It can be suggested that each of these appurtenances corresponds to different roles of important personalities. (Yoma 72b) The Ark relates to the Torah scholar, as the Torah was actually contained in the Ark itself. The Table symbolizes the prosperity of our people best represented by the Ruler. And, the Altar reminds us of the Priest as he offered incense upon it.

Each of these individuals play important roles and each has a distinct challenge. The Torah scholar must be careful not to allow his knowledge to lead him to arrogance, to feeling superior over other less learned Jews. The King, the most influential of individuals, must be careful never to use his power to take advantage of his subjects. And the Priest may never permit his important religious position to be used as a platform to abuse others.

It is no wonder that the Hebrew word for rim is zaire. On the one hand, zaire comes from the word zar which means “alien”. In other words, the Torah scholar, King or Priest could pervert their important roles, thus alienating themselves from God’s way.

But, as Rabbi Shmuel Bornstein of Sochaczev in his Shem Mishmuel writes, zaire intersects with the word Nazir. The Nazarite is one who achieves a high level of spirituality by dedicating life entirely to the service of God.

Thus, the goal of the Torah scholar, the King and Priest is to direct all energy to holiness. To see to is that the rim at the top of these objects is manifest in the spirit of Nazir. In this sense, the rim around can be viewed as a crown, a symbol of royalty nobly turning one to God.

Note, that in Ethics, the rabbis speak of three crowns, the crown of Torah, the crown of the priesthood and the crown of kingship. Not coincidentally, they correspond to the Ark, the Table and the Altar in the Tabernacle. It is, therefore, no coincidence that the rabbis conclude that the most important crown is the crown of a good name (shem tov); in their words, “but the crown of a good name is greater than them all.” (Avot 4:13).

The challenge is to infuse the three objects in the Tabernacle, representative of these three major roles in Judaism with the critical dimension of a good name. In Shem Mishmuel’s words: “Each of these three great gifts to the community of Israel—Torah, Kingship and the Priesthood—needs special attention to insure that they are used only for holy, rather than self-seeking purposes. The crown on the Ark, Table, and Altar represent this constant need.”

Shabbat Shalom,

Rabbi Avi Weiss