The Holy Ark

The instructions to build the ארון קודש have a great deal of symbolism. The Gemara in ברכות says that the Holy Ark teaches that one should not be one way with his heart and another with his mouth. He should be thoroughly truthful. This is learned from the fact that the ארון was made of three boxes, one inside the other. The first was gold, the second wood, and the third, gold. This shows that the inside (heart) and outside (mouth) were consistent. Rav Shlomo Mann זצ״ל made the observation that wood was the center of the ארון קודש. Unlike gold, wood grows. The wood represents Torah, עץ חיים היא, and the gold, its embellishment. The central focus of our lives should be to grow in Torah. These are the messages of the Holy Ark.