Torah Study Blog

Part of this week’s Torah portion, from Exodus 25, describes how the Israelites are to fashion the vessel which will house the “two tablets of the Pact, stone tablets inscribed with the finger of God” (Exodus 31:18). This vessel is known as the Ark of the Pact (Exodus 25:22), the Ark of God (1 Samuel 3:3), the Lord of Hosts Enthroned on the Cherubim (2 Samuel 6:2) and, most commonly known today (thank you, Steven Spielberg) as the Ark of the Covenant (Deuteronomy 31:25).

We should not wonder that the Ark was given many names. Similarly, our United States flag is known as the US Flag, Old Glory, and the Stars and Stripes. Important symbols are often given multiple names.

In Exodus 25:9 the vessel is referred to as a “mishkan,” which can be translated as a “Tabernacle” or a “Dwelling Place.” The belief was that the Ark provided a place for the people to be able to communicate with God. Because the people were getting ready to pack up and move, the Ark had to be portable, and it is described as having rings through which carrying poles are attached. The vessel is described as being made of wood, so that it is lightweight, but covered in gold, so that it is beautiful.

The traditions tell us that, when the people were traveling toward their Promised Land, the Ark was carried at the front of the multitude to act as their protection. In Numbers 10, Moses sent out the Ark and announced, “Advance, O Lord! May Your enemies be scattered, and may Your foes flee before You! ... You who are Israel’s myriads of thousands” (Numbers 10:35-36). Having the Ark at the lead was equivalent to having thousands of soldiers at the head of your army. And, the might of the Lord is really all you need to win.

And, in Joshua 6, the Ark of the Covenant is brought to Jericho and the might of God caused the walls of Jericho to come tumbling down!

But what happened when the might of the Ark failed the Israelites? I Samuel tells the story of when the Israelites were at Shiloh and they got into a skirmish against the Philistines. The Philistines recognized the power

of the Ark and they were frightened. But the Philistines rallied themselves and defeated the Israelites, killing 30,000 Israelite soldiers – and they captured the Ark!

The Philistines brought the Ark back to their own camp in the city of Ashdod and set it next to an idol of their god, Dagon. The next morning, an idol to Dagon was found lying face down in front of the Ark. After righting the idol, the next day the idol was found with its head decapitated and its hands cutoff. And the day after that, the residents of Ashdod were struck with hemorrhoids. Because of protests by the residents of Ashdod, the Philistines moved the Ark to the city of Gath. But those residents, too, were struck with hemorrhoids and insisted the Ark be moved again. When the Philistines tried to move the Ark to the next city, the residents refused to accept it and told the Philistines to return the Ark to the Israelites. The priests and diviners of the Philistines were asked what to do. They agreed the Ark should be returned, but a payment must also be made. Instructions were given that Ark should be returned with 10 specific items, crafted from gold – five golden hemorrhoids and five golden mice.

When the Ark was returned, the Israelites celebrated by sacrificing, “two cows as a burnt offering to the Lord. A large stone was there” (1 Samuel 6:15), upon which the Israelites placed the Ark and the gold objects. During the next skirmish against the Philistines, the Israelites won. (Entire story found in 1 Samuel 4-6.)

An article in the December 19, 2019 edition of Haaretz, a weekly newspaper of Israel, tells of an archaeological find in a place called Shemesh of a 3100-year-old temple located on a tell, or a hill which has been created by generations of people rebuilding over one location. Shemesh is close to Jerusalem.

Rabbi Jaech told us that it makes sense that the writers of the tradition in I Samuel were aware of this large stone in Shemesh which was considered a sacred site. They used the knowledge of this place to weave a great story. By weaving in something that was known to the ancient Israelites as being a real place, the writers give more credibility to their own story.

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misquotes or misunderstandings in what Rabbi Jaech taught us are the responsibility of Tara Keiter