Comentário sobre Êxodo 28:20

משבצים זהב יהיו SET IN GOLD SHALL THEY — the rows — BE במלאותם IN THEIR SETTINGS — surrounded by gold settings in depth of such a size that each shall be filled by the thickness of the stone. This is the meaning of במלאותם, “in their fillings”: of such a size as will be filled by the thickness of the stones shall be the depth of the settings, neither more nor less.

משובצים זהב יהיו במלואותם, “set in gold they shall be in their mountings.” The meaning of the words is that the stones should remain whole, in their golden settings. The principal instruction of this verse is that the stones should be on top of the gold and the inscriptions on top of the stones. There were a total of 72 letters corresponding to the 72 (lettered) name of Hashem (as pointed out at the beginning of verse 15).

תרשיש, "a beryl";

This reflects a great spiritual awakening reminding people of the great value of Torah which supersedes even all the accumulated gemstones found on the breastplate of the High Priest. By placing the letters of the Hebrew alphabet, i.e. the letters of the Torah, above the gemstones, and the gemstones above the golden mountings, the point that Torah values are supreme was made for all to see. The gold was the basis of the gemstones and the gemstones in turn were the basis of the letters of the Torah. Without the letters inscribed on top of the gemstones the gemstones and the gold would not have been of much significance. The significance of the letters lay in the fact that it was these which G’d employed in order to create this universe.

שהם, "a lapis lazuli";

ישפה, "jasper."