Talmud for Numbers 17:32

When the ark was hidden, there were hidden with it the flask of Manna, the bottle of anointing oil, Aaron’s staff with its almonds and flowers, and the chest which the Philistines returned as a reparation sacrifice for Israel’s God. Who hid it? Josiah hid it. When he saw that it was written: The Eternal will lead you and your king whom you will have put above you, to a people whom neither you nor your fathers had known, he started and hid it. That is what is written: He said to the Levites, who instruct all of Israel, the ones holy to the Eternal, put the Ark into the House that Salomon, son of David, King of Israel, built; you do not have to carry it on your shoulder.” He said, if it is exiled with you to Babylonia, you will never return it to its place. But now, serve the Eternal, your God, and his people Israel.

⁵⁷Babli Yoma 52b, Horaiot 12a, Keritut 5b; Tosephta Kippurim 2:15, Soṭah 13:1; Seder ‘Olam 24; Abot dR. Nathan A 31. In the Babli and the sources depending on it, some Tannaïm hold that the Ark was brought to Babylon. When the ark was hidden, there were hidden with it the flask of Manna⁵⁸Ex. 16:33–34., the bottle of anointing oil⁵⁹Ex. 30:22–33., Aaron’s staff with its flowers and almonds⁶⁰Num. 17:25., and the chest which the Philistines returned as a reparation sacrifice for Israel’s God⁶¹1Sam. 6.. Who hid it? Josiah! When he saw that it was written⁶²Deut. 28:36.: “The Eternal will lead you and your king whom you will have put above you, to a people whom neither you nor your fathers had known,” he started and hid it. That is what is written⁶³2Chr. 35:3. The Levites had not carried the Ark since the time of Samuel.: “He said to the Levites, who instruct all of Israel, the ones holy to the Eternal, put the Ark into the House that Salomon, son of David, king of Israel, built; you do not have to carry it on your shoulder.” He said, if it is exiled with you to Babylonia, you will never return it to its place. But “⁶³2Chr. 35:3. The Levites had not carried the Ark since the time of Samuel. now, serve the Eternal, your God, and his people Israel.”

What is Rebbi Aqiba’s reason? It says here, dying he shall be put to death⁷⁷E. g. Lev. 20:10. An unspecified death penalty is by strangling;, and it says there, anybody acceding to the Eternal’s abode will die, etc.⁷⁸Num. 17:28. While the verse speaks of the access of non-priests to the Sanctuary, it supports only the rabbis’ argument since it clearly refers to Heaven’s actions. The parallel in the Babli 84a (Sifry Deut. 116, end) makes more sense. What is the rabbis’ reason? It says here, dying he shall be put to death, but it says there, any outsider coming close shall be put to death⁷⁹Num. 18:7. This verse supports R. Aqiba.. It is better to compare shall be put to death with shall be put to death and not shall be put to death with shall die⁸⁰To transfer the interpretation of one word to another verse, the word has to be in the same grammatical form. It is clear that the positions of יומת and ימות have to be switched..

These are the things that were made and then hidden: The Tent of Meeting, and the items inside it; the Ark and the broken tablets; the jar of manna; the rod [of Moses]; [the flask of anointing oil]; the staff of Aaron, with its almonds and flowers; the priestly garments and garments of the high priest. But the mortar and pestle of the House of Avtinus, the table, the lamp, the curtain, and the headband of the high priest – those are still kept in Rome.