Holiness was represented in the three vessels located in the Holy: the table, the Menora, and the incense altar. The table represented working and making a living, the Menora represented secular studies, and the incense altar represented prayer. A curtain separated the Holy from the Holy of Holies to make it clear there are degrees of sanctity; the sanctity of the Holy derives from the Holy of Holies. Thus, these three types of sanctity – which can be expressed through working, studying, and praying – all stem from the sanctity of the covenant between God and His people, expressed through the Torah and through marriage.
