Draft:Tachash
Animal or leather material mentioned in the Hebrew Bible
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Tachash (Hebrew: תַּחַשׁ) is a term used in the Hebrew Bible to describe an animal or leather material associated with the construction of the Tabernacle (Mishkan) and with luxury items like sandals. Its precise identification is uncertain and has been debated in biblical zoology and philology. Proposed interpretations range from legendary creatures in rabbinic literature to natural animals or even specialized leatherworking or decorative techniques.
Biblical references
The term appears primarily in the context of the Tabernacle construction:
- The Tabernacle Covering: In Exodus 25:5, the Israelites are commanded to donate "ram skins dyed red, and tachash skins" (Hebrew: וְעֹרֹ֥ת תְּחָשִׁ֖ים).[1] According to Exodus 26:14, these skins formed the uppermost, weather-resistant layer of the Tabernacle tent.[2]
- Covering for the Sacred Vessels: During the Israelite journeys, the Ark of the Covenant and other sacred vessels were covered with tachash skins for protection.[3]
- Luxury Footwear: The prophet Ezekiel (Ezekiel 16:10) describes God as clothing Jerusalem in embroidery and providing her with sandals made of tachash (Hebrew: וָאַנְעֲלֵ֖ךְ תָּ֑חַשׁ), implying the material was a luxury good.[4]
Identification in Jewish rabbinic literature
Unicorn theory
In Bamidbar Rabbah 6:3, Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish cites Rabbi Meir as stating that the tachash was a unique creature created specifically for the time of Moses. It was described as having a single horn on its forehead and was concealed (became extinct) after the Tabernacle was completed.[5] Rabbi Bahya ben Asher subscribes to this view and writes that it was a distinctive animal uniquely provided for the construction of the Tabernacle. He adds that since it was used for the "work of Heaven," it must have been a ritually pure (kosher) animal species.[6] Because of the single horn, it has been identified in Jewish thought with the monoceros or Keresh (a legendary giant deer).[7]
A multicolored skin (sasgona)
Targum Onkelos translates the term as sasgona (Jewish Babylonian Aramaic: ססגונא).[1] The Talmud (Shabbat 28a:4) explains this Aramaic term as a portmanteau of sas (rejoices) and gona (colors), implying an animal that "rejoices in its many colors."[8] Rashi follows this view, describing it as a multicolored wild beast that existed only for its specific purpose in the desert.[9]
Modern identification
Marine mammals (dugong and dolphin)
Modern scholarship often identifies the tachash with the dugong (Dugong dugon) or dolphin. This identification relies on:
- Arabic Cognates: The Arabic term tukhas or dukhash refers to dolphins or the dugong found in the Red Sea.[10]
- Tafsir Saadia Gaon: Saadia Gaon (882–942 CE) translated tachash into Arabic as darash, which Natan Slifkin and others identify as the dugong.[11] Bedouins in the Sinai Peninsula historically used dugong skins to make durable sandals, mirroring the reference in Ezekiel.[7]
Color theories
Some scholars argue that tachash refers to a color or dye rather than a specific species:
- Ocher: Robert Alter suggests that tachash is related to an Akkadian term that indicates a yellow or orange dye. This aligns with the focus on brilliantly dyed materials, such as "ram skins dyed red," mentioned in the same biblical verse.[12]
- Blue: Flavius Josephus, in Antiquities of the Jews (3.6.1), describes the skins as being "dyed of a blue color," suggesting the term may have referred to a specific tint rather than a creature.[13]
Beadwork theory
Scholars such as Stephanie Dalley have argued that the Hebrew word may derive from an Akkadian/Hurrian term (*duhušû*) referring to Egyptian faience beadwork and decorative inlays typically applied to leather. This would explain the "multicolored" or "joyous" (sasgona) appearance described in Rabbinic tradition and the luxury sandals mentioned in Ezekiel.[14][15]