Midrash Tanchuma, Vayakhel 7 | Jewish Mythology

And Bezalel made the ark (Exod. 37:1). You do not find Bezalel’s name associated with any vessel made for the Sanctuary other than the ark. All the other work and all the other implements were made at his suggestion and upon his advice. Why did he make an exception in the work of the ark by doing it himself? Because it was to be a shade for the Holy One, blessed be He, in which He would compress His Shekhinah. That is why He called Bezalel to make a shade for the Holy One, blessed He, between the cherubim, as it is said: And there I will meet with thee, and I will speak with thee from between the two cherubim (Exod. 25:22).

Has it not already been stated: Do I not fill heaven and the earth (Jer. 23:24)? R. Joshua of Sikhnin said in the name of R. Levi: This may be compared to a cave situated at the edge of the sea. Though the sea rushes forth and fills the cave, the sea lacks nothing. Similarly with the Holy One, blessed be He, may His name be blessed, for though it is written: And the glory of the Lord filled the Tabernacle (Exod. 40:34), nevertheless His glory is above the heaven and the earth (Ps. 148:13). You should not say that the Holy One, blessed be He, compressed His Shekhinah only into the Tabernacle. He likewise compressed His Shekhinah into the ark that Bezalel had made, as it is written: Behold, the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth (Josh. 3:11). This indicates that the Holy One, blessed be He, was within it. Who other than Bezalel could have made it, since it says: And Bezalel made the ark?

R. Hanina of Sepphoris said that Bezalel made three chests for the ark, two of gold and one of wood. He inserted the wooden chest into one golden one, and then the other golden one into the wooden one. After that he covered the edges with gold in order to fulfill what is written: And he overlaid it with gold within and without (Exod. 37:2), and it is written elsewhere; And shalt make upon it a crown of gold roundabout (ibid. 25:11). From here we learn that a scholar’s “inside” should be as his exterior (i.e., he should not be a hypocrite), since it is said: Thou shalt overlay it with pure gold, within and without shalt thou overlay it (ibid.).

What is meant by Thou shalt overlay it with gold, within and without? He said to him: Even though the wooden casket is to be inserted between them, handle it with the utmost care. Why? Because the Torah, the tablets, and even the broken tablets will be placed within it. Hence treat it with honor, since it is said: Thou shalt put them in the ark (Deut. 10:2); that is, both the (second) tablets and the broken tablets shall be placed inside it. And thou shalt put them in the ark. That is to say, even if you should see students of the Torah who are poor and unfortunate, treat them with respect, for the law is stored within them. And make a crown of gold (Exod. 37:2). Why? Because the Torah rests therein. There are three crowns, the crown of the Torah, the crown of priesthood, (and) the crown of kingship, but there is an additional crown, the crown of a good name, that excels them all. How do we know abut the crown of the Torah? It is said: That wisdom preserveth the life of him who has it (Exod. 7:12) both in this world and the world-to-come. Hence it is written: And made a crown of gold.

You may be assured that the ark is beloved (by God), for just as the Throne of Glory is beloved, so too is the ark beloved, for the Torah was placed within it. Because the Torah was located at the right hand of the Holy One, blessed be He, as it is said: At His right hand was a fiery law unto them (Deut. 33:2), therefore the ark was precious because the Torah was placed within it. As it is said: The tables were the work of God (Exod. 32:16).

Why was the acacia-wood placed in between? Because the Torah is called the tree of life, as it is said: She is a tree of life to them that lay hold upon her (Prov. 3:18). He overlaid it with pure gold (Exod. 37:2). Because the words of the Torah are more precious than gold, yea, than fine gold, as is said: More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold (Ps. 19:11). And thou shalt make staves of acacia-wood wherewith to bear the ark (Exod. 25:15). They bore the ark with them, and it bore away the sins of Israel, for the Torah within it carries away the sins of Israel.12The Hebrew word nasa’ means both “to bear” “to forgive.”

R. Nathan said: The building of the ark was as beloved as the Throne of Glory on high, as it is said: The place, O Lord, which Thou hast made for Thee to dwell in, the Sanctuary, O Lord, which thy hands have established (Exod. 15:17). The location of the Sanctuary on high is directly opposite the Sanctuary below, and the ark is directly opposite the Throne of Glory, as is said: Thy throne of glory on high from the beginning (Jer. 17:12). What place is referred to here? The place in which our Sanctuary is situated. Hence it says: The Sanctuary, O Lord, which Thy hands have established (Exod. 15:17). You should not read the word as makhon (“foundation”) but as mekhuvvan (“directly opposite”) the Throne of Glory which He established on high that they might atone.

He made a cover for its top so that the seraphim might be placed upon it. Then he fashioned the two cherubim for it, which were dear to Him, to correspond to heaven and earth for the dwelling place of the Holy One, blessed be He, was between them, as it is stated: And I will speak with thee from above the ark cover, from between the two cherubim (Exod. 25:22).

It is written: One cherub at one end, and one cherub at the other end (ibid. 37:8). Just as the heavens open their treasures to the earth, as is said: The Lord will open unto thee His good treasure the heaven to give the rain of thy land in its season (Deut. 28:12), so the Shekhinah was placed above the two cherubim, which were face-to-face. And Israel was exalted through the tablets, as it is said: On the one side and on the other were they written (Exod. 32:15).

The cherubim were placed directly opposite each other, as it is said: With their faces one to another (ibid. 37:9). This corresponds to the Throne of Glory, which was directly opposite the two cherubim. Each one was directly opposite, as it is said: Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God hath shined forth (Ps. 50:2).

Observe how beloved the ark was from the fact that the entire Sanctuary was built because of the ark, in which the Shekhinah resided. All the miracles that were performed for Israel occurred by virtue of the ark, in which the Shekhinah dwelt. Notice that it is written concerning it: And the ark of the covenant of the Lord went before them three days’ journey, to seek out a resting place for them (Num. 10:33). It killed the snakes and scorpions, burned the thorns, and destroyed the enemies of Israel.

R. Eleazar the son of Pedat declared in the name of R. Yosé the son of Zimra: Two sparks issued from between the cherubim that killed the snakes and scorpions and burned the thorns. The smoke rose up from it in a straight column, and all the nations that experienced the odor that issued forth called out: Who is this that cometh out of the wilderness like pillars of smoke? (Song 3:6). It preceded them at a distance of three days’ journey, both day and night in order to find a resting place for them, as it is said: And the ark of the Lord went before them three days’ journey, to seek out a resting place for them (Num. 10:33). Moses would say at that time: Rise up, O Lord. That is to say, Stand and wait for us, do not leave us, as it is said: And it came to pass, when the ark set forward, that Moses said: Rise up, O Lord, and let thine enemies be scattered (ibid., v. 35). And when it came to rest, he would exclaim: Return, O Lord, unto the ten thousands of the families of Israel (ibid., v. 36).

Observe that many miracles were performed by means of the ark. Since that is so, how were they able to carry it? Were they not afraid? That is why the sons of Kohath bore it. Two important priests bore the ark cover on a pole.13Numbers Rabbah 4:13. See Exod. 26:32. It was a huge curtain the thickness of a handbreadth. The curtain was woven out of seventy-two strands, and each strand was composed of twenty-four threads. Three hundred priests would wash it, and two of the highest priests would bear it on a pole before the ark. Then they placed a sealskin covering over the ark so that they would not be able to see into it, as it is said: But they shall not go in to see the holy things as they are being covered, lest they die (Num. 4:20).

What is meant by As they are being covered? R. Levi said: If they glanced into the ark for as long as the blinking of an eye, they would have died at once. You know this is so from the fact that when the Philistines captured the ark and then sought to return it, they took the kine and hitched them in the usual way with their buttocks toward the ark, but the milch kine realized what was expected of them and turned their heads toward the ark and pushed it on the way, as is said: And the kine took the straight way (I Sam. 6:12).

What is meant by The kine took the straight way (vayisharnah)? It means that the kine opened their mouths and sang (vayashir). When the kine reached Beth-shemesh and the people saw the cart and heard the kine singing, they looked at the ark that was on the cart: They lifted up their eyes, and saw the ark, and rejoiced to see it (ibid., v. 13). Whereupon a strong wind arose and revealed what was in the ark, and seventy thousand of them perished, as it is said: And he smote the men of Beth-shemesh, because they had gazed upon the ark of the Lord, even He smote of the people seventy men, and fifty thousand men (ibid, v. 19). Observe, therefore, how many miracles were performed because of the ark. Why did they occur? Because the Shekhinah and the Torah were within it. Wherever the Torah is present the Shekhinah accompanies it, as it is said: They that feared the Lord spoke to one another; and the Lord harkened and heard (Num. 13:16). Therefore the ark was more beloved than any other vessel in the Sanctuary.

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