Tiferes Tzvi - A Student Publication of Yeshiva Samson Raphael Hirsch
ועשית בדי עצי שטים... בטבעת הארן יהיו הבדים לא יסרו ממנו. (כה, יג-טו)
And make poles of acacia wood… The poles shall remain in the rings of the ארן; they shall never be removed. (25, 13-15)
The תורה gives us a special command regarding the poles of the ארון, namely: לא יסרו ממנו – they shall never be removed. Why were the poles of the ארון not allowed to be removed even when the ארון was not being transported?
Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch זצ"ל explains that this commandment seems to indicate that in addition to having been instruments for carrying the ארון, the poles had a deep symbolic meaning as well. The poles of the ארון symbolize the destiny and the mission of carrying it and its contents beyond the precincts of its present standing place. The idea encapsulated in this unique commandment is that the תורה is not bound or confined to time or space. תורה and its mission are eternal. For unlike the poles of the other vessels, the poles of the ארון had to be left connected to it at all times. Both the שלחן – representing כלל ישראל’s material life in its full completeness – and the מנרה – representing כלל ישראל’s spiritual and intellectual life in complete clarity and brightness – are bound to the soil of ארץ ישראל. The תורה is not. Whenever and wherever כלל ישראל are, they are bound to live and learn the תורה, not compromising on its ideals.
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