel moed.
18:1 refers to the mikdash, concerning some sin relating to the collection of the special ritual items.
18:4 refers to the Levites watching or guarding the ohel moed. The following verse. 18:5, refers to watching the altar, and if this refers to the outer altar, then the term ohel moed must refer to the courtyard where the outer altar was situated.
18:6 repeats (a type of bookend) that the Levites were to work in the ohel moed. This could refer to transporting the ohel moed, as recorded in chapter four or maybe it means to stand in the courtyard (see our discussion on Devarim 18:6,7, “To stand before G-d”) since the Levites did not do any work in the mishkan, other than carrying it when the people travelled in the desert.
18:21,23,31 mention the Levites working in the ohel moed, and would have a similar understanding to 18:6.
18:22 records that a regular Jew (i.e., not a priest or a Levite) could not enter the ohel moed, which I understand to mean that they could not regularly enter the courtyard. Most likely there could be exceptions to this rule, as for example by the new mother, Vayikra 12:6, unless one claims that after Korah’s rebellion, even these exceptions were no longer allowed. If one claims that ohel moed means just the mishkan, then it is not clear when any regular Jew would ever have gone into the mishkan. However, during the rebellion of Korah, it might be that many regular Jews entered the courtyard of the mishkan some with permission but many without, see our discussions above on 16:19 and on Chapter 16, “The great rebellion by an unholy coalition.”
19:4 records that the blood of the red cow was to be sprinkled in the direction of the ohel moed, the entire complex.
19:13 records that if a person is tamei and does not purify him/herself, then he/ she has made the mishkan tamei. 19:20 expresses a similar idea, but records that the person has made the mikdash tamei. The mikdash is the collection of special ritual items, and all of them except the outer altar are situated in the area enclosed by the mishkan. Possibly 19:13 refers to the mishkan and not the ohel moed to express the gravity of the person remaining tamei.
20:6 records that when the people were complaining for water, Moshe and Aharon went to the petach ohel moed, and we discussed above on 3:25, 6:10-18, 10:3, 16:18, 16:19 this phrase could be referring either to the entrance to the courtyard leaving the special building, or the entrance to the courtyard coming from outside the complex.
24:5 records that in Bil’am’s third set of blessing he praised the mishkenotecha of the Jewish people. This word refers to the tents that were the dwellings of the people, and not to the special cultic building.
25:6 records that the leaders of the nation were weeping at the entrance of the ohel moed, petach ohel moed, and as we discuss above on 3:25, 6:10-18, 10:3, 16:18, 16:19, 17:15, and 20:6, this phrase could be referring either to the entrance to the courtyard leaving the special building, or the entrance to the courtyard coming from outside the complex.
Similar to 3:25, 4:25, 6:10-18, 10:3, 16:18, 16:19, 17:15, 20:6 and 25:6, 27:2 records that the daughters of Tzelofhad spoke to the leaders of the people and the whole assembly petach ohel moed, and this can either mean the entrance to the entire complex or to the entrance to the courtyard. In this case, I think it means the entrance to the entire complex since I do not think that all these people referred to in 27:2 could be in the courtyard of the ohel moed.
31:30 records the instructions from G-d to Moshe that part of the booty from the war with Midyan was to go to the Levites who guarded the mishkan. This refers back to 1:53, which records that the Levites watched the mishkan ha-edut, and this was their principle area that they guarded. Possibly this guarding is mentioned here since the share of the booty in the verse was from the Jewish people to the Levites, and the people should realize that the Levites were protecting them when they guarded the mishkan, see 1:53 again.
31:47 records that Moshe fulfilled G-d’s instructions in 31:30 that Moshe took some of the booty that the people got from the war with Midyan and gave it to the Levites who guarded the mishkan.
31:54 records that Moshe and Elazar took all the gold from the soldiers who had defeated Midyan and placed it into the ohel moed. It is unlikely that they could put all the gold into the outer room of the mishkan, and then 31:54 means that they put it in the courtyard, or maybe some was put in the courtyard and some in the outer room of the mishkan. This concludes the mention of these three terms, mikdash, mishkan and ohel moed, in the book of Bemidbar.
In the book of Devarim, only the term ohel moed appears (twice) in 31:14. 31:14 records that Moshe and Yehoshua were to go the ohel moed, they went there, and they stood in the ohel moed.
As mentioned above on Bemidbar 11:16, there were two ohel moeds when the people were in the desert, one within the camp connected to the special cultic building, and two, Moshe’s private tent outside the camp. It is not clear which ohel moed is being referred to in Devarim 31:14. Benno Jacob (1992, pp. 960-966), believes it is Moshe’s private tent since 31:14 records that Moshe and Yehoshua had to walk to the tent. This could be, but my inclination is that the ohel moed being referred to in 31:14 is within the camp since I think the point of the appearance of the cloud of G-d goal was to show the people that G-d was with Yehoshua, and this lesson could best be shown if the cloud of G-d appeared in the midst of the people.
Following this idea, 31:14 means that Moshe and Yehoshua went to the courtyard of the mishkan. I doubt they went into the special building since Yehoshua who was not a Levite or a priest could not enter the building.
The first half of 31:15 records that the cloud of G-d appeared in the ohel, which from 31:14 would mean the ohel moed (within the camp), and then the second half of 3:15 records that the cloud was by the entrance to the ohel, again apparently the ohel moed (within the camp). Most likely, the first half of the verse means that the cloud of G-d appeared in the courtyard surrounding the special building, and not inside the special building. The second half of 3:15 then specifies where in the courtyard the cloud of G-d appeared, at the entrance to the courtyard. Again, this entrance could be from outside the complex or the entrance into the courtyard leaving the special building, see our discussions above on 3:25, 6:10-18, 10:3, 16:18, 16:19, 17:15, 20:6, 25:6, and 27:2. Moshe and Yehoshua would have been standing between these two points/ areas, and would have turned to face the cloud of G-d depending on where it was located. Note the Torah needed to specify that the cloud of G-d was by the entrance since if it was in all of the courtyard, Moshe and Yehoshua could not have been in the courtyard, see Shemot 40:34,35. (If one believes that the first half of 3:15 means that the cloud of G-d appeared in the special building, then the second half of 3:15 means that the cloud moved from the inside the special building to the entrance to the building).
Levine, Baruch A., 1993, Numbers 1-20, The Anchor Bible, New York: Doubleday.
Milgrom, Jacob, 1990, The JPS Torah Commentary: Numbers, Philadelphia: The Jewish Publication Society.
Milgrom, Jacob, 1991, Leviticus: The Anchor Bible, New York: Doubleday.