English translation — קרח ב

1.

On that which it stands in the parshah,

that the Most High designated the kehunah and matanos kehunah for Aharon and his sons "for an eternal statute, a covenant of salt forever before Hashem, for you and for your descendants with you ..

I am your portion and your inheritance etc."<sup>1</sup>

— says the Sifri<sup>2</sup>

"Three crowns<sup>3</sup>

they are the crown of Torah and the crown of kehunah and the crown of kingship,

the crown of kehunah Aharon merited and took it,

the crown of kingship David merited and took it,

behold the crown of Torah is placed so as not to give an opening to the mouth of the nations of the world<sup>4</sup>

etc. behold the crown of Torah is placed for all who come into the world<sup>4</sup>

that whoever merits it is elevated

I upon him as if all three are placed and he merits them all."

And the Sifri explains that the crown of Torah is greater than the other crowns,

because "the entire essence of the two crowns comes only from the power of Torah, and so it says<sup>5</sup>

by Me kings reign."

As in the sermon brings itself in the Gemara⁶

(in brief)

: "Three crowns there are: of the altar, and of the ark, and of the table; of the altar Aaron merited and took it; of the table David merited

and took it of .

long.

still.

it is placed.

Whoever wishes to take, let him come and take; lest you say it is lesser, the verse says "By Me kings reign"⁷.

The Rambam in Laws of Torah Study⁸

brings out the discourse,

And this is his language: With three crowns Israel was crowned: the crown of Torah, the crown of priesthood, and the crown of kingship,

The crown of priesthood Aaron merited it, as it is said⁹

And it was for him and for his seed after him a covenant of eternal priesthood,

The crown of kingship David merited it

as it is said¹⁰

His seed shall endure forever, and his throne as the sun before Me,

The crown of Torah, behold it is lying and ready and prepared for all Israel, as it is said¹¹

Moses commanded us the Torah, an inheritance of the congregation of Jacob; whoever wishes may come and take it. Lest you say that those crowns are greater than the crown of Torah, etc.

One must understand: In the Talmud there are <b>not</b> any proofs from verses,

even though it is composed of halacha,

Scripture, questions and discussions, etc.

(and similarly in the Sifri¹²)

— and specifically the Rambam in his book which is "halachos halachos"¹³

brings proofs from the verses?

B.

In the Hagahos Maimoniyos¹⁴

the source of the words of the Rambam is marked

(not only in tractate Yoma — as in the Kesef Mishneh¹⁵

— but also)

in Avos d'Rav Nosson¹⁶

— and there indeed proofs are brought from verses on all three crowns.

But:

a)

There, two of the verses are <b>not</b> the ones that the Rambam brings.

b)

And the main point: in Avot d'Rabbi Natan, the proofs from the verses are not on the positive side as the Rambam brings them,

but on the negative side,

that the crown of priesthood and the crown of kingship

one <b>cannot</b> obtain,

but not so the crown of Torah,

and this is his language

(in Avot d'Rabbi Natan)

: "The crown of priesthood, how so? Even if one gives

(him)

all the silver and gold in the world, they do not give him the crown of priesthood, as it is said⁹

And it was to him..

The crown of kingship, even if one gives all the silver and gold in the world, they do not give him the crown of kingship, as it is said¹⁷

And David My servant is a prince to them forever¹⁸

But the crown of Torah is not so; toil in Torah, whoever wishes to take, let him come and take, as it is said¹⁹

Ho, all who are thirsty, go to water"²⁰.

Another matter in the Rambam that is prominent in comparison with his language elsewhere

(In Hilchos Melachim²¹)

: "Since David was anointed, he merited the crown of kingship, and behold the kingship is his and his male descendants forever, as it is said²²

Your throne shall be established forever" — <b>not</b> the verse that he brings here by "the crown of kingship David merited it — his seed ..

And his throne etc."

Also regarding the first verse,

which the Rambam brings here as a proof that Aharon merited the crown of priesthood — "as it is said, 'And it shall be for him and his seed after him a covenant of everlasting priesthood'"²³

— it is required

Explanation: "And it was &lt;b&gt;to him&lt;/b&gt;" means indeed the verse simply not the priesthood

(the regular)

that Aaron had merited,

but the priesthood that was given as a special instruction to &lt;b&gt;Phinehas &lt;/b&gt;son of Eleazar

("and to his seed after him").

It is not understood,

why does the Rambam bring &lt;b&gt;this &lt;/b&gt;verse&lt;sup&gt;24&lt;/sup&gt;

that speaks &lt;b&gt;not &lt;/b&gt;about Aaron&lt;sup&gt;25&lt;/sup&gt;,

and not &lt;b&gt;previous &lt;/b&gt;verses in the Torah which relate &lt;b&gt;explicitly &lt;/b&gt;to the regular priesthood — Aaron &lt;b&gt;and to all &lt;/b&gt;his sons

(and in particular,

that he begins with the phrase: "Aaron merited it..&lt;/b&gt;

and in our portion "a covenant of salt forever it is&lt;sup&gt;26&lt;/sup&gt;

etc. to you and to your seed

אתך"²⁷

(וכיו״ב)²⁸,

as Rashi indeed brings it in the Gemara²⁹.

But one must understand another change of language in the Rambam regarding the language in the Sifri and in the Gemara: there it says "זכה אהרן <b>ונטלו..</b>

זכה דוד <b>ונטלו"</b>³⁰,

Not so in Rambam, he omits "ונטלו" and says: the crown of priesthood merited &lt;b&gt;in &lt;/b&gt;it Aharon,

the crown of kingship merited &lt;b&gt;in &lt;/b&gt;it David.

3.

The &lt;b&gt;halacha &lt;/b&gt;above in Rambam, the Alter Rebbe copies in his Hilchos Talmud Torah&lt;sup&gt;31&lt;/sup&gt;

and he indeed omits the above verses,

which are brought in Rambam on that the crown of priesthood merited in it Aharon and the crown of kingship merited in it David.

Moreover: regarding the matter of the crown of Torah, the Alter Rebbe says there "the crown of Torah is placed and ready and prepared for all of Israel; whoever wishes may come and take it, as it is said: 'It is an inheritance of the congregation of Jacob,' which is an inheritance for all of Israel."

E.

So also regarding the crown of Torah

(where the Alter Rebbe brings a verse — the same as in the Rambam)

he

(a)

changes and reverses the <b>order</b> from that in the Rambam: first he says "whoever wishes may come and take it,"

and afterwards he brings the verse — unlike in the Rambam, where it is in the opposite order;

(b)

the Alter Rebbe adds "which is an inheritance for all of Israel," which is not stated in the Rambam³².

D.

D.

This will be understood by prefacing the explanation of a difficulty in the general principles of the matter:

The Rambam is,

as above,

a book of "halachos halachos" — which is relevant to halacha here,

in Hilchos Talmud Torah,

that "With three

crowns was Israel crowned",

and that the crown of priesthood was merited by Aharon and the crown of kingship was merited by David?

At first glance, one must say,

that this is an introduction which brings out the special quality of

(crown)

Torah,

that it is higher than

(crown)

priesthood and kingship

("the crown of Torah is greater than both of them",

as the Rambam elaborates in the halacha)

— and the matter is relevant to halacha,

as the Rambam continues³³

"the Sages said³⁴

a mamzer who is a Torah scholar takes precedence over an ignorant High Priest, as it is said³⁵

it is more precious than pearls, than a High Priest who enters the innermost sanctum".

This, however, is not sufficient,

because if for this reason — then the entire lengthiness is not necessary and it is sufficient to mention only briefly that there are two more crowns,

the crown of priesthood and the crown of kingship;

And further

(and the main point)

: If the Rambam is there the law of "a mamzer who is a Torah scholar takes precedence, etc.",

he would have needed to specify in what consists the matter of "takes precedence"³⁶

— as we find it in the Mishnah³⁷

where this comes in sequence to the laws

(in the preceding Mishnah³⁷)

who takes precedence for reviving him and redeeming him

(and these laws the Rambam brings later and explained in Laws of Gifts to the Poor³⁸).

From this it is understood,

that the matter of all these three crowns and their details — that ,

the crown of priesthood, Aaron merited it",

and "the crown of kingship, David merited it" — is a thing that pertains to the law

(also)

to the superiority of

(the crown)

of Torah in itself,

not only as an introduction to its superiority over the other crowns³⁹?

And the difficulty returns to its place: What does this add in the explanation of the crown of Torah?

One cannot say,

that the Rambam means thereby only to emphasize the ! difference of the crown of Torah — that at the time that the crown of priesthood and the crown of kingship are not applicable to all Jews

(because "Aaron merited it ..

David merited it")

but the crown of Torah is indeed applicable to all Jews

(as in Avot d'Rabbi Natan)

— because then the Rambam would have said it with a language more fitting for this — in a language of negation <b></b>

(as in Avot d'Rabbi Natan)

or the like⁴⁰.

5.

The explanation of this*⁴⁰

His precise language of the Rambam — explains the definition and concept of the crown of Torah.

The phrase "crown of Torah" is brought in the Talmud regarding several matters,

in different content,

for example:

In Maseches Nedarim⁴¹

"Woe is me that I have used the crown of Torah",

"Whoever uses

the crown of Torah",

what is meant thereby is <b>the honor </b>of the Torah⁴²

In the tractate Megillah⁴³

(according to the version before us⁴⁴)

"And one who uses the crown shall pass away..

This is one who uses the one who studies halachos [as] the crown of Torah" — this means "halachos"⁴⁵

in the Torah.

And more⁴⁶.

Regarding this, it is also in the language of the Rambam,

that "the crown of Torah" has within it different meanings — corresponding to the subject being discussed.

One finds that the Rambam uses the expression "the crown of Torah" meaning primarily the quality^,4

of the Torah

(or the understanding of the Torah and the like),

as for example — in the halacha⁴⁸

"A man shall not marry the daughter of an ignoramus ..

for if he dies or goes into exile, his children will be ignoramuses, since their mother does not know <b>the crown of Torah".</b>

But in the halacha before us,

where he brings the statement of our Sages regarding the three crowns,

he does not mean the honor of the Torah,

and not the matter of the laws of the Torah

or mere study of the Torah,

but a <b>special</b> quality⁴⁹

<b> </b>in the matter of the Torah ^{<b>in general50</b>}.

— and in order to bring out more clearly the definition of <b>"crown of </b>Torah"

(in this halacha),

the Rambam brings regarding the crown of priesthood and the crown of kingship and the proofs from the verses,

as follows.

6.

<b>Crown of </b>priesthood and <b>crown of </b>kingship is not the service of the priesthood and the rule of kingship in themselves — because even before Aaron merited the <b>crown of </b>priesthood there was a priest and the service of the priesthood; likewise regarding kingship,

kingship already existed before in <b>Saul,</b>

even before David merited the crown of kingship.

In what does the acquisition of "crown of priesthood" and "crown of kingship" consist?

Says the Rambam: "The crown of priesthood Aaron merited it, as it is said, 'And it shall be for him and for his seed after him a covenant of everlasting priesthood,'

The crown of kingship David merited it, as it is said, 'His seed shall endure forever, and his throne as the sun before Me' — .

E.

So when one merits the <b>crown</b> of priesthood and the <b>crown</b> of kingship, it remains a matter <b>eternal,</b>

"for him and for his seed etc. a covenant of everlasting priesthood",

"his seed forever".

And as the Rambam rules in Laws of Kings

(regarding kingship)

: "Once David was anointed, he merited the <b>crown</b> of kingship, and behold the kingship is <b>his and his sons'</b> the males <b>forever".</b>

One must however understand: The Rambam rules indeed that "kingship is an inheritance"⁵¹,

not only the kingship of David,

but kingship <b>in general</b>

(even regarding the kings of Israel).

Moreover: "And not only kingship, but all the offices and all the appointments in Israel are an inheritance for his son and his son's son forever"⁵²

— then how does the Rambam connect the quality of <b>"crown</b> of kingship" with that "the kingship is his

(to David)

and to his sons ..

forever"

7.

Is the explanation in this⁵³

When the Rambam explains the concept of kingship regarding the kings of Israel,

he says⁵⁴

: "A prophet who appointed a king from the other tribes of Israel and that king was fit in the way of the Torah and commandments and fought the wars of the Lord, behold this is a king, and all the laws of kingship apply to him <b>even though the primary kingship is for David</b> and there will be from his descendants

(from this king of Israel)

a king".

4.

5.

So even when there is kingship among the kings of Israel

(and in a manner that "there will be from his descendants a king",

it passes by inheritance to his descendants)

— remains <b>"the primary</b> kingship" with David specifically.

<b>"The primary</b> kingship" is not with the kings of Israel.

The explanation in this: The king and kingship can be in two ways*⁵⁴

: a)

One calls a king because one

carries out the <b>function</b> of kingship,

actions <b>and conducts</b> of the monarchy

(which will bring them out and which will bring them in⁵⁵,

the details that Samuel explained⁵⁶)

— and superficially possibly also by a viceroy,

if his appointment is that "only the throne will be greater than you"⁵⁷.

b)

One is completely <b>and essentially</b>⁵⁸

<b> </b>a king⁵⁹.

And this is <b>"essence of</b> kingship": that the house of David has kingship is not only that they are <b>in practice</b> kings

(and carry out through this the function of kingship)⁶⁰,

but by them there is "essence" — the very definition of kingship.

And this is the concept of <b>"crown of</b> kingship" — it is

(not only kingship in practice,

but)

the very definition of kingship.

8.

Based on this will be understood the matter in that which when David "merited the crown of kingship...

the kingship to him and to his sons...

forever" — because in accordance with the change in the "object" of kingship,

a change comes in the "subject",

the king:

When the kingship is only in a manner of an appointment to fill a role

(like "all the offices and all the appointments"),

it is an additional thing upon his existence,

he possesses kingship <b></b>

(in the manner that he possesses assets).

And therefore,

that which his kingship is passed down as an inheritance to his sons,

it is similar to any inheritance of an estate: <b>in the manner </b>that one inherits all the assets of the testator,

so one inherits his role and appointment⁶¹.

And as the Rambam says "And whoever is first <b>in inheritance</b> is first <b>to the inheritance of</b> the kingship"⁶²,

"And whoever is first <b>to inheritance</b> is first <b>to the offices of</b> the deceased"⁶³.

But when one merits &lt;b&gt;Kesser &lt;/b&gt;Malchus — one has the "essence" of malchus,

it becomes so also regarding the person

(a change in the person)&lt;sup&gt;64&lt;/sup&gt;,

that then the concept of malchus becomes for him

(not an addition upon his essence,

but it becomes)

his very essence and core — his existence is the existence and essence of a king&lt;sup&gt;65&lt;/sup&gt;.

And therefore the Rambam says in Sefer HaMitzvos&lt;sup&gt;66&lt;/sup&gt;,

that every king who is

&lt;b&gt;Not &lt;/b&gt;from "this is the honored seed

(House of David)

regarding kingship &lt;b&gt;of a gentile &lt;/b&gt;it is read about him like another seed besides the seed of Aaron regarding service of a stranger it is read about him."

And consequently it becomes a matter &lt;b&gt;eternal — &lt;/b&gt;for him and his sons forever.

Since this is the very essence and whatness of his father,

and the heir is the existence of the testator is with it &lt;b&gt;therefore &lt;/b&gt;the very essence and whatness of his sons and thus inherits him

(the son)

— until eternity.

And this is the explanation in the ruling of the Rambam

(regarding the kingdom of David&lt;sup&gt;67&lt;/sup&gt;

: "The kings of the house of David are those who stand forever ..

But if a king from the rest of Israel arises, the kingdom will cease from his house" — because although also by the kings of Israel the kingdom passes by inheritance

(and as the question of the Ra'avad&lt;sup&gt;67&lt;/sup&gt;),

it does not possess the quality of eternity.

But not so "the kings of the house of David are those who stand forever" — because "merited

(David)

the crown of kingship" is it connected with the very essence and whatness of kingship and king.

And just as this is regarding monarchy,

so too is this regarding priesthood: there is the <b>service</b> of the priesthood,

the actual service of the priesthood; then there is that which <b>"the crown of</b> priesthood was acquired by Aaron" — Aaron merited the <b>crown</b> of priesthood,

the essence of the priesthood.

And once he has the essence of the priesthood,

the priesthood became connected with his essence

(and so too regarding a convert who converts according to halacha)].

And therefore the concept of the priesthood is with him in a manner of "to him and to his seed

after him a covenant of priesthood of &lt;b&gt;eternity&lt;/b&gt; — in an eternal manner,

as above regarding the king.

9.

Based on this one will also understand why the Rambam,

speaking about the "three crowns",

says "Aharon merited it..

David merited it" — and &lt;b&gt;omits&lt;/b&gt; "and took it":

Actions &lt;b&gt;conducts &lt;/b&gt;of the monarchy,

And likewise &lt;b&gt;service &lt;/b&gt;of the priesthood — it is relevant to say about it "and they took",

One takes and does

(in actuality).

But &lt;b&gt;"crown &lt;/b&gt;of priesthood" and &lt;b&gt;"crown &lt;/b&gt;of monarchy" — the "essence" of priesthood and monarchy,

Which effects the change of the person becomes connected with the essence of man and — in this there cannot be any "and they took"

(by themselves),

Rather &lt;b&gt;"and they were crowned" &lt;/b&gt;by the Most High.

And based on all this it is also understood why the Rambam brings the verses specifically —

(regarding the crown of priesthood)

"And it shall be for him and for his seed after him a covenant of everlasting priesthood",

And

(regarding the crown of kingship)

"His seed shall endure forever and his throne as the sun before Me" — because in these verses the aforementioned definitions are emphasized:

From the verse "And it shall be for him and for his seed after him a covenant of eternal priesthood" it is proven:

a)

That when it comes from the Above,

that it is emphasized regarding the priesthood of Pinchas that the Above gave him the matter of the priesthood⁶⁸

then⁶⁹

in a <b>special</b> manner⁷⁰

b)

So when his essence became,

therefore it is "to him &lt;b&gt;and to his seed after him &lt;/b&gt;a covenant of eternal priesthood" — it is the same "covenant of

eternity" for "him" and for "his seed"&lt;sup&gt;71&lt;/sup&gt;.

Until the halachah comes,

as the Rogatchover explains on the verse,

that "here&lt;sup&gt;72&lt;/sup&gt;

was innovated that also the seed unfit for service is fit"&lt;sup&gt;73&lt;/sup&gt;,

from which it is proven that this is not an inheritance of a filling action,

but of a thing that is in its essence,

the son &lt;b&gt;primarily&lt;/b&gt;&lt;sup&gt;74&lt;/sup&gt;

&lt;b&gt; &lt;/b&gt;his essence is the same essence of the father.

And similarly it is proven from the verse "his seed shall be forever and his throne as the sun before me" — which comes in continuation of the verses&lt;sup&gt;75&lt;/sup&gt;

"if his sons forsake my Torah and do not walk in my judgments etc. I will punish their transgression with a rod and their iniquity with stripes but my kindness I will not break from him etc.",

and "the Holy One, blessed be He, promised him thus" that "the monarchy will never be cut off from the seed of David"&lt;sup&gt;76&lt;/sup&gt;,

and after that he elaborates in the verses "one

I have sworn by My holiness, if I lie to David,

His seed <b>forever </b>shall be, and his throne as the sun before Me — the kingship is in a manner that there cannot be any interruption in it,

This is an eternal throne

("as the sun before Me"),

The eternity is in "His seed forever"⁷⁷.

Yud.

Based on all the above, it will be explained why before the Rambam explains and details the matter of the crown of Torah,

he precedes the details in connection to the crown of priesthood and the crown of kingship and the proofs from the verses — because specifically through this is explained the definition of the <b>crown </b>of Torah among Jews,

that "the crown of Torah is placed and ready and prepared for all Israel, as it is said: 'Torah was commanded to us by Moses, an inheritance of the congregation of Jacob; whoever wishes may come and take it.'"

And with the introduction in any case briefly and sharply:

Regarding "in the crown of a king" literally — there are⁷⁸

many objects of the king until "the garment of <b>royalty</b>..

and a horse which <b>rides</b> upon it" and also "crown of royalty" by themselves

And then as the king

(uses them and)

becomes changed by this

So too in Torah

(and priesthood⁷⁹)

there is <b>the crown </b>of Torah

(by itself)

— in the manner of

According to the aforementioned explanation⁸⁰

then this means <b>the laws </b>of the Torah

(not the give-and-take etc.)

— and there is the <b>person </b>

(who not only is he <b>one who repeats </b>the law — which for that also needs to be "he will take" at least then only)

<b>the one crowned </b>with the crown of Torah.

Just as this is with the crown of priesthood and the crown of kingship,

that the definition of the "crown" is: a)

From the aspect of the object.

b)

From the aspect of the person — this becomes

(connected with)

his essence.

c)

No.

The "relationship" between the object and the person — the "crown" comes to the person,

in a manner of "his being crowned"¹

•

(From the aspect of the Above)

And afterwards there can be "taking" and doing with it — taking and doing in their completeness — and likewise it is regarding "the crown of Torah."

And based on this comes a depth in that which one says "the crown of Torah is lying and standing and ready for all Israel ..

Whoever wishes may come and take": it is additional to the explanation that the Above gave Torah in a manner that everyone who wants to learn Torah has the ability for it

(Whoever wishes may come &lt;b&gt;and ta ke)&lt;/b&gt;

— rather &lt;b&gt;"and Israel were crowned &lt;/b&gt;"&lt;sup&gt;82&lt;/sup&gt;,

Torah was &lt;b&gt;given to them &lt;/b&gt; from the Above in a manner that it became connected with their very essence,

it is &lt;b&gt;"an inheritance &lt;/b&gt;of the congregation of Jacob".

In other words: "an inheritance of the congregation of Jacob" means that Torah is "lying and standing &lt;b&gt;and ready &lt;/b&gt;for all Israel" — not that it is ready "somewhere else" and the &lt;b&gt;ownership &lt;/b&gt;of it comes through &lt;b&gt;his taking &lt;/b&gt;

("may come and take")

— rather this is lying and become &lt;b&gt;his essence.&lt;/b&gt;

The "may come and take" is only that the crown of Torah

(with which he was crowned)

should stand in a manner&lt;sup&gt;83&lt;/sup&gt;

that he should be able to &lt;b&gt;act in completeness &lt;/b&gt;with

(through)

it.

11.

Based on this, one can explain — in a possible manner — the reason why the Alter Rebbe

(in his Hilchos Talmud Torah)

omits the verses and changes from the language of the Rambam in the continuation of the halacha

(as above),

and that one can say that they are interdependent:

By the fact that he changes and says first "Whoever wishes may come and take",

and afterwards he brings the proof from the verse "as it is said 'Morasha Kehilas Yaakov'" and adds "which is an inheritance for all of Israel",

it is more emphasized that the inheritance is not only that it is "placed and standing and ready for all of Israel" and everyone &lt;b&gt;can &lt;/b&gt;take it,

but also that the taking itself is an inheritance for all of Israel

(not a thing that is &lt;b&gt;opened up &lt;/b&gt;entirely through his action,

but),

which comes from above and

will become his reality,

as above — the content that the Rambam brings out through the verses in the crown of priesthood and the crown of kingship.

12.

And based on this it is also understood the matter of the halachah that in this [matter] in the Rambam:

The Rambam is here to bring out not only the <b>advantage</b> of the crown of Torah,

what because of this

(as he says in the laws of Shelah)

is "a mamzer who is a Torah scholar precedes a High Priest who is an ignoramus" and "there is no commandment among all the commandments that is equal to Torah study"⁸⁴

etc.

(and therefore according to halacha the matter of alacrity etc. in Torah study is understood),

But also and primarily how the crown of Torah has a connection and bond with <b>every</b> Jew as his inheritance,

what from this is understood,

that reaching it through the ways that the Rambam brings further in the laws⁸⁵

he shall not divert his mind to other matters and shall not set his heart to acquire Torah with wealth and honor together, such is the way of Torah etc." and "make your Torah fixed and your work temporary etc." and more],

is not a matter of beautification of a commandment and the like,

but this is the fulfillment of "the commandment⁸⁸

this <b>properly".</b>

(From sichos of Shabbos Parshas Korach 5728,

Shabbos Parshas Emor 5740)