תולדות הארון

(10) They shall make an ark of acacia wood, two and a half cubits long, a cubit and a half wide, and a cubit and a half high.

(11) Overlay it with pure gold—overlay it inside and out—and make upon it a gold molding round about.

(12) Cast four gold rings for it, to be attached to its four feet, two rings on one of its side walls and two on the other.

(13) Make poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold;

(14) then insert the poles into the rings on the side walls of the ark, for carrying the ark.

(15) The poles shall remain in the rings of the ark: they shall not be removed from it.

(16) And deposit in the Ark [the tablets of] the Pact which I will give you.

(1) ועשו ארזן, "They shall construct an ark." It is strange that G'd phrased the directive to build the ark in indirect speech whereas the directives to construct the Tabernacle, the Altar, the Table, and the Lampstand are all phrased in direct speech, i.e. ועשית. Not only does the Torah employ indirect speech in this verse, but when elaborating on the details of the construction the Torah reverts to use of direct speech, i.e. "you shall cover it with pure gold, etc." Perhaps we can find in this anomaly a hint that the bulk of Torah cannot be fulfilled by any individual but requires participation of the entire nation. No single individual can fulfil all the commandments of the Torah, however much he may desire to do so. If an individual happens to be a priest he cannot fulfil the commandment of allocating the 24 gifts which the Torah directs the Israelite to give to the priest. He cannot fulfil the commandment of redeeming his firstborn son. A Levite also is prevented from fulfilling certain commandments by the mere fact that he is a Levite. The phrasing of ועשו ארון in the indirect plural may be intended to remind us of this fact.

(2) Possibly, the use of the indirect plural here is an introduction to the construction of all the parts of the Tabernacle and its furnishings. By using the indirect plural at this point the Torah may wish to remind us that even where it uses the direct singular when giving directives, these directives are addressed to individuals only inasmuch as those addressed represent all the חכמי לב, (compare 36,1).

(2) ועשית עליו זר זהב סביב, “you are to construct on it a golden crown all around it.” When the Torah issues similar instructions concerning the table and the altar, the wording is not עליו, ”on it,” but לו “for it.” The reason is that the table itself was a symbol of the “crown” of Royalty, whereas the altar was a symbol of the “crown” of priesthood (compare Avot 4,13). The “crown” of priest-hood as well as the “crown” of Royalty is acquired by its wearer at birth, through inheritance. The “crown” of Torah is not acquired by birth. The word לו implies that this crown is an integral part of the table or altar respectively, i.e. “it belongs.” Seeing that the crown of Torah has first to be earned by the eventual wearer, the word עליו, “upon him” indicates that it will be placed on the Torah scholar at the appropriate time, at his ordination. Hereditary Royalty in Israel was the exclusive right of Kings descended from David, whereas hereditary priesthood was reserved for the descendants of Aaron. The word לו in a similar sense is used by the Torah in connection with the duty of the King to write two Torah scrolls for himself. We read in Deut. 17,18 וכתב לו את משנה התורה וגו', “he is to write for himself two copies of the Torah, etc.” The Torah immediately (verse 20) continues to supply the reason for this by writing למען יאריך ימים על ממלכתו, “in order that the days of his dynasty be long ones, etc.” We find something similar in connection with the priesthood where the Torah writes in Numbers 25,13 after Pinchas had been elevated to the priesthood: והיתה לו ולזרעו אחריו, “and it shall be his and for his offspring after him a covenant of an eternal priesthood, etc.” Seeing that the crown on the Ark represents a different kind of concept, one based on יחוס עצמו, “personal achievement,” the preposition the Torah chose to use in connection with it is עליו instead of לו.

(3) A Midrashic approach to this wording (Shemot Rabbah 34,2): the reason the Torah writes the word עליו in connection with the crown on top of the Ark as distinct from the way it describes the crowns of the table and the altar respectively, is that the crown of Torah is considered the most superior of the three (4) crowns mentioned in the Mishnah in Avot we quoted before. By writing the word עליו, “above,” the Torah indicates that he who has acquired the crown of Torah is as if he had also acquired the other crowns mentioned in that Mishnah. This thought is also expressed in the word סביב, “around it,” i.e. the crown of Torah is all-embracing. Note that the word זר for “crown” is spelled without the letter י. This is a hint that unless a person merits wearing this crown Torah is considered alien to him, i.e. זר, “strange, uninitiated.” [The assumption is that because of the vowel tzeyreh under the letter ז, the normal spelling of the word ought to have been זיר. Ed.]

(2) It is from the roots of the commandment [that it is] because the ark is the residence of the Torah, and [the latter] is our essence and our glory. And [so], we have been commanded all glory and all majesty towards it, to all of our ability. Therefore, we were commanded not to remove the poles of the ark from it, lest we need to go out with the ark to any place quickly, and maybe due to the preoccupation and the rush, we will not check well that its poles are strong enough; and lest, God forbid, it will fall from their hands, and this is not [fit for] its glory. But with their always being ready and not being removed from it, we will make them very strong, and [so] there will not be a mishap with them. And another reason [is] that the forms of all of the vessels of the Temple are required to hint to great and lofty matters, so that a person is impressed by them for the good, in the course of his thinking about them. And for our good, God wanted that that form not be lost even temporarily.