[Steve Jobs] recalled a lesson that his father implanted deeply in him. It was important, his father said, to craft the backs of cabinets and fences properly even though they were hidden. “He loved doing things right. He even cared about the look of the parts you couldn’t see."
Among the Rabbis, there was debate about how to understand and treat vessels made of different materials. Metal was relatively simple to understand in terms of how it pick ups ritual impurity, becomes unfit for use, and how to kasher it for use. Earthenware was relatively simple as well, but glass was more difficult to come to terms with. Here was have some discussion about how to understand glass vessels.
When earthenware becomes ritually impure on the outside, it does not affect the interior of the vessel. But glass vessels are different. Since glass is generally thinner and transparent or translucent, its exterior and interior always have the same status. And since glass is impervious to ritual impurity, there is no concern about it in general. And the same is true for the kashrut of glass. Glass vessels are impervious to become milk or meat, and retain their pareve status.
This discussion gives rise to the phrase: The inside is like the outside. This later becomes a trait that gets applied to people when speaking about their integrity. Is someone's inside like their outside? Are the same on the inside as we are on the outside? What would that look like?
In the movie Liar, Liar, starring Jim Carrey, he plays a lawyer who says one thing and then does another - constantly, even to his own child, who makes a wish that for one day, her father would only be able to speak the absolute truth, and nothing but. Her wish makes him completely transparent (like glass) for one day. It does not go well. Imagine if we said everything that entered into our mind unfiltered! How do we balance our inner thoughts, ideas, desires with how we externalize those same things? Does filtering some of those things mean we have less integrity? Are we supposed to train our minds to only have appropriate thoughts, ideas and desires? How close should our inner and outer lives be?
(י) וְעָשׂ֥וּ אֲר֖וֹן עֲצֵ֣י שִׁטִּ֑ים אַמָּתַ֨יִם וָחֵ֜צִי אׇרְכּ֗וֹ וְאַמָּ֤ה וָחֵ֙צִי֙ רׇחְבּ֔וֹ וְאַמָּ֥ה וָחֵ֖צִי קֹמָתֽוֹ׃ (יא) וְצִפִּיתָ֤ אֹתוֹ֙ זָהָ֣ב טָה֔וֹר מִבַּ֥יִת וּמִח֖וּץ תְּצַפֶּ֑נּוּ וְעָשִׂ֧יתָ עָלָ֛יו זֵ֥ר זָהָ֖ב סָבִֽיב׃
(10) They shall make an ark of acacia wood, two and a half cubits long, a cubit and a half wide, and a cubit and a half high. (11) Overlay it with pure gold — overlay it inside and out — and make upon it a gold molding round about.
What does the Aron look like?
- Rectangular box
- Gold interior
- Gold exterior
- Might be upright or laying down; different artists depict that differently.
What is strange about this construction?
- Once the tablets are deposited, and the cover put on, no one will ever see the interior of the Aron again, so why line it with gold? What's the purpose?
The verse states concerning the Ark: “From within and from without you shall cover it” (Exodus 25:11).
Rava said: This alludes to the idea that any Torah scholar whose inside is not like his outside, i.e., whose outward expression of righteousness is insincere, is not to be considered a Torah scholar.
Is this a reasonable standard for rabbis? clergy? leadership in general?
Why or why not?
How much latitude is there?
Who measure this?
Commentaries on this: It's about
Saying that one is in Awe of God (God-Fearing), but not really.
Doing Torah study for it's own sake and Not for pay;
Not the interior and exterior being the same, but it's about saying one thing and then doing another, saying one thing in public, and then in secret doing something else.
Raanan Gamliel conceives of it this way.
Is this a positive or negative thing to make this a criteria for admissions to the study hall of the rabbis?
What is the upside?
What is the downside?
וצפית אותו זהב טהור מבית ומחוץ תצפנו, “you are to overlay it with pure gold, from the inside and the outside you are to overlay it.”
This verse is used by our sages (Yuma 72) to demand that Torah scholars must be able to demonstrate that they practice what they preach. They base this on the Ark which was gold on the inside as well as on the outside. Although no one actually saw the inside, it had to correspond to its exterior. Another verse which alludes to this subject is Job 29,14: “I clothed myself in righteousness and it robed me; Justice was my cloak and turban.”
The repetition in this verse means that one’s inside must match the image one creates for oneself on the outside.
Our sages add further on this subject: “why were the words of Torah compared to glass?, i.e. (Job, 28,17) “gold or glass cannot match its value?” Answer: just as glass is transparent and allows you to see not only the outside but also the interior, so bearers of Torah must be able to be equally transparent, not hiding character weakness not visible to their students or to their peers.
A person is forbidden to act in a smooth-tongued and luring manner. He should not speak one thing outwardly and think otherwise in his heart. Rather, his inner self should be like the self which he shows to the world. What he feels in his heart should be the same as the words on his lips.
It is forbidden to deceive people, even a non-Jew. For example, one should not sell a gentile the meat of an animal which has not been ritually slaughtered as if it were ritually slaughtered meat, nor a shoe made from the hide of an animal which has died of natural causes as if it were made of the hide of a slaughtered animal. One should not press his colleague to share a meal with him when he knows that his colleague will not accept the invitation, nor should he press presents upon him when he knows that his colleague will not accept them. He should not open casks supposedly for his colleague which he must open for sale, in order to deceive him into thinking that they have been opened in his honor. The same applies with all matters of this sort.
It is forbidden to utter a single word of deception or fraud. Rather, one should have only truthful speech, a proper spirit and a heart pure from all deceit and trickery.
You should realize that the aim and value of the duties of the heart is that our exterior and interior be equal and consistent in the service of God, so that the testimony of the heart, tongue, and limbs be alike, and that they support and confirm each other instead of differing and contradicting each other. This is what Scripture calls "tamim" (innocent/perfect), in saying: "You shall be perfect with the Eternal your God" (Deut. 18:13), and "Noah was a righteous man and perfect in his generations" (Gen. 6:9), and "the one who walks uprightly, and works righteousness, and speaks the truth in their heart" (Ps. 15:2), and "I will give heed unto the way of integrity..I will walk within my house with a perfect heart" (Ps. 101:2).
On the other hand, one whose inner [being] is not consistent with his outer [life] is condemned by Scripture, as written: "the one whose heart was not whole with the Eternal, their God" (Kings 11:4), and "but they flatter God with their mouths and lied with their tongues. For their heart was not steadfast with God" (Ps. 78:36).
It is well known, that whoever exhibits conflicting or contradictory behavior in word or deed - people do not believe in his integrity and have no confidence in his truthfulness.
Likewise, if our exterior conflicts with our interior, if our heart's intent conflicts with our words, if our physical activities are not consistent with the convictions of our soul - our service to our G-d will not be whole, for God will not accept from us fraudulent service, as written "I cannot [bear] iniquity with assembly" (Isaiah 1:13), and "For I am the Eternal, Who loves justice, hates robbery in a burnt offering" (Isaiah 61:8), and "if you offer a blind [animal] for sacrifice, is it not evil? And if you offer the lame and the sick, is it not evil? Bring it now to your governor. Will he accept you, or lift up your face" (Malachi 1:8), and "Behold, obedience is better than a animal-offering; to hearken (is better) than the fat of rams" (Samuel 15:22).