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Terumah - The Legs of the Aron
 
Posted: 24 Feb 2007 08:44 PM CST
http://www.aishdas.org/asp/2007/02/terumah-the-legs-of-the-aron.shtml


In describing the design of the aron, the Torah says:

וְיָצַ֣קְתָּ לּ֗וֹ אַרְבַּע֙ טַבְּעֹ֣ת זָהָ֔ב וְנָ֣תַתָּ֔ה עַ֖ל אַרְבַּ֣ע פַּֽעֲמֹתָ֑יו וּשְׁתֵּ֣י טַבָּעֹ֗ת עַל־צַלְעוֹ֙ הָֽאֶחָ֔ת וּשְׁתֵּי֙ טַבָּעֹ֔ת עַל־צַלְע֖וֹ הַשֵּׁנִֽית׃

And you should cast four rings of gold for it, and put them in its four paamos; and two rings shall be on its one side, and two rings on its other side.
- Shemos 25:12


The word paamosav is difficult to translate. Rashi, following Unqelus, renders it corners. But the Ibn Ezra and Chiquni note that the word is never otherwise used to mean corners. They each cite

תִּרְמְסֶ֖נָּה רָ֑גֶל רַגְלֵ֥י עָנִ֖י פַּֽעֲמֵ֥י דַלִּֽים׃ -ישע כו:ו

צֶ֭דֶק לְפָנָ֣יו יְהַלֵּ֑ךְ    וְיָשֵׂ֖ם לְדֶ֣רֶךְ פְּעָמָֽיו׃ –תה פה:יד

מַה־יָּפ֧וּ פְעָמַ֛יִךְ בַּנְּעָלִ֖ים בַּת־נָדִ֑יב חַמּוּקֵ֣י יְרֵכַ֔יִךְ כְּמ֣וֹ חֲלָאִ֔ים מַֽעֲשֵׂ֖ה יְדֵ֥י אָמָּֽן׃ –שה״ש ז:ב

In these and many other cases, the word paam is used to mean leg. In Yeshaiah, it is paralleled with regel, in Tehillim, it is something with which one walks, and in Shir haShirim, it wears shoes.

On Friday night, Rav Aharon Cohens devar Torah was based on a seifer called  Areshes Sefaseinu. He asks why the pasuq would use the word paamosav rather than the far more common raglav?

Angels are stationary, which is why the prophet describes them as standing upon one regel. See   the idea in greater depth in this post on the travels of parashas Masei. Regel connotes the ability to stand, stability. Tables have raglayim.

We see from the pasuq in Tehillim that the Ibn Ezra  uses, and he will place his feed on the path, that paamos has a greater connotation of legs as motion. This is more like people than angels. People move, they progress.

(I also discuss the difference in the essay People and Angels. And in this article for Mesukim MiDevash, I try to relate them to the placement of the instruments in the Mishkan.)

The arons role in the Miskan parallels that of the soul in the body. Therefore, the Areshas Sefaseinu suggests, it has paamos, not raglayim.

I was thinking about the etymology of the words. Regel also connotes regilus, regularity, and hergel, habit. It is looking at the repetitious rhythm of walking. A paam is a time, a notable event.

What causes stagnation? When one looks only at the mechanics of the mitvos, following them out of habit or culture. To grow as people, each performance must be done with

intent for forward motion, to concentrate on this particular encounter with G-d as an event.


This posting includes a media file: http://www.aishdas.org/mesukim/5764/terumah.pdf

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