קָרְבָּנוֹ קַעֲרַת כֶּסֶף אַחַת שְׁלֹשִׁים וּמֵאָה מִשְׁקָלָהּ וגו’: (במדבר ז:מג)

The offering [of the sixth prince] consisted of one silver bowl, weighing 130 [shekels] . . . Numbers 7:43

The princes brought two types of offerings: objects (silver and gold vessels, flour, oil, and incense) and animals (bulls, sheep, and goats). The lifeless objects were not consumed by the heavenly fire that descended onto the Altar, whereas the animals were consumed by this fire, either entirely or partially.

The lifeless objects thus symbolize the “lifeless” era before the Giving of the Torah, when physicality could not be infused with Divinity. The consumption of the animals by Divine fire symbolizes our present, post-Sinai era, in which physical objects – and the physical world in general – can be sanctified. Through the Tabernacle and its successor – the holy Temple – and through the sanctuary for G‑d that we all construct out of ourselves, our lives, and our sphere of influence, Divine vitality is revealed in the physical world.1

Sixth Reading: Numbers 7:42–83

Translated and Adapted by Moshe Wisnefsky