The Torah says to build the Aron from atzei shitim – two and a half amos in length, one and a half amos in width, and one and a half amos in height. “And you shall cover it (the wood) with pure gold, on the inside and on the outside, it should be overlaid...” (Shemos 25:11).
Over the years, we have commented many times that each of the keilim [vessels] in the Mishkan were symbolic. The Aron, in which the Luchos are placed, is symbolic of a talmid chochom. The Torah resides within a talmid chochom, and so too the Luchos reside within the Aron. The fact that the Torah says that the Aron needs to be covered with pure gold on both the outside and the inside is symbolic of the concept of “tocho k’baro” [a person’s inside must match his outside]. In short, a talmid chochom cannot be a faker. He needs to be of sterling character – as pure on the inside as he is on the outside.
There has been much discussion, dating all the way back to the time of the Gemara, as to whether someone may teach a student who is NOT “tocho k’baro“. In Avos D’Reb Nosson, this is an argument between Beis Shammai and Beis Hillel. Beis Shammai were very restrictive in who they accepted into their school. They forbade teaching a student who was not of sterling character. Beis Hillel were less discriminating. They favored an “open enrollment” policy.
The well-known Gemara in Berachos (28a) says that Rabban Gamliel, who was the Head of the Yeshiva, had a policy that any student who was not “tocho k’baro,” was not admitted into the beis hamedrash. When they changed the leadership of the Yeshiva because of an incident mentioned there, R’ Elazer ben Azariah became the Rosh Yeshiva. They then removed the guard from the door of the beis hamedrash. The Gemara notes that on that day they added 400 benches (or according to another version 700 benches) to the beis hamedrash in order to accommodate the influx of new students.
The Gemara relates that when Rabban Gamliel saw what transpired, he became depressed out of fear that his policy had inhibited the study of Torah in Yisroel. The Gemara says that he was shown containers full of embers in a dream. This dream appeased him, as he interpreted it to mean that the new students were like ashes, meaning that they were really not high caliber students.
The Gemara says that this was not really the case. He was merely shown this dream to appease him, but in truth the policy of Rav Elazer ben Azaria was correct and the policy of Rabban Gamliel was wrong.
R’ Frand relates an interpretation of this Gemara which he heard in the name of Rav Yoshe Ber Soloveitchik, zt”l. Rav Yoshe Ber asked – what is the interpretation of this Gemara? In other words, was Rav Elazar ben Azariah right or was he not right to remove the guard? Was Hashem merely fooling Rabban Gamliel by showing him this dream?
Rav Yoshe Ber explained the significance of Rabban Gamliel being shown containers of embers. When someone views embers, it appears that the fire has been extinguished. Nothing can happen from them. But within the embers may still be little flames. If someone blows on them, he may, in fact, relight the fire. This is what Rabban Gamliel was shown in his dream. They were not trying to “fake him out.” They were showing him that these new students who showed up in the beis hamedrash were like embers. He took it to mean – “Aghh! They are nothing!” But the real message was just the opposite. The sparks within the embers contain great potential. If they are blown on correctly, they can in fact become blazing flames.
The Zohar relates that Rabbi Abba announced “Whoever wants to become wealthy and live a long life should come to the beis hamedrash and occupy himself with Torah study.” A fellow named Yossi heard this announcement and came in front of Rabbi Abba and told him that he would like to become rich so he came to learn. Rabbi Abba took him into the beis hamedrash.
The Zohar says that this Yossi was given the nickname “Yossi the Baal Tayvah” (as if to say “Joe the Money Grubber” or Yossi, the person who wants to become rich). Yossi learned for a long time but he did not become rich. He went back to Rav Abba and complained, “You told me that if I came to learn Torah in your Yeshiva, I would become rich. I came to learn, but I did not become rich.”
Rav Abba was so disgusted with the fellow’s attitude that he wanted to throw him out of the Yeshiva, but a bas kol [Heavenly voice] came out from Heaven and said not to throw the student out – to have patience with him, because one day he would become a great talmid chochom.
Time went on and a wealthy man came to the Yeshiva to visit Rabbi Abba. The man had a golden chalice with him. He told Rabbi Abba that he was a wealthy man and he would like to support a young man who is involved in Torah study by giving him this valuable golden chalice. Rabbi Abba called in the Baal Tayvah and gave him the golden chalice. He said, “Okay. Now you have it. You learned Torah and you became rich.”
The Zohar continues that years later this Yossi in fact became a very big talmid chochom. Rav Abba came into the beis hamedrash one day and saw that this Rav Yossi was crying. He said, “Why are you crying now – you got your money!” Yossi said “I am crying that I was willing to give up Torah for just a gold chalice. How could I have made such a silly mistake?”
The Zohar concludes that this Yossi became none other than the Amora Rav Yossi ben Pazi (cited in Yerushalmi Shekolim 9a). Paz means fine gold (Shir HaShirim 5:11; 5:15). Yossi was “Ben Pazi” (son of fine gold). He ultimately recognized how foolish he had been for having been willing to give up a world of eternity (Torah) for a transient world (of wealth). In the end, he realized “Better for me is the Torah of Your Mouth than thousands of pieces of gold and silver” (Tehillim 119:72). The upshot of this Zohar and the upshot of the Gemara in Berachos is the same. Why did Rabban Gamliel become depressed when so many students came to the Yeshiva after they took away the gatekeeper? He knew that he could have had an additional 400 or 700 applicants if he waived his entrance standards! He made a decision that he wanted only students who were tochom k’barom. It was a legitimate decision. Why then was he depressed when these additional students came in?
The Chidushei HaRim says a beautiful idea. Rabban Gamliel became depressed because after those 700 students came into the beis hamedrash, he saw what the Torah did for them. He saw that the Torah had the power to flip them from being people who were NOT tochom k’barom into people who WERE tochom k’barom. Just like this Yossi the Baal Tayvah, who became Yossi ben Pazi because the power of Torah changed him, so too, the same thing happened to new students who entered the beis hamedrash when the gatekeepers were removed.
This is what upset Rabban Gamliel. He knew why he rejected these people – because he did not want students who were not tochom k’barom. But now he saw that after spending time in the Yeshiva, through the power of Torah they BECAME students who were tochom k’barom.
This is what the Medrash Eicha means when it says “If only they would have abandoned Me and kept my Torah, as a result of their preoccupation with it (i.e. — with Torah), the light within it would have returned them to the proper way.” Torah has an amazing mystical power to change a person. It happened to Yossi ben Pazi and it happened to the hundreds of students in the beis hamedrash of Rav Elazar ben Azarya. The Torah flipped them from being people who were not tochom k’barom to people who indeed possessed that quality. (R’ Frand)
