This week’s parsha is parshas Terumah. With immense pleasure, we will focus on the structure of the Aron, and the vital lesson it teaches us. It housed the two sets of luchos upon which HKB”H etched the Aseres HaDibros transmitted at Har Sinai. As we know, they are the foundation of the entire Torah. Here is the relevant text (Shemos 25, 10):
"ועשו ארון עצי שיטים אמתים וחצי ארכו ואמה וחצי רחבו ואמה וחצי קומתו, וצפית אותו זהב טהור מבית ומחוץ תצפנו ועשית עליו זר זהב."
They shall make an Aron of shittim wood, two and a half cubits its length, a cubit and a half its width, and a cubit and a half its height. You shall cover it with pure gold, from inside and from outside you shall cover it; and you shall make on it a golden crown all around.
In the Gemara (Yoma 72b), our sages of blessed memory compare the Torah to a talmid-chacham. After all, a Torah-scholar is also a receptacle for the teachings of the Torah. Rabbi Yochanan notes that with regards to the construction of the “shulchan” (ibid. 23) and the “menorah” (ibid. 31), the Torah employs the term "ועשית"—you shall make. Whereas, with regards to the Aron, the Torah employs the term "ועשו"—they shall make. He deduces from this distinction: "מכאן לתלמיד חכם שבני עירו מצווין לעשות לו מלאכתו"—from here we learn regarding a Torah-scholar that the residents of his city are commanded to do his work for him (i.e., the community is required to support his Torah study).
Additionally, the Aron was covered with pure gold internally and externally. From this feature of its structure, Rava deduces (ibid.): "כל תלמיד חכם שאין תוכו כברו אינו תלמיד חכם"—any Torah-scholar whose inside is not like his outside is not a true Torah-scholar. According to the Panim Yafos (Terumah), this means that he must resemble pure gold internally and externally. If he only appears to be learning Torah l’shma—sincerely, with good intentions— but he actually has ulterior motives, such as a desire for prestige, that is considered lo l’shma. Then, in the eyes of HKB”H, he does not resemble the Aron; he is not a true talmid-chacham. His inside must mirror his outside— “tocho k’varo”!
The Wonderful Insight of the Panim Yafos
Nevertheless, the Panim Yafos raises a difficulty with Rava’s deduction. As the Gemara there points out, Betzalel actually built three Arons—the middle one was made entirely of wood, while the inner and outer ones were made of gold. This is also evident from Rashi’s commentary (Shemos 25, 11): "מבית ומחוץ תצפנו". Betzalel made three arons, two golden and one wooden, four walls and a bottom for each, and they were open at the top. He placed the wooden one inside the (larger) golden one, and the (smaller) golden one inside the wooden one, and overlaid its upper rim with gold. Thus, it was covered both inside and outside (with gold). So, how could Rava deduce from this structure that a talmid-chacham—the virtual, human receptacle of the Torah—must be pure, like gold, inside and out? After all, the Aron itself was not made entirely of gold; its middle compartment was made of wood.
In this context, the Panim Yafos interprets what we have learned in the Gemara (Pesachim 50b): "אמר רב יהודה אמר רב לעולם יעסוק אדם בתורה ומצוות אף על פי שלא לשמה, שמתוך שלא לשמה בא לשמה". Rav Yehudah said in the name of Rav: A person should always study Torah and perform mitzvos even though it is not l’shma (for its own sake; with pure intent), because from that which is not l’shma, he will eventually come do so l’shma. Let us elaborate. When a person first embarks on his journey into Torah-study, before he is truly enlightened, it is almost impossible to learn l’shma. Nevertheless, he must persist and desire wholeheartedly to ultimately learn Torah l’shma.
Understood in this light, here is the rationale for HKB”H commanding Moshe to fashion three arons: The outermost aron being of pure gold, was to allude to a talmid-chacham who studies Torah l’shma only outwardly—for the sake of appearances; the middle aron made of wood alluded to the beginning of his journey, when he has not yet achieved the ideal of l’shma—as such, he cannot be compared to pure gold; yet, the innermost aron, which was made of pure gold, comes to teach us that in the merit of yearning to study Torah l’shma, one is assured that he will achieve that goal: "שמתוך שלא לשמה בא לשמה".
