Mirrors in the Tabernacle

He made the basin of copper and its stand of copper, from the mirrors of the service-women ["tzov'ot"] who served at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting.

It is forbidden to hold a Torah scroll when it is naked, that is, without a kerchief. The greater among them does the rolling and covering, and it is a custom to buy it with a good amount of money, to make the mitzvah precious. [Rama: There are those who say that if the Torah cover is made of linen on one side and silk on the other, it is necessary to turn the silk side out before rolling and covering, but we don't do that. And we do not roll and cover with a ripped table cover, if we have another. And we do not make a Torah cover with old things, which were made for a secular purpose.]

(8) במראת הצבאת THE MIRRORS OF THE SERVICE-WOMEN — The Israelite women had mirrors of copper into which they used to look when they adorned themselves. Even these did they not hesitate to bring as a contribution towards the Tabernacle. Now Moses was about to reject them since they were made to pander to their vanity, but the Holy One said to him, “Accept them; these are dearer to Me than all the other contributions, because through them the women reared those huge hosts in Egypt!” For when their husbands were tired through the crushing labour they used to bring them food and drink and induced them to eat. Then they would take the mirrors, and each gazed at herself in her mirror together with her husband, saying endearingly to him, “See, I am handsomer than you!” Thus they awakened their husbands’ affection and subsequently became the mothers of many children, at it is said, (Song 8:5) “I awakened your love under the apple-tree” [referring to the fields where the men worked]. This is what it refers to when it says "the mirrors of the women who reared the multitudes ["tzva'ot"]”. It was for this reason that the basin was made of the mirrors — because it served the purpose of promoting peace between husband and wife...

These are the accounts of the Tabernacle... You find, that when Israel was under oppressive work in Egypt, Pharaoh had decreed that they would not sleep in their houses so they would not have relations with their wives. Rabbi Shimon bar Chalafta said, “What did the Israelite women do? They went to draw water from the Nile, and the Holy One brought them small fish in their jars and they would sell them and cook them and buy wine and go to the field and feed their husbands there, as it says "with all manner of work of the field" (Ex. 1:14). After they ate and drank, [the women] would take their mirrors and look into them with their husbands. She would say, “I am more beautiful than you,” and he would say “I am more beautiful than you.” And thus they would ease themselves into desire and have children, and the Holy One stood guard there. ...

All the multitudes of Israel stood on the virtue of these mirrors, as it is said "All the multitudes of the Eternal came out of Egypt" (12:41), and "The Eternal took the children of Israel out in their multitudes ["tzva'ot"]". When the Holy One told Moses to make the Tabernacle, all Israel began donating; there were those who brought silver, and those who brought gold or copper or precious stones, everything was brought with alacrity. The women said, 'What could we contribute?' They arose and brought their mirrors to Moses. When Moses saw those mirrors, he grew angry at the women. He said to the men: 'Take sticks and break their legs! Why do we need mirrors?' The Holy One said, 'Moses, why would you disregard these? These mirrors mustered all of the multitudes in Egypt! Take [the mirrors] from them and use them to make a copper basin for the priests!'