Komentarz do Wyjścia 25:11

מבית ומחוץ תצפנו WITHIN AND WITHOUT SHALT THOU OVERLAY IT — Bezalel made three arks, two of gold and one of wood, each having four walls (sides) and a bottom, being, however, open at the top. He put the wooden ark into the larger golden one and the smaller golden one into that of wood and covered its upper rim (that of the wooden ark) with gold; consequently it can be said that the wooden ark was overlaid with gold within and without (Yoma 72b; Jerusalem Talmud Shekalim 6:1).

זהב טהור, this does not mean that gold cannot become ritually impure; we know it can become defiled from Numbers 31,22. The expression טהור here means: ”pure, refined.”

וצפית אותו זהב טהור מבית ומחוץ תצפנו, “you are to overlay it with pure gold, from the inside and the outside you are to overlay it.” This verse is used by our sages (Yuma 72) to demand that Torah scholars must be able to demonstrate that they practice what they preach. They base this on the Ark which was gold on the inside as well as on the outside. Although no one actually saw the inside, it had to correspond to its exterior. Another verse which alludes to this subject is Job 29,14: “I clothed myself in righteousness and it robed me; Justice was my cloak and turban.” The repetition in this verse means that one’s inside must match the image one creates for oneself on the outside. Our sages add further on this subject: “why were the words of Torah compared to glass?, i.e. (Job, 28,17) “gold or glass cannot match its value?” Answer: just as glass is transparent and allows you to see not only the outside but also the interior, so bearers of Torah must be able to be equally transparent, not hiding character weakness not visible to their students or to their peers.

Bezalel made three arks. . . You might ask: How does Rashi know this? Perhaps there was but one ark, gold-plated inside and out as goldsmiths generally make? R. Noson answers: This parsha is about the making of the ark which held the Tablets. On the Tablets was [written the Ten Commandments, containing] all the letters of the alef beis. This is because the [Ten Commandments on the] Tablets contain the entire Torah. This parsha of the making of the ark alludes to this by using all the letters of the alef beis, which comprise the Torah, except for the letter ג which is missing. Why? Perforce, there is no need for the allusion of the ג because the ark itself was made up of three ( ג ) layers. An alternative answer: The Torah writes the extra word תצפנו to teach that afterward, its upper rim should be covered with gold. Thus we may infer that there were three arks placed one within another, thereby making it covered on the inside and on the outside — except for the upper rim, which was covered afterward.

V. 11. וצפית. Zu der Empfänglichkeit und der lebendigen Entwicklungsfähigkeit muss zugleich die Festigkeit, die ehernstarke Beharrlichkeit und Unveränderlichkeit in allem Edeln und Guten, allem Wahren und Ächten sich gesellen, zu dem Holze das Metall, zu dem Baume das Gold sich fügen. Entwicklungsfähigkeit und Festigkeit zugleich fordert das göttliche Gesetz zu seiner Aufnahme, und es hat sich diese edle Festigkeit nach innen und außen zu bewähren: מבית ומחוץ תצפנו. Die Lade bestand aus drei Behältern, einem innern und einem äußern von Gold, und innerhalb derselben der vom Schittimholz: im innern und äußern Leben gediegen und fest, edel und echt, rein von allen Schlacken und der Veränderung und Verschlechterung widerstehend, das ist die Bedingung, es sind die goldenen Schranken, innerhalb derer sich das Leben aus dem Gesetze baumgleich fortschreitend entfalten soll. Unzugänglich für alles Schlechte, bereit für alles Gute, זהב und מצות לא — עץ תעשה und מצות עשה — Gefäße des göttlichen Gesetzes befähigt.

וצפית, “you are to cover it;” actually the Holy Ark was meant to be made of pure gold, not merely gold plate. The reason that it was not all gold, was that gold is very heavy and the Holy Ark plus its contents had to be carried on the Levites’ shoulders. [Even as it was, according to a calculation by Rabbi Eliyahu ki tov, the weight was 78000lbs. Ed.] The reader will wonder how a few Levites could possibly carry even such a weight, and having this in mind the Talmud in tractate Sotah folio 35, states that far from the Levites carrying the Ark, the Ark was transporting its carriers. [Especially while the entire nation crossed the river Jordan under the command of Joshua and the Levites carrying the Ark had to position themselves in a manner which would stop the waters of the Jordan flowing south until the last man had crossed.] (Joshua 3,17) Normally, and for brief periods, the Levites were able to carry the Ark, (with G–d’s help, of course, as when Yaakov rolled away a stone that several shepherds had been unable to move as much as an inch.) Our author questions that if carrying the Ark on their shoulders was a command that applied only on a certain occasion, why was Uzza punished when he tried to steady the wagon transporting the Ark. (Chronicles I 13,9-10, as well as Samuel II 6,7) He leaves the question unanswered. [The Talmud there even states that Uzzah went straight to the world to come, as a reward for his noble intention, I suppose. Ed.] Not only the Ark, but also the Table and the “golden” altar were not made of solid gold but their wooden base was overlaid with gold plate both from the outside and the inside. The same applied to the copper altar, which also had to be carried on the shoulders of the Levites during the journeys in the desert. (Compare Exodus 21,1) [This editor sees no contradiction in all this, as until the 40th year in the desert the Israelites lived on miracles, miracle water, miracle bread, clothing that did not wear out, complete protection against heat and cold by special clouds, etc. This only changed partially during the fortieth year when they conquered land, flocks and herds, etc. Presumably, crossing the Jordan river, brought that period to an end, as immediately after that the commandment to set aside challah from dough made from grain that had grown in the Holy Land, became applicable. Ed.]

וצפית אותו זהב, “you are to cover it with gold.” The ark was actually designed to be constructed completely of pure gold, but it would have been too heavy to carry, especially since the Torah had commanded the sons of Kehat to carry it on their shoulders. Compare Numbers 7,9. We find that the altar was also hollow and filled with earth, presumably for the same consideration. (Exodus 27,8)

זר זהב A BORDER OF GOLD — a crown-like ornament encompassed it (the ark) round about above its rim, for he (Bezalel) made the outer ark which was of gold higher than the inner ones so that it stood up over against the thickness of the cover which was made for it and even somewhat beyond it (Yoma 72b). Now when the cover lay upon the thickness of the sides of the two smaller arks the crown-like ledge rose a little above the entire thickness of the cover. It was a symbol of the “crown of the Torah” which was placed within that ark (Exodus Rabbah 34b).

ועשית עליו זר זהב סביב. Die Lade soll von einem aufwärts stehenden Reif umschlossen sein. Dieser Reif wurde durch die über den Deckel hinaufreichende Kante der äußeren goldenen Ladenwand gebildet. זר, Reif, von זור: fremd sein, vermöge seiner inneren Natur von andern entfernt sein, scheint sowohl seiner Gestalt, als seinem Namen zufolge an den Geräten des Heiligtums die Heiligkeit, die Unantastbarkeit zu bedeuten und in dieser Beziehung sowohl sprachlich als sachlich mit נזר, Krone, Diadem, verwandt zu sein. Indem er hier an der Lade kein besonderes Stück ist, sondern durch den hervorragenden Teil der Lade selbst gebildet wird, dürfte derselbe sagen: wenn Israel sich nur hingibt, seine Festigkeit und Stärke in gediegener Reinheit seines inneren und äußeren Lebens zu bewähren, wird es von selbst auch gegen außen unantastbar dastehen: וראו כל עמי הארץ כי שם ד׳ נקרא עליך ויראו ממך (Dewarim 28, 10), קדש ישראל לד׳ ראשית תבואתו כל אוכליו יאשמו רעה תבא עליהם (Jirmija 2, 3).

ועשית עליו זר זהב, “you will make around it a crown of gold.” The purpose of this was decorative. It was to symbolise the crown of the Torah. The expression זר, meaning “crown,” instead of the better known word: כתר, occurs in the Talmud, tractate Yuma, folio 72, where it is stated that there were three such “crowns.” The crown over the Holy Ark symbolised the “crown” of Torah, the “crown” around the surface of the Table symbolised the “crown” worn by monarchs, and the ”crown” surrounding the top of the altar symbolised the crown of the priesthood.” The latter crown was appropriated by Aaron, the High Priest, the crown symbolising hereditary monarchy was appropriated by King David, and the crown symbolising Torah was not appropriated by any individual or family, but is available to be worn by any individual worthy of it.

טהור, “pure;” not containing any foreign particles.

זר זהב סביב, “surrounded by crown like golden molding.” The purpose of this was to cover the wooden center part at the top completely. The wooden interior was to remain invisible.