Komentarz do Wyjścia 25:21

ואל הארן תתן את העדות AND IN THE ARK THOU SHALT PUT THE TESTIMONY — I do not know why this is repeated for it has already been commanded, (v. 16) “and thou shalt put the Testimony in the ark”. One may say that it intends to tell us that whilst the ark is still by itself — i. e. without the cover — he should first put the Testimony into it, and only afterwards should he put the cover on it for the first time. Thus indeed do we find: that when he (Moses) erected the Tabernacle it is stated, (Exodus 40:20) “and he [took and] put the Testimony into the ark”, and afterwards it says, “and he put the cover upon the ark above it” (cf. Talmud Yerushalmi Shekalim 6:1).

AND IN THE ARK THOU SHALT PUT THE TESTIMONY THAT I SHALL GIVE THEE. “I do not know why this is repeated, for it has already been stated [in Verse 16], And thou shalt put into the ark the Testimony which I shall give thee? One may answer that it intends to teach us that while the ark was still by itself, without its cover, he should first place the Testimony into it and then place the cover on it [for the first time]. Thus we find also when Moses set up the Tabernacle that Scripture says, And he put the Testimony into the ark,¹⁰⁹Further, 40:20. and after that it says,¹⁰⁹Further, 40:20. and he put the cover of the ark above.” This is Rashi’s language.
But if this be a command [as Rashi has it], the sense thereof would rather seem to be that after he puts the cover on the ark as G-d had commanded, [he should then remove the cover and] put the Testimony into the ark, for the term “ark” applies also when there is a cover on it. Moreover, one can also ask why did Scripture repeat the phrase from between the two cherubim which are upon the ark of the Testimony,¹¹⁰Verse 22. when it is known already from the preceding verses that the cherubim are upon the ark of Testimony? And what need is there to explain this again, seeing that He has already stated, from above the ark-cover, from between the two cherubim?¹¹⁰Verse 22. But the explanation thereof is as follows: Because He had commanded that the cherubim shall spread out their wings on high,¹¹¹Verse 20. but had not said why they should be made altogether, and what function they should serve in the Tabernacle, and why they should be in that form, therefore He now said, and thou shalt put the ark-cover with the cherubim, for they are all one, above upon the ark, because in the ark thou shalt put the Testimony that I shall give thee, so that there be for Me a Throne of Glory, for there will I meet with thee and I will cause My Glory to dwell upon them, and I will speak with thee from above the ark-cover, from between the two cherubim because it is upon the ark of the testimony.¹¹⁰Verse 22. It is thus identical with the Divine Chariot which the prophet Ezekiel saw, of which he said, This is the living creature that I saw under the G-d of Israel by the river Chebar; and I knew that they were cherubim.¹¹²Ezekiel 10:20. This is why He is called He Who sitteth upon the cherubim,¹¹³I Samuel 4:4. for they spread out their wings on high in order to teach us that they are the Chariot who carry the Glory, just as it is said, and gold for the pattern of the chariot, even the cherubim, that spread out their wings, and covered the ark of the covenant of the Eternal,¹¹⁴I Chronicles 28:18. as I have mentioned.
In the opinion of our Rabbis¹¹⁵Chagigah 13b. the cherubim had the forms of a human being, the word being of the Aramaic language which calls a lad ravya. In that case the letter kaf in the word k’rubim (cherubim) is not part of the root of the word, but merely serves in a comparative function [meaning “as lads”], the name indicating their substance. If you will further contemplate as to why their faces were turned one to another,¹¹¹Verse 20. and why they were of beaten work,¹¹⁶Verse 18. you will be able to know that it was proper for them that they be spreading out their wings on high,¹¹¹Verse 20. for they are the throne of the Supreme One, sheltering the Testimony which is the writing of G-d.¹¹⁷Further, 32:16. This is the meaning of the expression, the pattern of the chariot,¹¹⁴I Chronicles 28:18. for the cherubim which Ezekiel saw carrying the Glory are the pattern of the cherubim [on high], these being the Glory and the tipheret (beauty); and the cherubim which were in the Tabernacle and in the Sanctuary were of a likeness to them, for one higher than the high watcheth, and there are higher than they.¹¹⁸Ecclesiastes 5:7. And this is the meaning of and I knew¹¹²Ezekiel 10:20. [and not “and I saw”], for Ezekiel saw one and knew the other [on high]. This is why he said “they” [and I knew that ‘they’ were cherubim]. The student learned in the mysteries of the Cabala will understand.

ונתת את הכפרת על הארון מלמעלה, "And you shall put the lid on top of the ark, from above;" Why did the Torah have to repeat that the "testimony" (Tablets with the Ten Commandments) should be placed inside the ark? We have already been told of this in 25,16! Rashi answers this problem saying that Moses was to first put the Tablets inside and subsequently to put the lid on the ark. He quotes 40,20 where the Torah describes Moses carrying out the instructions given here. Rashi's commentary suggests that unless the Torah had repeated itself one could have erred and thought that the Tablets were to be placed on top of the lid of the ark. I am not satisfied with this. First of all, there was no room on top of the lid for the Tablets as the whole top of the lid was taken up by the cherubs. Besides, if the Torah was concerned about the reader making such an error, it only had to add the word בתוך, "inside," in verse 16 instead of writing אל! There are other objections that could be raised against Rashi's commentary. The comments by Rabbi Eliyah Mizrachi on this duplication are not compatible with his usually profound insights. He wanted to defend Rashi by using the fact that Rabbi Avraham ibn Ezra did not see any need to comment as proof that there is no difficulty at all. With all due respect, I feel that Rabbi Mizrachi succeeded in defending Rabbi Ibn Ezra's words rather than those of Rashi. The instructions in verse 16 had to precede those in verse 21 as otherwise the Torah would have commanded placing the lid on an empty ark, seeing that the instruction to put the Tablets inside it would have been issued after the directive to put the lid on top of the ark!

ואל הארון תתן, “and you are to place within the ark, etc.” Rashi explains that the reason why this verse appears to repeat what has been written already in verse 16, is to tell us that the Tablets were to be placed inside the ark even before the lid was placed on it. I might have thought otherwise that only after the lid had been constructed was the ark considered complete enough to house the Tablets. After that the lid would be placed on the ark. I do not understand what Rashi is saying. It is the most obvious thing that the Tablets could not have been placed inside the ark unless the lid was off at the time. Perhaps Rashi meant to say that the lid was not to be put on the ark at all, not even in order to move it from one site to another, unless the Tablets had already been placed inside it. Nachmanides, referring to Rashi’s commentary, writes that if indeed our verse is an instruction, this sounds most illogical; it would be far more likely that the Torah would instruct not to put the Tablets into an as yet incomplete piece of furniture, and only after the ark had been fitted with the lid were the Tablets to be placed inside. After all, the Torah writes that the Tablets are to placed inside the ark, and the ark is not called “ark,” unless it has been fitted with the lid first. Nachmanides also questions the words מעל הכפורת אשר על ארון העדות, “from above the lid, which is on top of the ark of the testimony.” Why would this information have to be repeated? We know that the cherubs were part of the lid, the כפורת! He therefore explains that seeing the Torah had neither explained the need for the cherubs, nor why they had to have their wingspans extended vis a vis each other, it is explained now that the voice of G’d when He spoke to Moses would appear to emanate from precisely this spot between the extended wings of the cherubs on top of the lid of the ark. Keeping all this in mind, the Torah repeats that seeing that the Shechinah will speak to Moses from between the outstretched wings of the cherubs, it is fitting that they are placed on the equivalent of a “throne,” כסא הכבוד. This “throne” for the Shechinah on earth, is the Holy Ark, when it is the repository of the Tablets that had been written by G’d Himself. Some commentators think that the reason the line was repeated is simply to teach that the first set of Tablets, the ones Moses had broken, were also to be placed inside the same Ark.

V. 21. Das Gesetz bildet das eigentliche Wesen der Lade, nur durch sein "Zeugnis" gewinnt die Lade Bedeutung, und nur auf die mit dem zu ihrem Inhalt aufgenommenen Gesetze bezieht sich der Cherubimdeckel mit seiner inhaltreichen Bedeutung. Der ארון muss erst ארון העדות geworden sein, bevor der כפרת auf ihn gesenkt wird. Somit ist das Tempelheiligtum dem "Gesetze" errichtet, und das, was im Leben die höchste und allgemeinste Herrschaft gewinnen soll, ist auch das, was im Tempel als das Allerheiligste verwahrt wird; der jüdische Staat und der jüdische Tempel bilden keine verschiedenen Kategorien. Sie dienen beide vereint einem und demselben Zwecke, der Verwirklichung des Gesetzes, das das einzige Prinzip der jüdischen Gesamtheit bildet.

ונתת את הכפרת על הארון מלמעלה, “you are to position the lid on top of the Ark.” This is followed by the instruction to place the Tablets inside the Ark after G-d would give these to Moses. How is this to be understood? As of the previous month of Ellul, when Moses had received the second set of Tablets they had rested in the ark which Moses had constructed prior to ascending the Mountain in order to receive them, as pointed out in Deuteronomy 10,3, when he said: “I made an Ark of shittim wood, and then I proceeded to carve out the two stone Tablets.” On the 25th day of Kislev following, when the construction of the Tabernacle and all its furnishings had been completed, he put the lid on the ark for the first time. This is what the commandment: “place the lid on the Ark,” (in our verse) refers to. The Tablets remained in the ark which Moses had constructed until the first day of Nissan when the Tabernacle together with all its furnishings was anointed. Concerning that Ark, the Torah said that Moses was to place the Tablets inside the Holy Ark. This was the Ark constructed by Betzalel. Of this Ark the Torah wrote: ואל הארון תתן את העדות, “and put the Testimony inside the Ark.”According to the plain meaning of the text (according to Ibn Ezra), Moses had already placed the Tablets inside, and after that he placed the lid on the Ark. Seeing that the lid had been mentioned already several times it states once more that once the lid had been put on the Ark the entire Tabernacle could be considered as having been completed.

I believe that the correct interpretation of our verse is to underline that not only are the Tablets to be placed inside the ark but they are not to be taken out again forever, similar to the original Torah scroll which Moses was commanded to place next to the Tablets. Our sages in Devarim Rabbah 9,9 say that if ever there is a discrepancy between the Torah scrolls of one tribe and that of another tribe [the 13 original ones were all written by Moses personally, Ed.], the Torah scroll to be used as the one to compare to is the one which was kept inside the ark. [One could compare what was written in that scroll without removing the scroll from the ark. Ed.] This also helps us to understand why the Torah in our verse mentions the placing of the lid on the ark before mentioning the fact that the Tablets were to be placed in it. All the verse came to tell us is that once the Tablets had been placed inside the ark and the lid had been placed on top they were to stay there forever.

ואל הארון תתן את העדות, “and into the Ark you are to place the Testimony.” At this point this was a commandment. Previously when the Torah wrote: ונתת אל הארון, “you will place into the Ark, etc,” we would do well to understand these words as a prediction, or explanation for the purpose of the lid. According to one opinion it would also be an explanation for why the Ark, i.e. with the staves attached to it, were never to be moved.

Another meaning of the verse, i.e. the repetition of what was mentioned in verse 16, is that Moses was to wait with placing the Tablets inside until all three parts of the ark had been completed together with the lid and the cherubs on it. This would appear to be so, based on the sequence of the words: ונתת את הכפרת…followed by אל הארון תתן את העדות.

אשר אתן אליך, “which I am going to give you.” This was a reference to the second set of Tablets, seeing that G-d knew that the first set would never get there in one piece. Not only that, but these words were spoken to Moses on the fortieth day of his last stay on the Mountain. (The first set of Tablets had been smashed on the 17th day of Tammuz)25,22. ודברתי אתך מעל הכפרת, “when I speak to you it will be from above the lid;” you may ask that we read in Leviticus 1,1, that “G-d spoke to Moses from the Tent of Meeting,” not from above the lid of the Ark which was inside the Holy of Holies? We must understand the Torah as follows: whenever Moses was standing outside the Tabernacle, he perceived the voice of G-d as emanating from inside the Tabernacle. When he was being addressed by G-d while he was inside the Tabernacle G-d’s voice emanated from above the lid of the Ark. This is the meaning of (Numbers 7,89) “when Moses had entered the Tent of Meeting he heard the voice speaking to him from above the lid of the Ark.”

A third possibility is, as our sages stated in Baba Batra 14, that the ark contained both the second set of Tablets and the broken pieces of the first Tablets. The two instructions to place the Tablets inside the ark would then refer to the two sets of Tablets, respectively.

There may also be a moral-ethical lesson in the wording of these instructions. The Torah first describes the lid as being on top of, i.e. spiritually higher than the Tablets which are inside the ark. At the same time the wording of the subsequent verse gives the impression that the Tablets are on top of the lid, i.e. that the Tablets represent spiritually higher values than those inside the ark. The Torah therefore succeeds in conveying to its readers that it is on a spiritually higher level than even the lid with its cherubs, the source of G'd's voice speaking with Moses. If the Torah had used the words ונתת את הכפרת על הארון מלמעלה in verse 16, we would have concluded that the כפרת represented the symbol of supreme spirituality.