אמר אביי שמע מינה לשכת הגזית חציה בקדש וחציה בחול ושמע מינה שני פתחים היו לה אחד פתוח בקדש ואחד פתוח בחול דאי סלקא דעתך כולה בקדש זקן יושב במערבה והאמר מר אין ישיבה בעזרה אלא למלכי בית דוד בלבד
Now, if the thought should arise that the priests [came to the count] in common garment - is there a mitre in common dress? - Yes, there is, as Rab Judah or, as some say, R'Samuel B'Judah reported: A priest for whom his mother made a tunic, could officiate therein at an individual [not community] service.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' V. infra 35b.');"><sup>9</sup></span> Abaye said: We can infer from this the Cell of Hewn Stone was [situated] half on holy ground, half on non-holy ground; that the Cell had two doors, one opening on holy ground, the other opening on non - holy ground. For, if the thought should arise in you that the whole of it was on holy ground - how could the elder sit to the west; has not a Master<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Infra 69b.');"><sup>10</sup></span>
Shenei Luchot HaBerit
Jacob was the root of all these "crowns." His "crown," that of the "good name," surpasses all the others in value, it is an essential ingredient in making all the other "crowns" truly meaningful. When Jacob was already sick and his son Joseph visited him, Jacob bowed down to his son because he wore the most important "crown" of all, the crown of Torah. (cf. Genesis 47,31 according to Rashi, who stresses Joseph's righteousness under trying circumstances) [Rashi on 48,2, does not specifically refer to a crown of spiritual significance; the impression Rashi gives is that anyone wearing a temporal crown deserves respect. Ed.] Levi wears the crown of the Priesthood, Yehudah that of Royalty. The specific "power" associated with the "crown" of Priesthood is tied to the confines of the Holy Temple. We find that only kings of the Davidic dynasty were allowed to be seated within the confines of the Temple (Yuma 25a). This is due to David being considered a מרכבה carrier of G–d's שכינה. The Temple on earth is, after all, a מרכבה, for its counterpart in Heaven. We have scriptural proof for this in Habakuk 2, 20: וה' בהיכל קדשו, הס מפניו כל הארץ "And G–d resides in His holy Abode; be silent before Him all on the earth!" The sanctuary is the attribute of Royalty as expressed in the name א-ד-נ-י, whose numerical value -65- equals that of the word היכל. It is also the numerical value of the word הס; the sanctuary is perceived as the foundation of the equivalent of earth in the Celestial Regions.
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