“Aaron and his sons shall come with the travel of the camp, and they shall remove the curtain that screens, and cover the Ark of the Testimony with it” (Numbers 4:5). “Aaron and his sons shall come with the travel of the camp…” – the Holy One blessed be He said to Moses: When they will be dismantling the Tabernacle, the sons of Kehat shall not dismantle the curtain from before the Ark, but rather, the sons of Aaron shall enter, and they shall dismantle it because they are priests.
Our Rabbis taught: The priests guard from within and the Levites from without. The partition of the priests is larger than the partition of the Levites.15The priests have greater sanctity and importance, and they are permitted to enter areas that the Levites are not. What would the sons of Aaron do when they removed the curtain? Rabbi Ḥama bar Rabbi Ḥanina said: They had for this large wooden poles with gold tines at their top, and some say iron [tines].
They would lift the curtain with the poles and remove it from the hooks. Nevertheless, they did not lower it all at once, so they would not glimpse the Ark. Rather, they lowered it a little at a time until they removed it and covered the Ark. From where is it derived?
It is as God says to Moses, as it is stated: “Aaron and his sons shall come…” They said: The curtain was like a drape, and its thickness was one handbreadth. It was woven with seventy-two strands, and for each and every strand there were twenty-four threads. Three hundred priests would immerse it, and two High Priests16Elazar and Itamar. would carry it on the poles from before the Ark and would then place upon it a covering of the hide of a taḥash, so no part of the Ark would be seen.
That is what is written: “They shall place upon it a covering of the hide of a taḥash…” (Numbers 4:6). Rabbi Natan says: The crafting of the Ark is as beloved as the supernal Throne of Glory, as it is stated: “The place [makhon] You fashioned for Your dwelling” (Exodus 15:17), as the Temple17The earthly Temple. is aligned with the Temple,18The supernal Temple. and the Ark with the Throne of Glory.
He placed an Ark cover upon it, like the seraphs that stood above Him. He crafted two beloved cherubs in it, corresponding to the heavens and the earth, where the seat of the Holy One blessed be He is, as it is stated: “One cherub from this end [and one cherub from that end]” (Exodus 25:19). Just as the heavens open their storehouse for the earth, as it is stated: “The Lord will open for you His good storehouse, the heavens” (Deuteronomy 28:12), so, the Divine Presence is situated above the two cherubs, which are situated on this side and on that side and are aligned with one another, as it is stated: “Their faces toward one another” (Exodus 25:20).
They are patterned after the Throne of Glory, which is aligned with the Holy One blessed be He, as it is stated: “From Zion, the epitome of beauty, God appears” (Psalms 50:2). Even when they were traveling, they would not spread over it a cloth of purple wool nor of scarlet wool, but rather a cloth of entirely sky-blue wool. Why? It is because the sky-blue wool evokes the sea, the sea evokes the sky, and the sky evokes the Throne of Glory, as it is stated: “Above the firmament that was over their heads was the appearance of sapphire stone [in the likeness of a throne]” (Ezekiel 1:26).
It is to teach you that the Ark was like the Throne of Glory. That is why it is stated in its regard: “Entirely of sky-blue wool” (Exodus 28:31), as it is all similar to it. Because the Ark is similar to it; therefore, the cloth of sky-blue wool was over it facing the sky to which it was similar, which you do not find regarding the rest of the vessels, that there would be a cloth of sky-blue over them, but rather a cloth of sky-blue wool underneath and a covering of the hide of a taḥash over it.
But the Ark had a covering of the hide of a taḥash underneath and cloth of sky-blue wool over it. Moreover, regarding the Ark, it is stated: “Entirely of sky-blue wool,” which was not stated regarding all of them: “Entirely of sky-blue wool” – why? It is because it is the most important of the Tabernacle vessels. Rabbi Shimon says: There are three crowns: The crown of Torah, the crown of priesthood, and the crown of kingship; and the crown of a good name surpasses them.19Mishna Avot 4:13.
The crafting of the Ark corresponds to the masters of Torah, who are distinguished. That is why He wrote: “From above” (Numbers 4:6), as anyone who merits the crown of Torah, it is as though he merited priesthood and kingship. Likewise it says: “Through me20"Me" refers to the Torah. kings reign…” (Proverbs 8:15).