Torah Study (11): The Crown of Torah and the Crown of a Good Name

I. The Crown of a Good Name

In the previous shiur we discussed the concept of a crown and the nature of each of the three crowns mentioned in the Mishna in Avot. In this shiur we will explore the superiority of the crown of Torah over the other crowns; the crown of priesthood and the crown of royalty, in light of the Rambam's opinion (which is based on the Gemara in Yoma).

In last week's shiur we presented that the superiority of the crown of Torah over the other two crowns stems from the very fact that it is a personal crown. A person achieves this crown through effort and hard work, while the crown of royalty and the crown of priesthood are results of lineage. As stated, these crowns express Israel's connection to God on the national level, with the crown representing the entire people.

Let us now examine the relationship between the various crowns in light of the words of the various commentators. But before doing so, let us consider one more crown that appears in the fourth chapter of tractate Avot, the crown of a good name.

The Mishna states:           

Rabbi Shimon said: There are three crowns: the crown of Torah, the crown of priesthood, and the crown of royalty; but the crown of a good name excels them all.

This Mishna opens with the three crowns, but it concludes with a fourth crown, the crown of a good name. Why doesn't the Mishna state that "there are four crowns" from the very beginning?

II. The Crown of a Good Name Stems from the Crown of Torah

Let us open with the Rambam's commentary to the Mishna. The Rambam bases the superiority of the crown of Torah on the verse in Mishlei which states:

By me [= the Torah] kings reign… by me princes rule…. (Mishlei 8:15-16)

The crown of royalty and the crown of priesthood both need the Torah. Kings rule and priests serve before God by virtue of the Torah, which guides their paths as they govern the people.

Thus it is stated regarding worldly governance:

And it shall be, when he sits upon the throne of his kingdom, that he shall write for himself a copy of this Torah in a book… And it shall be with him, and he shall read therein all the days of his life… So that he may prolong his days in his kingdom, he, and his children, in the midst of Israel. (Devarim 17:18-20)

And thus it is stated regarding spiritual governance:

And this shall be the priest's law from the people… For the Lord your God has chosen him out of all your tribes, to stand to minister in the name of the Lord, him and his sons forever. (Devarim 18:3-5)

It is in the name of the Torah that kings rule and that priests serve in the Temple. Thus it is clear that the crown of the Torah stands out over the two others, as it stands on its own and supports the other two crowns.

The Rambam attributes the crown of a good name to the crown of Torah as well. He sees the crown of a good name as an expression of the esteem that the bearer of the crown of Torah earns through his study:

But the crown of a good name comes from the Torah, that is to say, from its study and its observance, for that leads to a truly good name. (Rambam, Commentary to the Mishna, Avot 4:13)

According to the Rambam, the crown of a good name is the crown of Torah itself. A person acquires the crown of a good name through the study and observance of the Torah.

Rabbeinu Yona[1] also sees the crown of a good name as dependent upon and stemming from the crown of Torah, from which it radiates onto the other crowns. Rabbeinu Yona attributes the superiority of the crown of Torah to three elements:

1. The crown of Torah connects a person to God in the most elevated manner.
2. The crown of Torah is not limited to specific people or communities.
3. Only by virtue of the crown of Torah can one achieve the other crowns.

In tractate Yoma, Rabbi Yochanan connects the various crowns to the vessels in the Temple:

Rabbi Yochanan said: There were three crowns: that of the altar, that of the ark, and that of the table. Aharon merited the one of the altar and he received it. David merited the one of the ark and he received it. The one of the ark is still lying and whosoever wants to take it, may come and take it. (Yoma 72b)

Based on this Gemara, Rabbi Yochanan asserts that the crown of Torah stands above the others, seeing that it is represented by the ark that rests in the Holy of Holies, within the parokhet, while the other two crowns are represented by the altar and the table, both of which rest outside the parokhet, in the Holy.[2] What this means is that the crown of Torah connects a person to God on the highest level. This crown creates the intimate encounter in the Holy of Holies, that of the keruvim covering the kaporet (which is the crown of the ark) with their wings. These keruvim express the intensity of the connection, as is brought by the Midrash: "See how cherished you are before the Omnipresent" (Yoma 54a).

Another difference between the resting of the Shekhina through the crowns of priesthood and royalty and the crown of Torah relates to the matter of who can acquire this crown. The crowns of priesthood and royalty are limited to restricted groups of people, according to the rules and frameworks of the actions of kings and priests. The Shekhina reaches all levels of earthly reality through these rules.

The crown of Torah, on the other hand, is not limited to any one family or framework, and in referring to it, it is stated:

In all places where I cause My name to be pronounced, I will come to you, and I will bless you. (Shemot 20:21)

The resting of the Shekhina and the connection to God that is achieved through Torah study is direct and needs no mediation or framework.

What is more, the crown of a good name is a necessary condition for donning the crown that God has given to kings and priests; His emissaries and representatives in the governance of His people. God only assigns His name to and crowns those who have a good name. As Rabbeinu Yona explains, the crown of a good name depends upon the crown of Torah and on occupying oneself with the commandments. In this way the crown of the Torah surpasses the other crowns, for it is only by virtue of the crown of the Torah that the kings and the priests can wear their crowns.

III. The Crown of a Good Name is the Full Realization of the Crown

The Maharal of Prague in Derekh ha-Chayyim explains the matter of the crowns at great length. We will not summarize everything he says, but we will relate to several points that have to do with the main idea that we have outlined here.[3]

According to the Maharal, each of the crowns expresses a person's recognition of the value of that which is unique to that crown. One who wishes to acquire the crown of priesthood, for example, must internalize the great value of taking responsibility for the spiritual governance of his surroundings. This person must work tirelessly to fulfill his mission, his responsibility and the position of spiritual leadership which he occupies, as the Torah states:

The God of Israel has separated you from the congregation of Israel, to bring you near to Himself to do the service of the Mishkan of the Lord, and to stand before the congregation to minister to them. (Bemidbar 16:9)

When the priest reaches this level, the crown of priesthood is not just a crown that he puts on his head representing a mission that he accepts upon himself. The crown becomes an essential element in his personality, a crown of "a good name," reflecting his very essence.

According to the Maharal, this is the meaning of the statement that the crown of a good name outdoes all the other crowns. The crown of a good name expresses the perfect realization of the essential connection between the crown and its bearer.

A person can don the crown of royalty even if he is not a king in his essence. So too, a person can wear the crown of Torah but not be worthy of that crown. Only one who identifies with his crown to the point that he and his crown are one and the same, one who completely identifies with the essence of the value represented by his crown, becomes the true bearer of that crown. This is called "the crown of a good name."

Since our focus is the crown of Torah, let us apply what we have said to it. It is not enough for a person to occupy himself with Torah and to aspire to conquer and rule its various expanses. One who wishes to acquire the crown of Torah must aspire to fully identify with the Torah's values.

A Torah scholar who has an objectionable reputation does not really wear the crown of Torah (see Sefer Chasidim 43). As we have explained, the crown of Torah is the most profound connection with God, Giver of the Torah. Therefore, a person is not seen as wearing the crown of Torah unless the crown of a good name rises above it. The crown of a good name expresses the thorough identification of the person with the value of the crown, to the point that the crown becomes the person's good name.

Here too, the crown of Torah is greater than the crown of priesthood and the crown of royalty. It is true that also with respect to the crown of royalty and the crown of priesthood, the person wearing the crown should identify with the inner ideas of royalty and priesthood, as was explained above. However, the deficiency in one who does not fully identify with his role as God's agent in the political or spiritual governance of His people, but rather fulfills his mission only for the sake of his people, is not so severe. One who wears the crown of Torah, the direct crown of God, but doesn't fully identify with what it represents, is much more problematic.

It is important to clarify that the deficiency in wearing a crown without internalizing and identifying with the idea and with the person's connection to the Divine idea in the crown, is critical; it creates a barrier between the bearer of the crown and the king of the world who crowned him. However, the force of the deficiency is greatest in the case of the crown of the Torah. This is because the essence of Torah study is man's self-effacement before the word of God, absorbing the Divine wisdom and turning it into an essential part of his personality.

IV. The Crown of a Good Name is the Fear of Heaven

In his Chidushei Aggadot on tractate Yoma, the Maharsha offers a different explanation of the crown of a good name. According to him, the crown of a good name is the fear of God which must accompany each of the other crowns. He writes as follows:

And in Avot, [the Mishna] concludes: "But the crown of a good name excels them all." This is the fear [of heaven] which is needed for each of the three crowns, as is concluded here with respect to the crown of Torah. And regarding that which is stated (Yoma 72b): "If he deserves it, it becomes a wreath [zir] for him." "If he deserves it" means that he has the fear of heaven, as explained by Rashi: "To learn, to keep and to fulfill." "If he does not deserve it" means that he does not have all of this, regarding the Torah, and so "it remains alien [zar] to him," as explained by Rashi. And the same applies regarding the priesthood and royalty.

It may further be explained that the zar of the table of kings and of the altar of the priests may be explained thus: If he deserves it, it becomes a wreath for him, that is, the crown of royalty for the house of David and the crown of priesthood for the house of Aharon. If he does not deserve it, it remains alien to him, as with Shelomo and with the priests that were rejected from the priesthood. But regarding the Torah what alienation is there? Surely we said above that the crown of Torah "is still lying and whosoever wants to take it, may come and take it." And therefore they expounded that: "If he does not deserve it, it becomes zara to him, in the sense of "And it be zara to you" (Bemidbar 11:20), which denotes destruction. (Chidushei Aggadot le-Maharsha, Yoma 72b)

The Maharsha emphasizes that failure on the part of a priest or a king leads to rejection from priesthood or royalty. In contrast, with respect to failure concerning Torah, there is no room to speak of rejection, but only total destruction.

V. A Mamzer Who is a Torah Scholar Takes Precedence Over the Ignorant High Priest

In tractate Horayot it is taught:

A priest takes precedence over a Levite, a Levite over an Israelite, an Israelite over a mamzer, a mamzer over a natin, a natin over a proselyte, and a proselyte over an emancipated slave. This order of precedence applies only when all these were in other respects equal. If the mamzer, however, was a Torah scholar and the High Priest an ignoramus, the learned mamzer takes precedence over the ignorant High Priest. (Horayot 13a)

This Mishna, which establishes an order of precedence for the purpose of rescue, creates a hierarchy that is based on personal sanctity and noble lineage. Thus, a priest is the most sanctified, whereas an emancipated slave is the furthest from such sanctity.

However, alongside this assertion, the Mishna emphasizes that this order is not valid, and is even reversed, in the case of a person who distinguished and sanctified himself. If a person immerses himself in Torah and merits connecting with it, he acquires spiritual standing that is higher than the personal sanctity of the High Priest.

This explains the exposition appearing in the Gemara:           

Rav Acha son of Rabbi Chanina said: The verse that states: "It is more precious than rubies" (Mishlei 3:15) can be explained thus: it is more precious than the High Priest who enters into the innermost sanctuary. (Horayot 13a)

So writes the Maharal in Derekh ha-Chayyim:

And furthermore they said: Even a Torah scholar who is a mamzer takes precedence over an ignorant High Priest. That is to say, a Torah scholar who is a mamzer, who comes from disqualified seed, nevertheless has a higher rank than an ignorant High Priest, owing to his intellect, even though the High Priest was born from absolutely holy seed. This is only physical rank, not at all similar to intellectual rank. And therefore a Torah scholar who is a mamzer takes precedence over an ignorant High Priest. (Derekh ha-Chayyim, ibid.)

Based on this, in Hilkhot Talmud Torah after explaining the matter of the crowns, the Rambam codifies the words of the aforementioned Gemara, demonstrating in the clearest possible way the superiority of the crown of Torah to the crown of priesthood:

Our Sages said that even a Torah scholar who is a mamzer takes precedence over an ignorant High Priest, as it is stated: "It is more precious than rubies" – more precious than the High Priest who enters into the innermost sanctuary. (Rambam, Hilkhot Talmud Torah 3:2)

We see then that the derasha of Chazal emphasizes the gap between the crowns even more. We are not dealing only with the relationship between intellectual and physical virtue, as posited by the Maharal. This Midrash compares the Torah scholar who is a mamzer to the ignorant High Priest, against the background of the encounter with the Shekhina.

The High Priest who enters the innermost sanctuary, to see and to be seen by God, does not compare to a Torah scholar. Therefore even if the Torah scholar is a mamzer, he merits to remain in the company of the Giver of the Torah in the highest state of communion and connection. As the Zohar states (Zohar, Vayikra, Acharei-Mot, 73a-b): "Israel, the Torah, and the Holy One, blessed be He, are one."

(Translated by David Strauss)

 

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[1] Here are the words of Rabbeinu Yona in full:

The crown of priesthood was given to the house of Aharon, as it is stated: "And he shall have it, and his seed after him, the covenant of an evelasting priesthood" (Bemidbar 25:13). And the crown of royalty was given to the house of David, as it is stated: "His seed shall endure forever, and his throne shall be like the sun before Me" (Tehilim 89:37).

But the crown of Torah is set aside for all people. Whoever wants to take it, may come and take it. And this crown is greater than the [other] two crowns, as our Rabbis have said: "There were three crowns: the crown of the table, the crown of the inner altar, and the crown of the kaporet on the ark in which rests the Torah engraved on the tablets. The kaporet and its crown rest within the parokhet. And the other two rest outside the parokhet. You see then that the Torah is more distinguished than the table which corresponds to the table of kings, and than the altar which is the crown of priesthood, upon which sacrifices are offered every day.”

Another proof is that houses were set aside for royalty and the priesthood. A house for royalty, as it is stated: "O house of David, thus says the Lord, Execute judgment in the morning" (Yirmeyahu 21:12). A house for the priesthood, as it is stated: "The house of Aharon, the house of Levi." But for the fear of God, which is the crown of Torah, there is no special house, as it is stated: "You who fear the Lord, bless the Lord" (Tehilim 135:20); "In all places where I cause My name to be pronounced, I will come to you, and I will bless you" (Shemot 20:21). But the crown of a good name surpasses them all – that is to say, all of the crowns need the crown of a good name. And the crown of a good name depends on the crown of Torah. Since what causes a man to have a good name, if not occupying himself with Torah and fulfilling the mitzvot. (Rabbeinu Yona, Avot, ad loc.)

[2] The altar referred to here, the altar that has a crown, is the incense altar that is found in the Holy. It was used primarily for burning the incense which expresses the resting of the Shekhina in the Temple.  

[3] As we alluded to previously,in this shiur we adopt some of the principles found in the words of the Maharal, but still pave our own independent path in explaining the issue. Anyone who wishes to enhance his understanding of the Maharal's approach should examine his words more carefully.