We often think of gold, of power, of prestige. But what if I told you there's something even more precious, something that transcends this world and the next?
Sifrei Bamidbar, one of the ancient collections of Jewish legal interpretations, explores this very idea. It tells us that when David, the shepherd-turned-king, immersed himself in Torah and grew wise, he exclaimed (Psalms 139:17), "And to me, how precious are Your loved ones (i.e., Torah scholars), O G-d! How mighty is their sum!" And then, (Psalms 119:72) "Better to me is the Torah of Your mouth than thousands of gold and silver." Think about that for a moment. King David, a man who knew wealth and power, valued Torah above all else. Why? Because, as the text explains, gold and silver can actually take a person out of this world and the next, whereas Torah brings a person to life in the world to come.
But the passage goes even deeper. It references (II Samuel 7:19), "This is the Torah of man," and then introduces a fascinating concept: the three crowns. We're told that there are three crowns: the crown of Torah, the crown of priesthood, and the crown of kingdom. Aaron, the High Priest, merited the crown of priesthood, and David, of course, merited the crown of kingdom. But what about the crown of Torah?
Here's where it gets really interesting. The crown of Torah, we're told, is deliberately left vacant, available to all who enter the world. Why? So no one can say, "If the crown of kingdom or priesthood had been available, I would have earned them!" The crown of Torah is there for anyone to seize, to dedicate themselves to, to master.
And the reward for claiming that crown? According to Sifrei Bamidbar, whoever merits the crown of Torah is accounted as if they merited all three! Conversely, whoever doesn't merit it is as if they merited none. Pretty high stakes, right?
But which crown is the greatest? Rabbi Shimon b. Elazar poses a powerful question: Who is greater, the crowner or the king? The maker of officers or the officers? Obviously, the one who bestows the power is greater than the one who receives it. And all the power that inheres in the crowns of priesthood and kingship comes through the power of Torah. As it says in Proverbs (8:15-16), "Through me (Torah) do kings reign… Through me do princes rule."
The passage concludes by returning to the idea of "This is the Torah of man," and referencing Kohelet (Ecclesiastes) 12:13, "The end of the matter, all has been heard. Fear G-d and do His mitzvoth" – His commandments. "For this (Torah) is all of man." In essence, Torah is the very essence of humanity.
So, what do we take away from this? It's not just about studying ancient texts, although that's certainly part of it. It's about recognizing the profound value of Torah – not just as a body of knowledge, but as a guide for living a meaningful life, a life connected to something larger than ourselves. The crown is there, waiting. Will you reach for it?