Our Gemara on Amud Beis notes a dispute regarding the location of a rim or frame that went around the Shulchan in the Beis HaMikdash. Some say it was on top all the way around the table, like the vertical ledge on the edges of the tables of noblemen, whilst others say it was fixed beneath the table from leg to leg on the four sides, and that the tabletop rested upon that ledge.

Sefer Ateres Yeshua (Ki Sisa 7) adds a new wrinkle in the symbolism of the Table, bread, and sustenance. The Mishna (Avos 3:17) points to a circular, interdependent process between those who study Torah and those who support Torah: “Without flour there can be no Torah; and without Torah there can be no flour.” Presumably, this means that the scholarly class requires the support of the merchant class, while the merchant class relies on the merit and divine flow emanating from the scholarly class. This is represented in the two opinions of the Shulchan’s rim. The idea that, in Torah, the rim can be on top or bottom shows this equivalent value of Torah and those who support Torah.

The Maharal (Derashos, Derush al HaTorah) makes a similar observation regarding the mitzvah of Sefiras haOmer and Shavous. The Omer sacrifice permits the consumption of new grain, representing sustenance, which begins the counting until Shavous, the giving of the Torah. We count 49 days, which means prior to day 49, we achieve the 48 paths toward Torah acquisition (Avos 6:6). Maharal says that anything connected by counting represents a link across the enumerated set; thus Torah requires sustenance, and sustenance requires the merit of the Torah.