when the camp setteth forward, Aaron shall go in, and his sons, and they shall take down the veil of the screen, and cover the ark of the testimony with it; and shall put thereon a covering of sealskin, and shall spread over it a cloth all of blue, and shall set the staves thereof. And upon the table of showbread they shall spread a cloth of blue, and put thereon the dishes, and the pans, and the bowls, and the jars wherewith to pour out; and the continual bread shall remain thereon. And they shall spread upon them a cloth of scarlet, and cover the same with a covering of sealskin, and shall set the staves thereof. And they shall take a cloth of blue, and cover the candlestick of the light, and its lamps, and its tongs, and its snuffdishes, and all the oil vessels thereof, wherewith they minister unto it. And they shall put it and all the vessels thereof within a covering of sealskin, and shall put it upon a bar. And upon the golden altar they shall spread a cloth of blue, and cover it with a covering of sealskin, and shall set the staves thereof. And they shall take all the vessels of ministry, wherewith they minister in the sanctuary, and put them in a cloth of blue, and cover them with a covering of sealskin, and shall put them on a bar. And they shall take away the ashes from the altar, and spread a purple cloth thereon. And they shall put upon it all the vessels thereof, wherewith they minister about it, the fire-pans, the flesh-hooks, and the shovels, and the basins, all the vessels of the altar; and they shall spread upon it a covering of sealskin, and set the staves thereof. (Numbers 4:5–14 (with omissions))

וּבָא אַהֲרֹן וּבָנָיו, בִּנְסֹעַ הַמַּחֲנֶה, וְהוֹרִדוּ אֵת פָּרֹכֶת הַמָּסָךְ וְכִסּוּ בָהּ אֵת אֲרֹן הָעֵדֻת. וְנָתְנוּ עָלָיו כְּסוּי עוֹר תַּחַשׁ וּפָרְשׂוּ בֶגֶד כְּלִיל תְּכֵלֶת מִלְמָעְלָה, וְשָׂמוּ בַּדָּיו.
וְעַל שֻׁלְחַן הַפָּנִים יִפְרְשׂוּ בֶּגֶד תְּכֵלֶת, וְנָתְנוּ עָלָיו אֶת הַקְּעָרֹת וְאֶת הַכַּפֹּת וְאֶת הַמְּנַקִּיֹּת וְאֵת קְשׂוֹת הַנָּסֶךְ וְלֶחֶם הַתָּמִיד עָלָיו יִהְיֶה. וּפָרְשׂוּ עֲלֵיהֶם בֶּגֶד תּוֹלַעַת שָׁנִי, וְכִסּוּ אֹתוֹ בְּמִכְסֵה עוֹר תָּחַשׁ, וְשָׂמוּ אֶת בַּדָּיו.
וְלָקְחוּ בֶּגֶד תְּכֵלֶת וְכִסּוּ אֶת מְנֹרַת הַמָּאוֹר, וְאֶת נֵרֹתֶיהָ וְאֶת מַלְקָחֶיהָ וְאֶת מַחְתֹּתֶיהָ וְאֵת כָּל כְּלֵי שַׁמְנָהּ אֲשֶׁר יְשָׁרְתוּ לָהּ בָּהֶם. וְנָתְנוּ אֹתָהּ וְאֶת כָּל כֵּלֶיהָ אֶל מִכְסֵה עוֹר תָּחַשׁ, וְנָתְנוּ עַל הַמּוֹט.
וְעַל מִזְבַּח הַזָּהָב יִפְרְשׂוּ בֶּגֶד תְּכֵלֶת, וְכִסּוּ אֹתוֹ בְּמִכְסֵה עוֹר תָּחַשׁ, וְשָׂמוּ אֶת בַּדָּיו. וְלָקְחוּ אֶת כָּל כְּלֵי הַשָּׁרֵת אֲשֶׁר יְשָׁרְתוּ בָם בַּקֹּדֶשׁ וְנָתְנוּ אֶל בֶּגֶד תְּכֵלֶת, וְכִסּוּ אוֹתָם בְּמִכְסֵה עוֹר תָּחַשׁ, וְנָתְנוּ עַל הַמּוֹט.
וְדִשְּׁנוּ אֶת הַמִּזְבֵּחַ וּפָרְשׂוּ עָלָיו בֶּגֶד אַרְגָּמָן. וְנָתְנוּ עָלָיו אֶת כָּל כֵּלָיו אֲשֶׁר יְשָׁרְתוּ עָלָיו בָּהֶם אֶת הַמַּחְתֹּת אֶת הַמִּזְלָגֹת וְאֶת הַיָּעִים וְאֶת הַמִּזְרָקֹת כֹּל כְּלֵי הַמִּזְבֵּחַ וּפָרְשׂוּ עָלָיו כְּסוּי עוֹר תַּחַשׁ וְשָׂמוּ בַדָּיו. (במדבר ד׳, ה–יד (בדילוג))

Before the Kohathites came to carry the Tabernacle’s vessels when the camps traveled, Aaron and his sons covered them. Generally, the vessel itself was covered with a fine cloth, such as blue or purple, then with a coarser sealskin covering. This served as a kind of tarpaulin protecting against rain, sand, and dust.

The table, lampstand, and altars had utensils serving them. Generally, the subsidiary utensils were separated from the vessel they served and placed above the fine cloth covering the main vessel, beneath the sealskin. Examining the Ark and lampstand, however, reveals an interesting departure from this general arrangement.

The Ark was covered with the veil rather than a designated cloth. In addition, above the sealskin it was covered with blue cloth, apparently to distinguish it outwardly from the other vessels, whose external covering was sealskin. But why was it covered with the veil, rather than blue cloth like the others?

In Exodus we find two aspects of the veil. Some verses imply that its role was to divide the enclosure into the holy place and the Holy of Holies (for example, Exodus 26:31–35). Others imply that it merely covered and concealed the Ark, so that in principle the Tent of Meeting was one space with uniform holiness throughout (for example, Exodus 40:20–21). This has interesting implications for the place of revelation and the incense altar’s role; see “What Was the Role of the Incense Altar?”

Using the veil to cover the Ark during travel better suits the second aspect, which understands its role even while the Tabernacle stands as covering the Ark rather than separating the holy place from the Holy of Holies. Nothing, therefore, could be more suitable for covering the Ark during the camps’ journeys as well.

The lampstand is also exceptional: its utensils were not separated from it, but covered with it in blue cloth. Why?

The instruction for making the lampstand says: “Of a talent of pure gold shall it be made, with all these vessels.” (Exodus 25:39). The account of its manufacture says: “Of a talent of pure gold made he it, and all the vessels thereof.” (Exodus 37:24). Commentators differ over whether its utensils were included in the talent of gold (Rashi, according to the plain meaning), or whether only the lampstand was made from a full talent, while its utensils were excluded from that talent but required to be pure gold (Nahmanides, following the Babylonian Talmud in Menahot).

The unusual failure to separate the lampstand and its utensils during travel thus fits Rashi’s understanding better. On this approach, all were made from one talent of gold and understood from their manufacture as a single unit. It is therefore unsurprising that they were carried and covered together during travel. This sharpens the fundamental question, however: what makes the lampstand unique, that unlike the table and altars the Torah regards it and its utensils as an inseparable whole?