Chasidut su Numeri 7:9
וְלִבְנֵ֥י קְהָ֖ת לֹ֣א נָתָ֑ן כִּֽי־עֲבֹדַ֤ת הַקֹּ֙דֶשׁ֙ עֲלֵהֶ֔ם בַּכָּתֵ֖ף יִשָּֽׂאוּ׃
Ma ai figli di Kohath non diede nulla, perché il servizio delle cose sante apparteneva a loro: li portavano sulle loro spalle.
Kedushat Levi
Exodus 25,15. “the staves shall remain in the rings of the ark; they shall not be removed from it” “you shall place within the ark the testimony (Tablets), etc.”
The reason why the Torah emphasized only in connection with the holy ark that the staves by means of which the ark will be carried must not be removed from it [although also the table was carried by means of such staves, and the boards of the Tabernacle itself were held in place by staves, Ed.] requires analysis.
The author says that in order to explain this he must give a lengthy introduction. He takes it for granted that man, i.e. a human being, is viewed as a microcosm of the universe
He also takes it for granted that the reader is aware that the 613 commandments are divided into 365 negative commandments and 248 positive commandments and symbolize the human body i.e. are expressions in tangible form of 613 different spiritual concepts, both 248 positive ones and 365 negative ones. Similarly, the various parts of the Tabernacle are also to be viewed as representing these 613 concepts that form part of the universe and are placed before our eyes as the universe in miniature. In other words, each component part of the Tabernacle represented one of the 613 commandments.
When analyzing these 613 commandments, the reader will find that not all of them are essential, in the sense that not all of them can be fulfilled by each Israelite, and some of them are in the nature of “rearguard actions,” i.e. when certain sins have been committed they are designed to repair the spiritual damage the universe, i.e. the collective soul of the Jewish people, has suffered and the performance of the commandment is designed to repair that damage. Other commandments are so important that we must never lose sight of them, and we are told to remember certain events on a 24/7 basis during all our waking hours. One of these is the commandment to remain aware that there is only one Creator and that it is He Who is the source of all the phenomena that we observe in the universe. The second such commandment is that He has no partners, senior or junior, and is the Only Deity. The third such commandment is that we are commanded to love Him, i.e. that it is our duty as an expression of our love for Him to perform acts that will please Him. The means we are to employ to please Him are observance of the laws of the Torah, turning to Him in prayer, performing charitable deeds for the needy, all of whom have also been created in G’d’s image. At the same time as loving G’d, we must also remain in awe of His presence, i.e. be on guard against transgressing any of the negative commandments in the Torah. Under no circumstances are we to commit acts that we know to contradict His expressed wishes. All the above-mentioned commandments are absolute and apply to each one of us at all times. Faith in the Lord includes that we remain constantly aware of these cardinal points of Judaism.
There are other positive commandments, i.e. wearing four-cornered garments with fringes, ציציות; putting on phylacteries, which are to be performed only during hours of daylight. The same applies to the offering of sacrifices, something that is not acceptable when performed at night. Nowadays, owing to our exile these commandments are incapable of being performed altogether.
The ארון, holy ark, represented the totality of all the commandments, [seeing that the written Torah was deposited within it in addition to the Tablets. Ed.]. In order to symbolize the concept that Torah is indispensable to the Jewish people at any time day or night, Sabbath or weekday, the staves which served as the supports for carrying the ark on the shoulders of the priests, (compare Joshua 3,15) therefore had to remain firmly attached to the rings that enabled them to perform their function.
There are still other words of G’d which are also hinted at in the text of the Ten Commandments, on the Tablets which were the principal item inside the holy ark. These too ought to be remembered at all times as if they were commandments that had been spelled out as such.
The table, which was also equipped with rings and staves as a means to carry it, symbolizes other commandments, and the Levites were charged with carrying it by using them (Numbers 7,9). The table too, had to be carried on the shoulders of the Levites who were descendants of Kehat, not transported on the wagons like the boards and roof coverings of the Tabernacle. The commandment to carry certain parts of the furnishings of the Tabernacle on the shoulders of the Levites charged with performing service in or around the Tabernacle shows how these furnishings symbolized the commandments, i.e. what is most sacred to the Jewish people. During the wanderings in the desert when the Tabernacle and its constituent parts were being moved regularly, carrying these parts on the shoulders was the way the need to observe the commandments at all times was being demonstrated. The Levites were agents, messengers, of the Jewish people and at the same time agents, i.e. messengers of G’d. The holy ark which symbolized the most important commandments, the ones that apply on a year round basis to every Israelite reminded its carriers of this fact when they considered the prohibition to detach the staves by taking them out of their rings.
The reason why the Torah emphasized only in connection with the holy ark that the staves by means of which the ark will be carried must not be removed from it [although also the table was carried by means of such staves, and the boards of the Tabernacle itself were held in place by staves, Ed.] requires analysis.
The author says that in order to explain this he must give a lengthy introduction. He takes it for granted that man, i.e. a human being, is viewed as a microcosm of the universe
He also takes it for granted that the reader is aware that the 613 commandments are divided into 365 negative commandments and 248 positive commandments and symbolize the human body i.e. are expressions in tangible form of 613 different spiritual concepts, both 248 positive ones and 365 negative ones. Similarly, the various parts of the Tabernacle are also to be viewed as representing these 613 concepts that form part of the universe and are placed before our eyes as the universe in miniature. In other words, each component part of the Tabernacle represented one of the 613 commandments.
When analyzing these 613 commandments, the reader will find that not all of them are essential, in the sense that not all of them can be fulfilled by each Israelite, and some of them are in the nature of “rearguard actions,” i.e. when certain sins have been committed they are designed to repair the spiritual damage the universe, i.e. the collective soul of the Jewish people, has suffered and the performance of the commandment is designed to repair that damage. Other commandments are so important that we must never lose sight of them, and we are told to remember certain events on a 24/7 basis during all our waking hours. One of these is the commandment to remain aware that there is only one Creator and that it is He Who is the source of all the phenomena that we observe in the universe. The second such commandment is that He has no partners, senior or junior, and is the Only Deity. The third such commandment is that we are commanded to love Him, i.e. that it is our duty as an expression of our love for Him to perform acts that will please Him. The means we are to employ to please Him are observance of the laws of the Torah, turning to Him in prayer, performing charitable deeds for the needy, all of whom have also been created in G’d’s image. At the same time as loving G’d, we must also remain in awe of His presence, i.e. be on guard against transgressing any of the negative commandments in the Torah. Under no circumstances are we to commit acts that we know to contradict His expressed wishes. All the above-mentioned commandments are absolute and apply to each one of us at all times. Faith in the Lord includes that we remain constantly aware of these cardinal points of Judaism.
There are other positive commandments, i.e. wearing four-cornered garments with fringes, ציציות; putting on phylacteries, which are to be performed only during hours of daylight. The same applies to the offering of sacrifices, something that is not acceptable when performed at night. Nowadays, owing to our exile these commandments are incapable of being performed altogether.
The ארון, holy ark, represented the totality of all the commandments, [seeing that the written Torah was deposited within it in addition to the Tablets. Ed.]. In order to symbolize the concept that Torah is indispensable to the Jewish people at any time day or night, Sabbath or weekday, the staves which served as the supports for carrying the ark on the shoulders of the priests, (compare Joshua 3,15) therefore had to remain firmly attached to the rings that enabled them to perform their function.
There are still other words of G’d which are also hinted at in the text of the Ten Commandments, on the Tablets which were the principal item inside the holy ark. These too ought to be remembered at all times as if they were commandments that had been spelled out as such.
The table, which was also equipped with rings and staves as a means to carry it, symbolizes other commandments, and the Levites were charged with carrying it by using them (Numbers 7,9). The table too, had to be carried on the shoulders of the Levites who were descendants of Kehat, not transported on the wagons like the boards and roof coverings of the Tabernacle. The commandment to carry certain parts of the furnishings of the Tabernacle on the shoulders of the Levites charged with performing service in or around the Tabernacle shows how these furnishings symbolized the commandments, i.e. what is most sacred to the Jewish people. During the wanderings in the desert when the Tabernacle and its constituent parts were being moved regularly, carrying these parts on the shoulders was the way the need to observe the commandments at all times was being demonstrated. The Levites were agents, messengers, of the Jewish people and at the same time agents, i.e. messengers of G’d. The holy ark which symbolized the most important commandments, the ones that apply on a year round basis to every Israelite reminded its carriers of this fact when they considered the prohibition to detach the staves by taking them out of their rings.
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