The Symbolic Meaning of a Rim

The mikdash, the tabernacle, had virtually no “practical” application. It existed, instead, purely for religious and symbolic purposes. It thus follows that each of the details given to us in the Torah are there for a reason – not for aesthetics, but for the underlying purpose of the mikdash, to teach us how to be holy.

One of these details is the “rim” the zar that is required on certain items.

The Ark: shalt make upon it a zar of gold round about.

The Table: make for it a zar of gold round about.

The crown of the Table: thou shalt make a golden crown for its zar round about.

Incense Altar: thou shalt make for it a rim of gold round about.

These words are repeated when the items were actually made, so they appear in the text of the Torah a total of eight times. Eight is the number representing man’s connection with the divine. So there is something about the zar that refers to a relationship with G-d.

But what is a zar? The physical zar of the mikdash seems to be a rim or border of some kind.

We can answer this by looking at how the word is used elsewhere in the Torah. Here are a few examples:

And they shall eat those things with which atonement was made to consecrate and to sanctify them: but a stranger (zar) shall not eat of them, because they are holy.

You shall offer no strange (zar) incense on it, nor burnt sacrifice, nor meal offering; neither shall you pour drink offering upon it.

Whoever compounds any like [the annointing oil], or whoever puts any of it upon a stranger (zar), shall even be cut off from his people.

And Nadav and Avihu, the sons of Aharon, took each of them his censer, and put fire in it, and put incense on it, and offered strange (zar) fire before the Lord, which He commanded them not.

And when the tabernacle sets forward, the Levites shall take it down: and when the tabernacle is to be pitched, the Levites shall set it up: and the stranger (zar) that comes near shall be put to death.

Zar is used to refer to things that are not allowed to be in contact with holiness! We have other words for “stranger” or “non-Jew” in the Torah. But this word, zar, is uniquely used as something that must be separate from holy things.

What does that have to do with a rim?

I think the answer is simple enough: these objects – the ark, incense altar, and the table, have rims to tell us that the essence of that object must not be adulterated by an outsider.

The ark represents close relationships (brothers, husband and wife, man and G-d). That the ark had a rim teaches us that these relationships are meant to be exclusive. A man and wife should not share their marriage with someone else. In the same way, idols are not welcome in the relationship we have with our Creator.

The incense altar, connected as it is to our nostrils (where Adam was ensouled), and to the mystical nature of the connection we have with G-d is similarly encircled by a rim. We should remember that our relationship is direct, excluding the stranger, the zar.

And the table, connected as it is to the lessons of Eden (see separate post on this), is a reminder that we must be particularly vigilant to not follow after our eyes and our base desires, but instead must always be doubly careful before acting on impulse. The table has two rims – and I think it is because we must deal with the fact that our desires occupy a special part of our psyche: we are most likely to rationalize our desires as somehow justified (just as Eve did).

---

The Torah repeats this phrase when it comes to the mikdash a great many times. And I think the reason is simple: the relationship the Jews have with G-d must exclude others. Priests (Cohanim) Levites and the people represent concentric circles of connection and exclusion. There are lessons here about levels of holiness and connection with the divine, and the unique nature of the relationship Jews have with G-d.

But wait! There are also major elements of the mikdash that have no rim! The Menorah has no rim. And neither does the copper Altar (for normal offerings).

I think the reason for this is consistent with the above: The Menorah represents light in all of its symbolic meanings: illumination, knowledge, anti-darkness, revelation, etc. The Menorah is not just for the Jews! It is instead meant to be a light for the whole world. And so it does not have a rim, an exclusionary zar.

The altar represents the opportunity to elevate the physical world into the spiritual realm – connecting heaven and earth, repairing the split caused on the Second Day of Creation. And this, too, is not uniquely for the Jewish people. A non-Jew can bring an offering, an elevation-offering (olah) just as Noah did. The elevation offering is specifically to elevate the physical plane. Elevating the world is not uniquely for Jews! Which explains why it, too, lacked a zar.

---

In conclusion: certain elements of the tabernacle are meant to be private and exclude outsiders. They are created with rims to remind us that we should never adulterate/idolatrize these elements. But other elements of the mikdash are meant to be universally accessible – and thus they have no rim.