What are the implications of "be'Milu'osam"?
Rashi: It imlies that the golden setings should be just the right depth to contain the stones for which they were made.
Sotah, 48b: It implies that the stones must remain complete and may not be cut with a knife. 1
What is the significance of the stone 'Yoshfeh'? Why was it called by that name?
Midrash: It was the the stone of Binyamin, who knew about the sale of his brother Yosef ('Yesh Peh') but who did not divulge it to his father - because Hashem did not divulge it. 1
See Ba'al ha'Turim.
What are the implications of "be'Milu'osam"?
Rashi and R. Bachye: It imlies that the golden setings should be just the right depth to contain the stones for which they were made.
Sotah, 48b: It implies that the stones must remain complete and may not be cut with a knife. 1
What is the significance of the fact that the gold settings served as a base of the precious stones, and the stones served as a base for the letters?
R. Bachye: It demonstrates the superiority of Torah over everything else - bearing in mind that a. evertbody desires silver and gold, and even more so, precious stones, and b. people tend to make what is less valuable a setting for what is more valuable. Consequently, the fact that the precious stones served as settings for the letters of the Torah demonstrates that 'Torah is more precious than every other acqisition. 1
See R. Bachye.
