(2002/5762)
עץ חיים היא למחזיקים בה“It is a tree of life for those who grasp it.” This is recited every time we return the Torah to the Aron. However, what does it really mean? The Torah Sheleimah cites the Midrash Lekach Tov, who explains that the Kerashim, or poles of the Aron, mentioned in the Parsha symbolize the people that support the Torah. The Torah Sheleimah quotes R’ Yosef Ben R’ Yosef Nechemias who says that whoever supports the learning of Torah gets the reward of actually learning Torah.
This idea is very similar to that of Yissachar and Zevulun. The Aron is Zevulun who learns Torah, and Yissachar who supports Zevulun’s learning is the poles. Without Yissachar’s support, Zevulun would not be able to learn Torah. So too with out the poles, the Aron would not be able too stand. That is why there is a Halacha that you are not allowed to remove the poles from the Aron. Chazal says that when the Torah says, “They shall make an ark” in plural and not in singular form (Shemot 25:10), it means that every member of Bnai Yisrael has a part in the Torah. Therefore, if a person is not able to learn Torah because he must work or because he cannot conceptually understand it, he can support people who do learn Torah and get the reward for learning Torah.
Similarly, in Devarim 27:26 it says that people who do not uphold the words of Torah should be cursed. That is why a person should participate in Torah by learning it supporting it, or doing both. In addition, once a person learns Torah he must pass it on” with other less fortunate people so that they could partake in the learning of Torah, and thus fulfilling to Pasuk of “and they shall make an ark.”