Parashat Vayakhei-Pekudei
March 10, 2026
Aaron Kogut, High School Science Teacher
Two years ago, I wrote a dvar Torah that bridged biology and scripture. Today, I’m putting on my lab coat again to look at a biological mystery hidden within the blueprints of the Mishkan (Sanctuary): the identity of the tachash. This unknown species has been mentioned no fewer than six times across the last several Torah portions. We are told that the skins of this animal are used to cover the outside of the Mishkan. But what, in fact, is this animal? I believe a deeper look into some of our sages’ descriptions, along with good biological knowledge, will lead us to a deeper understanding.
Let’s first take a look at what our sages teach us about the identity of this animal: “The Rabbis said: it was a type of kosher animal that lived in the wilderness…The Holy One created a sort of kosher wild animal for Moses in the wilderness, and once the work of the sanctuary had been done with it, it was hidden… Rabbi Hosea said: it had a single horn.” (Talmud Yerushalmi 2:3)
In another discussion, Rabbi Abba explores whether the tachash was kosher: “Rabbi Nechemia said there was one covering [of the Mishkan] that was similar to a genet. But surely the genet is a non-kosher creature (which would indicate that the tachash was non-kosher)? This is what it means: it was like a genet in that it had many colors and it was different from a genet in that a genet is non-kosher and this was kosher.” Talmud, Shabbat 28a
Genets are members of a family of feline-like carnivorous mammals with fur that resembles that of a jaguar having dark brown patches on a lighter coat. This family includes several species native to Africa and were well known in Egypt, often depicted in Egyptian art. Certainly, references to them from the biblical and rabbinic period would be well known.
So far we know that the tachash was an unknown animal to that region that was kosher, had a horn on its forehead, a multicolored pelt, and though it was large, it was similar to a genet. To better understand the situation, we must also consider the biology of horns.
Mammalian horns typically serve protective functions and are made from various materials. In rams, they form from bone and subsequently are covered by keratin (the same substance that makes up our finger nails). In rhinoceroses, horns are exclusively of keratin. Of course, in nature, there are also antlers, which are seasonal (not true horns) made of bone and covered in a thin layer of velvety skin. However, there is yet an additional type of horn that exists in the animal kingdom: the ossicone. Unlike a ram’s horn, which is a sheath over bone, an ossicone starts as cartilage and fuses to the skull. This process, called ossification, is a similar process to a baby’s skull which starts as cartilage and eventually becomes bone as infants age. An ossicone is a ‘living’ horn, covered in skin and fur. These structures are used for thermoregulation, or regulating body temperature (something we discuss in detail in my twelfth-grade Honors Anatomy and Physiology course). Most noteworthy, ossicones grow on none other than the giraffe!
The giraffe, I would posit, presents an ideal candidate for the tachash. A large, kosher mammal (split hooves and chews its cud) that is generally native to sub-Saharan Africa (south of Egypt), the giraffe would not be well known to Egyptians or our Israelite ancestors as they left Egypt. Given its unique body structure, it might even seem fanciful or miraculous! Of course, this does not diminish the miraculous nature of the situation —its presence in the Sinai desert is certainly not a natural occurrence. It has a spotted coat, similar to that of the genet, and also has horns (ossicones). Interestingly, a subspecies of giraffe, the Rothschild’s giraffe native to Uganda and Kenya, is known for having five ossicones, with a singular one being present on its forehead similar to what Rabbi Hosea said above. This seems like a great candidate for the tachash.
While there is more to delve into here (check out Rabbi Natan Slifkin’s book Sacred Monsters!), I believe given our understanding of both our sages and some good biological knowledge, we may have solved the mystery of the tachash used as the covering to the sanctuary.
When we finish reading a book of the Torah, our tradition calls out “Chazak, chazak, v’nitchazek”— words of mutual encouragement meaning “Be strong, be strong, and let us strengthen one another.” This week, as we complete the book of Exodus, may we find strength in the questions that bridge our ancient texts and our modern scientific understanding of the world.