Three crowns, the crown of Kingship rule the Jewish people crown of Kehuna crown of Torah Torah wisdom, Jewish wisdom free online articles

Three Crowns

The Mishna speaks of three crowns, the crown of Kingship -- for those who rule the Jewish people -- the crown of the Kehuna -- for those who perform the temple service -- and the crown of Torah -- for those who explore the Universe's deepest secrets.[1]

Corresponding this, the Temple had two main sections, the Kodesh (the Holy) and the Kodesh Kadoshim (the Holy of Holies). In the Kodesh, stood three items, the golden table, the golden altar and the golden menorah.

The golden table had, worked into its design, a golden crown. This stands for the crown of Kingship and wealth. The golden altar also had a crown; this parallels the crown of the Kehuna, and the power of prayer. The golden menorah, which represents wisdom, had no crown. Where was its crown?

In the Kodesh Kadoshim, only one item stood. This was the Aron HaKodesh (the Holy Ark). It parallels and encompasses all three of the items in the Kodesh. Worked into its cover, is a golden crown.

Both the menorah and the Aron HaKodesh represent Torah wisdom. The menorah is wisdom in terms of this world, the world we see with our eyes. The Aron HaKodesh however, stands for the fire and energy of the entire Creation. It is the blueprint for the spiritual and physical worlds. To grasp it, we must use our minds. Its crown, in a sense, is the crown of the menorah as well.

Ones and ...

We can't really explore the threes without understanding the ones and twos as well.

One, as we mentioned, is the Aron HaKodesh. It represents Torah, which is also one. The greatest One, of course, is the Creator Himself. Then there is another "one"; each individual is also all one. Unlike the animals that were created as males and females, Adam came into the world as a single being. Only later, he was split into two, a man and a woman. Still, essentially and from the start, like the Creator Himself, he remains a one.

This places a special obligation on us. We need to feel how special we are, the great creative powers we possess, and how much we can change this world for the good.

Twos

What is two? The Creator, as One, is also All. Still -- and to allow us free choice -- He created an artificial "other", an "alternative" to Himself. The original other is Darkness. It stands as an opposite to Light. [2] However, all opposites fall into the category of the twos. Thus, for instance, there is life and death, good and evil, compassion and cruelty, knowledge and ignorance, wealth and poverty, heaven and earth, others and myself, etc.

In working with ourselves, it is important to identify the twos -- our strengths and our weaknesses; those who help us and those who hinder us; the places we need to reach and the places we need to avoid. This all can help us reach our goals.

Other Numbers

We have a custom to sing at the Pesach Seder a song of numbers. We attribute a special quality to each number from one to thirteen. Thus, four represents the holy mothers, Sara, Rivka, Rachel and Leah; five is the five books of the Torah; six, the six orders of the Talmud; seven, the seven days of the week, etc. The magic of numbers however, does not stop at thirteen.

There are many ways to divide a large cake -- it all depends on how many mouths you want to feed. With the Creator and His creation, an infinite number of combinations are possible. Thus, when we face the millions of details of our everyday lives, we should realize the truth -- it is all one cake. Everything starts with the Creator who is One. What we need to do then is to see the Creator within every element of the world, for, by attaching ourselves to this thread, we turn the moments of our lives into an exquisite necklace -- a glorious garland of achievement and joy.

A Last Three

The search for the threes is a lifetime project, and we need to move on. Still, as a final idea, let us examine this three...

Three times a day we recite a special silent prayer. This prayer too, is made of three: Praise, Request, and Thanks. We should however, use these three not only in prayer, but in everyday life as well.

Praise -- to recognize and appreciate the greatness of the Giver -- leads to a wondrous Love. We treasure the Giver, and draw closer to Him. This closeness is a source of Wealth.

Request -- to strive constantly for new achievements, higher heights -- connects us with upper worlds. This seeking allows us to understand better that all help comes from the heavens. It leads to feelings of Awe. Likewise, it empowers us; for, knowing that behind us stands the force of the universe, allows us to act without hesitation.

Thanks -- like praise, enriches us. The focus here however, is not on the Giver, but on the gift. To know what we have, the resources at our disposal, is Wisdom. When we stop crying over what we lack, and instead, start using what we have, we become much more effective. We reach for a greater success.

Praise, Request and Thanks are tools we have to build our world -- just as we want it to be.

[1] Pirkei Avos 4.13
[2] We say in our prayers, "Yotzer ohr u'borei choshech." Yotzer ohr, He forms light -- in other words, it's already there, but He reshapes; "u'borei choshech," and He creates darkness -- darkness is a creation, something from nothing.
This is because essentially, there is no darkness, no evil within the Creator. He has to create an artificial vacuum within Himself for this to exist.