The Dimensions of the Ark and the Torah Scroll Beside It

"And they shall make an ark of acacia wood" (Exodus 25:10). The ark that Moses made was two and a half cubits long, a cubit and a half wide, and a cubit and a half high, by the cubit of six handbreadths. And the tablets were six handbreadths long, six wide, and three thick, laid along the length of the ark. How many handbreadths of tablets are stored in the ark? Twelve. Three handbreadths remained. Take away one handbreadth, half for this wall and half for that wall, and two handbreadths remained, where a Torah scroll was laid, as it is said, "There was nothing in the ark but the two tablets of stone which Moses put there at Horeb" (1 Kings 8:9). What is "nothing in the ark but"? A limitation after a limitation comes only to include a Torah scroll alone. You have accounted for the ark along its length; go and account for the ark along its width. How many handbreadths of tablets are stored in the ark? Six. Three handbreadths remained. Take away one handbreadth, half for this wall and half for that wall, and two handbreadths remained, so that the Torah scroll would not be removed and replaced with difficulty. These are the words of Rabbi Meir. Rabbi Judah says: it is by the cubit of five handbreadths. The tablets were six long, six wide, three thick, laid along the length of the ark. How many handbreadths of tablets are stored? Twelve. Half a handbreadth remained, a fingerbreadth for this wall and a fingerbreadth for that wall. You have accounted for the length; go and account for the width. How many handbreadths of tablets are stored? Six. A handbreadth and a half remained. Take away half a handbreadth, a fingerbreadth for this wall and a fingerbreadth for that, and one handbreadth remained, where the pillars stood, as it is said, "He made himself a palanquin" (Song of Songs 3:9), and it is written, "its pillars he made of silver" (Song of Songs 3:10). And the chest that the Philistines sent as a gift to the God of Israel was laid at its side, as it is said, "and the objects of gold which you return to Him as a guilt offering, you shall put in the chest at its side" (1 Samuel 6:8), and upon it the Torah scroll stood, as it is said, "Take this scroll of the Torah and put it beside the ark of the covenant of the LORD" (Deuteronomy 31:26). And according to Rabbi Judah, before that chest came, where did the Torah scroll sit? A shelf projected out from the ark, and it was laid upon it. And Rabbi Meir, this word "beside" (Deuteronomy 31:26), what does he do with it? He needs it to teach that it was laid beside the ark and not between the tablets. And Rabbi Meir, the broken tablets, from where does he derive them? He derives it from what Rav Joseph taught: "which you shattered, and you shall put them in the ark" (Deuteronomy 10:2) teaches that the whole tablets and the fragments of the tablets were laid in the ark. And the other one needs that verse for the teaching of Rabbi Simeon ben Lakish, who said: the Holy One, blessed be He, said to Moses, "Well done that you shattered them." Rabbi Judah bar Rabbi Ilai taught: two arks accompanied Israel in the wilderness, one in which the Torah was placed and one in which the fragments of the tablets were placed. The one in which the Torah was placed remained in the Tent of Meeting, as it is said, "but the ark of the covenant of the LORD and Moses did not move out of the camp" (Numbers 14:44). The one in which the fragments of the tablets were placed went out and came back with them. But the Rabbis say: there was only one ark. Once it went out in the days of Eli and was captured. And Scripture supports the Rabbis: "Woe to us! Who shall deliver us from the hand of these mighty gods?" (1 Samuel 4:8) for the Philistines saw what they had never seen before. And Scripture supports Rabbi Judah bar Ilai: "And Saul said to Ahijah, Bring the ark of God here" (1 Samuel 14:18), and was not the ark in Kiriath-jearim? Rather, what do the Rabbis make of it? "Bring it here" refers to the frontplate. And Scripture supports Rabbi Judah bar Ilai: "the ark and Israel and Judah are dwelling in booths," and was not the ark in Zion? Rather, what do the Rabbis make of it? "Booths" means a covering, for the Chosen House had not yet been built.