The Rims

 

 

The Rims on the vessels of the Mishkan: the Ark, the Table and the incense altar

 

            The ark, the table, and the incense altar each had a rim. Our assumption is that it is not by chance that it is specifically these three vessels that had rims. In this shiur, I wish to examine these three cases.

 

            The gemara in Yoma 72b states:

 

R. Yochanan said: There were three rims/crowns: that of the altar, that of the ark, and that of the table. That of the altar - Aharon merited and he took it. That of the table - David merited and he took it. That of the ark still lies [in its place], and whosoever wants to take it may come and take it. You might perhaps say that it is of little account. Therefore, the verse teaches: "By me kings reign" (Mishlei 8:15).

 

            There are several parallels to this passage. For example, the midrash praises the great virtues of the Torah:

 

R. Shimon ben Yochai said: There are three crowns: the crown of royalty, the crown of priesthood, and the crown of Torah. The crown of royalty – this is the table, about which it is written: "A rim of gold round about" (Shemot 25:24). The crown of priesthood – this is the altar, about which it is written: "A rim of gold round about" (ibid. 30:3). The crown of Torah – this is the ark, about which it is written: "A rim of gold" (ibid. 25:11). Why are they written as zar (strange), but read as zer (rim/crown)? To teach you that if a person merits, they become for him a crown, but if not, they remain strange to him. Why is it written about all of them: "And you shall make for it" (ibid. 25:24; 30:3), and about the ark it is written: "And you shall make on it" (ibid. 25:11)? This is to teach you that the crown of Torah is higher than all of them. If a person merits [the crown of] Torah, it is as if he merited all of them. (Shemot Rabba 34; see also Kohelet Rabba 7: 1)

 

            The midrash uses the word "keter" (crown) – the keter of royalty, the keter of priesthood, and the keter of Torah – and adds a homiletic exposition of the word zer. There is a difference between the way the word is read and the way it is written to teach "That if a person merits, they become for him a crown, but if not, they remain strange to him." Finally, the midrash explicitly states that the crown of Torah is the highest of all and that if one merits the crown of Torah, it is as he merited all of the crowns.

 

            Avot de-Rabbi Natan (41:1) records the words of R. Shimon:

 

R. Shimon says: 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. The crown of priesthood - how so? Even if one gives all the silver and the gold in the world, he is not given the crown of priesthood, as it is stated: "And he shall have it, and his seed after him, the covenant of an everlasting priesthood" (Bamidbar 25:13). The crown of royalty – even if one gives all the silver and the gold in the world, he is not given the crown of royalty, as it is stated: "And my servant David shall be their prince forever" (Yechezkel 37:25). But the book of the Torah is not like this. The toil of the Torah – whoever wishes to take it may come and take it, as it is stated: "Ho, every one that thirsts, come to the water" (Yeshayahu 25:1) – toil in the words of the Torah, and occupy yourself not in vain matters.

 

            This midrash also speaks of three crowns, but there is no reference here to the vessels of the Mishkan that they are associated with - the table, the incense altar and the ark. Second, this midrash adds that the crown of a good name excels all other crowns, including the crown of Torah. Finally, it emphasizes that in contrast to the crown of priesthood and the crown of royalty, which are not given to a person for all the silver and gold in the world, the crown of Torah is available to anyone who wishes to come and take it.

 

The incense altar – Aharon merited and took it

 

            The rim of the altar symbolizes the crown of priesthood, as is evident from a number of sources:

 

1. In Moshe's blessing to the tribe of Levi, he says:

They shall teach Yaakov Your judgments, and Israel your Torah; they shall put incense before You, and whole burnt sacrifice upon Your altar. (Devarim 33:10)

 

The offering of incense is a uniquely priestly service.

 

2. This also follows from the prophecy of doom offered by the man of God to Eli, which describes Aharon the priest as follows:

 

And did I choose him out of all the tribes of Israel to be My priest, to offer upon My altar, to burn incense, to wear an efod before me? And did I give to the house of your father all the offerings made by fire of the children of Israel? (I Shmuel 2:28)

 

3. In this way, we can explain the response to the deeds of King Uziyahu when he entered the sanctuary in order to burn incense:

 

But when he was strong, his heart was lifted up to his destruction, for he transgressed against the Lord his God, and went into the temple of the Lord to burn incense upon the altar of incense. And Azaryahu the priest went in after him, and with him eighty priests of the Lord who were men of valor. And they withstood Uziyahu the king, and said to him, “It is not for you, Uziyahu, to burn incense to the Lord, but for the priests the sons of Aharon, who are consecrated to burn incense. Go out of the sanctuary, for you have trespassed; for it shall not be for your honor from the Lord God.” (II Divrei ha-Yamim 26:15-18)

 

It is possible that with this action, Uziyahu wished to take the High Priesthood for himself, and his action involved a trespass against God. In response to what he did, Scripture emphasizes in the words of Azaryahu the priest that the role of burning incense falls upon the priests, the sons of Aharon, and not upon the king. A clear separation must be made between the priesthood and royalty.

 

4. In Divrei Ha-yamim, in the context of the census of the Levites conducted by David, we read:

 

The sons of Amram - Aharon and Moshe. And Aharon was separated, that he should be sanctified as most holy, he and his sons forever, to burn incense before the Lord, to minister to Him, and to bless in His name forever. (I Divrei ha-Yamim 23:13)

 

            We see from all these sources that that the priestly service is distinguished by the burning of incense. It should be recalled in this context that the burning of incense was a daily service performed each morning and each afternoon. In addition, one of the central parts of the Yom Kippur service involved the High Priest's entering the innermost chamber and burning incense in the Holy of Holies. By its very essence, the incense creates a barrier that allows the very entry into the Holy of Holies.[1]

 

The Showbread Table – David Merited and received it

 

            The rim on the showbread table symbolizes the crown of royalty. The table signifies the wealth of kings, and David received this royalty for himself and for his descendants forever.

 

            The promise made to David is mentioned in several contexts. For example:

 

And your house and your kingdom shall be established for you forever before you; your throne shall be firm forever. (II Shmuel 7:16)

 

Great deliverance He gives to His king, and shows steadfast love to His anointed, to David, and to his seed for evermore. (Tehillim 18:51)

 

Ought you not to know that the Lord God of Israel gave the kingdom over Israel to David forever, to him and to his sons by a covenant of salt? (II Divrei ha-Yamim 13:5)

 

            Why is it precisely the rim of the table that symbolizes royalty? This may be understood as follows. Kingship is characterized by rule and by the power to influence. Kingship reveals itself in the material world, in food, in the most physical manifestation. A king's table symbolizes the power of lordship, which is expressed in the bounty that it offers – bread. The showbread alludes to the most basic material existence, which is maintained by the king.

 

            A king's greatness is evident in his ability to bestow the most fundamental existence, and this is expressed in bread, man's most essential food. Therefore, the practical expression of royalty's representation in the Mikdash is the rim of the table containing the showbread.

 

            It follows from this that priesthood and royalty are represented in the Holy in a most interesting and symbolic manner. On the face of it, the fact that the crown of priesthood is represented in the Holy is very logical and understandable; the Holy is, after all, the site of service, entry into which is permitted only to priests. But why is there an allusion to the crown of royalty inside the Holy? Priesthood is distinguished from royalty; royalty deals with temporal life in this world, whereas the priesthood occupies itself with eternal life!

 

            There are, however, two things that directly connect royalty to the Holy. First, even though anointing is mentioned in the Torah in connection with the priests and the vessels of the Mishkan and not in connection with kings, we find that the kings were also anointed with the anointing oil:

 

When a king is appointed, he is anointed with the anointing oil, as it is stated: "And Shmuel took the cruse of oil and poured it over his head. Then, he kissed him" (I Shmuel 8:10). Once a king is anointed, he and his descendents are granted the monarchy until eternity, for the monarchy is passed down by inheritance, as it is stated: "That he the king and his descendents will prolong their reign in the midst of Israel" (Devarim 17:20). (Rambam, Hilkhot Melakhim 1:7)

 

            Without getting into the question of whether a monarchy in Israel is the ideal situation or only tolerated after the fact, from the fact that kings are anointed with the anointing oil, it is clear that kingdom is connected in a most essential way to holiness and that it draws its nurture from it.

 

            Another law that relates to the relationship between kingdom and the Mikdash is the law that states:

 

No one may sit down in the [Temple] courtyard except the kings of the house of David alone. (Yoma 69a)

 

Rashi there explains the allowance granted to the kings of the house of David as follows: "For God bestowed honor upon them in order to demonstrate that his kingdom was whole."

 

            In similar fashion, the gemara (Sanhedrin 20b) interprets the verse, "For the Lord has sworn by His throne" (Shemot 17:16), in reference to the kingdom of Israel, based on the verse: "Then Shlomo sat on the throne of the Lord as king" (I Divrei Ha-yamim 29:23). The king of the house of David represents all of Israel, and his kingdom is similar to the heavenly kingdom, the kingdom of God.  

 

The Ark - whoever wishes to take it may come and take it

 

            The third rim, the innermost among the three, is the rim that is on the ark. The rim on the ark symbolizes the crown of the Torah. Inside the ark lie the whole tablets and the broken tablets, and in the ark or alongside it rests the book of the Torah. Accordingly, the relationship between the ark and the Torah is clear.[2]

 

            We mentioned in the past that the ark containing the tablets of the covenant and the book of the Torah rested on the site of the creation of the world, in accordance, as it were, with the words of the Zohar that God looked into the Torah and created the world. The book of the Torah lies physically on the site of the creation, where the blueprint for the world rests. As opposed to the rims representing the priesthood and kingdom that are found in the Holy on the table and on the incense altar, the rim on the ark is found in the Holy of Holies. While it is true that the place where the ark rests enjoys greater sanctity, in its essence, the Torah belongs to all of Israel: "The ark still lies [in its place] and whosoever wants to take it, may come and take it."

 

            The gemara continues: "You might perhaps say that it is of little account. Therefore, the verse teaches: 'By me kings reign.'" The Torah crowns kings because the kingdom exists by virtue of the wisdom of the Torah, which teaches the kings just laws and judgments. Since the Torah crowns kings, it is certainly greater than kingdom, for greater is he who crowns the king than the king himself (Rashi, ad loc.). The crown of the Torah is greater than the crown of royalty, and all the more so is it greater than the crown of the priesthood, for a king comes before the High Priest (Horayot 13a).

 

            The Torah, which is explicitly connected to God, stands above the other crowns. On the one hand, it is more inward and sublime, while on the other hand, it belongs to each and every member of Israel.

 

Why is it precisely these three vessels that have rims?

 

            The question remains: Why is it precisely these three vessels that have rims, and what is the significance of the symbolism mentioned above with respect to the Mikdash?[3]

 

            To this question, we may suggest a practical answer. Technically, the candlestick cannot have a rim, as it is made of beaten gold (similar to the kaporet and the keruvim, which are also made of beaten gold). There is also no practical way for it to have poles with which it may be carried. Similarly, a gold rim would be inappropriate for the burnt-offering altar, as it is made of brass.

 

Beyond this answer, there is room to consider the three vessels in themselves, the rims, and their meaning. In many contexts, the candlestick is found together with the incense altar. The service performed with each of them is performed in the morning and the afternoon; both services are regarded as perpetual. In contrast, the bread on the table is replaced once a week on Shabbat. In this light, the combination of table and incense altar together with the ark is unusual.

 

At the same time, the crown of priesthood (the incense altar), the crown of royalty (the table), and the crown of the Torah (the ark) embrace broad and fundamental realms of leadership and rule by the word of God. On the one hand, we find the Torah, which is connected in the strongest way to God, the Giver of the Torah; on the other hand, we find priesthood and kingdom, the two ruling components, the Mikdash and the state, spiritual leadership and practical leadership.

 

It should be remembered that judgment belongs to God and that the very proximity of the Sanhedrin in the Chamber of Hewn Stone to the altar and the site of the resting of the Shekhina is of essential significance.

 

Apart from prophecy, whose connection to the Mikdash requires separate examination,[4] all branches of leadership are represented here. Their representation in the Heikhal, in the incense altar, and in the table teaches that all the components of leadership are divine in their essence, and that they draw their authority, their greatness, and the very definition of their roles from God.

 

In the Mikdash itself, there is an allusion to their divine source.

 

The Rim of the ark

 

            In conclusion, I wish to consider the specifics of the rim of the ark.

 

            Regarding the location and the function of the rim, Rashi writes:

 

A rim of gold – a crown-like ornament encompassed [the ark] round about above its edge, for it stood up over against the thickness of the kaporet [which was made for it] and even somewhat beyond it. Now, when the kaporet 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. (Shemot 25:11)

 

            It follows from the words of Rashi that the rim rose "a little" above the thickness of the kaporet. For the handbreadth that corresponded to the thickness of the kaporet was included in the "eleven" and the "little" was added to it. It stands to reason according to this that the rim was meant as an ornament.

 

            According to Rabbeinu Chananel, the rim corresponded to the thickness of the kaporet. It did not rise above it, and perhaps was even lower than it. It would appear that its purpose was to support the kaporet while it was being transported.

 

            The Tosafot Yeshanim (s.v. ha) maintain that according to Rabbeinu Chananel, the rim was inside the ark, and that its purpose was to strengthen the seam between the two arks of gold.

 

            The Chizkuni understands that the rim served as a cover for the edge of the wooden ark and that its measurement corresponded to the width of the edge of the wooden ark.

 

The width of the rim

 

            According to R. Avraham son of the Rambam, the rim covered the thickness of the wooden ark, as well as the thickness of the inner and outer arks of gold. Thus, the width of the rim was greater than the width of the edge of the wooden ark.

 

            According to the gemara in Yoma (72b) and Sukka (5a), the measurement of the rim was "a little."

 

The form of the rim

 

            No details are offered as to the decorative aspect of the rim.

 

            The Tif'eret Yisra'el (on the Mishna in Keilim, chap. 2, no. 31) maintains that the rim was triangular and had the appearance of a low wall.

 

            In any event, however we imagine the form of the rim, it was a crown-like framework that embellished the upper portion of the ark and provided the ark with special beauty and adornment.

 

(Translated by David Strauss)

 

 

 

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