Комментарий к Шмот 25:23

קמתו THE HEIGHT THEREOF — i. e. the height of its legs together with the thickness of the table-board.

ועשית שלחן, after the Ark, which symbolised G’d’s throne on earth, as expressed by the words ונועדתי לך שם, “I will designate this for My meeting place with you,” (verse 22) had been completed, G’d commanded the construction of the Table and the Lamp stand, essential furnishings for a guest room, as we know from King II 4,10 where the lady in Shunem, planning to provide private accommodation for the prophet Elisha who was her frequent guest, discusses such details with her husband. According to our sages in Yuma 72 the crown-like border surrounding the surface of the table symbolised the crown of the kingdom of G’d. A king’s task in administering the affairs of state is divided into two aspects. 1) He must dispense justice, or appoint people who see to it that justice is dispensed. 2) He must concern himself with the defense of the realm, again, either personally, or by delegating his authority to loyal experts. This is how the people requesting that Samuel appoint a king for them defined the king’s duties in Samuel I 8,20. Accordingly, the table actually had two “crowns.” (this exegesis differs from that of Rashi who holds that there was only one such “crown.”) One of the “crowns” is for the table as such, the table symbolising the physical nourishment of the people and the general conduct of its affairs, the second symbolises an “enclosure, security fence,” מסגרת, a defensive system against harm to the people from whatever source, signaling that any attacker will not only be repelled but will be crushed.

אמתים ארכו, its length two cubits, etc. When you "cube" the dimensions of the Table, i.e. multiplying the two cubits length by one cubit width and by one and a half cubits height, you will find that you have a total of three cubits, or three times one cubit. This corresponds to the influence on our material world by the mystical dimension of the Celestial Table which represents the three levels of נצח, הוד and יסוד.

ועשית שלחן, “you are to construct a table;” the reason is that the table is the symbol of wealth, honour, distinction, grandeur. Nachmanides writes that the significance of placing the table in the Tabernacle lies in it being a reminder that all material blessings are channeled to us from its original source, from G’d, ever since He created the world. However, in order for that blessing to continue and to grow, it must have some root that it can draw on. The table represents this root. The matter became evident when the prophet Elisha asked the woman whose creditors were threatening to take her children as slaves in settlement of her deceased husband’s debts, (Kings II 4,1) “what can I do for you?” Seeing that all she had was the remnants of a small jar of oil, he told her: “get yourself some containers from your neighbours first.” After she had done so, Elisha used the existing oil to fill all the containers. The lesson we learn from that story is that even a blessing must have something it can focus on, something of substance in this world. Something similar was demonstrated by the prophet Elijah, Elisha’s mentor in Kings I The table on which the show-breads were stacked, fulfilled the same function on behalf of the entire Jewish people. Our sages illustrated the effectiveness of this heavenly blessing channeled through the show-breads by stating that any priest who ate as little as the size of a bean from these show-breads found that he was completely sated.

ועשית שלחן, the table represented the kings of Israel who entertain the Torah scholars at their table This is what David told his son Solomon on his death-bed: “Barzilai’s sons shall be among the people who are regular guests at your table. (Kings I 2,7) We also have a verse in Kings I 5,2 describing the lavishness of King Solomon’s table and the quantities of food consumed on a daily basis.
The Torah, in describing the table in the Tabernacle as overlaid with gold, illustrates that the function of Royalty was primarily to make a great impression on the outside world. After Samuel had told Saul that he would be replaced as king by someone more worthy, Saul still begged the prophet to honour him at least in public as he wanted to maintain the appearance although he realised that this was no longer his position. (compare Samuel I 15,30).
The reason that the length of the table was 21/2 cubits was in order to symbolize two requirements which every king has to meet. 1) He must be competent in meting out justice; 2) he must be competent in waging war. This is what the people had told Samuel when they asked him to appoint a king for them (Samuel I 8,20).
The size and height of the walls [the table did not have legs like our tables, Ed.] which amount to nine cubits cumulatively, symbolise the 9 commandments in the Torah specifically addressed to a Jewish King. 1) “he shall not keep many horses;” 2) “he shall not send the people back to Egypt in order to add to his supply of horses;” 3) “he shall not have too many wives.” 4) “he shall not become haughty;” 5) “he must not turn away from G’d’s commandments either to the left or to the right.” 6) “he shall write for himself two copies of the Torah;” 7) he shall read from the Torah every day of his life;” 8) he shall not amass too much silver and gold;“ 9) he shall not turn away from the commandments.” (Deuteronomy 17,8-20).
The function of the border around the surface of the table was to prevent any of the show-breads from falling off the table for whatever reason. It was intended to protect the show-breads, just as the Levites and the priests are supposed to be on guard against the king deviating from the path of the Torah. We have an example of this in Chronicles II 24,2: “Yoash, the king, did what was right in the eyes of the Lord as long as Yehoyadah the High Priest was alive.” In connection with King Uzziah we read in Chronicles II 26,5: “he applied himself to the worship of G’d during the time of Zecharyah, instructor of the visions of G’d.”
All the details that the Torah writes about in connection with all the vessels of the Tabernacle contain similar allusions of a moral-ethical nature. The Ark represents the righteous people. The table corresponds to the kings of Israel. The Menorah corresponds to the scholars of Israel. The golden altar corresponds to the priests, whereas the copper altar corresponds to the people at large.

V. 23. שולחן, Tisch, ist, wie wir bereits Jeschurun Vl, S. 484 ff., bemerkt, im Gebiete der heiligen Schrift nicht zunächst ein Hausgerät, auf welchem eine Hantierung vorgenommen wird, ein Arbeitstisch, sondern, worauf auch der Name שלחן von שלח, schicken, hinreichen, führt, ein Hausgerät, das Gegenstände zum Gebrauche und zum Genusse darreicht. Fast ausschließlich erscheint er als Speisetisch, ebenso, wie ja auch wir mit "Tisch" zunächst diesen Begriff verbinden. Er wird daher bildlich zum Ausdruck der Nahrung, des Genusses, der materiellen Fülle und des Wohlstandes (Ps. 78, 19 u. 23, 5; Jes. 65, 11; Job 36, 16). Der Tisch ist (V. 30) bestimmt, das Wajikra 24, 5 f. näher vorgeschriebene לחם הפנים, somit "Brot und Weihrauch" zu tragen. Dass Brot Nahrung repräsentiert, bedarf keines weiteren Nachweises. Ebenso stellt sich leicht die Bedeutung des Geruchs überhaupt als Ausdruck des Behagens, Wohl- oder Missbehagens, heraus, das man an einem Gegenstande findet. Wir erinnern nur an den Ausdruck: הבאשתם את ריחנו. Schmot 5, 21. Wohlgeruch entspräche somit dem Wohlbehagen, der Befriedigung, die an etwas gefunden wird. Und insofern Weihrauch zum קטרת, dem Räucherwerke, allgemein wie das Einfache zu dem Zusammengesetzten, Künstlichen, sich verhält, so dürfte Weihrauch allein, und zwar לבונה זכה, reiner Weihrauch, dem reinen, einfachen, natürlichen Wohlbehagen entsprechen.

ועשית שלחן, “you are to construct a table;” it is no more than elementary courtesy that the king’s servants and members of his household should eat at his table.

Make a ledge. The table signifies wealth while the ledge around it indicates that a person must take measures to see that his wealth is not lost. The way to do this is by giving generously to charity. Thus the four legs supporting the table signify the poor, the proselyte, the orphan and the widow (Alsheich).

Wenn aber der Tisch Nahrung und Wohlbehagen, somit das trägt, oder vielmehr darreicht, was wir Wohlstand nennen, so können wir den Tisch an sich nur als dasjenige begreifen, was den Wohlstand gewährt, somit als diejenige Seite des nationalen Lebens, die Wohlstand schafft: die Entwicklung des materiellen Staatslebens.

Der Tisch ist daher vorzugsweise עצי שטים ,עץ, ein immer frisches, fortschreitendes Entwickeln, ohne andere Schranken, als die es sich selbst setzt, die somit seine eigene Blüte bedingen, auch das מסגרת (V. 25), der einschließende Rand, oder die zusammenhaltende Leiste (siehe das.), war עץ. Er behält diesen עץCharakter, obgleich seine Platte (V. 24) mit Gold, dem Symbol der Festigkeit und Stärke, belegt ist. Dieses Metall verschwindet in den allgemeinen Charakter seiner Bedeutung, שאני שלחן דרחמנא קרייה עץ, sowie es auch in der äußeren Erscheinung weniger hervortrat, es war צפוי שאינו עומד (siehe Menachoth 97 a u. 96 b).