Day is done TB Yoma 72

The first seven chapters of our massekhet discusses the Yom Kippur service in the Temple as observed by the High Priest. By yesterday’s daf TB Yoma 71b the High Priest has finished all of the ritual requirements to gain atonement for all of Israel. In fact the Gemara records that if the person who was responsible for the scapegoat’s fate runs into the High Priest in the market (obviously after Yom Kippur), he greets him “My Master, High Priest, we performed your mission, i.e., we fulfilled the mitzva of sending the goat to Azazel. He refers to the sending as the High Priest’s mission as a public display of respect.” (Sefaria.org translation)

Now that the Yom Kippur day’s obligations are done, today’s daf TB Yoma 72 deals with a sundry different issues surrounding the High Priest, kohanim (priests in general), and items related to the sanctuary. Of course the rabbis go off on tangents as well. But these tangents are very relevant how we should live our lives today. I’ll share three of them with you.

“Rabbi Yoḥanan said: There were three crowns on the sacred vessels in the Temple: The crown of the altar, and of the Ark, and of the table. The regal appearance they provided symbolized power and authority: The crown of the altar symbolized the crown of priesthood; Aaron was deserving and took it, and the priesthood continues exclusively through his descendants. The crown of the table symbolized the abundance and blessing associated with the crown of kingship; David was deserving and took it for himself and his descendants after him. The crown of the Ark symbolized the crown of Torah; it is still sitting and waiting to be acquired, and anyone who wishes to take it may come and take it and be crowned with the crown of Torah. Perhaps you will say it is inferior to the other two crowns and that is why nobody has taken it; therefore, the verse states about the wisdom of Torah: “Through me kings will reign” (Proverbs 8:15), indicating that the strength of the other crowns is derived from the crown of Torah, which is greater than them all.” (Sefaria.org translation) In other words Torah is available to anybody who wants it. Anybody who’s willing to study and apply himself/herself can earn the crown of Torah. Go for it!

“The Gemara presents a number of statements based on the idea that the Ark symbolizes the Torah: Rabbi Yoḥanan raised a contradiction: According to the way the word crown is written in the Torah (Exodus 25:11), without vowels, it should be pronounced zar (זָר), meaning strange, but according to the traditional vocalization we read it as zeir (זֵיר), meaning crown. These two ways of understanding the word appear to contradict each other. Rabbi Yoḥanan explains: The two understandings apply to two different situations: If one is deserving by performing mitzvot, it becomes a crown [zeir] for him; but if one is not deserving, the Torah will be a stranger [zara] to him.” (Sefaria.org translation) I think that Rabbi Yohanan’s observation hits home in the 21^st century. As a rabbi I have seen a Renaissance of Torah study in the widest sense of the meaning. I’ve witnessed transformative programs like Meah where people commit themselves to study 100 hours of Jewish studies taught by college professors. I’ve also seen how our beautiful traditions have become strange to other people. After a loved one passes away, the descendants give to me their loved one’s prayer books, Bibles, and tefilin because they have no use for them. What once was zeir is now zar. Our goal as the Jewish community should be helping people turn the zar back into a zeir, crown.

“The verse states concerning the Ark: “From within and from without you shall cover it” (Exodus 25:11). Rava said: This alludes to the idea that any Torah scholar whose inside is not like his outside, i.e., whose outward expression of righteousness is insincere, is not to be considered a Torah scholar.” (Sefaria.org translation) I think this understanding applies to all leaders and not only to religious ones. A person in a position of leadership should not be duplicitous, appearing to be honest, trustworthy, and having integrity, but in reality is anything but. At least here in New York today is primary day where we have an opportunity to vote for the candidates we feel will fight for us in the November election and beyond. I hope that we choose men and women whose insides are just like their outsides.