Continuing with the list of comparisons and allusions, what did King Solomon mean when said that “Four things are incomprehensible to me... the path of a ship in the heart of the sea once it passed?” By comparing the ship to the sea, Solomon hints at the law that a ship, even a small one, is always ritually pure – just as the sea is ritually pure. A ship is unique in this respect. Other objects, for example, boxes small enough to be carried, do accept spiritual impurity. The law itself was known to Solomon, but he could not understand its reason.Another allusion: the Torah writes, “When a man dies in a tent... all utensils under the tent will be impure.” Rabbi Yochanan explained, this teaches that a man should never leave the tent of study, until the day of his death. Resh Lakish said, “Moreover, he will remember his learning only if he literally kills himself for its sake” – just as the Torah said, “When a man dies in a tent”.
Art: Gerbrand Van Den Eeckhout - Scholar with his Books
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