A Template for Perfection

The Mishkan was not built by slaves but by a free people.

The Mishkan was not built by slaves but by a free people. In Parashat Terumah (Exodus 25:1–27:19), the Creator shows Moses the pattern for the Tabernacle — the Mishkan (from the Hebrew shakan, “to dwell”). Constructing the Tabernacle was nothing like the grueling labor forced upon the Children of Israel while still in Egypt. At Sinai, it was quite literally, a labor of love — an opportunity to fashion a place where the Divine Presence would dwell among them.

To build the Mishkan and fashion its kellim (vessels), God asks the nation to bring specific materials for this sacred project but to give according to their hearts. The Mishkan’s magnificence therefore reflected Israel’s grateful commitment to the Creator. It would house the Aron HaKodesh (the Holy Ark), but even more importantly, it would commemorate and reinforce the Sinai experience daily.

The Ark was the first item made for inclusion in the Tabernacle. According to tradition, Bezalel — a young descendant of Hur — was chosen as master craftsman to fashion this mysterious golden box which would house the luchot—the tables of the Law given at Sinai. But it also serves as a profound visual metaphor, offering a myriad layers of meaning. For an example, read the Torah’s physical dimensions for the Ark:

“They shall make an ark of acacia wood, two and a half cubits long, a cubit and a half wide, and a cubit and a half high.” - Exodus 25:10

The verb na’aseh — “we will make” — first appears in Genesis at the creation of humanity. It surfaces again in Terumah with the command to “make” the Ark. The echo is striking. Humanity is formed in the Divine image; the Ark is formed to carry the Divine word. Both point to a shared calling: that Torah be inscribed not only on tablets of stone but upon the heart, so that the gold refined within is faithfully mirrored in outward action.

We can learn yet another wonderful concept embedded in the simple description of the ark’s dimensions. The reader will note the use of the cubit as a unit of measure. Yet, the Ark is never described in whole cubits. Every dimension includes a half.

The Kli Yakar teaches that the cubits, in this description are “broken” which means they are expressed in fractions. It is intentional symbolism. Torah does not encourage the illusion of those convinced they are perfect. The fractional cubits declare that spiritual greatness begins with humility; when we recognize that there is always room for improvement.

The Ark was topped by two kruvim (cherubim), hammered from the same mass of fine gold as the kaporet (cover). Exodus 25:18–20 describes how they were shaped and formed from one unified piece. The gold is referred to as zahav tahor — refined, remarkable in its purity.

The corners of this golden chest were fastened with rings into which two staves were inserted. The staves were made of acacia wood, overlaid with gold, and were never to be removed.

Some researchers and commentators suggest the Ark was made from between two to five thousand pounds of gold, depending on the thickness of its inner and outer plating. While such calculations are speculative, the weight would seem impossible for four priests to carry. Yet the Talmud (Sotah 35a) teaches that the Ark carried those who carried it. The staves were not so much for lifting as for guiding. And with that, a thoughtful metaphor emerges: those who support Torah are themselves carried by it.

Contemporary audiences have an impression of the ark from films like Raiders of the Lost Ark. The 1981 Spielberg adventure and an earlier film, the 1951 David and Bathsheba, seem to derive the look of the ark directly from a 1902 painting by James Tissot. However, there is a glaring inaccuracy in the Tissot’s rendering, as well as hundreds of other images of the ark—the two staves for carrying it are incorrectly placed.

"The Ark Crosses Over the Jordan" by James Tissot

According to Maimonides (the Rambam), the staves ran along the shorter sides of the Ark. This finds support in the Mishna, Yoma 5:1, that describes the High Priest positioning himself in front of the ark on Yom Kippur:

“When he reaches the Ark, he places the coal pan between the two staves. He piles the incense atop the coals, and the entire chamber fills with smoke. He exits the way he entered, not turning his back, but walking out while facing the Ark.”

Ark image based on model designed by Jordan Bolinger

If the staves were on the longer sides of the ark as seen in the Tissot painting above, then placing the incense pan “between the staves” would be awkward and illogical. The smoke would not rise directly before the Ark. Worse still, the High Priest would effectively be facing the backside of one of the kruvim — hardly fitting for the holiest moment of the year.

Placed within the Holy of Holies upon the Foundation Stone — where creation began — the Ark represents a sublime interface between the physical and the supernal. The Ark was wood overlaid with gold, representing humility clothed in radiance. It models the potential for molding our lives according to God’s direction — crowned by Torah.

When discussing the Ark, conversation inevitably turns to its present whereabouts. Some claim it resides in Ethiopia. A tradition, preserved in the Kebra Nagast, maintains that Menelik — son of Solomon and the Queen of Sheba — removed the Ark from Jerusalem during Solomon’s reign and brought it to Ethiopia. It is a tradition of immense cultural weight. But when measured against the biblical timeline and plain common sense, the claim collapses. To successfully remove the Ark from the Temple, Menelik would need to elude twenty-four guard stations staffed by kohanim throughout the Temple complex. (Mishna Middot1:1)

The Bible itself offers textual evidence that the ark was still around, three centuries after the alleged heist by the Ethiopian prince. It is found in 2nd Chronicles 35:3 when King Josiah commands the Levites:

“Put the holy Ark in the House that Solomon son of David king of Israel built; it shall no longer be a burden upon your shoulders.”

If the Ark had been removed in Solomon’s lifetime, this passage becomes historically incoherent. One cannot cite the Tanakh as the authoritative ancient source for the Ark’s existence and then disregard it when inconvenient.

Jewish tradition instead preserves that Jeremiah warned King Josiah of impending destruction and that the ark and other sacred vessels were should hidden prior to the Babylonian invasion. This is also cited in a source known as Emek HaMelekh which records a tradition of certain righteous men concealing First Temple treasures. It also names those who oversaw this holy task:

• Shimur the Levite

• Hezekiah (Chizkiyah)

• Zedekiah (Tzidkiyah)

• Haggai the Prophet (Chaggai)

• Zechariah son of Ido

The message is consistent: the Ark was hidden, not captured.

The Torah tells us of the Ark’s journeys when the cloud lifted and the silver trumpets sounded, the Ark traveled ahead of the people. The movement of the camp was guided by revelation. The Ark charted Israel’s spiritual path. The nation was learning to walk:

“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.”— Psalms 119:105

Their trek was planned, according to Tanchuma (Bamidbar 12) which describes Jacob’s funeral procession. The arrangement of his sons around his coffin later mirrored the placement of the Twelve Tribes around the Mishkan. The Torah uses the word aron for both a coffin and the Ark of the Covenant — a linguistic bridge. The sons surrounding their father’s aron prefigured a nation surrounding the Divine Aron. Eventually, that center would rest in Jerusalem, unifying the tribes around the Temple.

In the Mishkan, the Kohen Gadol communed before the Ark on Yom Kippur, where he entered the Holy of Holies without obstruction between himself and the Ark and sought atonement for Israel. This connection is available to us in via true repentance which removes the inner barriers that block access to God.

Israel contributed to the Mishkan, according to their hearts. The Tabernacle’s design became the template for the First and Second Temples — and, according to tradition, will shape the Third. God waits for us to begin, to give according to all hearts that desire a House of Prayer for All Nations.