וְעָשׂ֥וּ אֲר֖וֹן עֲצֵ֣י שִׁטִּ֑ים אַמָּתַ֨יִם וָחֵ֜צִי אָרְכּ֗וֹ וְאַמָּ֤ה וָחֵ֙צִי֙ רָחְבּ֔וֹ וְאַמָּ֥ה וָחֵ֖צִי קֹמָתֽוֹ׃
Mereka harus menjadikan sebuah tabut dari kayu penaga: panjangnya dua setengah hasta, lebarnya satu setengah hasta, dan tingginya satu setengah hasta.
Ramban
AND THE ETERNAL SAID UNTO ABRAHAM ‘LECH LECHA’ (GET THEE OUT). This means, “For your own benefit and for your own good. And there I will make of you a great nation whilst here you will not merit the privilege of having children.” Thus the language of Rashi.
Now there is no need for it1Ramban’s intent is that it is unnecessary to explain the word lecha (literally, “to you”) as meaning “for your own benefit” for it is merely the idiomatic usage of the Hebrew language, as explained further in the text. for such is the normal expression of the Hebrew language as in the verses: The rain is over and gone ‘lo’;2Song of Songs 2:11. Literally, “gone to itself.” I will get ‘li’ unto the great men;3Jeremiah 5:5. Literally, “get to me.” Rise up, and get ‘lachem’ over the brook Zered;4Deuteronomy 2:13. Literally, “and get to you.” and many similar examples. Our Rabbis, however, have made a Midrash — (a homiletical interpretation) — concerning the verses [addressed to Moses] which state, And thou shalt make ‘lecha’ an ark of wood,5Deuteronomy 10:1. Literally, “make to thee.” The Midrash of the Rabbis is as follows: “Here the verse states, And ‘thou’ shalt make an ark, meaning Moses, but in Exodus (25:10) it states, And ‘they’ shall make an ark! This teaches us that the people of a community are commanded to do the work of a Torah-scholar who resides in their midst.” (Yoma 72b.) and Make ‘lecha’ two trumpets of silver,6Numbers 10:2. Literally, “make to thee.” The Rabbis commented: “As though it were possible, I would prefer it to be from that which is thine to that which is theirs.” (Yoma 3b.) since it was not his work and it would have been proper for these verses to be stated in the same way as that concerning the tabernacle, i.e., And thou shalt make the tabernacle.7Exodus 26:1.
Now there is no need for it1Ramban’s intent is that it is unnecessary to explain the word lecha (literally, “to you”) as meaning “for your own benefit” for it is merely the idiomatic usage of the Hebrew language, as explained further in the text. for such is the normal expression of the Hebrew language as in the verses: The rain is over and gone ‘lo’;2Song of Songs 2:11. Literally, “gone to itself.” I will get ‘li’ unto the great men;3Jeremiah 5:5. Literally, “get to me.” Rise up, and get ‘lachem’ over the brook Zered;4Deuteronomy 2:13. Literally, “and get to you.” and many similar examples. Our Rabbis, however, have made a Midrash — (a homiletical interpretation) — concerning the verses [addressed to Moses] which state, And thou shalt make ‘lecha’ an ark of wood,5Deuteronomy 10:1. Literally, “make to thee.” The Midrash of the Rabbis is as follows: “Here the verse states, And ‘thou’ shalt make an ark, meaning Moses, but in Exodus (25:10) it states, And ‘they’ shall make an ark! This teaches us that the people of a community are commanded to do the work of a Torah-scholar who resides in their midst.” (Yoma 72b.) and Make ‘lecha’ two trumpets of silver,6Numbers 10:2. Literally, “make to thee.” The Rabbis commented: “As though it were possible, I would prefer it to be from that which is thine to that which is theirs.” (Yoma 3b.) since it was not his work and it would have been proper for these verses to be stated in the same way as that concerning the tabernacle, i.e., And thou shalt make the tabernacle.7Exodus 26:1.
Tur HaArokh
ועשית לך ארון עץ, “you will make for yourself a wooden ark.” Rashi explains that this is not the Holy Ark constructed by Betzalel when he made the Tabernacle about 3-4 months later. The meaning of the instruction in our verse is that the Tablets would be housed in the ark made by Moses until the time when the Tabernacle would be built and inaugurated. [at this point in time G’d had not even instructed Moses to build a Tabernacle. Ed.] After the Tabernacle was built, the ark constructed by Moses now would house the broken pieces of the first set of Tablets. Nachmanides comments that our sages do not appear to agree with Rashi’s explanation (Baba Batra 14 and Menachot 99) The opinion expressed in the Talmud is that both the second set of Tablets and the broken pieces of the first set reposed in the same ark, i.e. the ark constructed by Betzalel. This appears as the more logical scenario, seeing that the ark constructed by Moses was not inside the innermost and most sacred part of the Tabernacle during the 40 years the people traveled through the desert. According to tradition, the only time the Holy Ark left the Tabernacle/Temple, was when the High Priest Eli’s sons took it with them in the war against the Philistines, as a result of which it fell into captivity until it was eventually repatriated by King David to Jerusalem, about 50 years later. According to the sages, the ark Moses constructed was to serve his carrying the second set of Tablets in on his descent from the Mountain, and they would repose there until the consecration of the Tabernacle almost 6 months later. The reason that Moses was not instructed to make an ark prior to receiving the first set of Tablets was that it was foreseen that these would be smashed and did not need an ark to house them. Therefore the words ויהיו שם in verse 5 mean that the Tablets would remain in that ark pending the construction of the Holy Ark surrounded by gold and covered with the golden lid on which were mounted the two cherubs. Taking a more pragmatic approach to the text, i.e. the peshat, it is possible to understand G’d’s instruction to make a wooden ark as already referring to the ark that would be constructed by Betzalel later, seeing that long before Betzalel was appointed to be the artisan in charge of constructing the Tabernacle, Moses had been charged by Gd with that project in Exodus 25,10 after G’d had told Moses to collect the requisite donations from the people for that project (Exodus 25,2-9). Execution of that project had been sidelined due to the sin of the golden calf until after G’d had become reconciled to the atonement for that sin having been adequate, [although it was never totally forgiven Ed. (Sanhedrin 102)] When the time had come, G’d briefly told Moses to make an ark for the Tablets, this being none other than the ark already mentioned in Exodus It was a way of G’d indicating to Moses that what had been interrupted due to the episode of the golden calf could now be resumed, including the collection of the donations for that project. This is the meaning of Moses adding after the words ויהיו שם, “they remained there,” the words: כאשר צווני ה', “as Hashem had (previously) commanded me.” He meant that the Tablets were to repose within that ark permanently. When Moses descended from the Mountain carrying the second set of Tablets he deposited them in the אהל מועד, “the tent of testimony,” [the one Moses had retreated to after the sin of the golden calf, compare Exodus Ed.] in order to remain there until the Tabernacle had been constructed. If Moses had not smashed the first set of Tablets, he would have deposited them in that tent until Betzalel would have completed the Ark that was intended to house the Tablets permanently. It is most likely that what happened to the second Tablets also happened to the remains of the First Tablets. [By the way, Eliyahu Ki Tov, ז'צ'ל in his booklets on the portions of the Torah’ illustrates by a calculation how both the first set of the Tablets in their fragments plus the second set, plus the Torah scroll written by Moses could be fitted within the dimensions given by the Torah for the size of the Holy Ark. He also adds a fascinating calculation as to the combined weight of the Holy Ark when it was being transported. Ed.] It is impossible to explain this in a different fashion, as Moses most certainly did not take the fragments of the first set of Tablets back up the Mountain with him. [This is true as long as we stay within the parameters of the peshat, without speculating on what happened to the letters of the Tablets, etc., etc., as the Midrash does. Ed.] We must not ask that according to what Moses relates in verse 3 and 5 respectively, that he must have placed the Tablets in an ark at hand as soon as he descended with these Tablets and that they remained in that same ark. We must not understand all of these steps as having occurred exactly in the sequence Moses portrays them. He was only interested in concluding the subject of the Tablets and the Holy Ark within which they reposed after the Tabernacle had been built. The principal part of Moses’ message was verse 4, in which he testifies that what Hashem wrote on the second set of Tablets was exactly what He had written on the first set. This being so, this set of Tablets also qualified for being housed in the original Holy Ark that G’d had told Moses about in Exodus chapter 25. Hashem’s holy name was honoured by His writing reposing in a Holy Ark on earth. With the words
Rabbeinu Bahya
ועשית לך ארון עץ, “and make a wooden ark for yourself!”. Moses reports that he first made the ark (compare verse 3) and only after that did he carve out the Tablets. He followed this sequence in order to have a “home” ready for the Tablets when he would return with them from the mountain. If he had not first made the ark where would he put the Tablets when he arrived among the people with them? Our sages have a tradition that the “ark” mentioned by Moses in verse 5 was the one that he had made immediately after receiving the instructions to carve out the second set of Tablets. In other words, this was not the same Ark which Betzalel was instructed to make for the Tabernacle in Exodus 25,10 (based on Tanchuma Eikev 10).
The ark which Moses made was strictly temporary in order to have a place for the Tablets to be put pending the instructions to build the Tabernacle and to make a permanent home for the Tablets. The wooden ark made by Moses was the ones the people would take with them when they went to war. The Ark made by Betzalel was removed from the Tabernacle (except during the journeys when the Tabernacle itself was dismantled) only at the express command of G’d when the people marched around Jericho with the priests carrying the Holy Ark in front of them (Joshua 6,12). When, several hundreds of years later, the sons of the High Priest Eli took it upon themselves to take the Holy Ark to war with them against the Philistines, the Ark was captured and the sons of Eli died as a punishment for their high handed action. (Samuel I 4,8 describes that although, initially the Philistines were frightened of the Ark, they fought the Israelites and were victorious, capturing the Ark).
The ark (box) made by Moses contained (initially) both the Tablets and the broken pieces of the original Tablets which Moses had smashed. After Betzalel made the Holy Ark for the Tabernacle the contents of Moses’ ark were transferred to it. This is the meaning of Exodus 25,16: “you will place inside the Ark the testimony which I shall give you.” Even though the Talmud in Baba Batra 14 states: “there was nothing inside the Holy Ark except the two Tablets,” this is not to exclude the broken pieces of the first Tablets, as whenever two restrictive clauses are employed consecutively, the meaning is that something additional is meant, in this case the remnants of the first Tablets. This was after the Temple of Solomon had been built. As long as the Tabernacle of Betzalel functioned as the Temple, the Holy Ark contained the second set of Tablets whereas Moses’ ark contained the broken pieces of the first set of Tablets. (Compare Tosafot Eyruvin 63. Tosafot base themselves on the verse quoted by the Talmud in Baba Batra which appears in Kings I 8,9.)
The ark which Moses made was strictly temporary in order to have a place for the Tablets to be put pending the instructions to build the Tabernacle and to make a permanent home for the Tablets. The wooden ark made by Moses was the ones the people would take with them when they went to war. The Ark made by Betzalel was removed from the Tabernacle (except during the journeys when the Tabernacle itself was dismantled) only at the express command of G’d when the people marched around Jericho with the priests carrying the Holy Ark in front of them (Joshua 6,12). When, several hundreds of years later, the sons of the High Priest Eli took it upon themselves to take the Holy Ark to war with them against the Philistines, the Ark was captured and the sons of Eli died as a punishment for their high handed action. (Samuel I 4,8 describes that although, initially the Philistines were frightened of the Ark, they fought the Israelites and were victorious, capturing the Ark).
The ark (box) made by Moses contained (initially) both the Tablets and the broken pieces of the original Tablets which Moses had smashed. After Betzalel made the Holy Ark for the Tabernacle the contents of Moses’ ark were transferred to it. This is the meaning of Exodus 25,16: “you will place inside the Ark the testimony which I shall give you.” Even though the Talmud in Baba Batra 14 states: “there was nothing inside the Holy Ark except the two Tablets,” this is not to exclude the broken pieces of the first Tablets, as whenever two restrictive clauses are employed consecutively, the meaning is that something additional is meant, in this case the remnants of the first Tablets. This was after the Temple of Solomon had been built. As long as the Tabernacle of Betzalel functioned as the Temple, the Holy Ark contained the second set of Tablets whereas Moses’ ark contained the broken pieces of the first set of Tablets. (Compare Tosafot Eyruvin 63. Tosafot base themselves on the verse quoted by the Talmud in Baba Batra which appears in Kings I 8,9.)