וְצִפִּיתָ֤ אֹתוֹ֙ זָהָ֣ב טָה֔וֹר מִבַּ֥יִת וּמִח֖וּץ תְּצַפֶּ֑נּוּ וְעָשִׂ֧יתָ עָלָ֛יו זֵ֥ר זָהָ֖ב סָבִֽיב׃
Lapisilah tabut itu dengan emas murni; bagian dalam dan bagian luarnya harus kaulapisi, dan buatlah di atasnya bingkai emas seperti mahkota di sekelilingnya.
Noam Elimelekh
"And you shall plate (tzipitah) it with pure gold" (Exodus 25:11): It is is found in the Gemara (Sukkah 45b:3), "'Of acacia wood, standing up' (Exodus 26:15), [meaning] that they supported their plating." We can say that the understanding is like this: That the righteous one is called a tree (the same word is used for wood), as mentioned above; and they can support anything that they anticipate (metzapim) and desire to have bounty and mercy come upon the world. They [hence] support their existence. As it indeed exists according to their words and their desires. [The Gemara continues:] "Lest you say, 'Their hope is lost and their prospect is abolished." Its explanation is lest you say that this is so, God forbid, that their hope and prospect is abolished. "[Hence] we learn to say, 'of acacia wood, standing.'" And that is [the meaning of], "And you shall plate (tzipitah)." It means that the righteous one who anticipates bringing down the flow to the world, his anticipation will be so translucent and clear that he will bring "gold" to sustenance; [sustenance that is] "pure," that will be permissible and with great purity. And how shall he do [this]? "You shall cover it inside and out" (Exodus 25:11), meaning that his inside should match his outside, that he should anticipate bringing blessing to the world with his spirit and body.